Getting the Shaft

DESTINATION: CHILDRESS VINEYARDS, NORTH CAROLINA

2008-10-22T16:44:50Z

"On the road again, just can't wait to get on the road again", heck you guys know the rest of the words, I don't need to keep singing now do I? No one wants to hear that anyway, at least that is what my wife keeps telling me each time I bust out in song. At any rate, on the road again is exactly where the Crosman Shooting team was last week, headed to North Carolina and the spectacular vineyards owned by Richard Childress. Yep, that Richard Childress, owner of 4 NASCAR teams, an avid outdoorsman and host for the 4th Annual "Wine, Wheels and Wildlife" fundraising dinner at his vineyard located in Lexington, North Carolina.

]]> This event was presented by the Congressional Sportsmen's Foundation, the National Assembly of Sportsmen's Caucuses and of course Childress Vineyards. For almost 20 years the CSF has maintained a singleness of purpose that has guided the organization to become the most respected and trusted hunting and fishing organization in the political arena. CSF's sole focus is providing access and a voice for sportsmen in the U.S. Congress, the Administration and federal land management agencies, as well as state legislatures across the country. While at the same time, the NASC serves as the umbrella organization for launching and working with state legislative sportsmen's caucuses inside the state legislatures. This places the NASC at the core of the legislative front protecting and promoting hunting, fishing and wildlife management in state legislatures. Sound like an event a legendary gun company and year old crossbow manufacturer would want to be seen and heard? You bet it does.

Now that I have established what the event was, and why the Crosman Shooting team was there, let me tell you about the event itself. We arrived into town late on Tuesday October the 14th, got a look at the area and headed out for a quick dinner, then back to the hotel for some much needed rest. Wednesday the 15th found us ready to "go to work", get set up, sighted in and ready to put on our shooting show. We arrived at the Vineyard around 10am, and were quickly shown our area for set up. Once unloaded the set up went quickly with a little help from our friends at Bass Pro who were also there setting up for the evening event. Once the "hay was in the barn", we took a break for some snacks and iced tea on the terrace that overlooked the 65 acre vineyard. Tough gig, huh? After a quick tour of the property and the wine making process we headed back to the hotel to shower and change for the evening.

Around 5pm we found ourselves back at the vineyards, parking our vehicles in front this time, not like earlier in the day when we ran around like we owned the joint! We were greeted to an awesome sight, all of RCR's cars lined up in front with the awe inspiring 3 car set off to the side and slightly up hill overlooking the rest of the stable of cars like the black stallion that car was for years on the racing circuit. Big photo opportunity for our group, as none of us have ever had the chance to be that close to one of Dale's actual race cars and get a good picture at the same time. So, after spending a few minutes looking over the cars of Harvick, Burton, and Bowyer, we headed towards the back of the Tuscan styled villa to where the outdoor event would take place that night. Back in the Crosman Shooting Team tent, we were sighted in and ready to shoot. I would run the crossbow side, while my partner in crime for this trip, Mark DeBoard would run the PCP hunting gun side for Crosman.

What I thought would be more of a "celebrity" based crowd, turned out to be a more "political" based crowd and we could not have been more thrilled with the opportunity. Mark and I spent the next two hours running shooting demonstrations, teaching and having some invaluable conversations with top state legislature folks about hunting seasons, weapons of choice and impact in dollars for each state. This was truly a rare opportunity and we did not take it for granted, using each and every opportunity to tell our story, our message and our position on the crossbow with each person that stopped by to shoot our products. The bulk of our conversations centered on the importance of the crossbow being viewed as another style of archery equipment and an additional choice for archers headed to the woods. We discussed in detail how the crossbow plays a vital role in hunter retention and in hunter introduction. Both of these actions will continue to fund the state coffers, adding valuable dollars to each state's resources. Each conversation went very well, with the state representatives leaving our tent with a better perception of the crossbow, having shot it themselves and possibly seeing the crossbow as an avenue to improve their state's resources, while providing new and old archers alike additional options.

All in all it was a great night. The food was excellent, the conversations impactful and the scenery was unforgettable. I am so proud of how our products performed and how much effort we at Crosman are putting in behind the scenes, in order to assist crossbow expansion efforts nationwide. This past week was just further evidence that Crosman is not just a manufacturer of shooting products, but truly a leader in the shooting sports industry since 1923. You have got to love a group that talks the talk and more importantly walks the walk. Until next time, look sharp and shoot straight.

NASCAR and Archery at the Glen

2008-08-19T15:13:01Z

Yep, you read that headline correctly, no need to go back and read it again. Crosman® Archery boldly stepped into the glaring spot light of NASCAR Nation and armed em' with the latest and greatest crossbow technology for a fun filled, target busting weekend of arrow flingin' and telling hunting lies. Fortunately for the back wall of our Shooting Team trailer, the shooting was every bit as good as the hunting stories as arrow after arrow found its mark in the center ring. When it was all said and done, over 3,000 shooters received hands on instruction with our crossbow and youth archery line of products, while donating valuable dollars to the Victory Junction Gang

]]> The Victory Junction Gang Camp enriches the lives of children with chronic medical conditions or serious illnesses by providing life-changing camping experiences that are exciting, fun and empowering, in a safe and medically sound environment. This camp was founded by Kyle and Pattie Petty, in honor of their son Adam. Victory Junction Gang Camp sits on 72 beautiful, hard wood acres in North Carolina, the acreage having been donated by Richard and Lynda Petty. Victory Junction Gang Camp operates year round solely on donations, working with children, ages 7 to 15. To find out more about the camp and how you can help, please visit victoryjunction.org.

The event started for us on Wednesday August 6th, as we proudly hauled in our Shooting Team trailer through check in and security and on into the infield at Watkins Glen. One really cool note: I got to bump draft Junior's trailer into the infield. The rig driver wasn't too pleased, but hey, how many times in life are you going to get that kind of opportunity? After passing Junior's trailer on the outside we moved into position and started to unload. Within a few hours we were set up and ready to sight in our crossbows and make sure the targets would handle the youth archery arrows. As we made our final preparations other manufacturers, sponsors, etc. from the infield area were drawn to the sounds of arrows pounding targets and anxious to give our new archery equipment a try. We spent the rest of Wednesday shooting and talking with our new neighbors. The early positive responses from our friends set the stage for what would become a great weekend of shooting and getting to know thousands of hunters from this region.

The next 3 days were a blur of activity. Shooting, pulling arrows and teaching. What an awesome experience to introduce so many North Eastern hunters to our products, while raising money for a well deserving charity. Folks shooting our products ranged from 7 years old to 70 years old, and they all could shoot! I gotta tell you guys, there are some outright shooters in this region. Matched with great product and of course the expert direction of this here Native Texan, we had a recipe for some dead critters working at the Glen. I will say that I was somewhat concerned heading into this event as I have been reminded repeatedly from folks in the industry that New York State hunters do not want the crossbow in their woods. It seems most of this rhetoric is coming from one group in particular that claims to have the pulse of the hunters that reside in this region.

I am not really sure where those boys are taking this so called "pulse" from, but after talking with so many hunters from this region, I am left to assume they are spending some time in graveyards. Over 3,000 race fans and hunters spent time with us in the shooting trailer, talking archery, shooting arrows and telling hunting stories. Only 1 guy was against the crossbow. Let me say that again, 1 guy, not 1 percent, not 1 big group, ONE GUY. Instead of the projected mass of hunters this group claims to have on their side of the fence, we met first hand a large number of hunters that talked about the desire to introduce their kids to archery via the crossbow. They also wanted to get their Dads back in the sport as well as other aging archers in their family. Time and time again the responses were along those lines: missed opportunities for hunters in this region, simply because one anti-hunting group keeps caterwauling from their side of the fence. I say anti-hunting, because in my mind, if you want to take away our freedom of choice, then you are anti-hunting. Not to mention the simple fact that State revenue dollars leave here each season to head to Ohio, Pennsylvania and many other states accepting of the crossbow. Hunter retention is way down in New York State, as is the revenue stream so desperately needed to run the DEC. Keep in mind folks that this is the same group that somehow managed to LOSE time in the woods this upcoming season for NY archery hunters. Now that right there is political clout for you sports fans. Nicely done boys, maybe a better approach would be to see hunter introduction, retention, and revenue dollars for the NY DEC as more pressing matters than protecting only your way of shooting arrows. When asked to pick a side of the fence, I am with NASCAR Nation on this one: let hunters choose the archery equipment they want to shoot arrows with - period.

To that point, a big THANKS and a big tip of this Texan's hat goes to all race fans for their support of a worthy charity, and a spectacular event. See you all down the road, and until then, look sharp and shoot straight.

Crossbows - The Next Dimension In Hunting

2008-06-18T19:49:52Z

The exciting thing about giving the crossbow a shot as a viable piece of archery equipment is that most rifle, shotgun and airgun hunters have the transferable skills to hit the woods running, so their learning curve is virtually flat. The aiming, shouldering, trigger skills and etiquette of shooting a crossbow are more than familiar to the experienced hunter. All that's necessary is to learn the skills needed for close range hunting and be ready for the hiss of the arrow's flight to target. Little noise, no recoil. It's real and it's expanding nationwide. There's legislation in the works that could very soon expand crossbow hunting in Texas.

]]> In 2007, Crosman Corporation, a company with an 80-plus year history of providing quality products to the shooting sports, entered the archery category with a line of crossbows, as well as youth archery models. The company has confidence that, with legislation, interest by youth organizations and the rising popularity of crossbow hunting, it represents the next dimension in having fun with the family in the woods.

On the legislative front, in the mid 1970's, wildlife agencies in Ohio and Arkansas began testing short crossbow seasons to measure the impact on hunters and the resources. Based on deer harvest data, the agencies concluded that the modern crossbow was a safe, humane, and user friendly hunting tool that could provide increased opportunities for bow hunters, without a negative impact on the resources or other hunter groups.

Because of the positive results, Ohio and Arkansas ultimately expanded their crossbow seasons to coincide with the general archery seasons. Many other states, as well as several Canadian provinces, also established crossbow seasons, based on the Ohio and Arkansas experience. To date, 10 states have legalized the crossbow for use in all or part of their general archery seasons. In addition, many states have expanded crossbow use for youth-only seasons, urban deer management units and late season hunting. This expansion is further evidence of the viability of the crossbow as an excellent choice for all hunters, particularly for aging, partially disabled and beginning archers.

The user friendly design of the crossbow makes it a great way to introduce people to hunting. With the help of an experienced coach and some quality instruction, and, of course, a good cocking device, many first time crossbow hunters can achieve tight arrow groups and the confidence to take to the woods. This ease of entry makes crossbow hunting a very effective hunting recruitment tool. This is especially true for young people and women, who may be nervous about the noise and recoil of a gun. The crossbow minimizes both of these issues, while providing an archery experience for those who may not otherwise be able to handle the physical requirements of the standard vertical bow.

In urban areas, where crossbow hunting is permitted, archery hunters are already providing game managers with a safe and effective way to control burgeoning deer populations. In addition, as with all hunters, crossbow hunters contribute to wildlife management funds through hunting licenses and federal excise taxes on their archery equipment. These two points illustrate a win - win for both the state agency and the hunter.