ON-TARGET NEWS

Thanks!

By Michel “Longshot�? Magers

As we transition through one more season and target our individual goals this year, I hope you will join me in thanking everyone who has helped to make 2007 another successful year for FCAA. The directors, many whom have served the club longer than I have been a member, continue their enthusiastic administration of club business and operation of events. Those who volunteer to set-up and operate our many events also have familiar faces, and afford new participants the opportunity for active club involvement. Let them know how you appreciate their contribution, and how you would like to become more involved.

Watch for the changes planned this year for 3D Leagues as well as the FCAA Jamboree that we believe will improve your enjoyment and increase participation as well. Likewise, I encourage you to establish your goals for improving your shooting, and representing our sport and FCAA this year. The public is very aware of our club. I can’t count the number of people that have told me they have seen the vehicles at the range on Wednesday night or weekends, and wondered what the event was. We hope to see you at the first event of 2008, the Arctic Shoot on Groundhog Day!

We also hope you will write your hunting story and send it to Ken if you would like it in the newsletter or on the FCAA web site. We look forward to the triumphs and tales that are shared!

Let the shooting begin!

Arctic Shoot Coming!

The FCAA annual Arctic Shoot will be held Saturday, Feb. 2, come rain, sun, or snow (or any combination of these)! This is a great event and a chance to limber up in the middle of winter. If Santa was good to you, you probably have some new “stuff�? to try out. This is your chance!

You should start practicing now to shoot from dog sleds, skis, and snow shoes! It is a great time so be sure to join us at the archery range. The cost is $12 with a 50% payback (kids under 17 are free but no payback). You don’t have to be a member to participate. Registration is 8:30–9:45 am with a shotgun start at 10:00.

Lunch is included - chili really hits the spot during these shoots! Bring the family and join in the fun.

Membership Shoot

Be sure to mark April 26 on your calendar! That is the date of our annual membership shoot. It is open to members only and is a great time to renew your membership. A 3D fun shoot will be offered followed by lunch (provided by the club) and a club meeting. Registration is from 8:30-9:30 with a shotgun start at 10:00. The club officers for this coming year are elected during the meeting so don’t miss it. If you are interested in joining the Board or just helping out, please let us know. We are currently in need of a Range Director. This person coordinates the work days each month and makes recommendations about range improvements. Members are always welcome at our Board meetings. They are held the first Tuesday of each month at the Club house.

The FCAA Archery Day is always a success. So much so, that we are in need of both youth and adult arrows for the participants to shoot. If you have any arrows in good shape that you would like to donate, please bring them to the Membership Shoot. They will be greatly appreciated!

After lunch and the meeting, the range will be open until 2:00. The cost is $20 and includes your yearly membership dues (free if you have already renewed). Plan ahead - don’t wait until Wednesday Night Leagues to join!

Wednesday Night Leagues

The club’s Wednesday night 3D league is always popular with members. Last year we had from 218-294 people at each session. For session 4, that averages out to about 73 people per night. With this many people, it is important to get to the shoot on time.

The 3D League will start on May 7 and run for 16 weeks ending Aug. 20. Each session consists of four weeks with the best three scores being counted.

This year we are going to use the same rules as last year to make sure everyone gets to shoot in the light::

1. Registration cutoff: 6:15
2. Shooter briefing: 6:20
3. Start time: 6:30 on the stake (for all 16 weeks)
4. Limit group size (4 or 5 at discretion of Registration, and depending on total number of shooters)
5. Sunset time will be posted on bulletin board
6. Setup during times of limited daylight

i. Shorter distances and maybe not so spread out on the course

ii. Targets usually in front of butts

iii. Not obscured by brush & shadows

iv. No tree stand shots

However, along with the rules, everyone needs to make a conscious effort to keep things moving. Please spend a very limited time looking for arrows and move shooters up to the stakes quickly. If you see open targets in front of you, you can have some shooters start on the next target before everyone is done with the current one. We want the shoot to be enjoyable, but safe.

This year we are also looking at the way our cash payout is allocated. The purpose of the payout is to give something back to the members, give shooters something to work for and add some competition for those who enjoy it.

The Board is looking at coming up with a way to distribute the payout throughout the ranks instead of just having a few people at the top getting everything. One possibility is to have different “flights�? based on your score. It wouldn’t matter what type of bow you shoot (still separating traditional from compound), all that will matter is your score. This will allow the payout to be spread between different skill levels. One example would break shooters into flights at the end of the session based on their total score. The top two or three places of each flight would then be awarded prizes. No one would know what flight they were going to end up in until the end so there would be no “sand-bagging.�?

Nothing has been decided for sure so we would value your input. Please let any member of the Board know if you have feelings one way or the other about this. This is YOUR club and YOUR league so let us hear from you.

On another note, a lot of work goes into making these leagues successful and we want to thank all those who helped set up and take down the range each night. For those of you that didn’t get involved last year, please think about helping out this year. If you can come out early or stay late, your help would be greatly appreciated! Remember, if you are one of those setting up, you have a chance to influence how the targets are arranged.

CBA

By Ken Yoder

I hope most of you know what these initials stand for – Colorado Bowhunters Association. They are recognized by the Colorado Division of Wildlife and the Colorado Wildlife Commission as the main voice the representing bowhunters. Unlike our local club, they are more of a political action group looking out for the interest of bowhunters throughout Colorado. They keep track of proposed legislation and work with the CDOW and Wildlife Commission to maintain and expand bowhunting opportunities in Colorado.

What you may not know is that four of our FCAA members are also on the CBA Board of Directors. John Peters is the NW Regional Director, Troy Tafoya is a Director at Large (with emphasis on out of state members), Paul Navarre is the DOW Liaison and I am the Vice Chairman Public Relations. There are many Area Representatives from the CBA which are from our club as well. All in all, our club has a lot of people who are dedicated to the sport of archery and bowhunting.

Just as I feel anyone who shoots at the FCAA range should be a member of the club to support it, I feel anyone who bowhunts in Colorado should be a member of the CBA. As with anything you care about, be informed and get involved!

If you aren’t familiar with the CBA, please take the time to check out their web site and see what they are about. The more voices (members) they speak for, the more they are listened to. If you are a bowhunter, show your support and join the CBA.