North Peace hunting club gets set to hold youth recognition awards

FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. — A local hunting club is all set to host its youth recognition awards event. 

The North Peace Rod and Gun Club will host its 2026 Youth Celebration of Hunting awards and the eighth annual Rich Petersen Youth Memorial White-Tail, Mule Deer and Big Game Recognition Awards. 

The event has been scheduled for Sunday, February 8th at 12 p.m. at the North Peace Rod and Gun Club. 

Guy Lahaye, past president for the North Peace Rod and Gun Club, told Energeticcity.ca this is the 25th year it has been organizing these awards. 

He said: “The Youth Celebration of Hunting is something that the Rod and Gun Club has sponsored. 

“It is a celebration of all the game that has been legally harvested throughout the 2025 season by the youths of the community [from] ages 11 to 17.” 

This year, the club received 24 entries from 18 kids from Fort St. John. 

“[The kids] legally harvest an animal and they can then decide to get it scored, which gives them Boone and Crockett points,” he shared.

Boone and Crockett is a standardized scoring system to rate North American big game. 

He said: “[When] the animal [is] harvested, [it] is measured [for] length, width and thickness. 

“If the animal is significant enough, the animal is entered [and gets] compared to record books.” 

Participants receive prizes related to hunting and anything they might need. This can range from rifles to binoculars. 

For the 2025 season, the club has received entries that includes bears, deers, ungulates (hoofed mammals) and other carnivores. 

The purpose of this event, Lahaye said, is to “recognize and perpetuate the heritage of hunting in North America.” 

According to a Facebook post, the closed event will include lunch, the awards and a celebration of youth hunters and their achievements.