January/February 2005 IBEW Journal

The election is over, but the commitment of the IBEW and like-minded organizations to conservationand guaranteeing every American access to better places to hunt and fish goes on. The participation of the IBEW and many individual members in the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Project (TRCP) paid off for one IBEW member who was one of the lucky winners of the TRCP "Elk Hunts of a Lifetime" drawings.

Local 1600 member Glenn Buchter poses with the bull elk he took on his TRCP sponsored hunting trip in Wyoming.

Glenn Buchter, a member of IBEW Local 1600, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, hunted on the Mooncrest Ranch, outside Cody, Wyoming, owned by TRCP Board Member Bob Model, who graciously donated the hunt. The opportunity to hunt elk in the Rocky Mountain West is a dream held by many hunters, especially whitetail deer hunters from the midwest, southeast and east coast. Glenn was no exception. He took a nice bull elk and said the experiences surpassed all expectations.

Brother Buchter reported, "The scenery at Mooncrest Ranch was amazing, and riding out on a horse in the early morning hours when it was still dark and the moon was out is hard to describe. Besides elk, I saw mule deer, turkeys, coyotes, and eagles. There’s no way I can describe the size of the land, it was a lot bigger than I had ever imagined. Every hunter should go west at least once in his life and I plan on going back with my son someday. In thirty-eight years of hunting, it was without a doubt the best hunt I’ve ever been on. I killed a 5 x 6 bull, miles from the lodge, late in the day and we had to return in the morning with mules and horses to pack the meat out."

A strong supporter of the TRCP, Glenn added, "The TRCP is a really good group of people, they have some smart and experienced folks working to keep our hunting and fishing traditions, I believe these guys are really good representatives for us sportsmen and with our support they’ll get some good things done. I’d encourage every IBEW member who hunts and fishes to join TRCP and to participate."

Glen’s elk hunt, along with those of other winners, were shot by camera crews for a new TRCP television show, which is being produced thanks to the support of the Building and Construction Trades Unions. It will begin airing next fall on The Outdoor Life Network (OLN). Watch these pages for dates and times and to learn more about how the IBEW and other unions are supporting our hunting and fishing traditions.

Watch upcoming issues of the IBEW Journal for details on how to enter to win a TRCP sponsored hunting and fishing trip of a lifetime. Members can also log onto www.trcp.org or call toll free 1-877-770-8722 to join the TRCP. It’s FREE, and only by working together can we guarantee everybody a place to hunt and fish.