MIKE BRAUN Banquets fill the bill in many respects

In the next few weeks you can take your choice of either venison, duck, trout or a selection of wild game. Or you can have them all.
While some or all of these selections will certainly be on the menu, what I'm really talking about are fund-raising banquets put on by area chapters of national wildlife organizations.
White Tails Unlimited (deer), Trout Unlimited, Ducks Unlimited (waterfowl) and the Safari Club International (wild game) all have benefits planned in the next month. They could all use your patronage.
One of the more all-encompassing of these groups, the Safari Club International East Ohio-Northwest Penn Chapter, will put on its annual "Night of the Hunter" fund-raiser and gourmet game dinner Saturday at The Embassy on Youngstown-Poland Road.
SCI's event, its 13th annual, will offer a chance to win one of a handful of hunting trips, including jaunts to Africa, Australia and Canada; rifles, shotguns, archery equipment and other niceties.
The gourmet game dinner will give attendees a chance to dine on elk, moose, buffalo, salmon, flounder, pheasant and duck.
Call (330) 726-8155, (330) 726-0809, (330) 757-3543 or (814) 437-3102 for ticket information.
In April: Next up is the newly organized Mill Creek Chapter of White Tails Unlimited with a banquet on April 6.
The group is dedicated to furthering deer and deer hunting through education, conservation and education. The club's Web site states: "Our belief is that future programs must continue to be fostered to ensure that the delicate balance between man and nature is maintained."
The chapter's fund-raising banquet will be at 6 p.m. at Mr. Anthony's. Tickets are $50 for singles or $75 per couple. For information, call Rob Palowitz at (330) 629-9056, Rick Otterson (330) 792-8499 or Denny Malloy (330) 637-6699.
There will also be a WTU banquet in Greenville, Pa., for the Shenango Valley chapter, March 31, at Hempfield Fire Station One. Tickets are $40 for singles, $65 for couples.
The Neshannock Chapter of Trout Unlimited will hold its annual spring banquet April 7 at the Rosemont Banquet Center in Sharon.
The Neshannock chapter will bring in Kim Boal and Dr. Charles Moxley as featured guest fly tiers as well as offer raffles, auctions and a full buffet dinner.
Tickets are $25 for adults, $45 for couples and $10 for children under 16. For information or tickets call (330) 638-2982, (724) 962-2703 or check at Hooks and Books on Maple Street in Girard or at the Orvis shop in Volant, Pa.
Finally, April 21 is when the Columbiana County chapter of Ducks Unlimited will have its annual banquet at Diamond Back Golf Course, 9399 Leffingwell Road, Canfield.
Tickets for this event are $55 for a single, $85 per couple or $30 for a greenwing (junior member).
Fund-raising activities include raffles, drawings and auctions with a portion of the proceeds staying in the area for local projects.
For information, contact Peggy at Essence of Nature, (330) 702-1156.