AHAMO ARCHERY CLUB December 13, 2002 December 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
Tuesdays Indoor leagues, 7:00 January 4 Annual Banquet, Angies January 6 7:00 Club meeting,indoor range January 12 Ahamo Indoor 3D Set up January 11
December Club Meeting
The December meeting was attended by 13 members. We discussed the December 7 and 8 3D, the shoots planned for next year, the club banquet, and club officers for next year. There were no new members voted in at the meeting.
Leagues
A new indoor league started on Tuesday December 3. Come on down to join, or to just shoot along with the league. Shooting starts at 7:00.
Annual Club Banquet
The club Banquet will be at Angie's Restaurant, 1001 Pacific street Saturday January 4.
The Food selection is: Club steak $17.00 Stuffed Flounder $17.00 Baked Chicken $13.00Please call in your food selections to Dave Wise at 402-533-6484 (leave a message). Plan to arrive about 6:00 PM, dinner at 6:30 PM with a short meeting and awards to follow.
Renewal time
As of the club banquet the locks will be changed at the indoor range. We always collect the old keys, and hand out new keys to those that renew their dues. If you will not be rejoining, please turn in your key, as we save them to re-tool for future years.
As you think about rejoining, here are some things to consider. Note what it costs to shoot at a commercial range, and how quickly you would use up your $96 annual dues at a commercial range. Then think about the use of the bow press, tuning paper, broadhead target, and also the help you get from fellow members when you have problems with your equipment.
There is also an additional cost for all of this. We will be hosting tournaments and will need help throughout the year. We are very lenient in our workparty requirements, but do need help. Members are asked to put in about 14 hours of work throughout the year at tournaments or other work parties.
The club policy is to call the dues delinquent in March and require the payment of the $10 initiation fee as well as the annual $96 fee for anyone that was a member the previous year. If you will be rejoining, the sooner you rejoin the better.
Contact Dave Holthouse with any questions on dues. Note that dues are usually paid at the annual banquet or at the February meeting.
2003 shoot dates
The shoot dates set for next year are as follows:
Indoor 3D’s Outdoor 3D’s January 12 May 4 February 7,8,9 June 6 March 16 July 6 November 22,23 August 3 September 6,7 Undecided - December 28, possible 300 round
Hunting season News
The list of successful hunters follows. Please let me know if you harvested a deer this year so you can get your award at the annual banquet. If your name is not on the list and you did harvest one or more deer please contact me. I need to know what you shot, and if you will need a plaque. Those that already have a plaque will get plates to add to their plaque.
If you harvest a deer please call Lee Pereksta at 592-3856 to report your deer or Email Lee at hunterlee@msn.com. Your name will be added to the newsletter, and you will get a deer award at the end of the year at the annual banquet. I also need to know if you want to be entered in the big buck contest this year. As of now, there is only one entry in the big buck contest. Please contact me if you want your antlers measured. I need to measure them by the end of the year.
John Terfone 1x1 Mike Vandeman doe (bonus tag) Dick Sousa doe (bonus tag) Bill Lewis turkey Bill Lewis doe (bonus tag) Bill Lewis doe (bonus tag) Lee Pereksta 4x3 Robby Valeika 3x3 Robby Valeika doe (bonus tag) Mark Seip 6x7 Ed Rebarich 4x4 Ed Rebarich 3x3 Jim Johnson 3x3 Jim Johnson doe (bonus tag) Jim Johnson doe (bonus tag) Jim Johnson doe (bonus tag)
Big Buck Contest
The only entry so far in the big buck contest is Lee Pereksta. The buck was a 3x4 that measured 84 0/8.
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
2003 Officer Elections
This is the last call for members that would like to run for office in 2003. If you know a member that would be an asset in a board position, or if you would like to hold a position, please let a current board member know. Be sure that whoever you nominate for a position is willing to run for that position. Offices open include President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, Sergeant at Arms, Trustees (members at large to sit in at board meetings), and Newsletter Editor. Some of the current board members are willing to continue holding their positions again, but all would be more than willing to let someone else take over their position.
Hunting Stories
Many thanks to Jim Johnson, and to Dave Wise for the following stories.
A Good Day!
By Jim Johnson
It was a clear but chilling morning on Saturday October 19th, 2002 when I climbed up the ladder to my chain on tree stand over at Tony’s back yard. His “backyard” consist of 15 acres of woods that continue into a deep wooded drainage which runs South and North several miles. After the last couple of years of hunting at Tony’s, we have gotten the deer patterned to a time and direction . Getting in the stand at 7 am is the norm, as the deer don’t move through until 8:30 to 9 am.
The woods are starting to really show signs of buck activity now with numerous rubs and scrapes everywhere. Tony and I keep in touch with short range radio’s as a safety feature. We check in from time to time to see if each other is OK in the stands, however we are set up so that if one shoots the other could hear the noise.
I always carry an extra arrow with a blunt on it, for squirrels or taking a practice shot from my stand. While waiting for the time to pass this morning, I spotted a gray squirrel so I thought I’d “take him out” with my blunt arrow. Taking time to carefully “pick a spot” on the little target at 20 yards, I dropped him off a fallen branch that he was perched on. WOW, what a confidence boost that was!
Just then I heard loud crunching coming from Tony’s direction over the next hill . Tony was clicking in on the radio but the group of deer were already coming up my hill and the first one was a nice 5X5 buck walking straight at me! He just kept coming looking right at me as he reached my “killing zone” with his nose snuffing the air. I could see behind him were more deer and I knew that it’s hard enough to fool one set of eyes, but to try and fool numerous pairs of eyes without getting busted would be impossible, so when the buck dropped his head down to snuff the ground, I pulled back, anchored, aimed and released all in one motion. I followed the orange nock into the “sweet spot” behind the right front shoulder and he took off crashing through the woods in a westerly direction. The other deer scattered as I re-nocked my last arrow then nervously fumbled for my radio to call Tony that I shot a buck. He told me that the group of deer ( two bucks and two does ) had been around him since 8:15 am but never offered a shot. I looked at my watch ( 8:45 am) and said I’m not moving until 9:15 am. I’m sure he’s down, but I always wait 30 minutes!
Tony was still talking to me on the radio when the second buck circled back and came walking to my right side, I could see that his rack was much smaller then the one I shot so I let him pass by my tree at 8 feet away! I got back on the radio again and told him what just walked by when I saw legs walking toward me again from under the forest canopy, so I told him to “standbye more deer coming”. This time the two does walked into my zone and having a bonus tag, I sized up the two of them, picking out the biggest one and then let my last arrow fly. Again a complete pass through “double lung” shot and the doe took off running westerly as well.
Getting back on the radio to Tony, I reported that I was “OUT of ARROWs” and would have to stop hunting, and start cleaning. Getting down and walking to retrieve my squirrel and collecting the arrows from the ground, I found I had a problem. Which blood trail was which deer? Both deer ran westerly but were shot 30 minutes apart. I picked the heaviest blood line and started to follow. Only having to go 30 yards and looking across a wash out drainage I spotted both deer. What really surprised me was that even though they where different sex and shot at different times, both deer expired within 9 yards of each other, on the west side, across a deep drainage that Tony’s ATV could not cross over, in the direction of Tony’s house.
Getting back on the radio and telling Tony of the find, he headed for the garage to fire up the quad, drop down into the backyard and pick up the two deer. Upon looking over the buck I noticed that he had broken off his split brow tines on his right side after clashing through the woods, and now was only a 3X5. We loaded them up on the ATV and drove to the other side of the property for field dressing ( we don’t dress out deer in the area we hunt ).
After getting them checked in at the Plattsmouth Police Department, I took them to Van Fleet locker where the buck weighed 153#’s and the doe 87#’s.
A good day of bowhunting 3 for 3 !!
Hunting Story
from Dave Wise
Hi Lee, here's a short story about an experience I had this deer season that could have turned messy.
I was in my tree stand all morning and it had been windy and rainy. The temperature was cool and I had not seen any deer. About 2:30 the sun came out but the wind was blowing about 30 miles an hour. So I decided to get down and walk around and eventually head back to my truck. As I was walking away from my tree stand I kept scanning the distant corn fields and woods for any sign of movement. As I walked along the edge of woods my tree stand is hung in something caught my eye off to the right. I stopped and looked to the right; about 7 feet away was a little four legged black critter with two white strips down his back. He or she was facing me and standing his ground, it was clear it meant business, and if it turn its back on me I was ready to exit stage left as quickly as possible! For about 15 seconds (it seemed like longer) neither of us moved. Then I slowly moved away keeping my eye on its position. When I got about 30 yards away it turned and walked the other way. After thinking about this near miss, I determined it must have a den near my stand. I have not been back to that stand since but when I do return it will be with a new sense of caution. The good news is it didn't make a stink about me being their.
Happy Trails. Dave.
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