While Missouri's elk population slowly expands, its staunchest supporters are growing by leaps and bounds, evident by the turnout for Saturday's Three Rivers Buglers/Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation banquet at the Black River Coliseum.
More than 400 people attended the event, which was a record setter on multiple counts.
"We had 107 sponsors," said committee member Lenard Wagganer. "That's the most we've ever had in 19 years."
That total, Wagganer said, builds upon last year's event, which ranked No. 2 in the nation out of more than 500 Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation events for sponsorship numbers.
"This community and these sponsors are just unbelievable," Wagganer said. "They are just here for us year after year. If it wasn't for our sponsors, we couldn't have a good banquet."
Not only were sponsor numbers up, but so was the amount of money raised for RMEF habitat programs.
"We had an extremely good gross dollar amount," said Wagganer, noting the banquet total was "somewhere around $96,000."
The new record gross, Wagganer said, easily tops the previous high of $84,000 set a few years ago.
The evening went "great" from start to finish, Wagganer said. "It went so smooth, thanks to the committee members. We got everyone out by 10 p.m."
After the early social hour with games, raffles and silent auction, plus a rousing rendition of the Armed Forces Medley and the national anthem by Jim Todd, Karon Campbell's Tasteful Creations served up a steak dinner.
"Everyone bragged on how good the meal was," Wagganer noted. "The food was excellent, and everyone was served and seated within 12 minutes."
Following the dinner, volunteer auctioneers Speedy Ketcherside, Felix Baker and Haven Willis conducted a live auction for a large variety of items.
"You can't beat those three," said Wagganer of the auctioneers. "They always generate a lot of interest."
Two big-ticket items on the live auction were a mule deer hunt in Wyoming and a four-man African safari with Fig Tree Safaris.
Wagganer and Larry Evans were the winners of the mule deer hunt, while the African hunt was won by a call-in bidder from Cape Girardeau, Mo.
Wagganer noted about 45 guns were given away over the course of the evening, including multiple sponsor guns.
The RMEF Gun of the Year, a Weatherby Vanguard in .300-Weatherby caliber, went home with Tom Rankin.