IOGA Annual Meeting is Thursday & Friday, December 11 & 12
The IOGA Annual meeting will be on Thursday & Friday, December 11th & 12th at the Red Lion Downtowner. For a complete agenda,
click here.
The IOGA room rate of $67 per night for up to 4 people per room has been extended through this Sunday, November 23rd. To make reservations, call 208.344.7691 and ask for the front desk. Be sure to tell them you are with IOGA.
River Manager Reports - Thursday, Dec. 11th - 10:30 a.m.
Agency River Managers will review the past season and what's on the horizon.
Member Bash & Reception with Exhibitors - Thursday, Dec. 11th - 4:30 p.m.
Come join us for the first annual Members Bash and Reception with Exhibitors. Here is your chance to catch up with friends and industry supporters in a casual and fun setting. We will start the evening off with a reception that includes live music by Jimmy Bivens, beverages and food, Breaks in the entertainment will be filled with the Poetry Contest and announcing the winners of this year's Photo contest. IOGA's Guides of the Year will also be announced! Don't miss out!
Click here for a complete list of exhibitors.
Maintaining and Enhancing Relationships Between Agencies and the Outfitting Industry - Friday, Dec. 12th - 8:30 a.m.
Panelists include Lori Thomason, IOGLB; Monica Zimmerman, BLM; Heather Berg, Clearwater/Nez Perce National Forest; Steve Kimball, Region I Forest Service and Louise Stark, White Cloud Outfitters.
50 Years of Wilderness - Friday, Dec. 12th - 11:30 a.m.
Idaho Public Television will show the new documentary "50 Years of Wilderness" to celebrate 50 years of wilderness designation in Idaho. This showing will be only the second time the show has been viewed. IOGA is a major sponsor of this program.
"IOGA Pioneers" - 60 Years of IOGA- Friday, Dec. 12th - 12:30 p.m.
Doug Tims, IOGA Honorary Lifetime Member and retired outfitter, will host a panel of current and past IOGA members who will share stories about IOGA and outfitting in the early days. Panelists will include IOGA Honorary Lifetime members Dave Helfrich and Leo Crane, as well as retired outfitter Stan Potts, and current outfitter Jerry Hughes. Current outfitter Sherry Nygaard and Honorary Lifetime Member Jinny Hopfenbeck may also participate on the panel. Be sure to join us for a jog down memory lane!
Thaw Dinner & Auction Fundraiser IOGA - Friday, Dec. 12th - 5:30 p.m.
The annual Thaw Dinner and Auction will be Friday, December 12th. There will be live and silent auctions, raffles, plenty of good food and music by Jimmy Bivens. For more information, check out our
facebook page.
Guide Corner
Here is your opportunity to
recognize that Guide who goes above and beyond by
nominating them for IOGA Guide of the Year.
Turn in your
nominations for Hunting, Boating and Recreation Guide of the Year and then join us on Thursday Dec.11th at the "Members Bash" for the awards. These deserving individuals are not only great ambassadors for our industry but key individuals in their own communities.
I had the privilege of guiding a hunt with Stan Potts this fall, back on Big Creek for Steve Zettel. At 80 years, Stan kept us spellbound with an unending supply of crystal clear recollections. He and his father started outfitting in Chamberlain Basin in 1962. They cut and cured logs there, mixed several yards of concrete by hand and built the two story lodge I would later grow up in. I believe pyromaniacs have since burned the lodge. Elk country was fine, but Stan soon moved to Big Creek and guided with Jess Taylor at the Taylor Ranch where Big Horn rams became his passion. He went on to guide 105 sheep hunts all over North America and he and his wife, Joy, came 1 shy of filling out two grand slams with their .264, model 70. Stan was the first native Idahoan to do so. He recounted stories of grizzly charges in B.C., forgotten Indian caves, enormous elk with antlers in full velvet, horse deals gone bad, impossible marksmen, airplane wrecks and mule train collisions that should have ended worse. "Tell us some more, Grandpa Stan," we'd say. And he would. Underneath all their richness you could see the joyful trajectory of a life lived to the hilt by a man following his true passion. A good lesson for us all. Written by Craig McCallum.
