Randolph Fish & Game Club 2016 Newsletter From the President Tom Malanchuk Hello All, After an exceptionally warm fall and December it seems that Winter has once again arrived in the North Country! We hope you all had a Fine hunting season, and great Holidays with your fami- lies. At our annual meeting and Potluck Party which was well attended, and a good time had by all, We now have as Officers: President Tom Malanchuk, Vice President : Jeff Sprague, Treasurer John Becker, Secretary Leah Stewart, and we thank all the past Officers and directors for a good year of guidance. Some accomplishments and high notes worth mentioning are: Our VERY successful fund raising raffle which the club as a non-profit organization depends on to support our very existence through the year. Our raffle is appealing due to the high quali- ty of the firearms we raffle, and our club participation in manning the booth at the Tun- bridge fair in September. We had a good day at the 4 th of July parade getting to know and interact with the public, and showing them what we do as a club, and selling our 50/50 raffle tickets, again with mem- bers Dee and Scott Warren and Jeff Sprague manning our position during the day. Thank you all! Thirdly, our Clubhouse got it’s main Floor Cleaned and Painted which is a huge improvement, and our entry ramp repaired. Our Archery program is well respected and second to none in the state , and will have new and refurbished targets, and a layout change to conform with the IBO requirements. We are hosting the IBO Shoot again this year ! Our trapshooting was well attended this past year despite a slow rainy start, and thanks to one of our new members we have our Night Shooting lights repaired and will shoot after dark as long as we have shooters. The Herald newspaper did a nice spread and Article on our trap- shooting this past summer! I want to thank esp. Richard Griffin for mowing our grounds all summer along with Richard Spinks and myself. Our Outdoor Rifle and Pistol Range was fixed up /cleaned up thanks to the efforts of Jeff Spra- gue, Ralph Barber, and Tom and is doing well. We have had spring and fall Hunter Ed, and Bowhunter Ed. Courses graduating close to 100 people each year and receiving kudos from students , the Local newspaper and Vt. Fish and Game Dept. We have had many members enjoy helping out Bob Raskevitz ( chief instruc- tor, and Tom Malanchuk ,Bowhunting instructor and Assistant Hunter Ed. Instructor. We are looking for members to become instructors. I should note also that our Conservation Camp program is going well, and we send 4 kids to Conservation Camp every year. Our Beagle training area had one of their best years with plenty of game, and a full roster! We had a fine Women On Target Day with the help of Leah Stewart ( Locust Creek Outfitters) and Clint Gray ( Vt. Federation of Sportsmen’s club). Again supported and instructed at the Braintree elementary Schools Outdoor Days and outdoor instruction at Rolling Rock. The Club has much to offer, including a Fishing Derby every year at Hall ’s Pond in Braintree. We had supported the MWCC Bear referendum with a large club and individual club member’s dona- tion, and we support the right of the American citizen to own and Bear Arms. We attend rallies, and help defend our Constitutional rights. We contributed to the support of Darryl Montgomery who was a shooting victim last spring and has spent many months in the Hospital. He is a local person Hunt- ing instructor and member of the Vt. Federation. We are hoping for EVEN MORE Community and Member participation this year. Help Make this club successful, and enjoy all we have to offer, as it is YOUR Club. Page 1
Transcript
Randolph Fish & Game Club 2016 Newsletter
From the President
Tom Malanchuk
Hello All, After an exceptionally warm fall and December it seems that Winter has once again arrived in the North Country! We hope you all had a Fine hunting season, and great Holidays with your fami-lies. At our annual meeting and Potluck Party which was well attended, and a good time had by all, We now have as Officers: President Tom Malanchuk, Vice President : Jeff Sprague, Treasurer John Becker, Secretary Leah Stewart, and we thank all the past Officers and directors for a good year of guidance.
Some accomplishments and high notes worth mentioning are:
Our VERY successful fund raising raffle which the club as a non-profit organization depends on to support our very existence through the year. Our raffle is appealing due to the high quali-ty of the firearms we raffle, and our club participation in manning the booth at the Tun-bridge fair in September.
We had a good day at the 4th of July parade getting to know and interact with the public, and showing them what we do as a club, and selling our 50/50 raffle tickets, again with mem-bers Dee and Scott Warren and Jeff Sprague manning our position during the day. Thank you all!
Thirdly, our Clubhouse got it’s main Floor Cleaned and Painted which is a huge improvement, and our entry ramp repaired. Our Archery program is well respected and second to none in the state , and will have new and refurbished targets, and a layout change to conform with the IBO requirements. We are hosting the IBO Shoot again this year !
Our trapshooting was well attended this past year despite a slow rainy start, and thanks to one of our new members we have our Night Shooting lights repaired and will shoot after dark as long as we have shooters. The Herald newspaper did a nice spread and Article on our trap-shooting this past summer! I want to thank esp. Richard Griffin for mowing our grounds all summer along with Richard Spinks and myself.
Our Outdoor Rifle and Pistol Range was fixed up /cleaned up thanks to the efforts of Jeff Spra-gue, Ralph Barber, and Tom and is doing well.
We have had spring and fall Hunter Ed, and Bowhunter Ed. Courses graduating close to 100 people each year and receiving kudos from students , the Local newspaper and Vt. Fish and Game Dept. We have had many members enjoy helping out Bob Raskevitz ( chief instruc-tor, and Tom Malanchuk ,Bowhunting instructor and Assistant Hunter Ed. Instructor. We are looking for members to become instructors. I should note also that our Conservation Camp program is going well, and we send 4 kids to Conservation Camp every year.
Our Beagle training area had one of their best years with plenty of game, and a full roster!
We had a fine Women On Target Day with the help of Leah Stewart ( Locust Creek Outfitters) and Clint Gray ( Vt. Federation of Sportsmen’s club). Again supported and instructed at the Braintree elementary Schools Outdoor Days and outdoor instruction at Rolling Rock.
The Club has much to offer, including a Fishing Derby every year at Hall’s Pond in Braintree. We had supported the MWCC Bear referendum with a large club and individual club member’s dona-tion, and we support the right of the American citizen to own and Bear Arms. We attend rallies, and help defend our Constitutional rights. We contributed to the support of Darryl Montgomery who was a shooting victim last spring and has spent many months in the Hospital. He is a local person Hunt-ing instructor and member of the Vt. Federation. We are hoping for EVEN MORE Community and Member participation this year. Help Make this club successful, and enjoy all we have to offer, as it is YOUR Club.
Page 1
Randolph Fish and Game Club, Inc. - www.randolphfishandgameclub.com
Page 2
Spring Hunter Education: April Date TBA Bow Hunter Education: TBA Fall Hunter Education: TBA
The Randolph Fish and Game Club once again had a very successful year with Hunter Education. We held two regular Hunter Education courses, one in April and the second in September with a Bow-Hunter education course in early August. We have continued the Randolph tradition of two-day regu-lar Hunter Education courses. The first day is a combination of classroom and outdoor activities with the emphasis on gun safety, gun handling and operation, ethics and outdoor skills. Between the two days, the students must either complete the Hunter Education workbook or complete the on-line Hunter Education course and provide proof that they have passed all of the quizzes. The second day includes a visit by Sargent Keith Gallant and a discussion of laws and ethics. The second day features active sessions on Shoot-Don’t shoot, Caliber and Gauge, Game Identification, Judging Distance and Zones of Fire, the Woods Walk which includes as many as seven or eight archery targets set up in dif-ferent safe and un-safe situations, fence crossing, muzzle control, safety zones and other situa-tions. There is also time spent shooting .22 rifles and various shotguns at stationary and moving tar-gets.
A total of 54 students graduated with their Orange Cards from the two Randolph Fish and Game Club regular Hunter Education courses in 2015. Women and girls outnumbered the men and boys, 30 to 24. Students ranged in age from 8 to 49 years old. A number of the spring students killed their first turkey after getting their orange card and the Fall Youth Deer season was also kind to our students from this year and past students as well. One of our older students from two years ago received assis-tance sighting in his new rifle scope this fall by our instructors and assistants and on the first morning of the rifle season got his first deer at over 65 years of age.
Both the spring and fall courses were staffed with over 15 volunteers from our club. Total volunteer hours was far in excess of 200 hours. The goal at the end of every course is for each and every instruc-tor and assistant to feel like he or she would be comfortable taking any one of our graduates out into the field as a hunting partner. Once again we have a Randolph Union High School student completing their Senior Project by studying to become a certified Hunter Education Instructor with a Mentor from our club.
The August Bow-Hunter Education course graduated 14 students ranging in age from 11 to 65 years old. Five of the graduates were women and girls and 9 were men and boys. The one-day Bow-Hunter Education course once again had two instructors and a host of volunteers to make the day go smooth-ly. The day is a combination of classroom activity, shooting and blood trailing in the woods. Ethics, safety, shot choice, outdoor and hunting skills and tactics were featured.
Randolph Fish and Game Club was well represented at every Chief Instructor meeting in 2015, the Cross-bow training in Barre and at the annual Hunter Education banquet held in Montpelier.
Our thanks go out to everyone who participated as an instructor or assistant this year with our Hunter education program. If you are interested in becoming an instructor or just volunteering to help out, please call Robert Raskevitz at 728-9582.
We are always looking to Certify more instructors!
Hunter Education Robert Raskevitz
Lead Instructor
Randolph Fish and Game Club, Inc. - www.randolphfishandgameclub.com
Page 2
The archery league has grown to about 30 members shooting every Thursday night. This year looks to be just as good. The 3-D targets are in pretty good shape, but many replacement centers are needed. Last year the club hosted four weekend shoots open to the public, with once again complements coming from many people about the club and the archery course. We were approached by the IBO and asked to host the Vermont State Championship in 2015 and because of the great turnout of events we will be hosting it again in 2016.
This year we will host one 3-D shoot in July, the IBO shoot will be May 21st & 22nd. The other shoot dates will be decided and added to our calendar.
The new contact for Archery is Kevin Kinerson.
Phone: (802)-439-6519
Archery
Kevin Kinerson
Randolph Fish and Game Club, Inc. - www.randolphfishandgameclub.com
Rabbit Grounds Membership Dues - must be paid by January 28, 2016 to ensure your place on the roster. If your dues are not paid the next person on the waiting list will get that spot! Congratulations to Eric Messier who is now the new Chair of the Rabbit Grounds. His contact information is: Phone: (802) 917- 3853
Greetings and Good Tidings to all our RFG Brethen & Sistren:
2015 has certainly been a busy year for us all. As co-liaisons for the Vermont Federation of Sports-
men’s Clubs, Scott and I have kept you up-to-date on any news regarding the Federation. Chris Brad-
ley, the President of the Federation, kindly accepted Randolph Fish & Game club as a member with
early admittance with no extra cost. Our membership is good until next year’s end. We have taken
advantage of the early admittance by going to one of their meetings and reporting our findings.
One thing that is vital to the survival of humble clubs, such as our own, is to have a big brother such as
the Federation. Our state has been under lots of scrutiny because of guns. Other clubs have been at-
tacked do to noise ordinances; while others still bicker amongst themselves with turf wars such as
Archery vs. ranges. Please understand that we are all Sportsmen and must all be united as a family.
We can co-exist and prove that a gun owner can be responsible! Since August, I have been working
with Chris Bradley on the VT Gun Shop Project. This project is to mirror our twin state’s gun shop
project. We hope to have a live launch in a couple of weeks -- Again proving that gun owners can be
responsible.
Regards, Dwina “Dee” Warren
*Due to limited space we will be sending out separately a Federation Update from President Chris
Bradley via email along with a copy of it can be requested or logon to our website were it will be post-
ed.
Randolph Fish and Game Club, Inc. - www.randolphfishandgameclub.com
NRA Women On Target Leah Stewart
Thank you to the RF&G Club for hosting our first NRA Women on Target Clinic in June 2015. What a great day we had teaching 13 ladies about firearms. Each lady had a different level of experi-ence from none, to minimal to experienced so throughout the day it was great to see them each evolve in being more confident with the firearms they used. We start-ed out with the basic mechanics and safety and then jumped right into range shooting. Each lady had a chance to shoot a series of handguns starting with a 22LR, then a 9mm, next a 40 and then a 45 (if they wanted to). After handguns we moved onto rifles starting with a 22LR, then onto a 243 and lastly a 243. Thirdly we tested out a 20GA pump shotgun to see if we could hit some clay pi-geons. Tom did great in teaching us all some tips and tricks on stance and positioning to best work for each lady. Lastly we shot a crossbow which was awesome and a real hit because it was so much fun and super simple. Thank you so much to Clint Gray our lead instructor, Marsha Thompson WOT Instructor and to Tom Malanchuk and Jeff Sprague for helping us with making the range and club house look so good, how to’s, tips and safety patrol, we really appreciate it. We will be doing NRA WOT Clinics at the club again this year, we are looking at Spring and Fall of 2016. Dates will be posted on the cal-endar when finalized. If you or someone you know is interested please send me an email at [email protected] and I will add you to the list. We will also be holding them throughout Vermont so if the date does not work with your schedule or classes are full we will have other options. Thank you so much – Leah Stewart
