Belvoir Bowhunters Newsletter

Transcription

1 Belvoir Bowhunters Newsletter Issue 255 August 2015 The Next Club Meeting Is On Wednesday, August Start time 6:30 pm President s Message Thank you! -by Greg Singleton With a club the size of ours (we have about 145 members) and a schedule as busy as ours, there s a lot of work that gets done behind the scenes to keep the machine running smoothly. First, there s the standard work that has to be done to organize, register, and operate a 3D competition: shopping or coordinating for the food; setup of tents, grills, targets, water jugs; registration; cooking; taking down the tents; pulling in the targets; and finally, cleanup. An outsider looking at the amount of work it takes just to operate a basic 3D shoot might find the task overwhelming. In our club, however, it happens like clockwork. In this case, the clock is a good metaphor. Each person is like another one of the wheels or sprockets inside the clock s inner workings that operate together seamlessly to keep near perfect time. That s how a 3D shoot happens in our club. But that s not all. Every five years, our indoor and outdoor ranges require inspection by the Virginia Bowhunters Association (VBA). On the surface, this might seem like a bit of a nuisance, but in reality, it s a good thing. There s a story about a frog placed in a pot of hot water who immediately hops out to save his life. But when the frog is put in a pot of cold water on a burner, the frog stays in the water until he is boiled because the water changes temperature so slowly, he doesn t feel the change. When we use the range over and over, we don t see the small things like the range markers on the ground needing repainting. Instead of replacing the bales on the field archery course due to soft spots in the bales, we just move the paper target s position on the bale so we don t shoot through, and then we forget about it. When the bow holders break, we just set our bows on the ground. Well, the VBA inspection helps us see those little things that need to be done so that we actually go out and fix the things that need fixing. When a club goes five years without doing that kind of maintenance, the job of preparing the ranges for inspection is no small task, especially in the heat of the summer. But once again, your club was up to the task and got the work done in short order. Changing out all the old excelsior bales (the ones made of straw) was the most obvious task and probably required the most horse power, but painting the round, cement range markers on the ground was a back breaking, tedious task that left the painter with stained hands and a sore back. Moving the targets and target lanes for a few 3D targets was no easy task either, and fixing the bow holders took some digging and carpentry work and persistence, but in the end, the range passed inspection, and it actually looks good too! So.thanks to all of you who pitch in to help the club get all this work done. Whether it s the routine work to conduct a 3D shoot or the more time-consuming work of range repair, the volunteers in this club really make things happen. I ll never be able to capture all the names, but I will point out a few folks who seem to be out there every time, slugging through work until it s done. Phong Nguyen, the club range warden for almost the last two years, has really done yeoman s work. Even though he works full time and often travels out of state for extended periods, he makes time on his very busy schedule to get out to the range and get the work done. As the range warden, he not only does the work, but he has to get the tools and the supplies purchased and organized ahead of time, and then he has to make sure he has the volunteers he needs to get the work done. My hat s off to you Phong. Thanks for the planning and the hard work and the use of your very capable tools!

2 You can t mention volunteers for the club without mentioning Steve Richards. Not only is he there every time, but he probably knows more about the thing you re about to do than anyone because he s been there and done that so many times he s already forgotten more than I know about range work. Thank you Steve. Next, Bakari Dale has really come on strong for the club and has demonstrated that he was absolutely the right choice for club Vice President. Not only is Bakari a very educated and informed archer and bowhunter, but luckily for us he also happens to work on Ft Belvoir, so he s close! His personal initiative and attention to detail was instrumental in getting the ranges to pass inspection. Thanks Bakari. Our club equipment can be just like the ranges. We re so accustomed to that thing that doesn t quite work right that we just work through the friction each time, and no one s the wiser. But Larry Readal took note of a few things that didn t quite work right and made a difference. He was Johnny on the spot with the indoor range clock, and now it counts backwards like it is supposed to. Then he noticed the wheel barrow in the outdoor shed needed air in the tires (for how many years, who knows), so Larry brought his air pump to the range and fixed it. Son, does that wheel barrow roll easier now! And the grill was, well, about to fall apart. There was discussion of buying a new one. Not with Shade Tree Mechanic Larry around! He has installed cross members and a new cutting surface and cleaned the inside of the grill so much that it isn t even recognizable now. Thanks for taking action, Larry. I ll end by saying we have one more really big action for the year, and that s the Hunters for the Hungry fund raiser. It s our biggest shoot of the year, and proceeds will go to a very worthwhile charity, Virginia Hunters for the Hungry. Over the years, our club has donated tens of thousands of dollars (and our hunters have donated hundreds of deer), helping to provide several hundred thousand healthy, organic, high protein meals for families in need. Please sign up for one of our committees (setup, cleanup, food, cooking, prizes, etc) and plan to come to this fun-filled event. We ll have thousands of dollars worth of raffle prizes, tons of food including TDK s own specialty, venison curry! Besides the 3D shoot, we ll have archery games at the conclusion of the shoot including the famous jug shoot. Who can empty his or her jug of water the fastest? Only time will tell. Come out to the H4H shoot on August 22d at the Northern Virginia Archer s Club (NORVA) at Fountainhead Regional Park on Henderson Road in southern Fairfax County for an exciting day with your friends and family. My sincerest thanks to all you volunteers, Greg Vice President s Report by Bakari Dale We have had a few hot days and heavy rain falls but due to the selfless contributions of our volunteers we had another fun and challenging 3D shoot and picnic. On Friday 17 July we started the Phase III work for the Field course and then rolled right into set up for the 3D shoot. It is a great thing seeing more and more volunteers coming out to help. At the 3D shoot we had 53 shooters registered. Competition got a bit fierce; we had 3 ties in various classes. Young Mr. Alexander Brown won the Hunter Class even though he is only 13 years old! The highest score for the shoot was 243, which was shot by Mr. Billy Robbett. On Sunday we finished the Final Phase of preparing the ranges for inspection; resulting in the club passing with flying colors. Good Job! We have this awesome Field Archery course; I believe we should use it in tournaments. What is this Field/ Hunter/ Animal Archery Stuff Going On at Fort Belvoir? If you want to improve your 3-D scores then try shooting field archery. This article is to piggy back off of my June article as it focuses specifically on how to shoot Field Archery. To me Field archery is the pure game of shooting; it is NOT yardage estimation". So what is this Field Archery Stuff and where can I do it? The Fort Belvoir Field range is a Virginia Bowhunter Association (VBA) certified field archery range. Thanks to the effort of our volunteers and especially some of our key contributors like Phong, Steve, Larry, Paul, Cooper, G. Thompson and the club President G. Singleton we are now certified for another 5 years. Field archery consists of shooting 4 arrows at 28 targets. But Belvoir only has 14 targets. Yes, that is correct and the answer is to go around the course again for your second half. A standard field round consists of two 14 target events which can be any combination of Field and Hunter and or Animal rounds. A total of 112 arrows are shot during the combined rounds and the maximum score is 560 points. To score them, the Bulls Eye or Spot of each target is worth 5 points and there is a center X Ring that is considered part of the Bulls Eye or Spot and is scored the same. During a round the X s are also counted and are used for breaking tie 2

3 scores. The Animal Round is either a 14 or 28 target event involving between one and three arrows and is shot as part of a Championship round after a Field or Hunter Round. The NFAA and VBA acknowledge several shooting styles and they are separated by classes for men and women. Listed below are some of the basic styles: 1. Free Style (FS) consists of using any style sight/release/stabilizer and any combination of options. 2. Free Style Limited (FSL) is the same as FS but the archer uses their fingers versus a release. 3. Bowhunter Free Style (BHFS) consists of a release, a sight with maximum 5 fixed pins and a stabilizer less than 12 inches. 4. Bowhunter Free Style Limited (BHFSL) is the same as BHFS but the archer uses their fingers versus a release. 5. Bowhunter (BH) consists of one shooting with fingers with one finger over or under the nock of the arrow and a stabilizer no longer than 12 inches. No sight is used. 6. Barebow (BB) consists of shooting with your fingers, no sight and no fixed anchor point (String walking is allowed). Just to let you in on a little secret, there are some pretty challenging shots in Field Archery. During the Field round there is this shot called the 80 yard walk up. I know what you are thinking. I don't shoot at deer that are 80 yards away." No, neither does the rest of us Virginians. The idea is that it teaches you to aim at a spot with proper shot execution to make a better all around archer out of you. The younger folks get a break. If you're under 15, your longest distance is 50 yards; if you're under 12, the longest range is 30 yards. In Field archery you shoot from the White marked stakes. Targets are round, black and white faces. There is a possible 20 points per target and a perfect round is 560. There are four different size faces, the further the target, the bigger the target. There's also the hunter round, it is something like the above field round except that you shoot at an all black face with a white dot and you shoot from the red marked stakes. The ranges on this round vary and the scoring is identical to the field round. Below are examples of the types of target Hunter Target Field Target Animal Target The animal round scoring is a bit squirrelly. With that being said while shooting from a marked Yellow stake, you take three of your arrows and mark them 1, 2, and 3. When you get to the shooting stake you shoot arrow number 1. If you hit the scoring area you need not shoot another arrow. If you miss the first shot you move up to the next shooting stake and shoot number 2. If you hit the scoring zone there's no need to shoot number 3. If you missed number one and two, move up and shoot number three. The scoring area is divided into two parts, the vital area and non-vital, with a bonus X-ring in the center of the vital area, and scored accordingly. Scoring is based on where you hit with which arrow. The first arrow shot is scored 21, 20 or 18. The second arrow is scored 17, 16 or 14, and the third arrow is scored 13, 12 or 10. The best score per target is 21 and the total possible score for the round, a 588. If there is not an Xring on the Animal target then; the best score is 20 points per target and a perfect round of 560 like in the Safari Shoot at Cub Run Archery. After you have been shooting Field Archery head back out to the 3-D course and notice how better you are getting at shooting and at yardage estimation. 3

4 Secretary/Treasurer s Report Meeting Minutes for July Meeting Minutes 7/8/15 -by Jim Zolinski Meeting was called to order at New members and guests were introduced. Officer s Reports Vice President, Bakari Dale, reported we had 61 shooters at the June 3D tournament and pig roast 18JUL is the next shoot. We need help performing the set up on the 17th. If we need additional time, we will pick up at 0730 on the 18th. Bakari will also assist in resolution of any issues that arise between the club and the executive board. Secretary Treasurer, Jim Zolinski, reported 141 members and a current balance of 9, No major expenditures planned at the moment. Publicity Director, Greg Thompson, renewed his insistence for more articles and pictures for the newsletter. Everyone has a smart phone, so be smart about it; use it to take pictures of your trips, hunts, etc. Activities Director, Larry Readal, reported the Hunters for the Hungry (H4H) benefit 3D tournament will be held at NORVA on 22AUG15. We need a lot of help to pull that off. Committee sign-up sheets were passed around at the meeting to volunteer, and provide contact information. Milk jugs are still needed for the novelty shoot. Bring them to the next meeting. Rebeca Sikes has milk jugs to bring from her school and will coordinate with Larry to pick them up. Raffle prizes are being accepted. Tell Larry what you have to donate and he ll coordinate pick up. The novelty shoots will be a little different this year so look forward to that. Selling of hats with raffle tickets in them will be conducted at this shoot as well. Some of the high end prizes include a muzzle loader rifle, PSE Stalker recurve bow, a Carbon Express CX cross bow, and many other items. The question was raised if we had exhausted all efforts to return this event to Fort Belvoir and the answer was yes. We have indeed exhausted those efforts; installation regulations prohibit the raffle as it is considered gambling. Hats need to be purchased for the club with the club logo on them. Larry reported the executive board discussed the purchase of 125 hats at an approximate cost of 7.50 per hat with various camo and blaze orange patterns. Stan Parmentier cautioned the members on approving too many of the blaze orange color based on lack of past popularity. Stan also made a motion to spend up to 1,000 on hats. The motion was seconded, the vote taken and the motion passed. The calendar of events for CY 16 is in draft form at the moment. We are trying to deconflict with holidays, club events, other events and hunting days. The wild game dinner is tentatively scheduled for the first weekend in April. The first four in shoots CY16 are scheduled two on Saturday and two on Sunday. The H4H benefit will be on the 2nd weekend in August in CY16. Sergeant At Arms, Jerry Michonski, was not present at the meeting. He will not be at the July tournament and needs a volunteer to cook food for that event. No members volunteered. Range Warden, Phong Nguyen, needs a working party of 15 people for range repair this Saturday. Start time is In addition, bales will need replacing on certain point on the range. Temperatures are expected to be high so hydrate, and bring some good hand tools if you have them. This is phase two of the range repair needed to pass the range inspection. Remember, we are allowed to repair ropes, path clearing, target repair and maintenance on the 3D stuff. We are NOT allowed to perform any work approved to be done under the installation contract such as landscaping, cutting of any flora, etc. Any volunteer work being performed must be approved by the ODC Director in advance of that work starting. Be sure to register in the official volunteer program. Steve Richards can walk you thru that. VBA representative, Kevin Brown, had nothing significant to report. Presentation tonight was done by John Cooper on the various ways to tune your bow. Presentation was great. Thanks, John!! New Business Discussion took place on the H4H donation for this year; are we going to give the gross or the net proceeds from the event. Kevin Brown proposed that a budget be created to allocate funds for capital expenses and also for philanthropic causes so we have a better idea of how the cash flow impacts those things and we can have a better understanding of how much revenue needs to be 4

5 raised. Rich Danyliw proposed we donate only the net at first, and if funds allow later in the year, we can donate more to H4H or spread that extra to other military related causes such as the Fisher House. Ira Joseph noted that over the years our revenue generating capabilities have shrunk considerably due to more stringent installation regulations so we should be cautious in some respects but also look for new ways to generate revenue. Kevin Brown also suggested that the executive board consider proposing an increase to membership dues, which have been at 16 for a very long time. Stan Parmentier also mentioned that the donation jars for our annual Christmas donation be placed out no later than October to collect as much as possible for those causes it supports. The EB will create a budget as suggested by Kevin Brown. A decision though on the donation must be made at the August meeting, prior to the H4H event taking place. The venue for the Wild Game Dinner is up for discussion. Do we keep it at the Moose in Franconia, or look elsewhere? The Lions Club in Manassas has a great facility that can hold up to 200 people and at a lower cost than the Moose, but its location needs to be considered carefully since it s not really centrally located to the majority of club members. We just need to make a decision in the next few months so if you have any other ideas or suggestions, get that input communicated to the board. For the Good of the Order Two club members, Brandon Sikes and Lindy Fullerton, took the silver and bronze medals respectively at the World Police and Fire Games in Archery. A heartfelt congratulations to them both!! Great Job!! Total Income 1, Expenses July 3D Shoot Expenses H4H Raffle Prizes Range Repair Admin Expenses Archery Center Food Total Expenses Checking Account Balance as of July 31st, , Activities Director Report Meeting was adjourned at Treasurer's Report for July 2015 Checking Account Balance as of June 30th, , Income July 3D Shoot Proceeds Food Donations Meeting Food Donations Dues by Larry Readal BBH Members and Friends: Can t wait for our H4H Fundraiser event on August 22! Start saving for raffle tickets and if have prize donations, let me know! I need your milk jugs too! Please help the Club out by volunteering to support one of our many Committee spots for this event I will hand out the sign-up sheets at our Aug 12 meeting! Thanks in advance - Larry 5

6 AUGUST 1: 3D Shoot, Bethesda Chevy-Chase (B-CC) Izaak Walton League, Poolesville, MD 2 Aug-21 Dec: Prince William Archers "Annual Black Bear" Trophy Shoot, Prince William Archers 7-9: 32 nd Annual Virginia Outdoor Sportsman Show (VOSS), Richmond Raceway Complex 8: 3D and Field Archery Pin Shoot, Northern Virginia Archers, Fairfax Station, VA 9: 3-D Open Benefit Shoot, Manahoac Bowmen. Lunch available. 15: 3D Shoot, Bethesda Chevy-Chase (B-CC) Izaak Walton League, Poolesville, MD 15-16: VBA State 3D Unmarked Archery Shoot, Northern Virginia Archers, Fairfax Station, VA. 16: 3D Charity Shoot for NO PERSON LEFT BEHIND, Heart of Maryland Bowhunters, Marriottsville, MD (NO CROSSBOWS) 22: 3D Fundraising Shoot for Hunters for the Hungry. Shoot put on by Belvoir Bowhunters and hosted at NORVA s facility at Hampton Rd, VA. HUGE RAFFLE, Novelty Shoots, and Food! 23: Field/Hunter & 3D Pin Shoot, Shenandoah County Archers, Strasburg, VA 29: 3D Shoot, Bethesda Chevy-Chase (B-CC) Izaak Walton League, Poolesville, MD 30: Field/Hunter & 3-D Pin & Trophy Shoot Two Rivers "Dutch & Mertie Memorial", Two River Archers, Front Royal, VA SEPTEMBER 5: Urban Archery Deer Season opens (antlerless only) in Fairfax, other loc. (see VGDIF regs) 5-6: VBA State Closed Tournament, Singers Glen Bowbenders, Singers Glen, VA 12: Manahoac Bowmen "Bowhunters Tune-Up" Animal & 3-D Shoot Manahoac Bowmen 12-13: "Jamboree" 3-D Open Shoot, Sherwood Archers, Roanoke, VA 13: Traditional only 3D Archery PIN Shoot, Northern Virginia Archers Club/MWO Fairfax Station, VA. Belvoir Bowhunters 2015 Calendar AUGUST 5 Executive Committee Meeting 12 Club Meeting VBA State 3D Fall Classic (NORVA) 22 BBH Hunters for the Hungry 3D Benefit 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 18 Club Meeting ** Later than normal date due to Veteran's Day Holiday ** DECEMBER 2 Executive Committee Meeting 9 Club Meeting Sergeant at Arms Message - Jerry Michonski Thank you, Greg Singleton for preparing the food for the July Meeting. Thank you, to Ira Joseph and Ron Buzalski for helping Cook at the July 3D shoot. Your help is highly appreciated. We have the BIG H4H shoot coming up and I will need some help cooking and selling food. If you will be bringing any food donations, please let me know, so I can check off our list of items to bring. 6

7 Please signup to bring food for one of our meetings. THANK YOU! - Jerry Michonski Range Warden s Message definition. The law only prohibits use of cervid excretions. This includes, but not limited to gland oils, tarsal glands, doe urine, and buck urine. It also includes the rub-on sticks like VS-1 that uses the natural vaginal secretions of live does. Really, they make this stuff? Apparently so and not to be confused with your deodorant stick in the dark. The sale of the natural products is still legal in Virginia, but their use for hunting is not. So, you will see the usual scent selection on the store shelves, but you ll have to know what you are buying, and what is in it. We are going to have to spend a little more time reading the labels this year. -Phong Nguyen Thanks to all volunteers who came out to help repair the ranges and set up for the July 3-D Shoot. You can still use artificial cover scents, artificial scents, synthetic urines, such as fox and coon urine. Things that don t stink our volunteers. Well, maybe a few, from looking at the sweat showing in the pictures. Please look at the newsletter this month, take a moment to pass your appreciation to those pictured for their efforts, and a thank you for a hard job done in the summer heat and rain to continue our sport on Fort Belvoir. Good Hunting, Greg Publicity Director s Message What stink???? - Greg Thompson With the new ruling on natural deer scents and cover scents, the game plan for many hunters will be changing this year. I m one of the stink types, and regularly use something to cover the natural odors I emit. However, I m going to have to switch the plan up. A word to the wise take a few minutes this month and purge your hunting gear, the vest and coat pockets, the hunting pack, and the truck floor board of any of the extra little brown bottles. If you are like me, a bottle is tucked anywhere you think you might need one. And that can get you in trouble with the authorities for simple possession. So, what is a Virginia banned scent? This means any natural substance that came from a live cervid. A Cervid - any member of the deer family, Cervidae, comprising deer, caribou, elk, and moose, characterized by the bearing of antlers in the male or in both sexes. Cervids includes mule deer, whitetailed deer, moose and elk. So, your bottle of natural elk lure is also prohibited by 18 July BBH Picnic and 3-D Shoot Adult - Bowhunter Open (MBO) Blue stake 1 Billy Robbett John Cooper David Trang Earl Brown Minh Chau Kevin Brown Greg Singleton Nahn Trang 198 1X 9 Al Gamble 198 0X 10 Steve Richards Joe Kolling Joel Lutenhouse Tobin Johnson 137 Adult - Bowhunter Release (MBR) Green stake 1 Brandon Sikes John McKenzie Bakari Dale Phong Nguyen Chris Weber 168 7

8 Senior - Men's Senior Class (MSR) Green stake 1 Jim Zolinski Felix Lopez 181 Adult - Advanced Hunter Class (AHC) Red stake 1 Barron Hall Keith Matheny Tom Howarth 151 Adult - Hunter Class (HC) Yellow stake 1 Alexander Brown* 233* 2 Daniel Trang Walt Spaulding 202 2X 4 John Parker 202 1X 5 Eddie McNamee 125 Adult -Master Hunter Class (MHC) Yellow stake 1 John Hoffman 217 Senior - Senior Hunter (SHC) Yellow stake 1 Art Brown 217 Adult - Female Hunter Class (FHC) Orange stake 1 Rebecca Sikes Sarah Paulus Laura Buchanan 178 4X 4 Doreen Rizopoulos 178 0X Hunter Fingers (HF) Orange stake 1 Cheryl McNamee 65 Recurve Un-Aided (RU) Orange stake 1 Troy Stoner Russ Hatchl Ron Buzalski Nick Motsko Kate Motsko 121 Adult - Traditional (TRD) Orange stake 1 Andrew Esplana 156 Youth - Youth Release Ages (YMR 13-14) Orange stake 1 Zack Toth DNS 2 Mitch Toth DNS 3 Rodney Roberts DNS 4 Chase Roberts DNS 5 Bob McGovern DNS 6 Travis Sullivan DNS 7 Bill Fowlkes DNS 8 Chris Hyers DNS We re on Facebook! 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. Fixing the Range Adult - Female Traditional (FTRD) White stake 1 Diana Eiland 99 Cub (CUB) White stake 1 Vivian Cheng Andrew Esplana Robbie Butt 111 * Alexander Brown won Hunter Class even though he is only 13 years old! No Score Recorded 8

9 Fixing the Food Taking a Break Fixing the Target Stands Setting the 3-D Range 9

10 Moving the Target Bales Setting the Bales Testing the Targets

11 Volunteers needed to help your club execute another great event helping those in need. 11

12 NEWSLETTER August 2015 Belvoir Bowhunters P.O. Box 372 Ft. Belvoir, VA The next Club MEETING is August 12 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 August meeting! 12