RONAN — Some guys have all the luck.

At least that’s how it seems for Ronan’s Virgil Rinke, who has enjoyed a run of pretty spectacular fortune lately. First, Rinke was lucky enough to get an elk permit for the Missouri River Breaks, where he says there is only about a one percent chance of drawing a tag. Then, after bagging a handsome 340 class bull elk, last week Rinke’s name was drawn as the winner of the seventh annual Lake County Leader Gun Contest, co-sponsored by Ronan Sports and Western.

“[It felt] darn good,” Rinke said of earning a new Savage 111 big game rifle. His winning ticket beat out 53 other entries in this year’s raffle.

Rinke, who has been a hunter safety instructor in Ronan and Pablo for over 20 years, said that it was about time he bagged a trophy elk.

“It’d been 40 years since I killed a nice bull,” said Rinke. “And to win a rifle on top of it…”

Rinke added that things have come full-circle at Ronan Sports and Western.

“The rifle I used was one [store president] Rob Shrider sold me,” Rinke said. Now, Shrider has outfitted him with another firearm that should factor into memorable hunting seasons for years to come.

The annual gun contest runs from opening day of hunting season until one week after it closes. Any Lake County hunter is eligible to enter the contest with a valid permit.