| March 2009 | Volume 33, Number Two |
| President | Michel Magers | michel@teamconsulting.biz | (970) 481-3903 |
| Vice President | Matt Dworak | mattd@thecegroup.com | (970) 231-8348 |
| Treasurer | Rod Albers | ralbers@fcgov.com | (970) 223-4649 |
| Secretary | Stacey Litchfield | s_litch@hotmail.com | (970) 667-9423 |
| Membership Director | Marci Riddle | (970) 686-9968 | |
| Range Director | Jim Litchfield | l1tch@msn.com | (970) 226-3058 |
| Range Director | Mike Cummins | cumminmj@co.larimer.co.us | (970) 566-6016 |
| Range Director | Tom Pierce | detailinvest@aol.com | (970) 493-0460 |
| Range Director | Willis Slunaker | willy3151@netzero.net | (970) 482-6830 |
| League Director | Troy Tafoya | troyt@pds-co.com | (970) 566-3480 |
| League Director | Jay Baird | colomtneagle@yahoo.com | (970) 302-0460 |
| League Director | Steve Wixson | swixson@fcgov.com | (970) 490-1357 |
| League Director | Ken Yoder | ken.yoder@colostate.edu | (970) 493-7831 |
| Newsletter Editor | Ken Yoder | ken.yoder@colostate.edu | (970) 493-7831 |
| Youth Archery Director | Toby Trujillo | ettrjt@comcast.net | (970) 226-6279 |
| Director-at-Large | Robert Smith | robertdsmith45lc@yahoo.com | (970) 402-1345 |
| Webmaster | Stacey Litchfield | webmaster@ftcollinsarchery.com | (970) 667-9423 |
Most folks may agree that introductions should be made in person. Not always possible. My name is Frank Buck. I wanted to first introduce myself before any content was written to our news letter and give you, (the reader) an idea of what sort of writer I am and to find out what sort of reader you are. I’ve been noted to have some sarcasm and some humor. Now for those who wish to know the definition of ‘sarcasm’; sarcasm is a form of ironic speech or writing which is bitter or cutting, being intended to taunt its target.
There will be times in my articles which I will ‘taunt’ and be ‘cutting’ and even at times, some humor. But I will always be truthful. If I get information from a source, I will either protect that source or reveal that source. At no time will I have any intent to mislead or misinform.
I would like to offer articles in areas which may seem to be obvious but overlooked because they are so obvious. So, just a little of ‘who’ I am. I started archery when I was 14. My grandparents owned four businesses, and my mother being the eldest of the children and being our culture, was deeply involved with those business. I guess you can say it was fate, because it took me off the streets as most my age at that time were roaming. The one business as most LEO’s (that’s Law Enforcement Only; I changed it to Law Enforcement Officer) can relate to, is food. Yes one of those businesses was a restaurant. Give an officer a cup of coffee and you better give him a donut too. (Ok here’s one of those times of ‘sarcasm’). Well that being said, we had several detectives from the state come frequent the restaurant. I think it was the waitresses we had, my uncle believed it was his cooking. I tend to believe it was the first. Well they got to know us all very well. I recall one officer who suggested to my uncle and thru him to my parents that there was an archery club in the back of the State Patrol office in Waterloo. My older brother and I showed interest and the next moment we were on our way to the club. I guess I spent a few years shooting and of course back in those days they didn’t have ‘compounds’, they only had recurves and semi-recurves. We started shooting and before you know it we were getting some pretty high scores. In fact I still have my patches and trophies from those days. At seventeen I joined the military. Was at one of my duty stations and one of the senior NCOs (Non-Commissioned Officer) that I knew, had asked if I ever shot archery. Well ‘Yes’ I said, and before I knew it I purchased my first compound bow. A ‘Proficiency’, by PSE (Precision Shooting Equipment), a dual cam, and small ones at that, with cable levers and joiners which joined the string to the cables. I shot just about every day at the indoor range we had and between the three of us we were selected to represent the US Navy in our first level of archery competition. That is as long as we didn’t receive orders which took us away from such luxury. Yes, you guessed it; we each received orders to our next duty station all within a few months from one another. I wonder how that happened! Only being of my late teens, I was too gullible to realize what had happened as I was taught to follow orders and don’t ask questions. I know some of you can relate to that. Well I took my bow, my arrows and my belongings to my next duty station and for archery; well I didn’t pick up my bow until 3 years ago. My PSE was hanging in my shed with my other bows tucked in its case relaxed. Until the memories came back and my interest peaked again. I took it down, brought it down to the local pro shop (thank you Jim). Had the young man who was behind the counter check it out for me; (oh he made me feel real good too). I recall his words with great clarity, he exclaimed “wow this is really an old bow”. My reply, ‘thanks’ with great shame and disappointment; I just figured I could get back into shooting and this kid made such a deal out of it that I almost walked. But to my amazement, his words changed and turned into a compliment. The bow was in such great shape I mistook his statement of compliment for a statement of ‘razing’. When we settled down from the excitement, I ask if he would check the bow out to see if it would pass inspection for being considered to be shot. To my amazement, he said it was in great shape and offered to put a new string on it. From that day on I started to shoot to get back in to shape. My good friend saw my interest and offered to give me a bow. Another PSE, yes ma’am! Dropped a few dollars on it and dressed it up and was shooting fairly good groups.
As the end of this is coming I want to thank my friend for relighting the fire because as I was shooting this PSE, my wife and another good friend was gaining interest also; both, who take doing research of subjects of interest very very seriously set out to find a bow which fit their strict requirements. It was because of their research regarding what bow they would get and uncovering some excellent facts that caused me to decide to purchase a ‘new’ bow, again. Only this time, it had the ‘bells and whistles’ and it was top of the line. So three years have passed. I shot still just about every day and now have my wife, my life partner shoot with me. In fact she even is considering hunting.
Archery! Well, why are you ‘into’ it? I’d like to hear from you. Send me your story.
newslettereditor@ftcollinsarchery.com
If you’re like most people, being human and all, you enjoy being around others. There is a sense of belonging that takes place when you are amongst like minded people. Whether you are male or female, young or old, you enjoy being around others to share in your joy. Especially when you’re the one who dropped that 400+ point bull elk or the one who potentially has set the Pope & Young record for largest big game species. What ever it is, just being around a good friend to share in such excitement, brings a good feeling. My point is, we have clubs that are formed to bring folks together. Ours is FCAA. This clubs main focus is on archery. Now I know you’re probably saying ‘SO’!. Yes that’s right ‘So’! Because not all members show up at something like our membership shoot, it is difficult to get to know all and meet all. I want to encourage you, yes you members, to come. Get to know others who are ‘like minded’ and share in the joy and sport of archery. Our membership shoot is on April 18th. It’s only for members. So if you’re not a member yet, you still have the opportunity to become one and also join the shoot. So come join FCAA. The cost is either $20 a year or now we are offering a 3 year membership for $50. See application.
Well this year’s arctic shoot really wasn’t an ‘arctic’ shoot. The weather was just unseasonably warm. Rod served us all with his fabulous chili. We had a turn-out of over 90 shooters. If you’d like to see some of the pictures, just head to our website and our web master has posted the pic’s there for your viewing. The TOP three shooters for ‘Traditional’ were – JD Gunderson, Mike Gunderson & Dave Halbert. The TOP three in ‘Compound’ were – Brad Baldwin, Rick Erbes & Bryan Jackson.
Are you ready for the season? REALLY!!
There are many in this sport that feel that going from one season to the next either with-out picking up their archery equipment until just before the season starts, say one to two weeks to ‘get in shape’ for the hunt or feel that just because they may be shooting two times a week, the shape they are in will get them by. I’ve heard from several hunters just how they vow that ‘next season, I’m getting in better shape’. Just what exactly do they mean by this?
Getting ‘in shape’ is not just joining the local health club and vowing that you’ll never be out of shape again and start on some routine that most perform. Don’t get me wrong, starting some form of physical routine is better than none at all. As most archers will tell you, this sport is just a little different. The muscle group may be the same but the actual toning of the muscles that are needed to pull back a 60 or 70 pound bow is just slightly different. Have you ever pondered about what muscles are needed and what exercises would be beneficial to tone those muscles? Well here’s just a list of some of the muscles. The primary muscles for archery are Biceps, Triceps, Forearms, and Trapeziums. The Supporting muscles are Deltoids, and Pectoralis. The Auxiliary muscles are Latissimus Dorsi. There is a multitude of exercises that tone such muscles. Here are just few - Rowing, pull-downs, curls, or preacher curls, butterflies sitting or laying down, pullovers, push-ups, shoulder shrugs, and pull-ups. Although I’ve only pointed out the muscles which help to draw back the bow, one should pay attention to the other muscles which help track down and pack out your game. Doing some hiking, biking or running is another form of exercise to ‘get in shape’ for the seasons. Next edition I’ll address muscle memory.
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 three of our FCAA members are also on the CBA Board of Directors. Troy Tafoya is a Director at Large (with emphasis on marketing), 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!
This year is especially important. The CDOW is developing the next 5-year season structure and the CBA will be actively involved to protect and hopefully enhance bow hunting in Colorado. 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.
http://www.coloradobowhunting.org/
As the new editor I’d like to offer an opportunity for all the readers to contact me to submit some content and express any new ideas and your best practices.
As many of you by now have read, it’s been a few years for me to get back into the archery mode. So I thought what would be interesting is to allow you, yes my readers to do one or both of the following. Here’s the first. Send me some of your ‘best practices’. Your ideas, your stories, and what you’ve tried and what didn’t work. As I was shooting one afternoon over at Arrow Dynamics, an archer, for privacy reasons I’ll leave out his true name, so let’s call him Dan, he was shooing next to me in the lane on my left. As he observed what I was doing, his comments were taken with great encouragement. What was I doing you ask, I was documenting my changes, my results, my methods of madness. Now let me qualify ‘why’ I decided to do that. After being out of the archery world for over twenty years, I had several questions that needed some answers. My main source was a small group of experienced archers, some with over 30 years in the field, and others with a peppering of knowledge in various areas. As a technical engineer and former instructor in the computer industry, I got myself involved in the ‘whys and what’s’ of the archery industry. So it’s my goal to find out ‘why’.
As I was documenting the results of what happens when you change the weight of your tips on your arrows and the design of those tips, Dan had asked what I was doing. I explained what I was doing and He, Dan had suggested to me to share that information as others may benefit. I had thought it was a great idea.
So in future newsletters it is my plan to have a section that will address those areas. That being said, this is just not from me. I would like to have some from you also, my readers. I believe there are many who have discovered what works and what does not. What method is best and what is so…so.
There are several who would love to have known that special item of information so that they can lessen their learning curve. So that’s my request. I like to hear from you. Send me your ‘best practices’. Here’s my disclaimer: you send me your information and if I can see the imperial evidence that supports it, I’ll put it in the upcoming newsletters. And if you send a story that is exceptionally outstanding, well the prize that follows, let’s just say you won’t be disappointed. To be fair and equitable, there will be a minimum of four other archery experts who will judge. So it’s up to you. I’d like to hear from you.
Send your content to: newslettereditor@ftcollinsarchery.com
Craig Stinehour & Mike Rossi for the excellent target markers. Outstanding. Shown here presenting it to the board and one of our dedicated range managers Jim Hately.
