The foundation hosted a 'Combat Veteran Pheasant Hunt' at Liberty Corner Farm in Albemarle, VA with the help of 001 Outdoor Outfitters. Sponsors teamed up with veterans in a 300-bird, European-style circle shoot.

Charlottesville’s NBC affiliate News Channel 29 covered today’s Combat Veteran Pheasant Hunt at Liberty Corner Farm in Albemarle, VA with the help of 001 Outdoor Outfitters. Sponsors were paired with combat veterans in a 300-bird, European-style circle shoot.

“Most people that come don’t hunt, probably don’t want to hunt, but it gives them a chance to try something different,” organizer Will Payne said. First place went to a wild boar chili from Clark Mercer, chief of staff to Lieutenant Governor Ralph Northam.

The Virginia Sportsmen’s Foundation hosted the 26th Annual Wild Game Chili Cook-Off on Thursday, January 19, 2017 in downtown Richmond at the beginning of the General Assembly session. Thank you to all of the cooks, judges and volunteers who made the event a success, including former Delegate Albert Pollard for providing the steamed oyster bar.

Will is a good, old friend and also President of the Virginia Sportsmen’s Foundation, which works to expand opportunities for hunting and fishing in Virginia and also hosts a number of educational and social events to elevate sportsmen’s issues among policymakers in Richmond. One of my favorite is their annual Wild Game Chili Cookoff hosted by Lt. Gov. Ralph Northam’s office that always brings a cross-section of Virginia to feast in venison, fowl, and other kinds of chili.