Neumann / Greengo sweep first annual Buffalo Ridge Resort Fins & Feathers Outdoor Challenge team titles.  

Winterfeldt takes overall individual title in 2009 Walleye Classics year-end event

Gary, SD---Roosters were cacklin', feathers were flying, and the walleyes were cooperating during the first annual Buffalo Ridge Resort Fins & Feathers Outdoor Challenge held Oct. 31 – Nov. 1 in Gary, SD.

And after the last shots were fired, and the last hooks were set, Kenny Neumann, Glenwood, MN, and Jack Greengo, Alexandria, MN, (Team Depot Express) shot and fished their way to the inaugural 2009 Buffalo Ridge Resort Fins & Feathers Outdoor Challenge team titles. Bryan Winterfeldt, Dassel, MN, captured the overall individual title following and a strong day in the boat on Day 2, in what will become the year-end marquee event for the 2010 and future Walleye Classic tournaments (Alexandria Chain of Lakes Spring Walleye Classic and the Lake Minnewaska Fall Walleye Classic).

“This was about as much fun as one could possibly have in one weekend,” said Walleye Classics tournament director, Corey Bohn. “It was a great ending to a great tournament season, and it literally went out with a bang with the Day 1 competitive pheasant hunt at Dakota Ridge, followed by five hours of competitive walleye fishing on Lake Cochrane on Day 2.”

The format for the 2009 Buffalo Ridge Resort Fins & Feathers Outdoor Challenge featured the top 3 teams with the lowest combined accumulative point totals from the 2009 Spring and Fall Walleye Classic tournaments. Each team member competing in the Day 1 Feathers Challenge at Dakota Ridge began the competition with 30 points, and was allowed 3 shells total to shoot 3 pheasants from point with a guide and dog. 10 points were subtracted for each miss, while additional points (5) were added if two birds flushed and the shooter knocked both birds down in 2 shots. In the event of a multiple bird flush, the shooter was awarded an additional 10 points if knocking 3 birds down in 3 consecutive shots in succession. Points were tabulated for each team and tracked individually, and were transferred to the Day 2 Fins Challenge where inches were converted to points.

Jack Greengo, of Alexandria, set the bar high by starting off the Feathers Challenge with 3 for 3 shooting after bagging 3 roosters in 3 separate shots from point with the dog. Greengo would be the only shooter from the six team members competing (along with a 13 year-old 7th participant) to bag a perfect score (30 points), as teammate Kenny Neumann, would go 2 for 3 (20 points) with a miss on his second bird flush, for a combined team score of 50 points for Team Depot Express.

Bryan Winterfeldt, Dassel, MN, led off the competition for Team Bite Master, while teammate, Darrin Herd, Hutchinson, MN, waited in the wings. Winterfeldt, dropped his first bird, then drew a cloud of feathers on his second shot (only to see the bird continue flying away), before dropping another rooster on this third and final shot for 20 points. Herd, meanwhile, in first ever pheasant hunt, fanned on all 3 shots for 0 points, to give Team Bite Master a total of 20 points heading into Day 2.

Tim Servin and Dean Grochow, Dassel, MN, (Team Servin Plumbing, Heating & AC) were the third team to compete and would bag 3 of 6 roosters to head into the Fins Challenge with 30 points. “Tim went out in a hail of gunfire that lasted a total of about 3-4 seconds,” chuckled Corey Bohn. “He missed his first bird on his first shot and then put the same bird down on his second shot, before swinging on another bird that got up simultaneously to his second shot and missed (to score 10 total points).”

Grochow followed Servin with 2 roosters in 3 shots (20 points), while The Kid, 13 year-old Sawyer Bohn, who competed in both Challenges against the entire field individually, went 1 for 3 in the Feathers Challenge for 10 points heading into the Day 2 Fins Challenge.

“This was both a team and an individual competition,” said Bohn, “which made for a really fun and interesting format heading into Day 2, because while each team was looking to win the Fins Challenge on Day 2, each team member was eyeing the overall individual Outdoor Challenge title as well ,which made for some interesting moments in each boat while the outdoor TV cameras were rolling.”

The limit for each team was 4 walleyes with a 14-inch minimum size restriction, with 2 walleyes allowed over 20-inches per team. As earlier stated, inches were converted to points (16 1/4-inch walleye = 16.25 points), while teams tracked who caught each fish on a score card to tabulate team and overall individual points. The 4 longest fish were brought to the weigh-ins and were verified by length and converted to points to determine which team won the Fins Challenge, while individual points were tabulated from both Challenges to determine the overall individual Outdoor Challenge winner. *On a side note, neither of the teams had ever fished Lake Cochrane before and no pre-fishing was allowed. Lake selection in 2010 will be determined by drawing the name from a hat from the 5 area lakes.

“ Jack and Kenny began the day on the water with a couple of heart-stoppers,” said Bohn. “They went around the corner from the access and started tossing jigs and minnows into shore and hooked up with some big northerns right out of the blocks.” “I thought here we go,” said Neumann. “Here we are on a lake we had never fished before and we immediately thought it was a big walleye because it just crushed it, and then the fight was on. We thought it was a really big walleye when we first saw it turn at the boat because it was real golden in color and it was staying down. Then it came up and broke the line right at the boat, and we saw it was a big northern (estimated 12-13 lbs.). After catching a second northern we headed to a different spot.”

“Things would get interesting in the boat for Neumann and Greengo as the day progressed in their quest for the Fins Challenge team title,” said Bohn. “As you recall, Jack held a 10 point lead over Kenny in the overall individual race from the Day 1 pheasant hunt, and after Jack boated a 17 1/2-inch walleye for their first team fish on Day 2, it increased his overall individual lead over Kenny to 27.50 points.”

Neumann then boated a 15-inch walleye for Team Depot Express' second walleye of the day before adding another 17-incher to the box to bring 3 walleyes (17.50, 17.00, 15.50 = 50 points) to the weigh-ins. “That second walleye that Kenny caught as it turned out, sealed the deal for Neumann and Greengo enroute to the Fins Challenge title and a clean sweep of both challenges,” Bohn noted. “Even more significant, was the fact that the second walleye allowed Kenny to erase a 27.50 point deficit and to surpass Jack (his teammate) in the overall individual points race by a score of 52.50 to 47.50 ----which made for some interesting and amusing moments on camera.”

Servin and Grochow would finish second in the Fins Challenge team competition with 44.50 points after measuring in (2) 15-inch walleyes and a 14 1/2-incher. And while both teammates would trail Neumann and Greengo in the overall individual points race, they would flip-flop from Day 1 as Servin boated (2) 15-inch eyes to Grochow's 14 1/2-incher, to see Servin surpass his teammate by a 40 to 34.50 margin.

“As Bryan Winterfeldt would show, if you can keep yourself close in the individual points race following the pheasant hunt, and come through with a big Day 2 on the water individually you can put yourself in position to win the overall individual Buffalo Ridge Resort Fins & Feathers Outdoor Challenge title,” added Bohn. “Bryan's 3-walleye performance would place he and his partner in third place in the Fins Challenge with 43.50 points (with a 14, 14 ½ and 15-inch walleye), while it would catapult Winterfeldt to the top of the LakeMaster leaderboard individually with 63.50 points overall after going 2 for 3 in the Day 1 Feathers Challenge.”

“The Fins & Feathers Outdoor Challenge was really a neat event and a great concept overall,” said Winterfeldt. “The pheasant hunting at Dakota Ridge was tremendous and the fishing on Cochrane was quite good considering we had never fished the lake before and didn't know what to expect. The accommodations at Buffalo Ridge Resort along with Dakota Ridge were really first class, and when you add it all together it was really a great event and a fun experience. Hopefully we do well enough in the 2010 Walleye Classic tournaments so Darrin and I make it back to Gary next fall as a team, because this was really a lot of fun overall and a really unique area.”

As 13 year old, Sawyer Bohn would show, anything is possible if you can knock down at least 1 of the 3 birds on the first day and then get on fish on Day 2. “Sawyer lost a 15 to 16-inch walleye at the boat right away in the morning, and then went on to catch a 16 3/4-inch walleye and another 15 3/4-inch walleye to finish 4th overall in the individual points race with 42.50 points,” said Corey. “We captured it all on film, and if he could have got that first walleye in the boat he would have taken second place overall in the individual points race, which should show everyone competing in the 2010 Walleye Classic tournaments that if a 13 year-old can hang with the top teams individually in this year's Outdoor Challenge as an individual, the teams that qualify to compete in 2010 can as well if you can put it together in the boat on Day 2.”

“As in the case of the Walleye Classic tournaments, it all came down to Day 2, and as we saw in this year's Fins & Feathers Outdoor Challenge, Day 2 determined both the Fins Challenge winner and the overall Outdoor Challenge winner doing what they do best, and that's catch walleyes,” Bohn continued. “The reason we inserted a young outdoorsmen into the format was to promote the great outdoors to today's young sportsmen, while at the same time, it turned up the pressure a notch on each of the team members (who were also competing as individuals) because the last thing you wanted to do was get beat by The Kid (who in this case beat 3 of the 6 team members individually).”

As explained by Bohn, the 2009 Buffalo Ridge Resort Fins & Feathers Outdoor Challenge was born out of the desire to add a year-end championship calibur event that the 2010 Walleye Classic tournament teams would qualify for, based on their combined performance in the 2010 Walleye Classic series (Spring and Fall Walleye Classics).

“The Fins & Feathers Outdoor Challenge was an event and concept that I've been contemplating for the past year or so as a stand alone destination-type of event,” said Bohn. “After visiting the new Buffalo Ridge Resort facility in Gary in early October following the Fall Walleye Classic, the Fins & Feathers Outdoor Challenge quickly became a reality as it became clear that Buffalo Ridge was the perfect venue for such a year-end event.”

“This was truly a memorable and amazing experience and was more fun than Kenny and I even imagined it to be,” said Jack Greengo. “When Corey called us and told us what he had planned it sounded like a lot of fun. This however, really exceeded our wildest expectations because when you look at the history of Buffalo Ridge Resort, what it used to be and what it has become and combine it with the fishing and hunting opportunities that exist in the area, it really becomes a remarkably unique outdoor experience like no other. Even if you don't fish or hunt, this is one place everyone should visit because it really is a unique facility in a really unique area,” Greengo concluded.

Each team member that competed in the 2009 Buffalo Ridge Resort Fins & Feathers Outdoor Challenge received an all-inclusive weekend package that included free hunting, guide, dog and meals courtesy of Jim and Linda Daily at Dakota Ridge, with all lodging, meals, beverages, entertainment and necessary non-resident license purchases provided, courtesy of Joe Kolbach at Buffalo Ridge Resort. Major supporting sponsors of the 2009 Buffalo Ridge Resort Fins & Feathers Outdoor Challenge included Buffalo Ridge Resort, Dakota Ridge Hunting, Prairie View Country Club & Estates at Lake Cochrane, and DNB Bank of Clear Lake and Gary. Associate sponsors include Warrior Boats, LakeMaster, Stone Hill Pheasants & Gate City Lodging, Excellent Multimedia, the 2009 Walleye Classic Tournament Series, and Minnkota Outdoors TV.

An outdoor TV show on the Buffalo Ridge Resort Fins & Feathers Outdoor Challenge will air in 2010 after the first of the year on Fox Sports North (FSN), and on various broadcast affiliates in Minnesota and the Dakota's. Air dates are tentatively set for the third weekend of February and the third weekend in March, with follow up shows scheduled to air on broadcast affiliates. Air times and dates will be posted on the www.walleyeclassics website and on various outdoor internet sites once the dates are confirmed. “We'll be sending out press releases to regional newspapers while everyone should frequent the official tournament website for updates in the weeks ahead,” noted Bohn.

The top 10 teams from the 2010 Walleye Classic tournaments with the lowest combined point total from the two tournaments will be eligible to compete in the 2010 Buffalo Ridge Resort Fins and Feathers Outdoor Challenge. To be eligible, teams must register for both tournaments initially, and will have the option of paying a deposit with the balance owed payable prior to the Spring Walleye Classic.

“The number of eligible teams could grow to as high as 15 if it works logistically, and if 75 teams register to fish both tournaments in 2010,” said Bohn. “Right now we're locked in and guaranteeing spots to the top 10 and will know within the next week if we can accommodate up to 15 teams. Ultimately, that could and will be determined by how many teams sign up for both tournaments. Right now, we're looking at the last weekend in September for the 2010 Outdoor Challenge, or mid-October dates which will be confirmed in the next week.”

The 2010 Buffalo Ridge Resort Fins & Feathers Outdoor Challenge will be a no-entry fee event for the teams that qualify. To provide a fairly substantial purse for the 2010 Outdoor Challenge, entry fees will increase $50 (from $350 to $400) for each team in both tournaments, with 100% of the increase in entry fees applied to the 2010 Fins & Feathers Outdoor Challenge payout purse. “If 75 teams register to fish both tournaments, there will be a $7,500 purse for the 2010 Outdoor Challenge,” said Bohn. “Under that scenario, first place would pay $3,500 to the team with the highest point total from both the Fins and Feathers Challenges combined. 2nd place would pay $2,500 with 3rd place paying $1,500. Payouts for the 2010 Fins & Feathers Outdoor Challenge will ultimately be formulated based on the total number of teams who fish both tournaments in 2010. Entry preference will be provided first to those teams who register for both tournaments, with a waiting list established for teams wishing to fish only one tournament.

The 2010 Buffalo Ridge Resort Fins & Feathers Outdoor Challenge will remain both a team and an individual competition as noted by Bohn. “We're working with sponsors that would for example, allow us to possibly award a new shotgun or rifle to each team member that wins the Feathers Challenge in 2010, while the winners of the Day 2 Fins Challenge could possibly each receive a new sonar/gps unit. The cash payout purse as stated, would be awarded to the top 3 teams from the field of 10-15 qualifiers, with the overall individual Outdoor Challenge winner receiving a great prize payout.”

As it is currently planned, teams that qualify for the 2010 Buffalo Ridge Resort Fins & Feathers Outdoor Challenge will only be responsible for their lodging and food-related costs. “The pheasant hunting will be free while we're working with a sponsor who will pick up the cost of a one-day resident or non-resident South Dakota hunting preserve license ($35 non-resident) and a one-day South Dakota fishing license for those who need them ($14 non-resident),” said Bohn. “Again, the only anticipated expense for the teams will be lodging and food.”

To learn more about Buffalo Ridge Resort, Dakota Ridge, and the new Prairie View Golf Course and Estates at Lake Cochrane, click on the sponsor logos for a direct link to each website to learn more about Gary and Deuel County, SD. “With 5 quality fishing lakes (Cochrane, Oliver, Del Clark, Clear and Alice) located within 30 minutes of Gary and the restoration of Lake Elsie on the Buffalo Ridge Resort grounds, anglers have the opportunity to fish for brook trout, walleye, perch, sunfish, bass and northern pike in close proximity, and when you add the boundless array of hunting opportunities ranging from pheasant, waterfowl, wild turkey, deer, coyote and buffalo, this is essentially new outdoor frontier that is waiting to be discovered,” said Bohn. “The history and geography of this area (with the coteau hills of Deuel County as its backdrop), is truly an interesting and compelling story. And while the groundwork has been laid to make this a major outdoor destination and tourism attraction, is for faor all intents and purposes a modern day, real life outdoor Field of Dreams, brought to you courtesy of small-town America.”

From outdoor excursions (including ice fishing, snowmobiling, pheasant and coyote hunting this winter), to family vacations, weddings, corporate retreats, chartered air service and more, the vision and history of this small South Dakota community has been restored with a unique blend of the past and present at Buffalo Ridge Resort (www.buffaloridgeresortsd.com and www.experiencegarysd.com).

About Buffalo Ridge Resort

Nestled on the edge of Lake Elsie in Gary, SD, Buffalo Ridge Resort & Business Center is a beautifully restored, historic property surrounded by developed oak trees, small town charm, and a rich history dating back to 1872.

Buffalo Ridge Resort was once home to the South Dakota's first School for the Blind and Visually Impaired. Today, while fully renovated, the property still retains much of its historical appeal, including a unique system of underground tunnels, originally used to allow the blind students to travel from one building to another in inclement weather.

The Herrick Hotel and Woodbury Hall, which were once the campus dormitories, have now been completely renovated and restored with a generated blend of past and present with a splash of contemporary western allure. The Herrick Hotel, steeped in history, has been restored and redesigned with warmth and artistry as this 19 room hotel exhibits the perfect combination of luxury, contemporary comfort, and artistic talent. With an underground racquetball court and fitness center, as well as quiet walks along Lake Elsie, this is a unique vacation spot. Each room has an art piece displayed within, done by regional artists. These pieces and the art of other local artists, are displayed gallery style throughout the story telling walls of this amazing piece of South Dakota history.

Rich in luxurious history, the beautifully transformed Woodbury Hall is the ideal setting for the wedding of one's dreams, while the versatile events hall is also used for offsite meetings, conferences, retreats and / or incentive trips.

Talking Waters Campground offers vacationers and travelers the opportunity to spend a night under the stars 16 sites along the north end of the resort next to Lake Elsie. Talking Waters Campground features campsites with modern facilities and electrical outlets. On the west side of the lake, campers can stay in one of 5 walk-in tent sites and / or teepees. Whether you are rustic, modern or “wired”, Talking Walking sites have wi-fi, electric, water and sewer, with access to the lake with a restroom / shower facility.

Uniquely charming, Buffalo Ridge Resort & Business Center is perfect for business or leisure. And whether your time is spent on campus or at Talking Waters, Buffalo Ridge is distinctively adaptable to one's wishes or needs, whether it's simply relaxing or engaging in your favorite outdoor pursuits. Be sure to check the Buffalo Ridge Resort website in the weeks and months ahead for new and exciting outdoor excursions offered through Buffalo Ridge Resort.