AHAMO ARCHERY CLUB

August 16, 2002
August 2002 Newsletter

CLUB OFFICERS
President:        Jim Chandler   (537-8058)
Vice President:   Bill Lewis     (498-9364)      
Secretary:        Dave Wise      (498-0186)
Treasurer:        Dave Holthouse (291-0211)
Trustees:         Bill Rhoades   (932-0417)
                  Ed Rebarich    (345-7608)
Sergeant at Arms: Greg Thomas    (625-2697)
News Editor:      Lee Pereksta   (592-3856)
3D Coordinator:   Mike Vandeman  (332-4625)

Indoor range phone (734-7272)

Key Dates to Remember

    September 9   Club meeting 7:00 Indoor Range
    September 15  Opening of deer season
    November 9,10 Ahamo Indoor 3D

August Club Meeting

The August meeting was attended by 11 members. We discussed the August 3D, and the work party needed to bring in all targets for this final 3D of the year. We also discussed allowing members to shoot free that help at work parties.

New Members

We have one new membership in our club, Nick and Melissa Tramp; Welcome to the Ahamo Archery Club.

Leagues

The next leagues will be indoor leagues, and will probably start sometime in September. Watch for more information in the next newsletter or be at the next club meeting when leagues are discussed.

3D News

As was mentioned in the last newsletter, for the rest of this year, members that work at our 3D shoots will be able to shoot the next shoot for free. Chuck Vincent has the workparty list and will have it available at the November 300 round shoot to verify who will be able to shoot at no cost.

Thank you to all that helped at the August 3D. We had a great turn out at all workparties and everything ran smoothly. Special thanks to Mike Vandeman and Chuck Vincent for coordinating and running the shoot. Special thanks also to John Terfone for coordinating the food, and to Dave Holthouse and Greg Thomas for bringing their ATV’s to help set up and tear down. Thanks also to Bill Rhoades for bringing the semi we used to load the targets on, so we could bring them to the indoor range. Thanks again to all members for their help at these workparites.

Bowhunter Education Class

A bowhunter education class is planned for Tuesday Sept 3 (evening), Friday September 6 (evening) , and Saturday September 7 (morning). This will be one of the last classes before the 2002 season starts. If you plan on hunting big game this fall and are born after Jan 1, 1977, this class is a requirement. If your kids are planning on hunting with you this year and they have not taken a bowhunter education class yet, sign them up for this class. To register, call Barb at 332-4543.

Newsletter Items

If you are a club member and have an item for sale, send me the information to put in the newsletter. Also, if you have an interesting deer story or any archery tips you would like to share with club members please send them to me for the newsletter.

My Email address is: hunterlee@MSN.com

For Sale

From Scott Bailey, (896-1514)

#3- Browning Excellarator bow---45-70 lb---29-32" draw--- Rt HD. --- wood handle---dual cam---comes with sight,peep, tm hunter rest,quiver, arm guard, broadheads, release, 1 dz. arrows, foam target--- $199.00

Deer Season getting closer:

Only 1 more month until deer season opens. If you’ve been doing the right things, you have a location and permission to hunt, your equipment is in good shape, you’ve been practicing pretty regularly, and you’re getting a little anxious.

Over the next month you should be setting up your stands, checking your broadheads for sharpness, sharpening or replacing them, and inventorying the rest of your gear to be sure it is all there and ready. It’s pretty amazing all the stuff that ends up in your pack when you go hunting.

When I teach a bowhunter education class I sometimes take my pack and will unpack and repack just to show what bowhunters carry in it. By the time you pull out your clothes, flashlights, knives, compasses, water, towels, camera, string, rope, tree steps, first aid kit, GPS, safety belt, rattling bag, map, scent, de-scent, grunt call, binoculars, bug spray, extra batteries, extra gloves, and all your other stuff - the table is pretty full.

One thing I can’t stress strongly enough is tuning with your broadheads. They almost never shoot just like your field points. At the bare minimum you need to check your sights and re-set them with your broadheads. If you want to be more thorough than that, you should re-tune your bow with your broadheads. I always paper tune a couple of weeks before the season starts and re-set my sights.

Don’t forget to check your stands to be sure all of the nuts and bolts are snug and your chain or strap that holds your stand to the tree is in good shape. Also double check your safety belt or safety harness to be sure it is not too worn.

If there’s room, I’ll add an article on field dressing in the next newsletter. It will be a copy of what I had in the newsletter last year, but it’s nice to review field care of deer just before the season starts.

Don’t forget that Ahamo has deer awards that we hand out at our annual banquet in January, Be sure to let me know whenever you get a deer so I can keep track of successful hunters and print your name in the newsletter.

Articles

I found the following articles on the U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance web page(www.ussportsmen.org)

Massachusetts Community Strikes Down Bowhunting

Bowhunters continue to face opposition from anti-hunters who are working from coast to coast to eliminate the sport. The anti’s recently silenced sportsmen in Massachusetts and routed a motion to permit bowhunting as a tool to cull a deer herd.

In June, attendees at a town meeting in Ashland, Massachusetts rejected a proposal to permit limited bowhunting to reduce the size of a deer herd in a wooded area called Town Forest. Local residents had misconceptions about the effectiveness and safety of bowhunting, which led them to oppose the activity.

Sportsmen were unable to gain a bowhunting opportunity because not enough of them attended the town meeting. It shows how important it is to attend hearings and meetings to provide an opportunity for local lawmakers and other citizens to hear your voice. Otherwise, sportsmen will not be able to counter the arguments of the anti’s who, in this case, raised safety fears and grisly images of wounded deer on local citizen’s lawns.

Wildlife professionals know that bowhunting is a safe and effective way to keep deer herds in check in urban settings. In fact, a National Safety Council report says hunting is safer than swimming, bicycling, and playing baseball, golf, tennis and basketball. The International Hunter Education Association reports only four injuries and one fatality out of six million bowhunters in 1999.

Sportsman Harassment - Know Your Rights

Anti-hunters who disrupt legal hunting and angling activities are breaking the law. It is hunter harassment and it is illegal in all fifty states.

Animal rights fanatics have been known to create disturbances to try to prevent sportsmen from enjoying a day in the field or on the water. They have followed hunters into the woods, honked car horns and played loud music near hunting areas and thrown rocks at fishing lines to disrupt sportsmen’s activities. One animal advocate, Steve Hindi, went so far as to fly a paraglider amid a flock of geese to disrupt a hunt.

How can people get away with these actions? They can’t. Every state has some form of hunter harassment law in place, which was designed to prevent anti-hunting activists from using protests to disrupt lawful hunting. These laws are modeled after draft legislation created by the U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance in the 1980s. The people who committed the crimes previously mentioned have had to pay fines, do community service and even serve jail time.

Trying to get around the law Anti-hunters abhor hunter harassment laws. The anti’s have challenged the laws in court numerous times in the last decade, claiming that they infringe on the first amendment right to free speech and assembly. Despite repeated challenges, the laws remain steadfast and sportsmen remain protected.

A recent challenge resulted in a 5-0 ruling by the Connecticut Supreme Court in May, again favoring sportsmen. It said that the law does not infringe on the rights to free speech and assembly because forests where hunting is allowed are not intended for public assembly and do not contain facilities for public interaction. Chief Justice William Sullivan said the anti-hunters have their speech restricted "only to the degree necessary to prevent interference with taking game."

What should you do? What if this happened to you? Are you ready to come face to face with an anti-hunter while you’re in the field? Do you know how to handle yourself? Here are some important tips to remember:

Report the incident to the authorities as soon as possible; Have an accurate description of the protestor, license plate number and vehicle identification; Remain calm and rational; Be prepared to file harassment charges; Remember that any law officer can enforce this law.

P.O. BOX 460945, Papillion, NE 68046-0945, USA. (402) 596-0505 . webmaster@sportsmansweb.com