BELVOIR BOWHUNTERS NEWSLETTER

BELVOIR BOWHUNTERS NEWSLETTER

Issue 102 June 2002

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EXTENDED QDM UPDATE

President’s column has all the details..............................1

Photos of the bowfishing event ......................................9CARPE GARUM (SEIZE THE GAR)

BOWHUNTER MARKETPLACE

FT BELVOIR HUNTING COUNCIL

Consider serving on this year’s council........................10

The next club meeting will be held in Classroom7 at Tompkins Basin at 7:00 PM on Wednesday,12 June. Well hear members’ picks for theirtop two must-haves for the upcoming season.Also, we’ll describe our best and worst geardiscoveries, and lessons learned. This month’sword is raccoon! Be the first to contact theeditor (Dan Van Gundy) with the location, andwin 5 free raffle tickets at the next meeting.

“For Sale” Feature Returns...............................................7

CLUB MEETING ON WEDNESDAY

12 JUNE 2002

Belvoir BowhuntersPresident

Staying On Target

BOB FOSTER

Continued on Page 2, Col 1

Official Publication of the Belvoir Bowhunters

QDM Update Number Two

I mentioned in my last news-letter that the Quality DeerManagement (QDM) TaskForce chartered by Colonel KurtWeaver, the Garrison Com-mander, was scheduled to con-vene on the afternoon ofWednesday, 8 May 2002. Thatmeeting did occur, and I wantto provide our membership witha report on that meeting.

The meeting began with anoverview of QDM by Mr. MattKnox from the Virginia Depart-ment of Game and Inland Fish-eries (VDGIF). Some highlightsof Matt’s presentation were:

(1) QDM is not a trophymanagement program. Instead,the objective is to produce qual-ity deer by managing the herdprimarily for age while also en-suring the herd density remainsat a level that ensures good nu-trition.

(2) QDM applies rulesthat protect the majority of theyearling bucks that otherwise

would be harvested, and allowingthem to move into the next ageclass.

(3) The management of genet-ics, which is a component of most tro-phy deer management programs, willnot come into play in our QDM pro-gram. Deer can move on and off theinstallation at will, and therefore genet-ics and breeding cannot be controlled.

(4) Research has shown thatat 1½ years of age, bucks reached 60-70% of their body size, but only 10%of their antler size. As they get older,more of their nutritional benefit of theirbrowse can be converted into antler de-velopment.

(5) VDGIF experience indi-cates that at 3½ years of age the aver-age buck inVirginia will have eightpoints ands u f f i c i e n tantler devel-opment thatit will beprized bymost hunters,even if itdoesn’t meetthe minimumstandard forPope andYoung.

(6) Matt strongly em-phasized that QDM programstake 3-5 years to “work”.

Next Mr. Dan Lovelace, alsofrom VDGIF, provided a reporton their analysis of harvest datataken from deer harvested onFort Belvoir during the 1998-2001 seasons. Their data in-dicate that the number of bucksharvested per square mile hasdecreased from 6.5 in ’98, to5.2 in ’99, and 4.8 in both ’00and ’01. However, as Danpointed out, this is good, ratherthan bad, for two reasons.First, a higher deer density canlead to increased competition

WEB PAGE: http://www.geocities.com/bbhunters/belvoir.htm E-Mail: [email protected]

President’s CornerContinued from page 1

KEVIN COBB

Vice

ReportPresident’s

CHARLIE SHUPIENUS

Range

ReportWarden

2

And the sky opened up…again. Forthe second month in a row, we havegotten dumped on by the rain gods; blamethem or some rain dancer who has beenworking overtime. This is the first timeI can recall having to cancel a shoot,but, as they say, there is a first time foreverything. Hopefully, we can make itthrough the remainder of the season dryand hot.

The vandals have struck. Dave and Iwere down at the field range working,and found the fruits of some slug’s work.Someone with a paint ball gun had shotthe place up. Namely, the storage shed,bulletin board, and the porta-john. Fromthe amount of hits observed, I wouldassume they were there for a while.This is the second time we have beenhit by paint balers; about two years agothey shot up the field range. However,this time they went to the extreme. Ofcourse, a police report was made, andhopefully they’ll give this area more at-tention, but we need your help as well.Should you observe an activity such asthis or any type of vandalism being per-petrated at the ranges, please contactthe MPs and also notify the ArcheryCenter. The vandalism is a separate is-sue; however, the use of a paint ball gunon Post is a violation of Post Regula-tions. So, if you know of someone bring-ing one on Post, you might want to ad-vise him or her against it.

Speaking of the field range, just a re-minder to those of you who are home-steading on target positions #2 and #8.You are violating course rules that state


for forage, which can have an adverseimpact on the overall health of the herd.From a biological perspective, biologistsdo not want to manage deer densities atlevels where browse lines appear. Ex-perience has shown that a herd at thatlevel is not only having a visible andnegative impact on the habitat, but otherdeer related problems (crop damage,deer vehicle collisions, etc.) are exac-erbated. (In a subsequent email, Mattstated that he thinks this browse line deermanagement scenario is where FortBelvoir found itself not too many yearsago, and that hopefully, no one will eversee a deer browse line on Belvoir again.)Second, even at our most recent level(4.8 bucks harvested/square mile), ourbuck harvest is still among the highestin the state (Only two counties in thestate ranked higher).

Dan went on to point out that the har-vest data indicates our deer herd hasbecome healthier as we’ve reduced thedensity. For example, the averageweight of 1½ year old bucks harvested(considered to be a barometer for thehealth of the herd) has steadily increasedover the past four years, going from 73lbs in ’97, to 87 lbs in ’98, to 88 lbs in’99, to 89 lbs in ’00, and to 99 lbs in 01.At the same time the number of spikesharvested – also considered to be anindicator of the herd health, has gonesteadily down, from 50% of the buckharvest in ’97, to 43% in ’98, 40% in’99, 36% in ’00 and only 32% in ’01.Using available reconstruction modelingprograms, VDGIF plugged in FortBelvoir harvest data from the past 5years to create population and densityestimates. Applying this technique toour harvest data indicates that we cur-rently have a deer herd of approximately536 deer that reside on the 13.6 squaremiles that comprises Fort Belvoir, whichtranslates into a density of approximately40 deer per square mile.

These two outstanding presentationsthen set the stage for a free flow of dis-cussion and ideas over the next hour.


Summer is here and it’s time to getthat archery equipment WET! Yet aweek away is our annual BowfishingTournament. I hope it will be a suc-cess, but the lack of engines at the ma-rina might dampen the event. By thetime you read this, I guess we’ll all knowwhat the outcome was.

Our next 3D event is on the 23rd ofJune. Please come out and hit the 3Dtrail. Maybe this time we can get Charlieto do a Rain Dance PRIOR to the event.Seems we’ve struck out the last twomonths running. Nonetheless, we hada good bull shooting session down at therange on the 18th. Wasn’t much to dobut watch the rain fall and the grass grow,but a few laughs were had in the pro-cess.

Again, this month, I’d like to thankMike Pestilli for his hard work on ourwebsite. He’s been keeping it updatedregularly, and it shows! Much appreci-ated Mike.

Lastly, we have hard dates for thisseason’s IBEP courses. If a class doesnot have 10 people signed up for it onthe Monday prior to the session, it willbe canceled. The course dates are asfollows: 20 July, 17 August, 14 Septem-ber, 29 September, 13 October, 27 Oc-tober and 10 November. To sign up fora class, you will need to contact theSOSA Recreation Center. For thosenew to the program, this course is re-quired to hunt on Fort Belvoir. Otherstates and hunting programs around thearea also require the IBEP course, soit’s definitely something worth taking.As an instructor, I think you’ll definitelytake something away with you from theclass. I know we learn something newin every class with the interaction thattakes place. Best to all, and hope to seeyou at our events this month.

WEB PAGE: http://www.geocities.com/bbhunters/belvoir.htm E-Mail: [email protected] 3

DIANNA EILAND

Secretary

ReportTreasurer

The meeting was held on Wednesday,May 8, 2002, at the Indoor Range,Tompkins Basin, Ft. Belvoir. All offic-ers were present except publicity direc-tor, Dan Van Gundy. President BobFoster opened the meeting by recogniz-ing new members and a guest. Bob thenprsented VBA awards to Tom Howarthand Blaine Hedges. He also announcedthat one turkey had been taken this sea-son by Stan Thomas.

President Foster updated the mem-bership on the progress of the QualityDeer Management program task forceat Ft. Belvoir. He reported on thatafternoon’s task force meeting (pleasesee Bob’s report in this newsletter).There was discussion about the pro-posed QDM program. Bob asked thatwe send in our ideas for new huntingareas. In other news concerning the FtBelvoir Hunting Program Council, Bobannounced that the council is looking forcandidates to serve on the board for nextyear; contact Rich Atchison, FBHPCpresident, if you are interested.

Paul Vogel asked for assistance witharchery instruction for the Cub Scoutson 23 May. Volunteers must have abasic-level instructor card to to take part.

Paul also passed out basic course cer-tificates to Kay Core, CharlesShupienus, Hank McKee, Charley Mar-tin, Larry Core, Rick Atchison, andRobin Vogel. Paul also announced thatthe next NFAA course would be May28-30. Cost is $250.

Secretary/treasurer Dianna Eiland re-ported that the club’s bank balance was$5575.48. Membership is now at 163.She also asked that members inform herat [email protected] or 703-765-8660 if any of their information, such asa home address, changes.

Sergeant-at-Arms Tom Breesethanked everyone for helping with therecent pig roast and for moving the shootindoors because of the weather.

Range Warden Charles Shupienusreminded the membership about the 18May field shoot. It starts at 0700, andyour help with set-up is needed. Eachshooter will need their VBA number,which is on your VBA membership card.

Activities Director Brent Pack dis-cussed the carp and gar shoot sched-uled for 1 June. You must bring yourown motor. Contact him for informa-tion and boat reservations. There is nofishing license needed for this shoot.

Vice President Kevin Cobb spoke onhis activities with Women in the Out-doors and encouraged all to tell a fe-male friend about the program. Kevinalso gave the membership an update onthe club web page and its new webmaster, who’s company gives him fourhours per week to work on the BBHweb page. He also urged all membersto try bow fishing. Kevin announcedthat Bob Livingston won the five raffletickets for first finding the magic word.Kevin also made the following an-nouncements:

- June 2 is the National TurkeyFoundation shoot in Centerville.

- May 18 is the NWTF ban-quet.

- The Rocky Mountain ElkFoundation Dinner will be June 1.

- Bowe’s and Arrows annualskate bowfishing tournament will beJune 23.

The evening’s program was a primeron bowfishing by Rush Hatchel and BobI’Anson.

Following the program, Bob Fostercalled for a motion to adjourn. Themotion was seconded, and it carried.

The raffle netted $55.00 for the Cluband $26.00 for the BBH Christmas Din-

ner for the military families; the follow-ing club members won these prizes.

Raffle Prize Winners:charlie shupienus broadheads, video,charlie shupienus broadheads, video,charlie shupienus broadheads, video,charlie shupienus broadheads, video,charlie shupienus broadheads, video,

deer calldeer calldeer calldeer calldeer callroger jaskroger jaskroger jaskroger jaskroger jask knife, sharpener knife, sharpener knife, sharpener knife, sharpener knife, sharpenerdavey hesaltinedavey hesaltinedavey hesaltinedavey hesaltinedavey hesaltine cap cap cap cap cap, gl, gl, gl, gl, gloooooves, tves, tves, tves, tves, t-shir-shir-shir-shir-shirtttttdon burtondon burtondon burtondon burtondon burton $20.00 $20.00 $20.00 $20.00 $20.00vic matthewsvic matthewsvic matthewsvic matthewsvic matthews $30.00 $30.00 $30.00 $30.00 $30.00

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BRENT PACK

Director

Activities

4

Hours of Operation Archery Ranges

Sun 9 am - 5 pm Mon CLOSED Tue CLOSED

Wed 1 pm - 9 pm Thur 1 pm - 9 pm Fri 1 pm - 9 pm Sat 9 am - 5 pm

Phone (703) 805-3688 Bldg 2009800 Belvoir Road

change of address?change of address?change of address?change of address?change of address?Has your address changed? Haveyou still not received your club mem-bership card? To update your ad-dress, contact the Secretary/Trea-surer, Dianna Eiland, with your newaddress. Send a note to the clubaddress (see back page) or emailDianna at [email protected]. Nocomputer, no stamp? Call her at thenumber on the back page.

If it weren’t for the weather, this jobwouldn’t be half bad. After gettingrained out on the Pig Roast, we wokeup on the Saturday morning of the FieldShoot to find that it was going to pour allmorning. Anyway, those of us thatshowed up to get set up had a nicetwohour visit while we watched the rain.Let’s hope this trend of only raining onthe days we have a shoot doesn’t con-tinue.

I am looking forward to the Carp andGar shoot on the 1st of June and hope tosee a lot of you out there. I wish I couldsay this is a great way to get ready fordeer season, but unless deer develop gillsand live underwater, the two sports willnever be alike. Your only hope is thatthere are lots of fish to shoot at so youwill finally figure out how low to hold onthem.

I am sorry that I won’t be at the next3D shoot, as our summer family vaca-tion to Minnesota is during this time, butI will be back in time for the July shoot.It always seems that once I get the twoweeks of fishing for walleye in Minne-sota under my belt, I come back to Vir-ginia with nothing but bow hunting onmy mind.

Anyway, enough about the rain andwhat’s happening with me. On theschedule we have the club meeting onthe 12th and then a 3D shoot on the 23rd

of June. They both start at the usualtime and I hope to see you out there. InJuly we have a full schedule as well,with the Club 3D shoot on the 14th ofJuly and then the Traditional Bow Hunt-ers of VA Shoot on 20 July. As always,we need all the help you can give to setthese things up, and I appreciate seeingthe Usual Suspects come rain or shine.Be good to yourselves and Good Fish-ing.

JUNE 23 0600-0700 START

Bill’s Boat Landing, BroomesIsland, Maryland, tel. 410-586-3599.

Raffle prizes, including aMatthews bow. Cash prizes formost fish.

Call Robbie Bowe, 703-799-1621 for details.

BOWE’S&

ARROWSSKATE SHOOT

Annual ClubAnnual ClubAnnual ClubAnnual ClubAnnual Club3-D Meat Shoot3-D Meat Shoot3-D Meat Shoot3-D Meat Shoot3-D Meat Shoot23 June 0900-120023 June 0900-120023 June 0900-120023 June 0900-120023 June 0900-1200

Come out and support yourCome out and support yourCome out and support yourCome out and support yourCome out and support yourclub. BBQ begins at 1100club. BBQ begins at 1100club. BBQ begins at 1100club. BBQ begins at 1100club. BBQ begins at 1100


TOM BREESE

Sergeant

ArmsAt

DAN VAN GUNDY

DirectorPublicity

5

As I write this, the May meeting hasn’teven taken place, but I wanted to writeit while it was fresh in my mind.

May 3rd I was invited by some friendsto hunt turkey on a piece of property inKing George County. We started thehunt as day broke, and it felt like one ofthose really good days you know you aregoing to have even before it starts. Iwill long remember the day, not for itssuccess, but rather for its memories anda return to some of my childhood les-sons.

I had set up off a logging road, andaround 6:00 a.m. I had three deer passmy hide at about thirty-five yards. Iwatched them feed for a few minutes,and then I noticed movement to my left. The movement was a small buck, fol-lowed shortly by a gobbler. The gobblercame to within 21 paces (later measuredby me) of my hide. He passed a smallbush, and I put the shotgun on him. Ashe stepped from behind the bush, I firedand missed him completely!!!! I won-dered how in the world I could miss a20-yard shot!

I sat there alternately kicking my buttand wondering, when a second gobblercame in not 30 minutes later. He camefrom my right side down the road, and Ihad an opportunity to watch him for afew minutes before he gave me thechance to put the gun on him (28 pacesthis time). Boom! The gun goes off,and the turkey runs like#!$&#*&*$*!!! How did I miss thatbird?!? … Wait a minute, there he isbehind that tree … BOOM! Missedagain!!!!!!!!! 40 yards… What is goingon? More thinking about what happenedwith a few more kicks in my butt, and itfinally dawned on me that I shot high,because I failed to hold tight and figurethe angle of my shot!

Amazingly, five more deer and a rac-coon came by before it was time toleave my hide. The buzzards were cir-cling, so I figured I had better move orsomething bad might happen. I went outto meet my buddies, who I knew hadheard my shooting. They were full ofanticipation that soon turned to mirth, asI related the story to them. When theywere finally able to calm down, we wentthrough the story again and one of theguys said, “You had one heck of a goodday! You saw several deer and tricked2 turkeys; isn’t that great?” I have toadmit this guy is right!

Sometimes in the high-pressure worldin which we place ourselves, we forgetwhy we do things. There are thoseamong us who help us remember whywe do things and what we are. I amtruly blessed to have such friends, be-cause they always amaze me with theirwisdom and insight. They are the peoplewho make life a pleasure and worth liv-ing. Thanks for the memory, guys!


It’s that time thing again. Here it isJune already. The longest day of theyear is around the corner, and it seemslike 2002 just started. I don’t know aboutyou, but I’m way, way behind on my listof things to do this year. Funny thing is,we always seem to accomplish what’srequired at work, whatever the cost.But when it comes to tending to our non-work needs, we often let it slide. I’mnot advocating a reversal of priorities,mind you, just better balance. Some-how, I figure if I hunt and fish more, if Igo to more boat shows or gun shows, ifI don’t accumulate the maximum num-ber of leave days, I’ll accomplish morenot only at work, but also at play! Greatplan, but putting it into effect is tough.Hard to break the habit of getting upearly, going to work, concentrating onthe job at hand all day, staying later be-cause . . . well, just because that’swhat’s done.

So, now that the weather’s turninggreat (except, evidently, at all BBH out-door shoots), reward your hard workwith some well-deserved and certainlyoverdue time off. Recharge your bat-teries, and I don’t just mean your troll-ing motor batteries. Take your kid oryour kid’s kid fishing. The feeling ofsomething vital, primitive, and wild tug-ging on the other end of your line neverloses its thrill. Plan a weekend campingtrip: wilderness camping, motorhomecamping – it doesn’t matter, just go tothe woods. Take a hike; take yourspouse on a hike. Set up that new bowyou bought at Harrisburg last February– that’s right, four months have passedalready.


WANTED

For livening up theFor livening up theFor livening up theFor livening up theFor livening up theNewsletter, Hunting Library,Newsletter, Hunting Library,Newsletter, Hunting Library,Newsletter, Hunting Library,Newsletter, Hunting Library,

and Cookbookand Cookbookand Cookbookand Cookbookand Cookbook

• Send us an article on yourturkey hunting experience this year.• Share with us your experi-ence - good or bad - in hunting out-of-state so we can begin the clubhunting reference library.• Give us a recipe or two ofyour favorite game dish or accom-paniment.Write to us at the Club’s address(shown on the back page) or emailus at [email protected]

YYYYYOUROUROUROUROURINPUTSINPUTSINPUTSINPUTSINPUTS


Publicity DirectorContinued from page 5

It’s now the 18th of May and turkeyseason has closed. No birds for me, butplenty of good times and memories. Ihad a really good season. The rainclosed out our shoot today, but that’sthe way it goes. See everyone at theCarp and Gar shoot on the first of June.Until then, Good Luck , Good Huntingand Godspeed.

Sergeant-At-ArmsContinued from page 5

Range WardenContinued from page 2

you may shoot only four arrows at a tar-get and must then move on. Evidentlysome shooters don’t understand or arenot aware of this rule, and some afterbeing warned continue to violate it. We(range volunteers) enjoy working on theranges, but our favorite task isn’t lug-ging target bales through the woods torebuild a position as a result of unnec-essary abuse by individuals who can’tfollow the rules. Just another reminder:abuse your privileges, and you’re sub-ject to losing them.

President’s CornerContinued from page 2

At the end of that time, I believe (andthis is only my opinion) that the QDMTask Force had collectively come to thefollowing agreement (1) our huntingprogram should be designed to maintainthe current deer density – e.g., approxi-mately 40 deer square mile, (2) a QDMprogram on Fort Belvoir is not inconsis-tent with this goal.

We then went on to discuss the struc-ture of a QDM program for Fort Belvoir.(Again, these are only my impressionsof the direction the Task Force is going,and should not be taken as Task Forcerecommendations at this point).

First, I believe the Task Force will rec-ommend a QDM program for the 2002hunting season on Fort Belvoir. How-ever, it will not necessarily include theentire installation. The staff of the Natu-ral Resources Branch of Directorate ofInstallation Support will assess all of thehunting areas, and make recommenda-tions as to areas where the density ofthe deer herd should be kept as low aspossible, either due to incompatibility withother installation requirements for theareas, or adverse impacts on the envi-ronment. This may include areas suchas EPG or hunting areas that surroundthe housing areas. In these areas, I be-lieve any deer will be a legal deer toharvest, regardless of size or sex.

Second, in those areas designated forQDM, I believe the harvest will be re-stricted to any antlerless deer and anybuck with 4 points on at least one sideor an outside antler spread of 15 ½inches (which is equal to the width of anadult buck’s ears). The intent of the buckrestrictions is to avoid harvesting antleredbucks that are between the ages of 6months and 2 ½ years. However, in or-der to reduce the harvest from these agegroups and still maintain the current deerherd density, we must increase the har-vest of antlerless deer – by perhaps asmany as 50 or so. In order to promotean increase harvesting of antlerless deer,I believe the VDGIF will provide DeerManagement Assistance Program(DMAP) antlerless tags throughout theseason, or until we reach our antlerlessharvest objective. In other words, youwon’t have to use any of your Big Gametags for antlerless deer harvested in aQDM area of Belvoir, until we reach ourmanagement quotas.

Third, for the first time in many years,I believe we will be given a scoutingseason. As a minimum, I’m confidentwe will get the one or two weeks be-fore the season begins (opening day willbe 21 September, 2002). However, Ibelieve we made a very good case, andthere is considerable support, for allow-ing scouting on Sundays throughout theseason, during the normal operating

hours of the Archery Center (say 0900sign-out, and 1630 mandatory sign-in).

Finally, there is the unpleasant topicof how to handle hunters who harvest anon-QDM buck while hunting in a QDMarea. I believe the Task Force will rec-ommend that law enforcement person-nel be given a wide range of flexibility inenforcing the game regulations. Thiswould include letting those hunters whocan demonstrate that they made an hon-est mistake while trying to comply withthe regulations off with a warning orminimal suspension. On the other hand,those hunters who are believed to havedeliberately taken a non-QDM buck orshown other flagrant disregard for theharvest regulations could be banned fromhunting on the installation for severalyears.

Once again, these are my personalobservations of the direction I believethe QDM Task Force is going, and mayor may not prove to be accurate. Asalways, I will continue to provide updatesat our monthly meetings. Good Hunt-ing!

You never know what fate has in storefor you tomorrow or next week. Maybeyou’ll be just as spry in ten years as youare now, or maybe not. It’s not a wisestrategy to pile up a stack of “I owe me”notes on things like Colorado elk huntsor fishing Alaska salmon runs or tuna inthe Gulf Stream. When it comes time tocollect, you may no longer be able tomake the payment. As we approach thehalfway point of the year, let’s resolveto make time in our busy schedules foroutdoor enjoyment, for the sporting life.It may sound trite, but they say you’llnever see a tombstone with an epitaphthat reads, “Wish I’d spent more timeat the office.”


BBBBBOOOOOWHUNTERWHUNTERWHUNTERWHUNTERWHUNTER M M M M MARKETPLAARKETPLAARKETPLAARKETPLAARKETPLACECECECECE

Members are encouraged to use this “for sale” section, which is a free service for Club members. Items must be personally owned andcannot be sold as part of a business enterprise. They should in some way relate to hunting but the categories are varied and includehunting items, vehicles, and exercise equipment. Call Dan Van Gundy, Publicity Director, to place your ad, or email at

[email protected].

- W- W- W- W- WANTEDANTEDANTEDANTEDANTED - - - - -

- F- F- F- F- FOROROROROR S S S S SALEALEALEALEALE OROROROROR T T T T TRADERADERADERADERADE - - - - -FOR SALE: Delta Deer Decoy (new in box) $40.00;Buckshot climbing tree stand $135.00; Browning Midas,

compound bow $80.00Call Kurt Hovanec, (703) 913-1023, evenings

TO BUY OR TRADE: Recurve bow for bowfishin’and stump shootin’. Looking for a recurve in good shape,

of average length, with a 40-50 pound pull. Contact CharlieMartens, 540-373-0226

Several guides/outfitters have sent unsolicited offers to our club email address in the hope of drumming upbusiness. These outfitters doubtless want to book hunters to fill the blank spaces in their hunt calendars forthe fall. If you’re interested in the sound of these offers, featured below, we recommend that you check the

business out as much as possible before you contract a hunt. Most state websites offer a list of licensed andapproved hunting guides/outfitters, and some also let you view the complaint record and record of disciplinaryaction, if any, for each outfitter. Finally, Belvoir Bowhunters provides this information simply for informationpurposes, does not endorse any guide/outfitter listed here, and assumes no responsibility in the case of any loss amember should suffer in dealing with the outfitter or guide service.

Received 10 May 2002:From: “Jim Noble” <[email protected]> Bow hunt of your life!T Bar M OutfittersCLASSIC BIG GAME HUNTSOutfitting Since 1979DURANGO, COLORADOWe have a few hunts left for this fall.ARCHERY:We have 5 archery hunts left...Sept. 2-8, Sept.13-20, or Sept23-30. Unlimited Elk licenses, mule deer licenses by draw-ing. Get 4 hunters, friends or customers together and YOU orsomeone of your choice comes free! THIS is a first classpack-in hunt with one guide for each hunter. There is no graterthrill than calling in a bull elk and a close shot; we can do that.We speak longbows, recurves and compounds.RIFLE:There are a few rifle hunts left for this Fall...don’t miss out on ahunting experience of your lifetime!Call now...970-259-5469...pull up our web site:www.tbarmoutfitters.com ...see the elk, see the country wherewe hunt! We are also booking 2003 hunting seasons.

Good Hunting,Jim Noble

Received 16 May 2002:From “steve & nicky” <[email protected]>HUNT FISH NEW ZEALANDMy name is Steve Dougherty from Doctari Safaris New Zealand. Ithought you might be interested in our hunting and fishing. Weguide for over 20 species of free range (fair chase) fish and game.specializing in wild pig , fallow buck Merriam turkey, waterfowl,feral goat, chamois, tahr, upland game, trout fishing, small game,sea fishing. Please look at my web site at: www.freerangehuntingnz.com.2001 and 2002 99% success rate.

You’ll find we have one of the lowest guide fees in New Zealand ifnot the lowest but this does not mean we are not a professionaloutfitter. Our results show how well we operate. Please email meback for more info if needed. Thanks for you time,

Steve DoughertyDoctari SafarisRanfurlyCentral Otago QueenstownNew Zealand


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HONEST FISHERMEN. – Ron Schara,the outdoor writer and TV personality,recalled recently, as fishing seasonkicked off in his part of Minnesota, thatwriter Ed Zern once observed, “Fisher-men are born honest, but they get overit.”

MAD DEER DISEASE IN OUR FUTURE?– Like hunters in a lot of states, welearned something about HemorrhagicDisease (EHD) in the past few years,and have been taught that when animalpopulations get too large, “natural fac-tors, such as starvation or diseases” of-ten level out that overload. Is that whatwe are riding into now, with the white-tail population at an historically-highmark?

Be alert that another factor, ChronicWasting Disease (CWD), known tosome as mad deer disease, has been kill-ing deer and elk in the western US andmay be heading our way. Although it hadnot previously been found east of theMississippi River, during the past sea-son it did make a big jump from the statesof CO/WY/NE to Wisconsin, where itapparently spread to many deer in oneregion. Although officials have saidthere is no evidence the disease can bespread to humans, many hunters nowworry about consuming the venison theyharvest.

DNR INUNDATED WITHSHARPSHOOTER VOLUNTEERS.(Adapted from Associated Press ar-ticles, May 28, 2002)MADISON, Wis. – The Wisconsin De-partment of Natural Resources has had“tons and tons” of calls from huntersoffering to join its nonexistent sharp-shooter team, a regional wildlife biolo-gist said. The DNR isn’t recruitingsharpshooters but has put together teamsof “government employees who aregood shots and can follow instructions

exactly.” he said. [Hmmm, looks likewe stay here and go to the beach.]

The DNR plans to eradicate about15,000 deer in an area around MountHoreb in the battle against CWD. Anew poll of Wisconsin deer hunters in-dicates that 36% of them — or some248,000 hunters – may not hunt this fallbecause of worries about the existenceof CWD in the herd. For comparison,last year there were 282,000 gun hunt-ers in the whole state of Virginia. Whatwould our VDGIF do if 248,000 stayedhome? [Assume that all of those Wis-consin hunters, like those fishermen next

door, are born honest – surely they wouldnot lie just to get the woods to them-selves, would they?] Keep your fingerscrossed for a good solution.

OLD-TIMERS ALERT! – Before the WildGame Dinner, Hollywood was tellingsome of us about hunting Belvoir about30 years ago, when it still had quail andhunters could use guns. He said the postthen closed hunting for several (7?)years before reopening it to archery-onlyfor deer. Do any of you old-timers re-call when that was and what the buckslooked like when it reopened? Doesanyone have pictures from those firstfew archery seasons?

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REGIONAL NEWS

For those of you hot on the Tournament Trail, we’ll try to provide you with a listing of each month’s VBA tournaments.Space provided, obviously. Please help support the VBA and the associated tournaments. If you have never shot in a3-D tournament, Field Round, or Indoor, don’t hesitate. For those that hunt, there is no better way to tune your huntingbow than to participate in these tournaments. Best of luck to you all!!

Tournament Corner

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July 14thSeminole Field/Hunter Pin – 11:00 – CKingsboro 3D Trophy – 9 to 11:30 – CBelvoir Bowhunters Annual 3D Meat – 9 to 11:00 – CShenandoah Field/Hunter – Pin 3D Money – 8 to 12:00

July 22nd-26thNFAA Outdoor @ Watkins Glenn, N.Y.

July 27thTwo Rivers 3D Team Shoot – 50/50 3D Money – 8 to12:00 – C M

July 27th & 28thNew River Children’s Miracle Network Trophy 3D –8 to 2:00 on Sat ; 8 to 1:00 on SunAugusta 3D Trophy – 8 to 1:00 - C

July 28thSherwood Field/Hunter Pin – 8 to 10:00 – CPr. William 3D Open – 9 to 1:00 – CTwo Rivers 300 Round Hunter Pin 8 to 12:00 – C M

August 4thPr. William Annual Black Bear Animal Trophy & 3D –9 to 2:00 – C MMassanutten Hunter Pin 8 to 12:00 – C M Wythe Field/Hunter Trophy

August 10thManahoac 3D Money & Hunter Pin/Trophy 9 to 1:00 -C

June 16thRockingham 3D Trophy – 8 to 1:00 – C

June 22nd & 23rdDixie Tradional Rendezvous 3D 9:00 – C M

June 23rdStaunton River Field/Hunter Pin – CShawnee Hunter Pin – 8 to 11:00 – C MWythe Annual William Rakes Memorial Field/HunterTrophy – SG @ 10:00Belvoir Bowhunters 3D Meat 9 to 11:00 – C

June 29th & 30thTwo Rivers Annual Field Trophy & 3D 8:00 a.m. onSun – C MCoon Shoot on Friday & Saturday

June 30thPr. William 3D & Hunter Pin – Open 9 to 1:00 – CBlackwater Hunter Pin SG @ 10:00New River Field/Hunter Pin SG @ 10:00

July 6th & 7thBuggs Island Big Apple Field Trophy 8 - 10:00 – CM

July 13thManahoac 3D Trophy & Money 9 to 1:00 – C

July 13th & 14thMassanutten Annual Trophy Shoot Field/Hunter8 to 2:00 on Sat ; 8 to 12:00 On Sun – C M

NEWSLETTERJune 2002Belvoir BowhuntersP.O. Box 372Ft. Belvoir, VA 22060

All numbers are prefixed by Area Code (703)OTHER KEY PHONE NUMBERS

23 JUNE 3D SHOOT

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CLUB OFFICERS & PHONE NUMBERS

June Meeting:Must-Have Gear for the Season

BELVOIR BOWHUNTERS NEWSLETTER

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