Belvoir Newsletter. The Next Club Meeting Is On Wednesday, 9 July 14 Start time 6:30 pm. President s Message

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1 Belvoir Newsletter Issue 243 July 2014 The Next Club Meeting Is On Wednesday, 9 July 14 Start time 6:30 pm President s Message - my outboard is a1979 model Old stuff -by Greg Singleton As a young child, I always revered things that were old. Old was seen as good when I was growing up. Antiques, cars you name it. If it was old, it was good, to include people. When I was very young, I thought my Dad was the strongest man in the world, and I thought he knew the answer to every possible question because he was old. Greg, you know how old I am? my father would ask me. I don t know Daddy. How old are you? I would naively ask. Old as my tongue, and a little bit older than my teeth. Today, old is not seen in the same light. For some time now, we ve been living in a largely throw-away society. Whenever the television breaks, there s really no good economical option for having it repaired. A new one has so many more features and costs only 2 or 3 times as much as it would cost to have the old one fixed that is if you can even find someone to repair it. Seems most everything is like this now. It s certainly true for electronics such as computers/printers/smart phones, but it s also true with furniture (ever look at the cost of reupholstery?), fishing equipment, appliances, boats and so many other things we use. I m not sure if it was out of my keen sense of thriftiness (some of you would call it just being a major league cheap skate) or my sense of pride in all things original, but I really like to hang on to something for as long as I can. Here are some of my prized possessions that I still use frequently: - my boat and trailer are from my lawn mower was made in my bicycle was new in the treestand I use 80% of the time was new in all my TVs are Sony Trinitrons from the 90s - My first car was a 1969 Chevy C10 pickup that I bought used. I drove it until Today I drive a 1998 Chevy. - some of my tools pre-date my birth - my fishing reels are from 2005 when I had to replace them all, but I ve fixed about half of them by ordering parts and repairing them rather than buying new ones I like the old Mom and Pop s stores for things such as hardware, restaurants, furniture, hunting and fishing supplies and other types of retail. Why do I have this fascination with old things or simply doing things the old way? I think it s partly out of pride and partly out of nostalgia or longing for times gone by. What are the advantages of having and using old stuff? Primarily, it s less expensive to continue to use what you have it if still works to your satisfaction. As long as my fishing reels cast as far and as smoothly and as accurately as I need, then I just keep repairing them than rather than buying new ones. My lawn mower would certainly cost a lot to replace, so I continue to replace the wheels and repair the frame and the handle bars when they break. Belvoir Bowhunters is a Private Organization not affiliated with Fort Belvoir or the US Army

2 There s also the sense of pride in keeping something operational beyond the anticipated life expectancy. Every day I use a piece of equipment beyond the expected wear-out date makes me feel that I m winning the game. There s also a great deal of pride in knowing that I repaired something on my own and got it working again. I take enormous pride in using something I fixed myself. As a self-proclaimed environmentally conscious inhabitant of the Earth, the main benefit in using stuff for a long time is that I m requiring fewer of the Earth s natural resources needed to manufacture another piece of equipment. I m also slowing the rate of fill of the local land fill. It s true that many of our newer products consume less energy and are more energy efficient than older models, but research shows in most cases, it s better for the environment to continue to use the old one. Take new cars. The amount of energy needed in the manufacturing process and the consumption of natural resources necessary to build a new fuel efficient car coupled with the amount of land fill space necessary to dispose of an old car together take a larger toll on the environment than continuing to drive an older car that uses more gasoline. For a whole host of reasons, I like old stuff, and I ll continue to use my old stuff for as long as I can. The next time you re faced with a decision to throw something away or keep it around a little longer, think about the benefits of old stuff. Speaking of old stuff, our 3D registration sheets are now out of date since we ve switched to the new IBO standards on the 3D course. Thanks to Bakari Dale for leading the charge to convert the range. Our first 3D shoot under IBO rules was a lot of fun as we strained to figure out the new distances based on the new colored stakes. The 3D shoot was held in conjunction with our annual pig roast, and true to form, Hollywood McHugh and Richard Danyliw with help from TDK worked overtime Friday night (in the rain and lightning) to cook up some delicious pulled pork. What a great meal! The combination of the new range setup and the great food proved to be a big draw for the tournament with 48 registered shooters. A great time was had by all. Thanks to everyone who helped set up in the morning and tear down after the show was over. See you at the meeting this Wednesday, July 9 th where Bob Foster will talk to us about the latest and greatest new stuff to hunt deer. This is always a top-rated presentation, so get there early to get a seat. We ll be eating the leftover pulled pork, so you might not want to arrive late. Greg Vice President s Message VP Report -by Jeff Buchanan We had a great 3D shoot and Club pig roast on 21 June thanks to all the volunteers who helped to modify the course, and then set up targets, cook the pig, erect the tent, and register shooters. This was our first try at the IBO rules and it seemed to go well. As discussed at the shoot, we can modify the rules or categories if we choose to. If any club members have suggestions for modifications of the IBO rules for BBH tournaments, please get your suggestions to an EB member or voice your opinions at the July meeting. We have only two more 3D shoots this year, and we certainly have the power to modify these if we are not happy with the IBO system. I hope to see you all at the 21 July Club 3D shoot. I don t know about you, but my freezer shelves are starting to show a little space. As I write this, the opening of archery deer season is just a little more than two months away. I think I only have four packages of burger left.with two months of summer time and cases of home-made beer on hand; I am going to have to ration the burger. The good news is that I have plenty of roasts and if I get desperate, I can always grind more. Given all of that discussion of burgers on the grill, I thought I d share my own recipe for perfect venison burgers. I butcher my own deer, and am very particular when it comes to keeping the meat very clean, cutting away sinews, and especially excess fat. I ve lived in some parts of the country and shot deer where we had more than a half an inch of fat across the back. I remember thinking once when I was a young man, beef fat is good 2

3 for flavoring, so venison fat should be good as well. The result was like somebody painted my tongue with rancid, congealed lard that I would have had difficulty scraping off with a wire brush. Suffice it to say that I go to great lengths to ensure that there is no fat on any of the meat I pack or grind speaking of grinding, I used to grind all of my burger with a hand crank grinder but in 2009, bought an electric one. I don t know why it took me so many years to do something so smart and simple. Probably goes back to the days of a belief that hand-turned ice cream somehow tasted better than that made by an electric turner. Back to the fat. Since there is NO fat in the meat, it doesn t bind well, and has a tendency to fall apart on the grill. The simple solution is to tear up one slice of bread into very small pieces (about the size of a pea) and add to the meat. This can be almost any type of bread, from white to wheat to pumpernickel. When mixed together thoroughly, it binds like meatloaf. Form into patties. Put about a teaspoon each of liquid smoke and Worcestershire sauce on each patty, then liberally sprinkle McCormick s Montreal Steak season on each patty. Grill about 5 minutes per side. Enjoy! Secretary/Treasurer s Report Meeting Minutes for May 14 th, by Jim Zolinski MEETING MINUTES JUNE 11, 2014 BBH MEETING President Greg Singleton opened the June BBH meeting at 1830 and asked if we had any new members or visitors there were none. First item was discussion of our upcoming June 21 3D shoot and pig roast, and recognition of Rich Danyliw and Pat McHugh, who would be coming out overnight on Friday night to cook. The President asked for the Club s input on whether we wanted to have Coon Shoot on Friday night or not. There was not a lot of interest in this so it was decided to not officially have a Club-sponsored shoot. Members were reminded that support for setup was needed at 0700 so we can send the first shooters at Also, members were asked to bring desserts. The President relayed information to the Club that Sec/Treasurer Jim Zolinski was unable to attend. For the Sec/Treasurer, the President reported that we had 154 members and $11,679 in the account, and also indicated the Publicity Director Rich Vigue was unable to attend since he was attending a Take a Kid Fishing coordination meeting. On behalf of the Publicity Director, the President asked/reminded the membership to submit stories (hunting or otherwise) for the newsletter. The Activities Director then reminded membership about the Club s Hunters for the Hungry fundraising event on Saturday, August 23 at the NORVA 3D range, and asked folks to bring milk jugs to the upcoming 3D shoots and/or meetings in support of the jug shoot at the H4H event. Also, prize donations in support of the raffle are always welcome, and to please contact Larry Readal. The President then announced that it was his intent to get with Kim Mills of Ft Belvoir MWR to discuss the possibility of the Club holding its annual Wild Game Dinner at the Community Center. The Club has not done this for several years because the base stopped allowing the raffle that accompanies this event. The point to the Club is that if we want to hold the WGD at the Conference Center, it will likely necessitate a change in how the Club does the WGD raffle. Rick Atchison commented that a few years back, the base had told the Club we could not hold the event there because we were inviting non Club members to the event and they were buying raffle tickets, but that later, MWR had asked the Club to come back to the Community Center, apparently for the income the event generated for MWR. Charlie Shupienus commented that we could be wasting our time with MWR because of two issues: 1) Some BBH members would be reluctant to drink alcohol on base, and would prefer to be out in town; 2) MWR will likely categorize our event as a raffle no matter what. Joel Lutkenhouse indicated he thought some organizations on base do a Casino Night or Vegas Night using poker chips or something similar, and that this approach could be used with MWR. Stan Parmentier mentioned the base at one time was ok with raffles as long as the prize values were less than $20. After these discussions, the President indicated he will report the results of his meeting with MWR at a later date. The Sergeant at Arms then gave his report, and thanked TDK for cooking BBQ venison for the meeting, and thanked Charlie Shupienus for helping cook at the May 17 3D shoot, and also reminded membership to please donate to the Food Donation jar to help offset the cost of the meeting meals. The Range Warden then made his report, and asked everyone to read his article from the last newsletter explaining how to join the Army Volunteer System and asked everyone to please enter the time in the system so the Club got credit for all the great work we do for the Outdoor Rec Center. He also announced he was looking for volunteers on Saturday, June 14 at 0830 to assist in installing the new number stakes for the 3D range. The President indicated he would send an 3

4 later in the week reminding everyone. The President then asked VBA Representative Kevin Brown to tell the club about the recent VBA meeting. His report included the following points: BBH members that submit articles or stories to the BBH Newsletter should also submit them to the VBA for their newsletter. The POC is Terry Ballowe, and he can be ed via the VBA website. VBA indicated membership is on the rise. Bob Foster, VBA NBEF / IBEP Director gave an update at the VBA meeting of all the IBEP classes and status of this program In order to continue to hold VBA sanctioned shoots, each range must be inspected/certified by VBA. The Ft Belvoir Range Complex is good until sometime in Rick Atchison asked whether the Club had a copy of the inspection checklist so we could ensure the Ft Belvoir Range will again pass inspection; Paul Vogel indicated the checklist was being revised. The VBA is always looking for members to become Range Inspectors, and is holding classes in the near future to train folks to become Range Inspectors. Interested members should contact Kevin Brown or Paul Vogel. Elk Management in VA: More elk have been released in western Virginia, for a total of 85 to date. There has been some bumps in the road for various clubs across the state that are converting to IBO rules; the IBO system is different and Kevin encouraged club members to download the IBO rules and familiarize themselves with them so there are less surprises. State Shoots: BBH bid for a State Shoot; several other Clubs did also. More to follow on this. The Club s nomination of Bob Foster to the VBA Order of the Golden Feather was accepted and forwarded up. There have been continuing issues with the Augusta Archers and VBA; there have been conflicts with Augusta scheduling shoots on the same day as other clubs. Augusta Archers have resigned from VBA. Next VBA meeting is in September, and the Club needs to have its tentative schedule locked in and de-conflicted with other local clubs (Cub Run, NORVA, etc.) prior to this meeting. Multiple BBH Club members could qualify for the VBA Bill Bennett Big Game award, but we never submit anyone; Kevin encouraged members to submit for this award to earn recognition for themselves as well as the Club. President Greg Singleton asked about the Pee Wee 3D shoot rates; apparently a Club had charged a Pee Wee shooter. It was clarified that there is no charge (nor has there ever been) for Pee Wee shooters; the Club had just made a mistake. After the VBA report, it was discovered that we did in fact have a guest at the meeting: Kevin Carman, a Wounded Warrior. A round of applause was held. The President then turned over the meeting to Rick Atchison, who gave an outstanding presentation about the Club s and other support to Wounded Warriors. There are many opportunities for Club members to assist with this program; please contact Rick Atchison to do so. The President indicated that the Club has not yet purchased the 3D targets that were previously approved and asked Paul Vogel if there was a time when the targets were cheaper. Paul indicated there is not really a time of year when they are cheaper (aside from whatever typical sales a company may have) but also indicated that we should talk to IBO: on occasion, they sell blocks of used Rinehart targets perhaps 10 or so at a time at a significant discount. The President then reminded membership to see the he recently forwarded regarding how to sign up for Fairfax County Park hunts. He then asked membership whether there was interest in supporting an initiative proposed to the Club by Kevin Rose, VDGIF Game Biologist. The initiative is a Hunting Mentor program where experienced hunters would mentor new hunters and help teach them the basics of hunting for two days, with an actual day of hunting on the third day. The program is currently proposed to occur February 2015 during the week Monday thru Wednesday at Banshee Reeks Nature Preserve in Loudoun County. About five Club members expressed an interest in supporting this event. Rick Atchison then asked the Club if there was interest in supporting BLM and US Fish & Wildlife in putting on an archery shoot for Wounded Warriors; unfortunately the date conflicted with the Club s already scheduled June 21 3D shoot, so Rick was going to respond in the negative. The President then turned the meeting over to Bakari Dale, who gave a very timely and thorough presentation about the new IBO shooting rules. There was much discussion about the new categories, and various aspects of the rules. It was pointed out that the IBO rules are not mandated the Club can fully adopt, or partially adopt, the IBO rules as the Club desires. The President then called SSGT Tom Altersitz to the front of the group and presented, on behalf of the Ft Belvoir MWR Directorate, the Army Friend of 4

5 Recreation Support award. A strong round of applause followed in support of SSGT Altersitz s superb efforts. The President then asked for a motion to adjourn, and called the meeting to a close. Treasurer's Report for June, 2014: Checking Account Balance as of May 31st, 2014 $ 12, Income 3D Shoot Income $ Food Donations $ Dues $ Total Income $ Expenses Archery Center 3D Expenses $ Newsletter Expenses YTD $ Food Expenses $ WGD Plaques $ Total Expenses $ Checking Account Balance as of June 30th, 2014 $ 11, Well, the heat is here and the calendar is full of archery opportunities! Below is a list of upcoming events. See you at the Picnic! Thanks, Larry Belvoir Bowhunters 2014 Calendar July 2 Executive Committee Meeting 9 Club Meeting 19 Club Annual Picnic and 3DShoot (9am- 11am) 30-3 Aug NFAA Outdoor National Field Championship, Yankton, SD August 4-8 IFAA World Field Championship, Yankton, SD 6 Executive Committee Meeting 13 Club Meeting VBA State Fall 3-D Classic (Kingsboro) 23 Club 3-D Shoot (7am 2pm) (Hunters for Hungry benefit at NORVA) VBA State Closed (Singers Glen) September 3 Executive Committee Meeting 10 Club Meeting VBA 2015 Scheduling Meeting October 1 Executive Committee Meeting 8 Club Meeting November 5 Executive Committee Meeting 12 Club Meeting December 3 Executive Committee Meeting 10 Club Meeting Area Event Calendar Activities Director Report JULY 5-6: Showmasters Gun & Knife Show, Richmond Raceway, Richmond, VA 6: Prince William Archers Animal Pin Shoot, Prince William Izaak Walton League Archers 7-21: VA Spring Squirrel Season (Closed on National Forest lands); see VDGIF regulations for details 13: 3D Shoot, Bethesda Chevy-Chase Izaak Walton League, Poolesville, MD 19: Belvoir Bowhunters Annual Club Picnic and 3D Shoot -by Larry Readal 5

6 rockfish for their dinner. HEADS N TALES -by Lennie Eubanks Sergeant at Arms Message -by Russ Hatchl Thanks goes to Pat McHugh & Rich Danyliw for the great job on the pulled pork! Range Warden s Message No report. Publicity Director s Message -Phong Nguyen -by Rich Vigue Well it s that time of year, food plots should be in, scouting should be underway to see what your intended hunting property holds for quality bucks and fishing season is really hot. Mine aren t in, I ve done little to no scouting but I have been able to fish a few days. One of the most memorable was the Wish-A-Fish on June 14 th. We had a family of 5 on the boat for about 6 hours caught perch, 3 other varieties including a keeper JULY: OK, so this is the time between hunting seasons when our minds wander and we ought to be getting our equipment and skills tuned up, the food plots planned, soil samples done, seeds selected to match intended seasons, sites prepped, shooting lanes trimmed, etc. Time is approaching to set out the trail cameras to gather the Intel we need to fine-tune our efforts this fall. Bucks are already in the midst of feeding their new antlers, hanging with their bachelor friends. The best antlers I have seen are out past their ears, with all points and beams growing daily. The easiest way to do this watching is with a remote camera. My PC is set up so that when I am sitting here working I can click and see what the weather or daylight/dark looks like at the Lakosky farm and how the deer/birds/raccoons are doing. I get it on Thecrush.TV/deer-cam and for me it works best via Google Chrome. It is coming to the time to set aside a few hot evenings to go scout the crop fields to see where the bucks feel most comfortable. They will not be there in October but at least we can see what is in the neighborhood and tell if any of them look big enough to lust after. Of course, if you go and sit quietly to wait for the deer to arrive, you will wish that someone could invent a silent air-cooling unit. Time, too, to catch up on the reading we missed last winter and upgrade our skills on the new phone applications guaranteed to help us to success, or at least tell us when a big cloud is coming or the wind direction will change. BASEBALL: Hockey and basketball are gone for the summer; baseball is in full swing, not to mention the TV time being cluttered with World Cup soccer. I like baseball and the mid-west and every year wish I could make the trip to Omaha for the College World Series. Wow, what a bucket-list great show: thanks to ESPN for covering every game, even if we are not always happy with who won last night. I can follow the baseball better than I can a puck but I have never been able to explain to wife Barbara why the players are required to spit so often. I also wonder about the pitchers. For years, they have practiced throwing to the batters, overhand and as hard or deceptively as suits them, putting it exactly where they wish it to go. But hit the ball to them and the first thing they do is try to outrun the batter to first base and then pitch the ball to first base underhanded. Sometimes they have to do so quickly but why not just relax and zip one over there? DRY DOES? Those of you old enough to remember reading hunting stories in books and magazines will remember the old guys who said they would be satisfied 6

7 to find, and take, an old, dry doe for their efforts. As educated deer professionals (biologists/writers, etc) came along, that idea morphed into pronouncements that there were actually few if any unbred does in the woods, that every one of them would finally get bred because the bucks were on 24-hour alert for this rarity. Here is your homework assignment for the next months: puzzle over the possibility of having a deer situation similar to the occurrence of Free Martin heifers in the dairy industry, a livestock profession that works only if the cows are fertile and have calves. Yes, the lone doe could have already lost her fawn to many causes, but what if she might actually be infertile? Why is she infertile? Be ready to discuss in class. WHO KNEW? You are entering the gas station to fill up an unfamiliar car (rental, new, or relatives) and it dawns on you to ask - - which side is the filler cap on this one? Important question if there are lines waiting. The easy answer is on the instrument panel. Right there next to the gas-pump icon is an arrow, pointing left or right, showing which side the filler cap is on. Whenever you enjoy my outdoors, please leave it better than you found it. Lennie Frame by Frame It was opening morning of bow season in the fall of 1993 on a beautiful farm in Orange, Virginia. I had everything I needed for the whole day s hunt. I was up in the tree really early this particular morning in one of the main bedding areas of the farm. The farmer told me of some sightings of some big bucks in this one area, so I was up in my stand and settled in for the hunt ahead. It was calm that morning, and after 45 minutes, I heard movement in the leaves. Sunrise was still over an hour away. Time passed by and the deer moved about through the darkness. Soon enough, the morning skies started to light up the woods. As the light brightened, things quieted down for the time. A couple does fed around me as the morning progressed, and I watched them move off into the thicket. As time passed, I realized it was late morning - nearly 11:00am - when I caught movement at the edge of the thicket. To my surprise, a nice mature 8 pointer walked right out in front of me. As he looked back behind him, I thought to myself, what's he looking at? Then I caught a glimpse of more antlers there were two bucks there near me! After 20 minutes or so, I got to watch them spar, and then one worked his way toward me. The approaching buck closed to within 25 yards, and I felt comfortable I could make the shot. I came to full draw and took careful aim and released my arrow. Before I knew it, it was all over... I was excited, and couldn't fathom what just took place because in my mind, it all happened so fast. I couldn't remember every split second, frame by frame... Today is June 9th 2014, and now I can remember "FRAME BY FRAME BY FRAME" whenever I shoot, whether I'm shooting does, big bucks or gobblers or at big national events such as the ASA ARCHERY national 3D tours or competing in outdoor field or indoor 60-x rounds at Lancaster Archery at the indoor classics...or shooting the Fita face... What I'm trying to say is I missed that big buck that day. And I couldn't tell you what happened. At that time in my archery career, I didn t have the presence of mind to remember everything that happened, frame by frame. Now I can remember every split second. Last year on the ASA trail across the U.S., I won the ASA World Classic in the known 50-class - more or less a promarked class. Last year, I came in 2 nd place at Cullman Alabama for shooter of the year. And now I remember it all " FRAME BY FRAME " because I put myself through a 3 month-long mental shooting process... no coaches... all my own mental building techniques. I put in over-time on myself and my mental game. I owed that to the big buck I missed and the one I later wounded... I made a promise to myself and the animals I harvest, to do my part and become a better shot. And I can say I did just that. This is just touching the surface in my eyes on archery in the mental game. Randy Patterson. 7

8 Alexandria, VA

9 Belvoir Bowhunters is a Private Organization not affiliated with Fort Belvoir or the US Army

10 NEWSLETTER July 2014 Belvoir Bowhunters P.O. Box 372 Ft. Belvoir, VA The next Club MEETING is July 9 th. Club Officers & Phone Numbers President Greg Singleton jgsingle@yahoo.com Vice President Jeff Buchanan buchananjeffrey@yahoo.com Secretary/Treasurer Jim Zolinski james.zolinski@verizon.net Activities Director Larry Readal lreadal@gmail.com Publicity Director Rich Vigue Rich.vigue60@gmail.com Range Warden Phong Nguyen Phong_t1@yahoo.com Sergeant-at-Arms Russell Hatchl russandgladhatchl@verizon.net (not after 8pm) 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 See you at the June meeting. 10