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Members of the Northern State University Pheasants Forever chapter participated in a guided hunt at Dakota Pheasant Guide near Mellette earlier this year. Courtesy photo.
Northern students are rallying around a newly created student organization aimed at promoting conservation efforts and the establishment of pheasant habitat.
With 20 members, the campus Pheasants Forever chapter is one of four such groups in the nation and joins roughly 700 community chapters across the U.S.
For the students who are members, the draw is to join others on campus who enjoy hunting and the outdoors.
“Growing up, it was hard finding a group of people with the same mindset with conservation of animals and preservation of land,” chapter President Kaden St. Pierre, a Northern student from Hayti, said. “Casey (Weismantel) told me about wanting to start a club on campus for Pheasants Forever … I realized there was a group with the same mindset.”
Weismantel, a member of the Northern South Dakota Pheasants Forever chapter and executive director of the Aberdeen Area Convention & Visitors Bureau, had been promoting Pheasants Forever at Northern’s student involvement fair and surveying students to see if there was interest in forming a collegiate chapter.
Getting a campus chapter started at Northern only made sense, Weismantel said, considering Aberdeen is a hot spot for pheasant hunting.
Northern State chapter took three years to get started
The process of starting a campus chapter took about three years. Getting the necessary paperwork approved by the university to create the group was a big step. Weismantel said approval was also needed from Pheasants Forever at the national level, though many of the requirements overlapped.
“On Northern’s side, they needed five students willing to stick their neck out and give it a shot,” Weismantel said. “Many in this group are the core members who were able to get this going.”
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Once the chapter was approved, board members began more routine tasks — appointing officers, drafting bylaws, opening bank accounts, learning the process of running a meeting and creating and getting university approval for the group’s logo.
Now, the Northern Pheasants Forever group can host activities on campus. There have already been two birdhouse painting events. The 50 or so birdhouses were donated to nursing homes, Kuhnert Arboretum and faculty, St. Pierre said.
Students on the leadership team are some of the first who expressed interest in a campus chapter. All are outdoor enthusiasts from South Dakota. They see it as a chance to promote conversation and make connections with local hunters and outdoor enthusiasts.
Members of the Northern State University Pheasants Forever chapter participated in a guided hunt at Dakota Pheasant Guide near Mellette earlier this year. Courtesy photo.
Chapter officially formed in January
The chapter officially formed in January and has already received recognition as student organization of the year through the Wolfy Student Engagement Awards program.
St. Pierre said members have been promoting the organization by sponsoring a puck drop at an Aberdeen Wings hockey game and organizing a split pot drawing.
Dennis Foster with Dakota Pheasant Guide in Mellette donated a guided pheasant hunt to the chapter as a reward for the work that’s already been done. That was at the end of February.
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The guided hunt was a great experience, and, St. Pierre said, being connected with the Northern South Dakota Pheasants Forever chapter has opened up hunting opportunities.
“For me growing up, I never had hunting dogs, so hunting was a lot of walking,” St. Pierre said. “It’s really nice to stick around here and learn the ropes from them.”
Members of the Northern State University Pheasants Forever chapter participated in a guided hunt at Dakota Pheasant Guide near Mellette earlier this year. Courtesy photo.
Van Engen joined to draw more women
Vice President Kaisha Van Engen was the first female member of the campus chapter. As someone who grew up hunting in Iowa and received grief about it from her peers, Van Engen said her goal is to encourage more women to join.
“And prove it wasn’t a men’s hobby,” she said.
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Five women joined Van Engen at the group’s Sept. 22 meeting.
She said her interest in hunting began when she was 10 and her dad took her deer hunting. Pheasant hunting, her favorite, soon followed.
“It’s fun knowing you never know when they’re going to pop up,” she said of the birds.
Lacher also started hunting at an early age
Treasurer Kolby Lacher started going out on hunts when he was 6 or 7.
“I completely fell in love with the outdoors,” he said, noting much of his youth was spent in a field, deer stand or walking a slough.
“Whatever I can do to put more habitat and make South Dakota’s hunting resources expand, I want to do it,” Lacher said. “This is one of the best places on Earth for hunting.”
Fellow member Austin Jenkins appreciates being able to connect with people who enjoy hunting and the outdoors.
“I grew up hunting and lost connection with it,” he said. “It’s fun to be in a community with others who hold the same values.”
Northern State University’s Pheasants Forever chapter has hosted birdhouse painting events. The birdhouses were donated to nursing homes, Kuhnert Arboretum and faculty. Courtesy photo.
Advisors see value in collegiate chapter
The advisors of the campus Pheasants Forever chapter are Kelly Weismantel, assistant director for student accessibility services and Northern, and Eric Pulis, associate professor of biology and coordinator of student research.
Kelly Weismantel, who is Casey’s wife, said she’s been occasionally involved with the Northern South Dakota chapter.
“But I saw the value of having a group on campus, especially for the outdoors folks,” she said. “If you ask them why Northern, it’s not the bright city lights, but for the other things we have to offer, like hunting.”
At least one of the out-of-state student members was surprised to learn that students are eligible for resident hunting licenses. Members of the group said that is a huge selling point since those are cheaper than nonresident hunting licenses.
Casey Weismantel said there’s a cleaning station on campus for students to use when they finish hunting.
“These kids can bring their pheasants in, clean them and cook them. The combination of all those opportunities makes Northern a draw,” he said.
In addition to offering hunting opportunities, Pulis said the chapter is for students interested in conservation.
“Yes, most of us enjoy hunting,” Pulis said. “But it’s a habitat organization. If we don’t have that, we don’t have birds.”
Kelly Weismantel said that’s appealing to her. When she goes hunting, she’s armed with a camera, not a gun.
St. Pierre credits the Weismantels and Pulis for making the campus group a reality.
Pheasants Forever memberships are generally $35, but the fee is $25 for the college chapter.