Duck Shack's Wild Game Cook-Off

On Saturday January 15, Rick Lawrence Outdoor Sportsman's Safety Awareness (RLOSSA) hosted their annual Duck Shack's Wild Game Cook-Off. The event is used to raise money for RLOSSA as well as to contribute to local community causes and organizations such as, the Perry Chamber of Commerce. This year RLOSSA was able to donate $240 to the Chamber from money raised from a 50/50 raffle held at the event.

Rick Lawrence Outdoor Sportsman's Safety Awareness is a nonprofit organization founded in 2015 by the family of Rick Lawrence. Rick was an avid hunter and fisherman who was killed while turkey hunting by another hunter at Mark Twain Lake. Rick's family wanted to promote outdoor sportsman's safety to honor Rick's memory and his belief in safe hunting practices and love for the outdoors. The organization speaks at local 4-H, FFA and other youth events. Through their events RLOSSA has been able to donate items such as guns, gun stands, hats, t-shirts, gun pouches, orange safety vests, open bore indicators (OBI) and other items to these local groups.

Each year (pre covid) the organization hosts a memorial bass tournament at Mark Twain Lake and the Duck Shack's Wild Game Cook-Off at Perry VFW. The bass tournament is a tribute to Rick's love of bass fishing. Rick hosted a dinner at his home each year and invited his fellow duck hunters and

friends. They shared duck and other game. To keep his tradition going and get friends together for a good time the idea of the Wild Game Cook-Off came about. Think Chili cook-off with wild game. Each cooker prepares wild game or fish, pays an entry fee and tries to win the vote of the crowd. All entry fees are paid back to the winners as well as a duck decoy of Rick's and other prizes.