Wern Valley Sportsmens Club August Update
Coming Events:
Saturday, August 23: WWA State Shoot
Saturday, Sept 6: 100 NSCA Registered/50 FITASC
Friday, Sept 12: NARI Sporting Clays Shoot
Thursday, Sept 18: Membership Appreciation Night
Friday, Sept. 26: MACC Fund Sporting Clays Shoot
Sunday, Sept. 28: Catholic Memorial Sporting Clays Shoot
Wednesday, October 1: First Day of Pheasant Hunting
Where did summer go? It certainly seems shorter this year. Fall is just around the corner and the Club is already gearing up for it after a very busy and wet July. The Miller Lite and Great Cancer Shootout events are now in the books as both shoots saw an increase in shooting activity. The Great Cancer Shootout set another record for entries at just over 850 and should come close to or beat the $35,000 raised for cancer research last year. As many of you already know, there have been a number of close friends and relatives of the Williams Family who have passed away over the last month or so. This year's shoot was dedicated to Dan Brown, a friend and member of the Club who fought long and hard against colon cancer. It was a rough month. Thanks to everyone for their condolences, to everyone who donated, helped out or shot the event, and thanks again to the Bartolotta Family for another awesome fireworks show. Brad Schimel's band 4 on the Floor was really great, and the Club wishes him well in the coming election!
Dog training and conditioning should be starting to enter into the picture along with plans for a whole bunch of hunting and shooting activities just around the corner. Doves, bear, grouse, deer, turkey and even a few pheasant could be finding their way into the freezer soon. Dog training birds (hen pheasant, live or frozen in the feather) are now available for $10/bird. Chukar partridge will be available toward the end of August and into September for $8.50/bird. As summer is winding down, the Club would like to invite everyone to take part in the 8-Week Fall Hunters Sporting Clays League which starts during the first week of September and ends in late October. The Club will remain open for sporting clays on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays until the end of the league. Sporting clays will continue to be open every Saturday from 9 am to 3 pm through out the winter, weather permitting. The new wireless clay target throwing system has made its debut this week and is the first step in a number of range improvements the Club is hoping to complete in the near future. Lastly, the Club would like to invite everyone to a Membership Appreciation Sporting Clays Night on Thursday, September 18! Members can shoot for $10 for 50 targets of sporting clays, and festivities will include a free pheasant dinner, a best pheasant dish contest, free tap beer from 5-7 pm, raffles, and more! Please RSVP for dinner and the best pheasant dish contest byThursday, Sept 11. Hope to see you here and feel free to bring a friend!
With all the rain, there is no shortage of cover for the coming fall. A flush of old strain alfalfa emerged and is readily visible in the Club's switch grass and other fields around the area. A few lowland acres have remained flooded for most of the summer, and in spite of replanting to short season sorghum, they currently look like black holes in a sea of green. Last year's growing season was very wet- this year has been even wetter. It's been a very strange stretch of weather over the last few years to say the least.
With 30 years of experience, the Club continues to grow its own birds. They're doing great as it has been hard to keep on track after a very cold, wet and prolonged spring. Extra chicks were ordered after a rough start when the first group moved out to flight pens encountered cold conditioned and higher than normal mortality. Thankfully, the cost of feed as been coming down all summer, and brooder house mortality has been low. Not a great year for raising birds, but not all bad either. Weather aside, bird quality is every bit as good as last year. Hunter access trails and fire breaks will be added over the course of the next few weeks as members look to get started on the coming season.
Field trials, group outings, the summer league party, the fall league, and coming NSCA/WSCA registered shoots are all in the works for the coming days and weeks. Find some time to get outdoors while you still can! Last winter was way too ugly!
See you soon,
Steve, Patti, Riley, Tom, Matt, Alex, Wills, Kevin, Eddie, Josie, Chris, John, Todd, Jerry, Mary and Doug