Winter 2012 VHEA DLINES - VAHEA | Virginia Hunter ... Winter 2012.pdf · Winter 2012 A quarterly...
Transcript of Winter 2012 VHEA DLINES - VAHEA | Virginia Hunter ... Winter 2012.pdf · Winter 2012 A quarterly...
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VHEADLINES Winter 2012
A quarterly Newsletter of the Virginia Hunter Education Association
Inside This Issue
Letter from the President 1
Board Bulletins 1
Membership Information 2
Treasurer’s Report 2
Fall Highlights 2-3
Winter Events 4
Promoting Skills Weekends 5
In Our Sights 5-6
Hunter Skills Flyer 7
Letter from the President
Greetings to all Association Instructors,
We have now completed all events at Holiday Lake for 2012. We are now busy with our hunter education classes and I know there is a lot of interest in classes. I am receiving e-mail requests daily from people across the state trying to find both regular and internet classes before hunting season.
Officer elections were held at the last Advanced Training and we welcome a new Region 4 Director, Jason Miller. He replaces John Dunne who decided not to continue in that position. Ed Crebbs was elected secretary, replacing Ralph Graybill who also decided not to continue. I would like to thank both John and Ralph for the work they have done for the association. Their expertise and experience will be missed but I am sure the new additions will bring new ideas and vigor to their offices. I would also like to welcome “Spud” Almond back for another term as Region 2 Director.
I would like to thank those who supported me for President. I have enjoyed seeing the many things the association has accomplished in the 6 years since we started. I believe we have done much more than anyone thought we could in such a short time. I look forward to the next two years as your president.
We are facing a lot of changes and an uncertain future that will require all of us to work together to overcome the obstacles ahead in hunter education. There have been a few people circulating a lot of false rumors and accusations over the last two years. Many of these were directed at me and friends. It is time for this childish behavior to stop and allow us to focus on the things that are important for the future of the association and Hunter Education.
Again I look forward to the next two years and I know that
together we can accomplish many more things for the good
of the program.
Vernie Kennedy
President
Board Bulletins
VHEA Officers effective January 2013:
Vernie Kennedy, President [email protected]
Rob Zepp, Vice President [email protected]
Wade White, Treasurer [email protected]
Ed Crebbs, Secretary [email protected]
Regional Directors:
Region 1: Mike Norkus
Region 2: George "Spud" Almond
Region 3: Mike Cantrell
Region 4: Jason Miller
Region 5: Jesse Ebron
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Look for the
“Virginia Hunter Education Association” on
And
Us!
Fall Highlights
Bedford Youth Hunt
November 17, 2012 a rifle hunt was hosted by the VHEA near the New London Business and Technology Center off Route 460 in Bedford County. Ten youth, each accompanied by a parent or guardian and a certified hunter education instructor, took to the classroom and the field for a day of instruction and hands-on experiences in deer hunting. The program was developed five years ago to get youth familiar with the hunting regulations and assist them in learning the correct way to do things – with safety as the top priority. Preparation began for the instructors earlier in the week by setting up multiple blinds and establishing shooting lanes for each. During the hunt their primary duty was to ensure that shooting lane integrity was maintained. Hunters could not leave their blinds until granted clearance from the central controller. Five deer were harvested in the morning providing an opportunity for a lesson in field dressing. A total of 6 deer were harvested and several youth “tagged out” for the day. Participants’ feedback was positive - one mentioned that he got to know the game warden less as an enemy and more as an ally. One parent commented that it was worth giving up the opening day of rifle season the see the smile on his son’s face when he harvested his deer. A Youth Muzzleloader Hunt is scheduled for December 22.
Membership Information (as of 12/10/12)
Membership is at a new record high!
Current membership: 168 Life members: 78 *
*(77 Instructors, 1 Associate life member) To join, go to VAHEA.ORG, print the membership form and mail to the address printed at the bottom along with your check. Membership options and costs are: Regular (1-year) - $ 20.00 Associate - $ 15.00 Life - $150.00
Treasurer’s Report By Wade White, Treasurer
Account – Checking balance as of 12/12/2012
$ 10,944.32
Bedford County Youth Hunts 0
John Dunne’s Crossbow Hunt $ 1,004.26
Rob Zepp’s Wounded Warrior Turkey Hunt 0
Hunter Education Challenge 0
Hunter Skills Weekends 0
Bedford Co. HE- Milan Ashbrenner Memorial
$ 193.42
Total allocated funds $ 1,197.68
General Fund $ 9,746.64
Unpaid Bills 0
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4th Annual VHEA / NORVA Veteran’s Hunt
The 4th annual Virginia Hunter Education
Association / NORVA Wounded Veteran’s Hunt was
held on October 12 and 13, 2012. Four veterans
attended, two others who registered were unable
to attend.
Veterans Ken, Paul, Dave and Mike arrived on
Friday by midafternoon. Introductions were made
followed by a crossbow orientation on the bows,
bolts and broadheads generously loaned from
Parker Bows. A safety session followed by a sight-
in and shooting practice allowed the men to try
different models. All were impressed with the
speed and accuracy of the crossbows.
After dinner a review of hunting regulations
was held and included information on the
special CWD regulations for Frederick County.
Gifts from VDGIF and the VHEA were presented.
Rocks Baptist Church in Pamplin, VA, donated
gifts of hunting theme quilts.
Lee Turner woke hunters and hosts on Saturday morning
and provided a quick breakfast. Morning and afternoon
hunts proceeded with a break in between for a meal and
time to share stories about the day. The Veterans saw a
variety of deer, lots of squirrels and one hunter was
surrounded by coyote. Unfortunately shot opportunities
for the deer did not present themselves. After the hunt
everyone returned to camp, packed up crossbows for
return to Parker, then enjoyed a venison dinner. Paul
won the drawing for a crossbow donated by the VHEA,
and Addison Hurst presented additional gifts.
Sunday morning a breakfast provided by the Star Tannery
Community was hosted by Aaron Mitchell at the Ruritan
Club for the group. After breakfast the hunters returned to
Quantico.
Thanks go to Steve Johnson, Lance Simons, George Lever,
Lee Turner and Debbie Perkins for providing meals for
everyone. This hunt was made possible by the generosity
of Parker Bows, NORVA Rod and Gun Club, Lee Turner,
Aaron Mitchell, Janet and Ralph Lowery (who provided a
new place to hunt), The Star Tannery Community and the
VHEA.
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Winter Events Region: 1
New Kent Youth Turkey Hunt The goal of this Youth Hunt Management Plan is to provide safe, ethical and rewarding hunting opportunities for Venturing Scouts from The Boy Scouts of America, Colonial Virginia and Heart of Virginia Councils. This Youth Hunt shall be conducted under tightly controlled and managed circumstances in a safe and ethical manner consistent with all applicable policies and procedures and the safety of all participants shall be its primary purpose. Dates: April 6 and 13, 2013 Location: New Kent Forestry Center 11301 Pocahontas Trail, Providence Forge, VA 13140 Contacts: Henry McBurney; 757-897-9681 or Huntmaster: John Germanos, email: [email protected], phone: (mobile) 757-285-1909; (office) 757-467-2016 Registration Information: Closed registration. This event is for Boy and Girl Scouts of the Colonial Virginia and Heart of Virginia Councils. Special Announcements:
1. Prior to hunting the youth hunter must have turned in the completed VHEA Liability Waiver form.
2. All volunteers must have completed the Scout “Youth Protection Training” offered on line at http://myscouting.scouting.org . This is an on-line training course that takes 20 to 30 minutes. The certificate will be kept on file with the Boy Scouts of America, Colonial Council. Volunteers shall print out the completed certificate and bring the large copy to Denny Newhouse or Diana Delgado. This Scout Youth Protection Training is good for a two year period so those who completed it last year for the New Kent BSA event will not have to re-take it this year.
3. All Youth Hunters must log in (upon arrival) and out (prior to departure) of the New Kent Forestry Center hunter log book. The instructor/guide has the final authority while hunting and in the blind – NO Exceptions!
Volunteers needed: If you’d like to volunteer to help with calling, setup, etc. contact John Germanos, email: [email protected], phone: (mobile) 757-285-1909; (office) 757-467-2016 to offer your services.
Region: 5 Members Picnic Season Greetings! Hope you have a fun and safe Holiday. I’m looking forward to a great New Year! First! There has been talk about a picnic for Region 5 members. Ed Crebbs has the place. We need to hear from the members. Let us know what you think? Stay Safe, Jesse Ebron Interested members in Region 5 should contact Jesse Ebron at [email protected].
Region: 1 Northern Neck Youth Turkey Hunt The goal of this hunt is to provide safe, ethical and rewarding turkey hunting opportunities for the youth of the Northern Neck area of Virginia. This hunt shall be conducted under tightly controlled and managed circumstances in a safe and ethical manner consistent with all state regulations. Safety is paramount! Registration Information: Age limit 10 – 15, selected randomly out of Hunter Education classes or awarded. Successful completion of Hunter Education required. Date: April 20, 2013 Location: Virginia Wildlife Federation’s Fulfillment Farms, Albemarle County, VA Contacts: Rick Wilks at [email protected] Special Announcements: 1. All parents/guardians will sign a liability and
publicity waiver prior to their children being allowed to hunt.
2. There will be a safety brief prior to the hunt that all must attend. After the hunt a turkey hunting seminar will be conducted.
3. The hunt will be conducted “2 deep” with all instructor/guides being Hunter Education Instructors, DGIF personnel or qualified personnel from sponsoring organizations. The observer (parent/guardian/mentor) shall remain in sight of the hunter/guide at all times. The instructor/guide has the final authority while hunting and in the blind – NO Exceptions!
Volunteers needed: If you’d like to volunteer to help with calling, setup, etc. Contact Rick Wilks at [email protected] or call him at 540-775-4625 to offer your services.
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In Our Sights By Wendy Hyde
VHEA Life Member – Reba Cartwright
Question: What do you get when you cross a female
business professional with a hunter education
instructor?
Answer: Reba Cartwright!
Meet Reba - one of the first women Charter Members of
VHEA and a Life Member. She’s been teaching hunter
education since September 19, 1999, and is currently
one of two female Master Instructors in Alleghany
County (the second is a CPO).
Promoting Skills Weekends
The two Hunter Skills Weekends coming up in May
and August 2013 provide for hunters and
outdoorspeople ages 11-90+ a great chance to learn
hands-on a variety of hunting related skills. The
VHEA’s goal is to have every class full for every event,
and it needs the help of instructors state-wide to
promote these valuable learning opportunities.
Listed below are several ideas for getting the word
out in your communities. Please take the initiative to
try one or more!
1. Co-op with a business
Approach a local business to sponsor a paid
tuition to the program for two participants.
Businesses could offer an in-store sign up and
give away the trip to the winning
customer(s). Potential business types are
sporting goods stores, gun or archery shops,
equipment dealers, farm stores, co-ops, or
power sport dealers. For information on how
to handle the registration please contact
Bryan Branch of Holiday Lake 4-H
Educational Center at (434) 248-5444 or
2. Co-op with government agencies
Check with your local Dept. of Forestry, Dept.
of Agriculture, Soil and Water Boards, or
other agencies to see if they have any funds
available to sponsor participants.
3. Promote in Hunter Education classes
Print the attached flyer (the last page of this
newsletter), make copies and talk about the
events at every class you teach.
4. Post a flyer in a public place
Many grocery stores, gyms, and retail stores
offer bulletin boards for public events. Ask
the store manager for permission to post a
flyer.
Together we can make these events a success!
This unique, enthusiastic lady has a real desire to teach
and empower the women who attend the public classes
in Region 4. She works in White Sulphur Springs, WV,
for a construction management company. After
answering phones and processing invoices all day she
often goes directly to public classes and teaches in her
business attire. She likes to show women in the class
that, “you can be a female, go to work, have a job, and
still put on your hunting boots and camo and have a
good time.” Reba shared, “The public classes are multi-
generational and have such a diverse age and gender
group. I enjoy seeing the women who show up just to
get their concealed carry and when they come up after
class to talk I see it has sparked an interest. The class
introduces concepts of safety, ethics, and all other
aspects that are tied into shooting.”
(continued on Page 6)
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In Our Sights (continued from Page 5)
Reba also teaches HE every fall to 7th-graders in the public
schools. The kids take the information home and discuss it
with their parents. Kids and parents alike learn that the
importance of firearms safety not only applies to hunting –
it carries over into the home. When asked what her
favorite part of teaching is, she replied, “Watching the light
bulbs go off. I enjoy getting the young children to
participate. That's what drives me. Seeing the kids ‘get it’
is what encourages me to continue. “
Young or old, Reba likes her female students to be able to
see a woman as a role model; she especially enjoys
encouraging self-confidence in young women and feels that
one of the greatest rewards of teaching is seeing young
women a year or two after class displaying that confidence.
Reba is the youngest of 3 children with a sister and brother
older than her by 21 and 18 years, respectively. The age
difference makes her nieces and nephews close to her own
age. She grew up on family property in Alleghany County
where she now enjoys hunting activities with her family.
Having no children of her own, she takes pleasure in seeing
the younger generations get started in hunting. Her
grandnephew, age 13, is a "hunter's hunter" and is skilled
in archery, shotgun and rifle. Reba has had the privilege of
signing off on her grand niece's and all but one of her grand
nephews’ (the ones who live in VA) Hunter Ed certificates.
Reba was exposed to hunting as a child, but recalls that
girls weren't supposed to be interested in it. “It was a guy
thing. Boys were able to take HE in school and girls had
separate classes and weren't given the option. Guns were
around but you didn't touch them.” Her father passed
away before she ever got involved in HE and Reba wishes it
had been offered to her when she was young so she could
have shared more activities with her Dad. She admits she
had a "Bambi complex" growing up and never hunted - her
Dad would hunt and she wouldn't eat it. The older she got
she realized it was the cycle of life. Now she prefers to
hunt small game, squirrels, rabbits and such just like her
Dad enjoyed the hunt of small game. She usually uses a .22
for hunting.
As a young woman Reba earned a BS in Business
Administration with an emphasis in Accounting from
Radford University. She returned to her childhood home
in Alleghany County. Over the years, she has worked for
most of the major employers in the area. In 2002 she
took a job at the Greenbrier Hotel in the HR Department,
moved to Accounting, and concluded her work there as
the Accounting Manager after 7 years. After that came a
job in Nashvillle, TN, with Loews Hotels. In December
2011 she returned to the City of Covington to be near her
sister who recently passed away.
In April of 1999 Reba attended a Hunter Ed class to meet
the requirements for a concealed carry permit. The
enthusiasm and commitment of the instructors impressed
her. She realized hunting was more than pulling the
trigger on a gun and gained an appreciation for the
history behind hunting. She feels it is very important that
we as a society don't lose our connection to the outdoors.
“If I didn't hunt and share it with others, a whole
generation of young people wouldn’t be able to
experience the joys of hunting.” After talking to the
instructors she became interested in the idea of teaching.
Her venture into hunting started after becoming an
instructor because she felt she needed to be able to
practice what she preached.
Reba joined VHEA because she thought it would be a good
organization to “fill the gaps and provide an opportunity
to get grants and fill the hole for things VDGIF could not
do.” She would like to see more of the Wounded Warrior-
type events and to continue the Youth Shoots. She also
feels it is important to see all areas of the state receive
equal focus and have a say in future education efforts and
events.
In her spare time Reba enjoys target shooting. A past
member of the Alleghany Gun Club, she has shot pistol
and .22 LR rifle for fun. She admits she’s not a shotgun
fan – “she likes to have a shoulder when she's done.” She
also hopes to develop her marksmanship skills in order to
hunt with her crossbow. Reba likes to cook but doesn't
get to very often, and also enjoys less-than one-day hikes.
A future goal of hers is to get involved with the Humane
Society and work with abandoned animals.
Holiday Lake events are a favorite part of her HE
experience and she shares, “The friends you make at
Holiday Lake will be lifelong friends. I have a lot of
respect for my fellow instructors. They have taken me in
and made me feel welcome and they are very willing to
share their knowledge.”
Virginia Hunter Skills Weekend May 3-5, 2013
Want to learn new hunting skills or hone the ones you have?
Looking for expert instruction?
Then this is the workshop for you! Ages 11-90+
children under 18 must attend with parent
(Hunter Education class is a plus but is not required)
Class Selections:
Bow Hunting Basics
Bow Tuning Muzzleloading Basics Rifle, Basic & Advanced Shotgun Basics Pistol Basics Skeet Trap GPS in the Great Outdoors Recovery of Wounded Game Wilderness Survival Bow Fishing Basics
Wild Game Cooking Small Game Hunting Skills Turkey Hunting Skills Treestand Safety
Cost: Early Bird: $110.00 (Registration and payment must be received by April 12, 2013)
Regular Price: $120.00 (Registration and payment received after April 12, 2013) Covers meals Friday Dinner-Sunday Lunch, lodging and all instruction Please register by: April 19, 2013
Refund Policy: Full Refund by April 19, 2013
1/2 before April 26, 2013 Nonrefundable after April 26, 2013
Location: Holiday Lake 4-H Educational Center, Appomattox, VA 24522 Rustic but comfortable bunk style lodging. Please bring your own linens, pillow and toiletries.
A health form, a list of items to bring, and other information will be sent as
soon as your registration form has been received.
www.dgif.va.gov www.vahea.org
HOLIDAY LAKE 4-H CENTER
www.holidaylake4h.com Holiday Lake 4-H Educational Center programs and employment are open to all, regardless of race, color, national origin, sex,
religion, age, disability, political beliefs, sexual orientation, marital or family status.