Rifles Galore: Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation's Big Game Banquet

The award-winning Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation is a nonprofit devoted to conservation, hunting, management of free-ranging elk (and other beasties), and paying its CEO a six-figure salary. It was launched by Montana hunters in 1984.

This past weekend, I went to an RMEF chapter dinner. It featured an auction and a raffle with items I never would have imagined as auction-worthy (or raffle-worthy) - for instance, a 5-day hunting trip to South Africa or $50 off your next visit to the taxidermist.

As well as many a

G -


U -

N!

(They all went trigger fast.)


Dinner guests received a complimentary buck knife. Uh, nice. But an antler necklace would have also been elk-standing.

There were plenty of wildlife to see ... the mounted kind. Sorry, Yogi. Gun + Bear = $50 off your next visit to the taxidermist.

Mostly a boy-oriented event, but there were several girl-oriented gifts - ideal for hiking or outdoorsy living. And I was delighted to win, via the closing raffle, a few of them - like the baby blue CamelBak and a pair of plum-colored shirts from Columbia sportswear.

An elk-cellent way to end the evening.