Belvoir Bowhunters Newsletter

Transcription

1 Belvoir Bowhunters Newsletter Issue 228 March 2013 The Next Club Meeting Is On Wednesday, 13 March 13 savings of both. The next club meeting will be held at the Archery Center at 7:00 P.M. on Wednesday, March 13 th. Bob Foster will talk to us about new products/gadgets and give us an idea how we might want to spend our income tax refund dollars. Can t wait, Bob! HOT! HOT! HOT! Time is running out to sign up for the Wild Game Dinner! Sign up soon flyer on page 11. See Dan Van Gundy. Mar 13 is the last club meeting before WGD. Come out and enjoy an evening of kinship, good food, door & raffle prizes and great fun. President s Message WE***you and I and another or others -by Charlie Shupienus Two hurdles have been completed and in fine fashion the rebuilding of the indoor target assemble and the VBA State Indoor Section Championship. Through the diligent and dedicated work of our Executive Board and membership these events were address with flawless proficiency. The size of the replacement target bales available this year were increased by four inches in width; resulting in an overall increase of eight inches for each shooting position when placed in a horizontal plane, which required reengineering of the hardware used to secure the bales in place. An ingenious suggestion by Kevin Brown to purchase couplers and a short span of all thread saved the club a few dollars, but more importantly significantly reduced the man hours required to overhaul the entire target bale system. Time and money great Those of you who have participated in one of these work parties are well aware of the labor involved in dismantling and reassembling the infrastructure of the target bale system. A zillion screws must be removed and reinstalled to complete the target change out. Thanks to a timely suggestion by one of our newer members, Phong Nguyen, the process was streamlined resulting in a reduction of material and time necessary to complete the change out. Thanks to Kevin and Phong for making this labor intense job tolerable. And thanks to the dozen or more club members who participated in this work party and made the complete change over an efficient operation. Another State Indoor Championship has come and gone our sixteenth hosting of this event with 881 individuals participating over this time frame. Once again this event went off without a glitch much in part to the outstanding work of Kevin Brown and a strong supporting cast. Our thanks and gratitude to Robin Vogel and Jenifer Stoner for assisting Kevin with the registration, lane assignments and score tabulation of our archers at the completion of their shooting round. Additionally, Kevin and his assistance tabulated and disseminated the scoring provided by Kingsboro, Singers Glen and Sherwood Archers and determined the winners for the State Indoor Championship. Our appreciation and sincere thanks to each of you for a job well done. Also, our thanks to everyone who assisted as clock keepers, line judges and in the food service area. And what can we say about the food donations we received other than out of sight. The deserts and chili were knock your socks off fantastic to each of you who took Belvoir Bowhunters is a Private Organization not affiliated with Fort Belvoir or the US Army

2 time to bake and cook our deepest thanks and appreciation for taking the time to help make this another BBH successful event. We were privileged to have the Garrison Commander, COL Gregory Gadson, present remarks during opening ceremony addressing the relationship fostered between MWR, the Club and the VBA. At the conclusion of the ceremony COL Gadson toured the facility and accepted an offer to shoot a bow and also a crossbow. From the results I believe we ll see him at the range in the near future. Also, present were members of the MWR staff, George Dickson, Acting Director MWR and Kristin Kinnomon, Chief, Community Outdoor recreation. Next on the agenda is the Wild Game Dinner (WGD) April 6th. Hopefully you have been following our messages regarding this event. Namely, Dan Van Gundy is the POC for you to sign up you, your family and guest up for this event. If you need his contact information please check the officer contact information on the last page of this publication. Also, please check the flyer included in this publication for additional information on this event. As a reminder, my previous message stated we are no longer permitted to provide our own beverages for the WDG and must contract with the Ft. Belvoir Officers Club to provide this service. Therefore, a Cash Bar will be provided and the following are the charges for beverages.beer $4.00, wine (glass) $4.00, water and soda $1.50. As stated in my previous message you MAY NOT bring your own beverages those doing so will be dealt with accordingly, which may involve removal, criminal charges and possibly termination of the event. Therefore, your adherence to this requirement is mandatory, as well as appreciated by the Club. If you missed the last meeting a signup sheet was passed around for you to sign up for the various committees needed to make this event a success, so if you missed the meeting and would like to join one of the committees send me a message or call me and let me know how you would like to help. If you have an item you would like to donate for the ladies or general raffle please contact Ed Winn or me and we ll make arrangement to pick the item up. Also, if you need a donation/solicitation letter to obtain a gift certificate or other item from an establishment let me know and I ll send one to you as well. If you meet the criteria for the LEE UMLOR AWARD you must contact Dave Burpee and provide him with the required documentation for this award. This award recognizes a member of the Belvoir Bowhunters (must be a Club member at time of harvest) who has harvested a buck and doe on Ft. Belvoir and the combined antler 2 score, weight of the buck and weight of the doe must equal or exceed 300 points. If you were fortunate to meet the above criteria please provide the required information as soon as possible so the award may be presented at the Wild Game Dinner. Remember to contact Dan and sign up for the Wild Game Dinner. Keep those arrows flying down range. News you can use: MWR Weekly Archery League started Sunday, 27 JAN 2013 and continues each Sunday through the winter. Registration begins at noon, Shoot starts at 1 PM. Registration fee is $5 per shooter. Minutes of February Meeting -by Dan Van Gundy The Belvoir Bowhunters monthly membership meeting took place on Wednesday, 13 February 2013 at the Ft Belvoir archery center, Tompkins Basin. President Charlie Shupienus called the meeting to order at 1905 hours. After welcoming members and any guests, he called for officer reports. Vice president Kevin Brown noted the club s upcoming pin shoot on 19 March, and he reminded members of the approaching VBA State Indoor Sectional tournament to be held 23 and 24February at the archery center, with registration on the Friday evening preceding. As Kevin represented the club at the VBA meeting in January, he updated the membership on the agenda items voted on at that meeting. A motion to make men s traditional maximum distance 50 yards was tabled. A motion to limit women s traditional field, hunter, and maximum distance to 30 yards passed. A motion to eliminate the unit rule failed to pass. A motion to change how clubs are allocated votes based on membership numbers failed to pass.

3 In connection with Kevin s report on VBA activity, Charlie asked the membership to consider approving $100 for two gift certificates to be awarded in the raffle drawing at the VBA Banquet to be held 23 March in Keezletown. The motion was made, seconded, and passed by voice vote. Secretary/treasurer Dan Van Gundy reported the club s checking account balance as 9, He said the membership now stood at 83, and he had received several additional applications prior to the start of the meeting. He reminded those present that the February newsletter would be the last one members received if they haven t renewed their membership. Publicity director Greg Singleton thanked the regular contributors to the newsletter, and especially Lennie Eubanks, and he encouraged others to submit photos and stories of their hunts. Greg also thanked TDK for providing the delicious venison curry for the evening s dinner. Activities director Ed Winn said he and Felix Lopez were sending out solicitation letters to various businesses requesting the donation of prizes to be raffled at the Wild Game Dinner. Charlie noted that a sign-up sheet was circulating requesting volunteers on the various WGD committees, and he encouraged members to agree to help out. Sergeant-at-arms Thein Khin reported he still needed volunteers to bring the food for several future membership meetings. He asked members to sign up either to bring food or provide approximately 15 lbs of venison and TDK would cook it as a stew or curry. On the subject of food, TDK asked members to notify him if they planned to bring food donations to the VBA Indoor tournament, and added that he could use some help manning the food service area during the tournament. Finally, he called for venison donations for the WGD. Range warden Russ Hatchl noted the upcoming range work party to change out the bales on the indoor range in preparation for the VBA Indoor tournament. He asked members who can help to come to the archery center on Wednesday 20 February beginning at Russ also reported that Charlie, Steve Richards, and Rick Atchison had replaced 2 bales on the range and replaced the taped shooting lines on the floor. 3 VBA IBEP coordinator Bob Foster announced that an IBEP class would be held on 23 March in Keezletown in conjunction with the VBA banquet held later that evening. He said he also was looking for volunteers to take the IBEP instructor course and the need to also take the VDGIF Hunter Safety Course to become a fully qualified IBEP instructor. Rich Atchison added that the VDGIF was in the process of revising its hunter safety courses and expected by August to see the new, oneday courses operating. Following the reports, Stephen Allyn delivered an outstanding, well-researched presentation on how to plan a successful do-it-yourself elk and/or mule deer and/or bear hunt in Colorado. Steve went over the many steps necessary to make a hunt in the game-rich public hunting areas of the state. At the conclusion of his presentation, he offered CD-ROMs of the presentation slides and the backup material used in its preparation to interested members. Turning to old business, Charlie said the club hadn t lost money due to the cancelled bus trip to Harrisburg. He also reinforced earlier calls for volunteers and food donations for the VBA Indoor on February. Under new business, Charlie led a discussion about funding the purchases for the WGD in April and the Hunters for the Hungry shoot in August. The biggest change this year is a new Installation requirement to use a contract with the Officers Club in order to serve beer, wine, and soda at the Community Center. He noted the executive board had explored the options, which are an open bar or a cash bar. The open bar is cost-prohibitive, as it would cost approximately $3,000 for the evening. The cash bar option will mean drinks will range in price from $1.50 for soda to $4 for premium beer and wine. He said the possibility of holding the dinner somewhere else, such as at Burke Fire Department, where the WGD was held several years ago. The cost to rent the hall is now far more expensive than before as much as $1, making it a unsuitable. Charlie asked for a motion from the floor to authorize up to $6,000 for the WGD and $2,000 for the Hunters For the Hungry benefit. The motion was made, seconded, and passed. Charlie noted also the coming this spring of the Installations new recreational vehicle park and camp ground. It will necessitate creation of storage and maintenance facilities in the Outdoor Recreation building (archery center), and the club will lose its current storage room. However, Outdoor Rec is offering alternate spaces in the old check station and in the area behind the small indoor range for 3D animal storage. It is also offering the club a refrigerator, which we need. Charlie called for any additional remarks for the good of the order. Stan Parmentier provided information on the upcoming Senior Games and encouraged members to participate. He also encouraged members to submit photos and articles to the VBA Flight magazine, which features a near-clean sweep of photos by Bowhunters of Rockingham in the latest Flight issue. Adjournment followed by a voice vote. Following adjournment, a raffle yielded $26 for the Christmas Fund and $54 for the club. The following members won these prizes:

4 Steve Barr Jerky Ira Joseph Turkey target Ron Buzalsky Arm guard Richard Richards Quiver Pat McHugh Multi-tool Greg Singleton $10 Keith Matheny $19 Brandon Schelhorn $24 Treasurer's Report Checking account balance on 31 January 2013 Income: $9, Food donations $ Christmas Fund Feb raffle $26.00 Club Raffle - Feb $54.00 Dues $ WGD receipts $48.00 Shirt and cap sales $ Shoot proceeds, Feb pin shoot $ State Indoor receipts $ Misc receipts $32.00 Total Income: $3, Expenses: Newsletter Feb $89.98 H4H expenses - prizes $ VBA Dues $ Range fees $ Raffle prizes $57.56 WGD expenses - prizes $ State Indoor expenses $ Admin expenses $ Targets $81.90 Refund $26.00 Total Expenses: $1, Checking account balance on 28 February 2013 $10, Other shoots in Northern Viginia: March 10 Sunday CubRun WinterClassic 3-D, T, M, C, 9-1 April 7 Saturday CubRun F/H, P, M, C, 9-1 Another successful indoor pin shoots occurred on Feb 9! Below are the scores from the competition. 37 shooters participated in the shoot. Let s see if we can beat this participation rate on March 9. First Name Last Name Score Xs IOX AFTRAD 1 Robin Vogel Jennifer Stoner Brandi Bernoskie Jill Delligatti AMBHFS/R 1 Billy Robbett Joe Kolling Steve Richards Phong Nguyen Kurt Marisa Kevin Brown Ron Buzansky Keith Matheny David White Felix Lopez Andrew Kull Greg Singleton Corey Collins Pat McHugh Eric Lindecker AMTRAD 1 Paul Vogel Troy Stoner Richard Danyliw Bob Forcht Brian Hatchl CFBB 1 Kylie Marisa CMBB 1 Gerrit Vonk Luke Hatchl CMFS/F 4

5 1 Logan Weller CMTRAD 1 Vincent Delligatti MSMFS/R 1 Stan Parmentier MSMTRAD 1 Russ Hatchl SMBHFS/R 1 Bruce Stein SMFS/R 1 Charlie Shupienus YAMBHFS/R 1 Michael Danyliw YFBB 1 Haleigh Altersitz YMBB 1 Xavier Miles YMBHFS/R 1 Ben Stein Activities Director Report -by Ed Winn The last several hunts this past week have been the coldest of the deer season, yet signs of spring are beginning to show. This past week the first robin hopped around and then next day I was surrounded by twenty. The music of spring has filled the air, flights of honking Canadian geese, woodpeckers pecking on drumming trees and countless little brown birds flirting from tree to tree. I am still waiting to hear the first gobble. With the urban deer season winding down in a couple of weeks many of us will be greeted with honey do lists and the annual chore of spring cleaning of our domains. Let your unused hunting items find a new home by donating them to Belvoir Bowhunters. Your generous gifts will then be placed into raffles at the Wild game Dinner and Hunters for the Hungry banquets. Your 5 simple donation will make it possible for family members of Wounded Warriors to stay at the Fisher House and allowing Hunters for the Hungry to provide venison to those in need. Please contact Ed Winn at or at phm403@yahoo.com to make arrangements to pick up your donated gifts. Belvoir Bowhunters 2013 Calendar March 9 Club Indoor Shoot (9am) 13 Club Meeting NFAA Indoor National Championships, Louisville KY 23 VBA Banquet, Harrisonburg 24 VBA Meeting, Harrisonburg April 2 Executive Committee Meeting 6 Wild Game Dinner 10 Club Meeting VBA Spring 3D Classic (Singers Glen) 27 Club 3-D Shoot (9am-11am) 30 Executive Committee Meeting May 8 Club Meeting 8-11 VA Senior Games (Archery TBD), Richmond, VA 18 Club 3D Shoot (9am-11am) VBA State Open (Singers Glen) June 4 Executive Committee Meeting 8-9 VBA Meeting, Harrisonburg 12 Club Meeting 21 Club Coon Shoot (Sunset) 22 Club Pig Roast & 3D Shoot (9am-11am) NFAA Mid-Atlantic Outdoor July 2 Executive Committee Meeting 10 Club Meeting 20 Club Annual Picnic and 3DShoot (9am- 11am) 21-Aug National Senior Games (Archery TBD), 1 Cleveland, OH NFAA Outdoor National Field Championship, Darrington, WA August 6 Executive Committee Meeting 14 Club Meeting

6 17-18 VBA State Fall 3-D Classic (NORVA) 24 Club 3-D Shoot (9am-11am) (Hunters for Hungry benefit) 30 VBA State Closed (Sherwood) September 1 VBA State Closed (Sherwood) 3 Executive Committee Meeting 11 Club Meeting VBA Scheduling Meeting, Harrisonburg October 1 Executive Committee Meeting 9 Club Meeting November 5 Executive Committee Meeting 13 Club Meeting December 3 Executive Committee Meeting 11 Club Meeting Publicity Director Report -by Greg Singleton How much does it cost to become a bowhunter? I am often asked by friends and acquaintances how much it would cost to take up archery or bow hunting. I usually offer a few figures off the top of my head just to give an approximation, but I m sure I forget many of the costs when I try to quickly approximate. Here I ll attempt to give a more deliberate answer, having a few minutes to think about it. The list below is one person s thoughts on gear used for archery hunting, assuming hunting is done with a hunting compound bow from a treestand. The range of prices listed includes the cost of an adequate piece of new gear at the low end to that of a nearly state-of-the-art new piece of equipment on the high end. Price estimates below are in 2013 dollars. For the cost of taking up archery only, just include the shooting items, not the hunting-specific equipment. - bow ($600-$1100) - sight, rest, stabilizer, peep, nock/d-loop, silencers, quiver ($140-$370) 6 - dozen arrows ($60-$250) - release ($50-$150) - broadheads (6) ($80-$100) - practice target ($50-$120) - treestand includes safety harness ($100-$300) - pull rope to pull bow up to treestand ($5) - 3 sets camouflage shirts, trousers, socks ($60-$400) [Scentlok is much more expensive] - gloves/face mask ($20-$60) - boots ($30-$200) - scent-free shampoo, detergent, and spray ($30) - hunting lease if needed ($800-$2000) - permit and/or qualification fees for public land hunting ($30-$50) - VA in-state licensing fees to hunt deer with archery tackle for one year ($64) As you can see, the cost varies widely between choices in gear and where you choose to hunt. What does it cost to start bowhunting? is a hard question to answer until the prospective hunter narrows down some of the parameters. You can always purchase used gear as well, but in the interest of safety, I will only discuss new gear here. Caveat emptor (let the buyer beware) for those who choose used hunting equipment. Used bows could have been dry fired; bolts or cables on treestands could have internal damage, etc. New equipment comes with the assurances from the manufacturer and/or the Treestand Manufacturers Association. Most of you know that I don t care to spend a lot of money on something that only provides marginal added value over an adequate piece of gear offered at a modest price. To that end, you ll find my cost of hunting on the lower end of this scale. Others tend to spend more to get more. Scentlok is a great example. For many people, Scentlok provides an invaluable service, allowing people to get closer to deer without being busted by the deer s number one defense mechanism his nose. Others like me see the challenge of needing to religiously follow the human odor elimination routine as part of determining a successful hunt if you have deer pass under your stand at close range, it s a good feeling knowing you were successful in your odor elimination efforts. Scentlok, on the other hand, helps erase a hunter s mistakes in applying the necessary scent elimination techniques. A really big factor in the cost of bowhunting is the decision of where to hunt. A hunting lease provides greater flexibility on when and where to hunt, but the cost can be exorbitant. Hunting on public land such as Fort Belvoir is very reasonably priced, but requires the hunter to perform many added administrative and safety functions, ultimately requiring more of the hunters time for non-hunting activities. Requirements are not onerous but can lessen the overall bowhunting experience, again, depending on the hunter. A third option is hunting on private land where the hunter has permission to hunt

7 and is not required to purchase a lease. This requires much knocking on doors or familiarity/friendship with landowners with suitable deer habitat. Such landowners are in abundant supply in the northern Virginia area. Having said all this, for me, it would probably cost approximately $1650-$1700 to buy all new equipment to have everything I need to begin to start bowhunting. As we all do, I would soon find the need for additional hunting items such as additional clothing, a range finder, a deer call, a bow hanger, etc, additional targets, etc., adding another $300-$500 to the cost of bowhunting, probably within the first year. Then there s the cost of having the deer processed and stored. A hunter who plans to consume the venison he harvests (who wouldn t?) needs a good freezer ($400). Processing your deer can provide its own rewards, but others choose to have the deer processed for a whole host of reasons, and the cost is approximately $100 per deer, unless the hunter donates the deer to the local food bank, in which case processing is often free. Hunting is certainly not free. There are many costs associated with beginning any sport, and I ve tried to list the most common costs for beginning the sport of bowhunting here. Is it worth the cost and effort? Again, that s up to the individual, but you ll find that most of us in the Belvoir Bowhunters don t see bowhunting as a cost vs. benefit proposition; it s a way of life. We love our sport, and we purchase what s necessary to add to the enjoyment of the hunt. Greg Range Warden Report By Russ Hatchl Thanks to the volunteers who helped put the new bales on the competition range on Wednesday, February 20: Rick Atchison, Jack Cason, Rich Danyliw, Russ Hatchl, Joe Kolling, Phong Nguyen, Kevin O'Shea, Stan Parmentier, Obula Reddy, Steve Richards, Charlie Shupienus, Dan Van Gundy, and Paul Vogel. I also want to thank all of the volunteers for the state shoot. Need your help! The first Belvoir Bowhunters first 3D shoot of the year is just around the corner in April, and we need to get the range ready. We have a work party scheduled for April 13 at 9 a.m. to insert posts along the walk-through range, to which we will attach guide ropes to prevent falls. Bring your work gloves, shovels, and digging bars. See you there! Russ Hatchl Sergeant-at-Arms Report Reminder: Belvoir Bowhunters has purchased a new bow press! The old yellow bow press at the archery range has served the club well for many years, but it is designed to be used on vertical limb bows only. DO NOT USE THE OLD YELLOW BOW PRESS FOR YOUR PARALLEL (HORIZONTAL) LIMB BOW. There is now a bow press you can safely use on your new parallel limb bow (solid and split limbs). It even works on cross bows. Be sure you know exactly how to use the new press before you attempt to operate it. All participants at the State Shoot were well fed this past weekend thanks to the generosity of the following people. Ann Shupienus Brandi Bernoski Jenifer Stoner Ted Bradford Ed Winn Greg Singleton Phyllis Medina Dave Burpee Felix Lopez 7

8 Jerry Mickhonski Hon Kwan Diana and Maiah Khin We had a wide array of food for breakfast and lunch which made our shoot a successful event. Thank you to everyone for their time, effort and contributions to keep our bellies full!! Back by popular request, please find below recipe for the Venison Curry. Ingredients: 2 pounds venison 2 TBSp fish sauce 1 tsp salt 1 small piece (1/4 inch fresh ginger, blended 2 medium onions, quartered 5 cloves garlic 5 ½ TBsp oil 2 tsp sweet paprika 1 TBSp curry powder ½ tsp turmeric powder ¼ tsp black pepper 1 small can coconut milk (4 ozs) Method: Wash venison and cut into 2-inch pieces. Marinate with fish sauce and salt and let stand for 15 minutes. In a blender combine ginger, onions, and garlic and blend well. (Note, TDK marinates venison for an hour and instead of blending, you can mince/chop ginger, onions and garlic) Heat oil in a pot, add onion mixture to the pot and sauté over low to medium heat for about 8 minutes or until the onions are transparent. Add paprika, curry powder, and turmeric powder and stir for 1 minute Increase to medium heat and add venison cubes to pot and stir well for 7 to 10 minutes or until the beef turns brown and the water from the beef is evaporated. Add 1 1/3 cups water and black pepper to venison. Cover and simmer on very low heat for about 1 ½ hours or until venison is tender, stirring occasionally. Add coconut milk and cook over low heat for 20 minutes. (Note, you can reduce coconut milk to ½ or 2 ounces) To Serve: Serve with rice. Makes 4 servings. Thanks TDK we all love your most outstanding venison curry! HEADS N TALES -by Lennie Eubanks OMG WINS NATIONAL CONTEST: Just got word from JJ that his trail cam pictures of the big MD buck nicknamed OMG won the Trail Cam division of the 2012 Outdoor Channel National Deer Contest using the BuckScore rating system. IF YOU WANT to see a lot of recent good pics of big whitetail bucks, log on to this site and walk through the various categories: ON THE HOOF; HARVESTED; TRAIL CAM; and FAN FAVORITES with subcategories for Typical and Non- Typical. CAUTION: IF you want to see most of them, plan to invest one or two hours in front of the screen. FYI: 569 entries for Trail Cam Typicals; 89 Trail Cam N- Ts. Better than a rerun movie, for sure! d=151&lbc=157 Since JJ and the folks that developed BuckScore (Jeremy & Emily Flinn) are all personal friends, I feel a bit like a proud, new dad, even though none of us have ever seen OMG. Will probably see the Flinns at the SEDSG conference in South Carolina next week but JJ is too busy making his springtime shed-antler rounds. Good work guys. Since I do not have any fresher tales to share, I will be getting ready for the April 6 Wild Game Dinner by practicing some of the cooking experiments. Here are two that might work. RECIPE FOR THE MONTH: BRAISED VENISON (makes GOOD SOUP) This recipe comes from Stacy Harris and the winter issue of Gamekeepers Magazine. Two of our friends are recovering from recent knee surgery so our trophy cook, Vernon Hampton, did a test batch of the soup and sent them some get-well pictures. One is shown below. INGREDIENTS (Serves 6) 2 lbs venison roast, cut into 1-inch cubes Kosher salt & pepper 6 oz no-nitrate bacon, chopped 2 yellow onions, chopped 4 cloves garlic, minced 1 lb button mushrooms, halved 2 tablespoons oregano 1 quart of beef stock 1 ½ cups red wine 5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil 4 carrots, peeled and roughly chopped 4 ribs celery, roughly chopped 1 lb potatoes, cut into 2-inch cubes 1 tablespoon of thyme 2 tablespoons rosemary 16 oz canned tomatoes, crushed by hand 8

9 Transition III By Stan Parmentier Over the years, Archery Manufacturers have found many ways to make compound bows lighter. Risers are hollowed out, lighter material is used and Archers are left to deal with distribution of shock at the time of each shot. You feel that shock after each arrow leaves the bow. Some bows include shock absorbers in the riser. Even sights include shock reducers. So, what more do we add? Stabilizers/Side Rods, Limb Savers, Bow String Stops and more weight to stabilize and dampen the shot. Check the Lancaster Archery Supply Wish Book and find so (soo, sooo) many suitable accessories. What is really needed and what is the best among so many similar items? I m sure that no one has the perfect answer. But here are a few fearless observations. Bow Sling, a simple cord attached to the riser and loosely fitted around the wrist to keep the bow from jumping out of hand after the shot. Simple, but don t leave home w/o it. PREPARATIION METHOD 1. In a large bowl, place venison and the red wine. Marinate in the refrigerator overnight or, at room temperature, for at least 2 hours. While reserving the wine marinade, remove the venison to a rack and dry with a paper towel. Venison needs to be dry to braise properly. Liberally salt and pepper the meat. 2. In a Dutch oven or large cast iron skillet, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil until almost smoking hot. Brown the venison in batches, adding oil to the pan as needed. Remove venison to a plate and set aside. 3. Add bacon, carrots, onions, celery, and garlic to the pan and cook over medium-high heat until browned and onions are translucent (about 6 minutes). Add potatoes, mushrooms, thyme, oregano, rosemary, reserved wine, beef stock, tomatoes, one tablespoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper to the pan. Bring mixture to a boil and add venison back to the pan. Cover and simmer for 2 hours. Turn the heat off and allow pan to sit uncovered for 30 minutes. This seems to allow the meat to tenderize even more. Serve with crusty bread. So Good! Whenever you enjoy my outdoors, please leave it better than you found it. Lennie Stabilizers add weight forward to balance the bow. Bowhunter Class Archers are limited to 12 inches forward of the riser with no weight restriction, hence the steel end caps that look like Frisbees on the end of 10 to 12 inch stabilizers, sold for the purpose of dampening shock. An 8.5 to 10 inch stabilizer with cap weights to fit your need is adequate. To me, those short rubber stabilizers only serve as decoration or to hold a bow sling in place. Of course we must never discount the value of Looking Good. Free Style Archers have no limits in length or weight of stabilizers. These over-balance forward thrust, dampen shock and make great walking canes for the feeble among us. Side Stabilizers both dampen and balance. They help to offset the weight of other accessories added to the bow, balance and assist in reducing cant of a loosely held bow. They may also assist in accommodating for the way you hold/grip the bow. Bow String Shock Suppressors were controversial at one time. Now they are factory equipment on many bows. Extending backward from the riser, these suppressors or string stops, reduce string vibration and forward string movement after the shot. They reduce the need for string silencers like spider legs, leeches and such. They cause the arrow to leave the string at or near the same location after each shot. I destroyed about 10 of these suppressor rubber stops before it was found that my nocks were too tight and the arrows were not releasing from the bow string efficiently. Looser nocks, great performance. Limb Savers attached on or between limbs serve the continuing need to reduce/dampen vibration in the limbs 9

10 of the bow. They wear depending on bow shock and should be checked for balanced placement and progressive wear. In every category, there are many styles, weights and lengths of after-market systems designed to increase efficient delivery of the arrow, to quiet and to improve bow function. Don t get me wrong; your properly fitted and tuned bow will function well right out of the box. But aren t you interested in the Maximum Bow Performance possible? That is the reason all these accessories are made. It worked for someone and he wants you to be a better archer and for him to profit there in. Make your bow efficient and Good Looking. You will attract new friends. Again, try before you buy. As they say, It is only stupid if it doesn t work. Stan IBEP class scheduled Our very own Bob Foster organizes archery hunting classes for the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fishereries (VDGIF). The next International Bowhunter Education Program (IBEP) class is scheduled for Saturday, 23 March at the Bowhunters of Rockingham clubhouse. Anyone interested in attending can register on-line by going to VBA Banquet scheduled Well fellow VBA members the VBA Bowhunting Committee is now in HIGH GEAR preparing for the 18th Annual Awards Banquet to be held at the Keezletown Ruritan Club on Saturday March 23rd, 2013 beginning at 6:00pm. Adults $25.00; Youth 7 thru 12 $12.00 and children 6 and under are free. Mr. Hal Shaffer, Host of Drop Zone Hunting TV show on the Outdoor Channel, will be the guest speaker. Archery - Virginia Senior Games Wednesday, May 15, 2013, 10:00 a.m. Newport News Park Jefferson Avenue Newport News, VA virginiaseniorgames.org 60 arrows: 20 each 60, 50, 40 yards FITA Target No qualification req'd. Individual Classes by age 50 to 100+ and five Equipment Classes Entry Fee: $18 plus $4 admin fee Registration NLT April 12 - postmark Check it out, sign up and participate! 10

11 BELVOIR BOWHUNTERS 25 TH ANNUAL WILD GAME DINNER & TROPHY NIGHT Ft. Belvoir Community Center, Ft. Belvoir, VA Saturday April 6 th, 2013 Doors open at 5 PM and dinner begins at 6 PM $12 for club members and family members over age 7; $15 for guests; $7 for children ages 5-7; free for children 4 and under Tickets at door will be $22 for members and $27 for non-members THE DINNER WILL BE POT LUCK BUFFET PLEASE BRING ENOUGH FOOD FOR YOU, YOUR PARTY, AND TO SHARE WITH OTHERS ****NO ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES PERMITTED**** ****CASH BAR**** Children s gifts***ladies Door Prizes GENERAL RAFFLE WITH A WIDE VARIETY OF HUNTING RELATED PRIZES For information or questions, contact Dan Van Gundy at daniel.vangundy@verizon.net or at For reservations, send payment with full (legible) name of each attendee. Include the age/sex of all children to assist us in the purchase of children s gifts Mail check, payable to Belvoir Bowhunters, to: Daniel Van Gundy Vista Drive Dumfries, VA

12 NEWSLETTER January 2013 Belvoir Bowhunters P.O. Box 372 Ft. Belvoir, VA The next Club MEETING is Mar 13 th. Club Officers & Phone Numbers President Charlie Shupienus Vice President Kevin Brown Secretary/Treasurer Dan Van Gundy Activities Director Ed Winn Publicity Director Greg Singleton Range Warden Russ Hatchl (not after 8 pm) Sergeant-at-Arms Thein Dan Khin thein.d.khin@gmail.com Webmaster Timothy Seymour seymourtg@gmail.com Other Key Phone Numbers Belvoir Check Station & Archery Center Office Belvoir Game Warden Belvoir MP s /5/6 State Game Violations Hot Line Come on out and enjoy some fun with the club. Hope to see you at the pin shoot on Saturday Mar 9. 12