Mower County chapter offering Oct. 3 event near LeRoy for ‘Paint the Town Pink’

Pheasant hunters from throughout the region will roam a game preserve near LeRoy in early October as part of a hunt to support research in the fight against breast cancer.

Mower County Habitat & Pheasants Forever is organizing a “Hunt for a Cure” from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Oct. 3 at Three Arrows Game Preserve in rural LeRoy. Early registration is encouraged to guarantee a spot in one of the event’s hunting groups (four to six people), with space limited to 80 hunters overall. Cost is $125 per hunter, with the preserve putting out four birds per hunter.

“Hunt for a Cure” will be raising awareness and support for The Hormel Institute’s cutting-edge breast cancer research in Austin. October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

Jamie Surdy, president of Mower County Habitat & Pheasants Forever, led the effort to bring back the hunting fundraiser after a previous area Pheasants Forever chapter organized one in 2013 at Three Arrows but did not last year.

“We all have been affected by cancer at some point in our lives,” Surdy said. “We just felt that this was an opportunity to support a worthwhile organization like The Hormel Institute as they continue to try to find a cure for this disease.”

Fundraising through “Hunt for a Cure” will count toward the 6th annual “Paint the Town Pink” initiative in 2016. Raffles and prizes also will be available at the event.

Participants will be assigned a two-hour hunting period. Hunters and others walking in the field must wear blaze orange (both a cap and vest are recommended) and should bring a 12- or 20-gauge shotgun with a working safety and their own shells. They can bring their own dogs.

A parent or guardian must accompany hunters who are age 12 to 16.

Earlier this year, “Paint the Town Pink” raised more than $190,000 for breast cancer research at The Hormel Institute. Since 2011, “Paint the Town Pink” has raised about $551,000 in support for the Institute’s breast cancer research.

Donations through “Paint the Town Pink” in recent years have been distributed as seed grants to researchers at The Hormel Institute for new projects on breast cancer, helping the investigators explore new ideas and gather preliminary data vital for seeking major research grants. While directed at breast cancer, PTTP-funded research includes projects that also affect other types of cancer.

Three Arrows, owned by Ben Jacobsen, is located at 78590 125th St. near LeRoy. Registration forms are available on the Mower County Habitat & Pheasants Forever website – www.pfmowercountyhabitat.org – or you can call 507-433-9201.

Mower County Habitat & Pheasants Forever is a nonprofit conservation organization dedicated to protecting and enhancing pheasant and other wildlife populations in North America.