Justin Gibbins, Pastor at Mountain Springs Church has a passion for two things: Hunting and Jesus. This led him to create the Sportsmen’s Banquet which was held for the third year on April 14, at Mountain Springs Church. Over 260 men — and a couple women — attended the event, to enjoy a night of food, hunting videos, free raffles, and comradeship.

The church was adorned with antlers, skulls, shoulder mounts, and skins from Gibbin’s hunts over the years.

“Growing up in Bonners Ferry I spent a great deal of my free time exploring the mountains here and hunting the deer and elk that call them home,” says Gibbins.

In 2011 Gibbins started packing a video camera along with him on hunts. Over the next six years, approximately 100 hunts were captured on video.

“We just want to share our passions with the community,” states Gibbins.

Along with a hearty feast and hunting videos displayed on multiple large screens, the free raffles were among the draws of the Sportsmen’s Banquet. They included a Mossberg .300 Magnum win mag, free whitening and cleaning of a deer skull, and a free deer shoulder mount.

To pull off this event, a large crew of volunteers, led by Charlotte Gibbins, kept the whole operation running smoothly behind the scenes.

The event was bittersweet for the former owners of Rednek Pig BBQ. They had agreed to provide the slow-smoked spare ribs and baked beans before their restaurant unexpectedly closed on Valentine’s Day.

When former owner, Mandi Bateman, told Gibbins they would no longer be able to provide food for the Banquet, Gibbins responded, “I’m not going to let you go under that easy.” Gibbins provided use of the church kitchen as well as two smokers and the evening was said to be a success.

Former owner and pitmaster of Rednek Pig BBQ, Ken Bateman, was emotional as he surveyed the large, beautifully decorated dining room saying, “If we have to go out... what a way to go.”

To view some of the hunting videos, visit Limitless Outdoors on YouTube.