Fans of the muleys

Folks gathered February 9 in Sundance for the Northeast Wyoming Chapter of the Muley Fanatic Foundation's third annual fundraising event at the Crook County Fairgrounds. With a variety of games, raffles, a silent and live auction, those in attendance pledged support to an effort that has seen more than $30,000 spent locally from proceeds from the previous two events.

"The community has been very supportive of this effort and I feel blessed and humbled to see the impact that our Chapter is making in this part of the Cowboy State," said Kyndell Flint, Chapter Chair, who added that the 2019 event generated nearly $15,000 that will come back to the local area to further the MFF mission.

The Muley Fanatic Foundation was established in 2012 and is headquartered in Green River, Wyoming. To date the organization has put nearly $2.2 million dollars on the ground to further the MFF mission of: To ensure the conservation of mule deer and their habitat and to provide such supporting services to further the sport of hunting and sound wildlife management.

MFF currently has 14 Chapters in Wyoming, Colorado, Utah and Idaho. Each Chapter hosts an annual fundraising event and retains 70 percent of the net funds to allocate locally through an all-volunteer committee.

"MFF was established to make a local difference in a local area by local folks," said MFF Co-Founder Joshua Coursey. "The growth and impact that our chapters are making is unprecedented in comparison to other organizations. We have a unique niche in the conservation community and the strides of progress being made are a testament to the many volunteers and supporters who are engaged and active to be a part of the solution."

Allocations from the Northeast Chapter in the past two years include conservation habitat projects, outdoor youth activities and education and a youth shooting event. Revenue from this year's event is being pledged to a spring seeding project on public lands in Crook County, clearing overgrown vegetation along the Little Missouri River and gun prizes for the Hulett Youth Day.

While the mainstay of the MFF's efforts is driven to make a local difference for mule deer conservation MFF sponsors and founders take Youth with Life Threatening Illnesses from around the country on big game hunts. To date MFF has put 26 youth in the field and in 2019 through a partnership with the Dream Foundation, MFF has 17 youths scheduled to hunt.

MFF was recognized by the Western Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies as the 2018 Conservation Organization of the Year.

"If you are not familiar with MFF and our Northeast Chapter efforts, we would love to have your involvement. MFF is a terrific organization that is committed to making a difference and your engagement and support is necessary to the difference making efforts that can be measured right here in our backyard," said Flint.

For more information about the Muley Fanatic Foundation visit their website http://www.muleyfanatic.org or reach them at the MFF Headquarters 307-875-3133. To be involved and support the Northeast Chapter contact Kyndell Flint at 307-290-2040 or [email protected]