Belvoir Bowhunters Newsletter

Transcription

1 Belvoir Bowhunters Newsletter Issue 254 July 2015 The Next Club Meeting Is On Wednesday, July Start time 6:30 pm President s Message -by Greg Singleton Technology too much, or keep it coming? As members of the animal kingdom, we always seek to have the advantage over our opponent. Sun to our back, the element of surprise, stealth, camouflage, ultraquiet, technological overmatch you know the deal. Predators have always sought the advantage over their opponents and their prey. It s natural. It s how the predator species survives. Survival of the fittest. Darwinism at its best. The question for hunters is this: is it possible to have too much technology? Hunters have wrestled with this question ever since the advent of the firearm. Aboriginal hunters didn t have the need to wallow through this ethical quagmire. Using primitive weapons of their time, early hunters were lucky to provide enough meat to sustain the tribe for the entire year. They traveled on their feet; they used information about their prey that was passed down from generation to generation some good and some not so good. With the technology at their disposal, they didn t stand a snowball s chance of impacting an entire species survival. They just didn t have the means to harvest animals in large numbers, and even if they did, there is some evidence that indicates man in the hunter-gatherer stage only harvested the animals needed for sustenance of the local human tribe. With the popularity of the repeating rifle and locomotive trains that traversed the Midwest, barreling right through the buffalo s home range, men began killing just for the fun of it. As trains would roll by herds of tens of thousands of buffalos, men would shoot them from the moving trains until they ran out of ammunition with no thought whatsoever about recovering the harvest and processing the meat for human consumption. This practice and the wanton killing of buffalos from other hunters on horseback nearly decimated the America bison. The Lacey Act of 1900 was the major step in fixing this immoral and selfish behavior that was having such a profoundly negative impact on game populations. Then came the Great Depression and the lack of any real conservation legislation. Many men had no jobs, no money, no means to buy food, but there were lots of deer and turkeys in the woods, and gun shells were relatively cheap; therefore, hunting was the solution to the food shortage for the family. Net result: near extinction of the whitetail deer and the five species of turkeys in North America. Enter the Pittman-Robertson Act in 1937 to raise money for conservation, and states began setting limits on the harvest of game animals. These two shifts in hunting policy combined to save the whitetail and the turkey from being hunted into oblivion and allowed for the restoration of animals in parts of the country where they had been wiped out. Virginia in fact had deer brought in from other states to restore its herd. Now, with the strong conservation legislation in place and Departments of Natural Resources having sufficient funding to enforce the law, states set limits to account for hunter harvest using whatever technology is available and legal. The technology used by hunters makes no difference to the biologist. If harvest limits are too high, the DNR can simply lower the legal harvest for following years. Conversely, if the harvest is too low, biologists recommend increasing the harvest limits. So how much technology should you use in the deer woods? The answer really depends on the individual hunter. The Belvoir Bowhunters have been fortunate enough to hear the new gadgets for hunting pitch from Bob Foster each year for the last several years. Bob shows us what he s found on the internet or in a magazine or at the Great American Outdoor Show. Bob has a keen eye for technology and enjoys using the

2 opportunity to gain the edge in every small way. Thank you very much Bob for all these years of presentations. We thirst for your newly acquired information and words of wisdom you offer for each new gadget. Hunters can be found across the technology spectrum. On one extreme, a few choose to hunt only with a personally-made longbow, hand-made arrows and natural fletching, while stalking deer from the ground instead of using a modern treestand. These hunters have placed themselves at a tremendous disadvantage when it comes to technology and probably don t harvest many deer, but when they get one, they are rightfully proud, as well they should be. They ve created a challenge so great that meeting that challenge feels like a once-in-a-lifetime accomplishment. Other hunters use every advantage possible in the woods: angle-compensating range-finder, 85% let-off bow, extreme lightweight treestand, scent-defeating clothing, realistic decoys, the very latest and greatest in trail cams to locate the movement and timing of deer, crossbows, and deer scents of all types (but don t forget in Virginia, you can no longer use natural deer scents made from the fluids of a real deer). And then there s the rest of us who probably fall somewhere in between. Because I m cheap and a little bit lazy (OK, a LOT lazy on some things), I personally choose to use some of the available technology but not all. In general, I like to use something until is completely worn out or becomes unsafe before I purchase a new one, so that keeps my challenge level high enough for me. I m still using my climbing treestand I bought in the mid-90s with blades and wing nuts to grab the tree rather than cables. I ve never used deer scents. Never used a decoy. The only deer attractant I ve used is a pair of sheds I found while turkey hunting. I don t use trail cams. I don t cut limbs from trees. If the tree has too many limbs, I ll use strap-on steps and a lock-on stand. I choose to rely on deer sign that I can see while scouting and my experience gained on the properties I hunt to know where deer will likely move, and I adjust during the season. I use a compound bow with carbon arrows and highly technologically advanced broadheads, and I also use a range finder. This is the level of technological advantage with which I m comfortable, and with this challenge, I get pretty pumped up when I harvest a whitetail deer. Any deer taken with a bow is cause for celebration, regardless of any of the technology used. I don t think there s a right or wrong amount of technology to take afield when you re after a big buck. Sometimes you need every advantage you can get to put you in the right spot at the right time with the right gear if you re going to have a chance at that monster you ve been seeing on the trail cam. Other hunters are happy to let another season pass without drawing back on the big one. Both hunters are doing the right thing, and I applaud both for being out in the woods, doing what they love. Hunting is in our blood. It s part of who we are, technology or no. We re all kindred spirits in deer woods, and I like it that way. See you at the truck about 30 minutes after dark, Vice President s Report by Bakari Dale Thanks to the effort of all the volunteers, we had another superb 3D shoot and Pig Roast. Set up went like clockwork Friday evening. We had a large number of volunteers that consisted of both new and stalwart volunteer members. Jerry (Sargent at Arms) took care of the logistics and the fire permits, with Phong (Range Warden) and Steve Richards (Volunteer Coordinator) worked hard setting up the targets and leading the volunteer cadre. Our Barbeque Pitmasters Pat "Hollywood" McHugh and Richard "Pig Puller" Danyliw arrival time was perfect, allowing the setup team to easily transition to help them with gear set up. The Pitmasters slow smoked the pork overnight until perfection. The prep work for the range inspection is going well. The 3D course is nearly finished and the Range Warden is starting Phase II work for the Field course. We have only two more 3D shoots left this year; our Annual Club Picnic and the Hunters for the Hungry Benefit shoot. I hope to see you all at both. The Annual Club Picnic shoot is on the 18th of July. Thank you to all who have helped run the 3-D shoots in APR and MAY. Your selfless contributions allowed us to have fun, improve in archery and work on yardage estimation. Archery Archery 360 Since I began the sport of archery, it has become clear to me that archery is a lifetime sport. I have watched my little girls grow up with bows in their hands shooting balloons and recall buying my first Oneida Bow and watching training videos of Victor Matthews (RIP) and Claude Pollington who were both in their late 80s tearing up dots with the Oneida. At my core my fascination with the sport of archery is based on comradery and the opportunity to seek self-improvement while enjoying the Great Outdoors. Almost daily, I find myself submersed in something dealing with archery. 2

3 Yes, Archery 365, really 365. The NFAA has a banner that state s No off Season and I could not agree more. Archery is a year-round sport that goes indoors for winter (October through March); this lines up nicely with the Bow Hunting Season. Our club even hosts 3 indoor tournaments. The outdoor season kicks off in April, with competitors shooting 2D & 3D targets up to 80 yards, depending on their age and equipment type. These types of tournaments are called Field Archery or 3D. During 3D archery you shoot at three-dimensional foam animals in a wooded course, in some cases very similar to hunting situations. Outdoor Field Archery targets are also shot on walking trails with targets as close as 10 yards up to 80 yards. While we do host numerous 3D tournaments, I have not seen us host a Field Archery shoot, albeit we have an excellent Field/ Hunter Course. Participating in several types of Archery events, I believe it allows one to focus and improve their confidence in shooting from one degree to the next, full circle Circling back, it is Archery 360. There are many great archers who focus on one type of shooting event or bow hunters that rarely see a paper target unless tuning or qualifying. This may work for some and it has worked for me on occasion but it handicaps me as well. Indoor archery focuses on repetition and form. As as long as your nerves are under control you should do fine. This mastery of form is critical when you transition to Field Archery. Shooting targets past 40 yards up to 80 yards the dynamics of archery are amplified, thus your form and nerves are even more critical. Now one must wonder; how does field archery improve on 3D archery? The answer is simple, with yard estimation and shooting shots up to yards. If you are constantly shooting at 20 yards it makes it tough to judge the distance between 34 to 42 yards and even more so yards. Field Archery allows you to shoot similar distances giving you that sight picture and practice at shooting that those types of distance. Target/3D archery go hand-in-hand with bow hunting by ensuring we are making safe and ethical shots during the hunting season. As bow hunters we know that wild game rarely sits perfectly still at 20 or 30 yards broadside. Therefore 3D allows the hunters to practice several complex shots at distances very similar to hunting scenarios. Lastly both target archers and hunters alike have a hurdle to get over and that is nerves. Hunters deal with Buck Fever and target archers have competition nervousness to get over. To me the intensity of Buck Fever is so powerful it allows me to easily control my nerves during competition archery. So year round, I start my Archery 365 with Indoor 20 yards, then transition to Field Archery followed by 3D Archery and finish up with bow hunting, circling back to indoor archery, thus forming my Archery 360 process. Secretary/Treasurer s Report -by Jim Zolinski Meeting Minutes for June meeting Meeting was called to order at First time attendees and visitors were Paul Spencer (member), Tom Evans, Jeff and David. Welcome! Officers Reports Greg Singleton, club President, announced that we still don t have a VP for the club and anyone willing to step up would be appreciated. A motion was made to nominate and approve Bakari Dale to take the position. Bakari agreed to the nomination, a second was accepted and the motion carried. We now have a new Vice President! Paul Vogel, Steve Richards, and Bakari Dale have been working to inspect the range and schedule a VBA inspection. On Saturday 13JUN at 0830 there will be a working party on the 3D range. Rick Atchisonreports no tree 3 or larger can be disturbed due to conservation regulations with a local bat. 20June is the next shoot and our annual pig roast. A special thank you to Pat McHugh and Rich Danyliw for their roasting duties. Set up of targets will take place on Friday evening. A notice will be sent out for working party to set up. Jim Zolinski, Secretary Treasurer, reported 138 members and a checking balance of $9, There was some initial research done on the administrative requirements of officially making the club a non-profit organization. Some discussion with the members ensued and this effort had been previously attempted but the administrative duties, along with the IRS reporting responsibilities made it more difficult than it was worth. Larry Readal, Activities Director, commented that his discounts for prizes was up to 50% in some cases, making this effort more profitable for our charitable donations. The issue was tabled for further research and discussion. Publicity Director, Greg Thompson, requested continued support for articles, pictures, and stories of hunting and fishing trips. Larry Readal, Activities Director, had a Hunters for the Hungry flyer on the table. He requested this flyer be 3

4 given to friends and posted in the workplace to help get the word out and advertise. Maryland clubs, VA, Facebook, Twitter, and other social media. A flyer needs to go to the VBA for entry in the Flight magazine. Prize donations for H4H are being accepted and milk jugs are needed for the jug shoot. Selling of ball caps with tickets in them will take place at this event. Sergeant at Arms, Jerry Michonski, will not be here in July. He needs food volunteers for the July meeting. Also, let him know what side dishes you may be bringing to the pig roast. Grill rental already complete for that. Range Warden, Phong Nguyen, was absent from the meeting. Shingles are being nailed to the bridge boards on the 3D range to prevent slipping hazard during the tournament. Paul Vogel and Greg Singleton discussed an to the VBA regarding the inspection date/time as that had not yet been scheduled but does not expire until August. Inspection plan is in work. Jenifer Stoner found a POC for colored stakes needed for the range. They are approximately $40 per set of 6 targets. VBA Representative, Kevin Brown, reported that the state indoor bid was complete and will be published in the Flight this fall. Dates sent to the Executive Board for inclusion in our next year s calendar planning. Congratulations to Bob Foster for staying on as the IBEP representative as well as VBA President. The VDGIF is separating the big game license to exclude the bear tag from the deer/turkey. The VBA also voted to NOT approve the Sherwood shoot reschedule option. Fees for the State Shoot are being clarified. Walden Park is resurrecting the release rules for TRAD shooters. The 10 year management plan is available for review. Treasurer's Report for June 2015 Treasurer's Report for June 2015 follows: Checking Account Balance as of May 31st, 2015 $ 9, Income June 3D Shoot Proceeds $ Pig Roast Food Donations $ Meeting Food Donations $ Dues $ Total Income $ 1, Expenses Shoot Expenses $ 1, Archery Center $ Grill $ Pork $ Food and Support Items $ VBA Payment May/June $ Post Office Box Rental $ VBA Dues $ Admin Expenses $ VBA Rep Travel Expense $ Food Expenses $ Total Expenses $ 1, Checking Account Balance as of $ 9, June 30th, 2015 Activities Director Report Deer urine and any scents of natural animal origin are now illegal for use in the state of VA. Bob Foster gave a presentation on Fairfax County Park hunting program. New Business The Board of Supervisors for Fairfax County, has created a new proposal to change the supervision of the deer management program. Previously under the police department, this proposal would move the parks and the deer programs under the Animal Control Board s purview. There is risk to the future bowhunting programs in the park system because of this. For the Good of the Order Thanks to Robin and Paul Vogel and the O Shea s for the work with the Wounded Warrior Program. They have qualified several Level 1 coaches. Meeting adjourned at by Larry Readal BBH Members and Friends: LOTS of shoots out there! Can t wait for the Pig Roast! Larry BBH Members and Friends: LOTS of shoots out there! I m looking forward to seeing you at the Club Picnic, and our Annual H4H Fundraiser 3D Shoot on August 22!!! Go ahead and start saving your money for our big raffle! Also, if you have prize donations, I would love to have them, and of course, we always need milk jugs for our novelty shoot!! Thanks in advance Larry JULY 1-5: USAA National Targets, Decatur, AL 4

5 3: Fairfax World Police and Fireman Games 3D shoot. Northern Virginia Archers, Fairfax Station, VA. NORVA is looking for volunteers! 3-11: National Sr. Games, Minneapolis/St. Paul, MN. 11: 3-D Shoot, Bethesda Chevy-Chase (B-CC) Izaak Walton League. Poolesville, MD 11: 3D Open Benefit Shoot, Manahoac Bowmen, Spotsylvania, VA. Lunch available : Gun Show, Richmond, VA 11-12: Subway Commonwealth Games of VA D Open Shoot. Sherwood Archers. 12: 28 Hunter Target Shoot. Manahoac Bowmen, Spotsylvania, VA. Lunch available. 12: Field, Hunter & 3-D Pin Shoot, Shenandoah County Archers. 12: Field and Hunter Shoot, Prince William Archers : Subway Commonwealth Games of VA D Competition. Sherwood Archers. 18: 3D Shoot and Club Picnic. Belvoir Bowhunters, Fort Belvoir, VA Shoot. 19: 3D Shoot, Heart of Maryland Bowhunters, Marriottsville, MD. No crossbows. 19: 3D and Field Archery Pin Shoot. Northern Virginia Archers, Fairfax Station, VA : NFAA Outdoors 25: 3D Shoot, Bethesda Chevy-Chase (B-CC) Izaak Walton League, Poolesville, MD. AUGUST 1: 3D Shoot, Bethesda Chevy-Chase (B-CC) Izaak Walton League, Poolesville, MD. 8: 3D and Field Archery Pin Shoot, Northern Virginia Archers, Fairfax Station, VA. 9: 3-D Open Benefit Shoot, Manahoac Bowmen : VBA State 3D Unmarked Archery Shoot, Northern Virginia Archers, Fairfax Station, VA. 2 Aug-21 December: Prince William Archers "Annual Black Bear" Trophy Shoot, Prince William Archers Belvoir Bowhunters 2015 Calendar JULY 1 Executive Committee Meeting 8 Club Meeting 18 Club Annual Picnic and 3D Shoot AUGUST 5 Executive Committee Meeting 12 Club Meeting VBA State 3D Fall Classic (NORVA) BBH Hunters for the Hungry 3D Benefit 22 Shoot, NORVA SEPTEMBER 2 Executive Committee Meeting 5-6 VBA State Closed (Singers Glen) 9 Club Meeting VBA Scheduling Meeting OCTOBER 7 Executive Committee Meeting 14 Club Meeting NOVEMBER 4 Executive Committee Meeting Club Meeting ** Later than normal date 18 due to Veteran's Day Holiday ** DECEMBER 2 Executive Committee Meeting 9 Club Meeting Sergeant at Arms Message - Jerry Michonski Thank you!! Thank you, to our Barbeque Pitmasters Pat "Hollywood" McHugh and Richard "Pig Puller" Danyliw. WOW that was some good BBQ. Also, thank you Ira Joseph for cooking the dogs and sausages at the 3D shoot. Guys, your help is appreciated. Please let me know, if you can help cook at one of the 3D shoots. (July 18, Aug 22). We will need help at the H4H shoot, since we should have a lot of shooters out that day. Let me know, if you are bring a side dish to any of ours shoots. Please signup to bring food for one of our meetings. THANK YOU! - Jerry Michonski Range Warden s Message -Phong Nguyen Thanks to all volunteers who came out to help repair the ranges and set up for the club 3-D Shoot! 5

6 June3-D Shoot Results MBO from the Blue Stake Billy Robbett 246 John Cooper 229 Kevin Brown 218 Steve Richards 215 Al Gamble 213 Earl Brown 203 Stephen Allyn 201 Greg Singleton 200 Joe Kolling 196 Minh Chau 180 Austin Barnhart 109 MBR from the Green Stake Lindy Fullerton 252 John McKenzie 229 Willy Whitlock 228 Bakari Dale 227 Larry Wrasford 213 Robert Dimperio 212 TDK 211 Brandon Sikes 209 Sean Farmer 209 Stu Cox 183 Jim Zolinski 176 Daniel Bednarski 176 Chris Weber 170 Paul Whitlock 103 MSR from the Green Stake Art Brown 187 Felix Lopez 172 FBR from the Red Stake Erin McKenzie 113 AHC from the Red Stake Elliott Post 230 Jon Pettie 199 HC from the Yellow Stake Alexander Brown* 231* John Parker 219 Barron Hall 200 A.P. Phillips 194 Michael Parker 135 MHC from the Yellow Stake John Hoffman 213 Morgan Fink 174 FHC from the Orange Stake Rebecca Sikes 219 Sarah Paulus 208 Minnie Fullerton 194 Jamelle Brown 193 Michelle Hall 137 RU from the Orange Stake Jerry Michonski 181 Russ Hatchl 167 Ron Buzalski 131 Keith Matheny 123 RU from the Orange Stake Jerry Michonski 181 Russ Hatchl 167 Ron Buzalski 131 Keith Matheny 123 TRD from the Orange Stake George Cavelius 215 Andrew Esplana 177 YMR from the Orange Stake Zahni Khin 196 YH from the Orange Stake Nicholas Dimperio 177 FTRD from the White Stake Brandi Bernoskie 162 CUB from the White Stake Luca Brown 211 Hudson Allyn 98 Brody Allyn 68 * Alexander Brown won Hunter Class even though he is only 13 years old! We re on Facebook! During a recent club meeting, there was a recommendation to establish a Facebook page for the club in an effort to reach out to members. The site has been created and is up and running! We welcome you to join the page! Please feel free to post your archery and club related news! The page can be found at You need to have a Facebook account to access the page. 6

7 Publicity Director s Message - Greg Thompson Fishing on the Chesapeake Bay for rockfish continues to do well, the new length restrictions are in place, but the fish are in and legal catches are out there. It s time to break the stands out, check straps, order parts and get ready for the early scouting in August, season opener in September will be here before you know it. Volunteers make it happen, and the club shoots are no exception. I ve added some pictures this month of the crew that typically are on the course the night before putting out targets, and stay late to get them put away for the next shoot. With the annual Hunters for the Hungry Shoot coming in August, we will be calling on you, the members, to help make the event a great one, and raise money to get meals to those that need them. VOLUNTEERS MAKE IT HAPPEN!!! Good Hunting, Greg 7

8 Thanks team, you make this possible! 8

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10 10 THANKS AGAIN TO OUR LONG STANDING TEAM ON THE GRILL!!!

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12 NEWSLETTER July 2015 Belvoir Bowhunters P.O. Box 372 Ft. Belvoir, VA The next Club MEETING is July 08 th. Club Officers & Phone Numbers President Greg Singleton Vice President Bakari Dale Secretary/Treasurer Jim Zolinski Activities Director Larry Readal Publicity Director Greg Thompson Range Warden Phong Nguyen Sergeant-at-Arms Jerry Michonski Webmaster Timothy Seymour Other Key Phone Numbers Belvoir Check Station & Outdoor Rec Center Office Belvoir Game Warden Belvoir MP s /5/6 State Game Violations Hot Line See you at the July meeting!