| June 2008 | Volume 32, Number Three |
| 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 | Tom Christian | webmaster@ftcollinsarchery.com | (970) 221-3319 |
It’s about time for the annual FCAA Jamboree! This year it will be held June 20-22 at the Jack’s Gulch Campground on the way to Pingree Park. Check out our web site for directions. We have the group camping area reserved so bring your family. There is room for 28 vehicles with a 30-foot maximum length. This year, the club will provide lunch on Saturday with a 3D range set up nearby. It will be a fun shoot with no fees, no scores and no payback. Earliest check in time is 2:00 pm, Friday, June 20 and last checkout time is 1:00 pm, Sunday, June 22. Come and camp or just come for the day on Saturday. Bring your own food for all meals other than Saturday lunch. It is a LOT of fun so plan on camping out, shooting 3Ds and swapping tall tales (I mean true stories) around the campfire.
Wednesday Night Leagues are going strong. You can check out the latest scores on the FCAA web site. The second session is under way and the third will start on July 2. Starting time for all sessions is 6:30 pm with registration stopping at 6:15 pm. Even thought the sun is setting later, there are more shooters so we still need to keep things moving. Leagues are for members only and cost $5 a night. The best 3 out of 4 scores will be counted and cash prizes awarded to the top shooters based on the Lewis scoring system each session. Remember, we don’t allow binoculars, range finders or umbrellas. We are trying to provide a hunting style 3D shoot and also need to move people through the targets quickly. It’s a great way to keep in practice for fall hunting. Bring your mosquito repellent and join us for a great time!
The FCAA and Arrow Dynamics are sponsoring the third annual Archery Day on Saturday, June 28 at the FCAA Range. It is open from 8:00 am to 2:00 pm and people can come any time they like and stay as long as they want. There will be instruction in shooting with equipment provided or bring your own. It is free, open to the public and for adults and children alike. It should be a lot of fun so tell anyone you know who is interested in archery to come on out!
This year, we received a $1,000 donation from the Colorado Bowhunters Association to purchase additional bows and arrows. Thanks to this generous donation, the FCAA will be able to have more people shooting at one time! As we all know, waiting around to shoot is not near as much fun as actually shooting. With more people shooting at one time and the increased number of people we expect to participate, additional volunteers are needed as well. If you would like to have a blast helping kids and adults shoot, please contact Michel Magers at either his email or phone number listed at the bottom of page 3and let him know of your desire to help.
By Matt Dworak
The truck started to drift again. Not exactly what you want when you’re traveling down I-80 doing 55 mph. Black ice is a scary thing and we had run into our fair share that morning. Luckily, easing up on the gas solved the problem and the tires were able to grab hold, but the recovery time was just long enough to make sure all the guys in the truck we’re wide-awake. Why would we subject ourselves to this type of nerve-racking madness? Had I cashed in my preference points for a coveted Colorado premier elk unit, a high county mule deer hunt or maybe a late-plains whitetail hunt? Or was this the 2nd Annual Craig rabbit hunt?
It was our second pilgrimage to “the land of the sage” and it was awesome. It seems many guys are not interested in this type of hunt, if they’re not chasing big bulls or rutted out bucks they dismiss it as not worthy but in my mind this trip is tough to beat. With non-stop action all day, this is a perfect trip for those younger hunters (or the older ones) who don’t have the patience to sit in a tree stand all day or hikes miles and miles chasing elk or deer.
By now I’ve been around long enough that I’m no longer surprised when people stare at me with that blank look asking, “you’re going where, for what” whether it’s splashing in the mud for spawning carp or tromping through 18” of snow chasing the wily wabbit. I’ve pretty much gotten use to it. Rabbit hunting with a bow and arrow is just plan fun. Now, I’m not going to say that it quite compares to a bull elk screaming in your face but it’s hard to beat shooting all day ‘till you can’t pull your bow anymore and/or you’ve ran out of arrows.
The trip started as the five of us piled into my truck at 4:00 a.m. Saturday morning, thermoses filled, ready for the long drive up to Craig, CO. I gambled by taking us up through Laramie to I-80, instead of negotiating Cameron and Rabbit Ears passes. That decision may not have been the best, as a thin layer of black ice covered the interstate. Although I managed to keep us on the pavement, I don’t think anyone needed any coffee that morning with a fresh shot of adrenaline every time the truck started to swing sideways.
We arrived in rabbit country around 11:00 am and picked our first likely looking sage filled draw. After a couple hours and a few rabbits in the bag we decided to head down the road to some known “hot spots”. After arriving at the sacred hillside (thanks to Dennis Hansen) we discovered the population wasn’t what it was last year, I think Dennis may be too generous with his information but after knocking on a few doors we realized that gaining permission to hunt rabbits with archery gear was pretty simple. But once again we got that same look, “You fellas drove from where, for what”? By sundown on Saturday we had our limit, 50 rabbits, actually I think it was 49 but it was close enough.
This year I was smart enough to book a room with a full kitchen. So after a good supper at a local diner we headed back to the hotel room to finish taking care of our rabbits.
We got an early start Sunday morning, by rabbit hunting standards, which is about 8:00 o’clock and had another great day of hunting. I think we ended up with about 46 rabbits the second day but we also cut ourselves off by about 12:30. We had the entire pile of rabbit’s field dressed, ate a quick lunch and we were on the road home by 2:00 pm.
The whole time we were up there I was having a blast but it really wasn’t until returning to work Monday morning that it really sank in what a great trip it had been. I had to put forth some serious effort to remember where I’d left things on Friday. Anytime it’s that tough reentering the “real world”, you know you’re doing something right.
It is once again time to start planning for the CBA Jamboree. This year’s Jamboree will be held July 18, 19 and 20, 2008, at No Name Road (FS Road 705), just northwest of the old location at Camp Hale.
The Schedule of Events includes: Calling Contests – Turkey, Elk and Predator; Kids – Archery Range, Pop Shoot, Activity Tent; Ranges – Six 3D Ranges, including a family range and an extreme range; Saturday Night Dance with Live Band; CBA Dream Hunt Drawing; Raccoon Shoot (Friday Night Only); Sight In Range; Moving 3D Target; Wing Fling; Endurance Shoot; Swap Meet; Chili Cooking Contests; and more!
The cost is $30 for members and $60 for non-members (includes a membership). Youth are only $5 regardless of membership. The family max is $65 for members and $90 for non-members. Check out the CBA web site (http://www.coloradobowhunting.org) for more details.