Archived Newsletters
August 8, 2022
Hello to all Williamstown Fish and Game Club members!
This months meeting will be held at the clubhouse! I personally get excited every time I go there to see the changes from the last time there and the excitement will remain the same at the time of the meeting, hope to see you there!
This months meeting we will recap the hunter safety courses as well as discuss the upcoming duck race and get a more in depth look at the progress on the clubhouse!
Just over a year ago we lost the clubhouse to the lightning strike and it is nothing short of amazing to stand back and look at how far we have come since that fateful night. July 20th is a night that will not soon be forgotten and with each passing day it is less painful to look back on that night because of how far the clubhouse has come since then.
Quick update and recap of the hunter safety courses for those that will not be able to attend the meeting this week. After having a year off from hunter safety courses due to the fire it was an amazing feeling to be back teaching, and to top it off back in the clubhouse! On Saturday for the firearms course we had Warden Chad Barrett come and speak to the 27 students and answer their questions. This was the youngest overall group of students that I have seen in quite a while and it was awesome! All 27 students passed more importantly. On Sunday for the Archery course we had a significantly smaller group at 6 students. The smaller group size was a welcome change from the large group the previous day especially with the heat this past weekend. Huge thank you to Taylor Gerrish for not only bringing his son to the firearms course but volunteering to help out. The instructors that were there this weekend were Marion Gray, Mark McCarthy, Bill Gerrish, Tyler Mitchell and myself. The biggest challenge that we faced was the heat and humidity, but at the end of the weekend we were all very happy with how it turned out and are looking forward to next years courses.
Just a quick reminder about some of the rules at the range that I am continually getting complaints about. The range is CLOSED on Mondays. This means all Mondays even holidays. There is a 5 shot limit. That means that there are to be no bursts of shots more than 5 at a time. Take 5 shots and then take a break we don't want to annoy the neighbors and cause any issues. All range memberships allow you to bring ONE guest with you. Groups of more than that require multiple memberships. All targets are to be placed on the target backer boards...not on the lawn so you can shoot from under cover of the shooting stand and still shoot at closer distances.
As discussed at the last meeting once the plywood is shot up we will be changing the target backer design. We got this idea from the Waterbury/Stowe fish and game club when several of us attended a banquet held there at the end of June. The new backer is going to be a snow fence material. A large roll of the snow fence is less than a third of the cost of one sheet of plywood so this will end up being a significant cost savings for the club. Be prepared with binder clips, clothes pins, paper clips, etc. to attach your targets to the snow fence in the not too distant future.
Duck Race tickets are available at $5/ea or 5/$20 and that will be happening on 8/27/22. The grand prize of the duck race is $1000 and is always a fun time. Reach out with any questions or for tickets. The duck race is always a fun event to watch (especially for the kids). If you are around on the 27th stop by it will be worth your while and why not snag a few more ducks day of to increase your chances at the grand prize! This could easily be our biggest year yet for duck race ticket sales and that is 100% because of the amazing membership base that makes up this great club.
I gave notice to the members that were able to attend the last meeting but as the year draws closer to an end this marks the end of my second term as president of the club. I feel it is time to pass the controls on to someone else. I am not planning on stepping away from the club but rather feel it would be beneficial for the club for a fresh set of ideas and a new leader. If you have any questions about that I would be happy to discuss it all further and answer all the questions you might have.
Dennis Gaudet
Williamstown Fish and Game Club President
Calendar of Events -- This calendar will be updated each month
8/10/22 August Meeting
8/27/22 Duck Race
9/14/22 September meeting
Hello to all Williamstown Fish and Game Club members!
This months meeting will be held at the clubhouse! I personally get excited every time I go there to see the changes from the last time there and the excitement will remain the same at the time of the meeting, hope to see you there!
This months meeting we will recap the hunter safety courses as well as discuss the upcoming duck race and get a more in depth look at the progress on the clubhouse!
Just over a year ago we lost the clubhouse to the lightning strike and it is nothing short of amazing to stand back and look at how far we have come since that fateful night. July 20th is a night that will not soon be forgotten and with each passing day it is less painful to look back on that night because of how far the clubhouse has come since then.
Quick update and recap of the hunter safety courses for those that will not be able to attend the meeting this week. After having a year off from hunter safety courses due to the fire it was an amazing feeling to be back teaching, and to top it off back in the clubhouse! On Saturday for the firearms course we had Warden Chad Barrett come and speak to the 27 students and answer their questions. This was the youngest overall group of students that I have seen in quite a while and it was awesome! All 27 students passed more importantly. On Sunday for the Archery course we had a significantly smaller group at 6 students. The smaller group size was a welcome change from the large group the previous day especially with the heat this past weekend. Huge thank you to Taylor Gerrish for not only bringing his son to the firearms course but volunteering to help out. The instructors that were there this weekend were Marion Gray, Mark McCarthy, Bill Gerrish, Tyler Mitchell and myself. The biggest challenge that we faced was the heat and humidity, but at the end of the weekend we were all very happy with how it turned out and are looking forward to next years courses.
Just a quick reminder about some of the rules at the range that I am continually getting complaints about. The range is CLOSED on Mondays. This means all Mondays even holidays. There is a 5 shot limit. That means that there are to be no bursts of shots more than 5 at a time. Take 5 shots and then take a break we don't want to annoy the neighbors and cause any issues. All range memberships allow you to bring ONE guest with you. Groups of more than that require multiple memberships. All targets are to be placed on the target backer boards...not on the lawn so you can shoot from under cover of the shooting stand and still shoot at closer distances.
As discussed at the last meeting once the plywood is shot up we will be changing the target backer design. We got this idea from the Waterbury/Stowe fish and game club when several of us attended a banquet held there at the end of June. The new backer is going to be a snow fence material. A large roll of the snow fence is less than a third of the cost of one sheet of plywood so this will end up being a significant cost savings for the club. Be prepared with binder clips, clothes pins, paper clips, etc. to attach your targets to the snow fence in the not too distant future.
Duck Race tickets are available at $5/ea or 5/$20 and that will be happening on 8/27/22. The grand prize of the duck race is $1000 and is always a fun time. Reach out with any questions or for tickets. The duck race is always a fun event to watch (especially for the kids). If you are around on the 27th stop by it will be worth your while and why not snag a few more ducks day of to increase your chances at the grand prize! This could easily be our biggest year yet for duck race ticket sales and that is 100% because of the amazing membership base that makes up this great club.
I gave notice to the members that were able to attend the last meeting but as the year draws closer to an end this marks the end of my second term as president of the club. I feel it is time to pass the controls on to someone else. I am not planning on stepping away from the club but rather feel it would be beneficial for the club for a fresh set of ideas and a new leader. If you have any questions about that I would be happy to discuss it all further and answer all the questions you might have.
Dennis Gaudet
Williamstown Fish and Game Club President
Calendar of Events -- This calendar will be updated each month
8/10/22 August Meeting
8/27/22 Duck Race
9/14/22 September meeting
July 12, 2022
Hello to all Williamstown Fish and Game Club members!
This months meeting will be held at the new clubhouse! I personally get excited every time I go there to see the changes from the last time there and the excitement will remain the same at the time of the meeting, hope to see you there!
This months meeting we will be discussing the upcoming hunter safety courses, the progress on the clubhouse, whether or not there will be a firewood raffle this year, and of course the duck race!
Duck Race tickets are available at $5/ea or 5/$20 and that will be happening on 8/27/22. The grand prize of the duck race is $1000 and is always a fun time. Reach out with any questions or for tickets. It seems like there is a lot of time left before the duck race but as we all know it is going to go fast!
I have been very impressed with how little trash and debris has been left around at the range. I am tremendously grateful to everyone for doing their part and picking up after themselves/others when they are there. The place looks great. Keep up the good work!
Several of us were able to attend the Hunter Safety Instructor Appreciation Banquet held last month at the Waterbury-Stowe Fish and Game Club. It was a great (hot!) day where we were able to meet with other instructors from all over the state. There were some ideas that we got from that club that we will be discussing at the meeting as well.
Hunter Safety courses are listed on the states website and registrations are open! As of the writing of this newsletter there were lots of space available in both the firearms and archery courses. Firearms course will be held on Saturday August 6th and Archery to follow the next day Sunday August 7th. If anyone has any questions about the courses or where to register please do not hesitate to reach out to myself or any of the other officers/directors.
Update on the clubhouse progress! The trench has been dug for the communication and power lines as well as the holes drilled for the supports for the overhang on the edge of the building as well as the supports for that overhang have been milled.
Dennis Gaudet
Williamstown Fish and Game Club President
Calendar of Events - This calendar will be updated each month
7/13/22 July meeting
8/6/22 Firearms Hunter Safety Course
8/7/22 Archery Hunter Safety Course
8/27/22 Duck Race
9/14/22 September meeting
Hello to all Williamstown Fish and Game Club members!
This months meeting will be held at the new clubhouse! I personally get excited every time I go there to see the changes from the last time there and the excitement will remain the same at the time of the meeting, hope to see you there!
This months meeting we will be discussing the upcoming hunter safety courses, the progress on the clubhouse, whether or not there will be a firewood raffle this year, and of course the duck race!
Duck Race tickets are available at $5/ea or 5/$20 and that will be happening on 8/27/22. The grand prize of the duck race is $1000 and is always a fun time. Reach out with any questions or for tickets. It seems like there is a lot of time left before the duck race but as we all know it is going to go fast!
I have been very impressed with how little trash and debris has been left around at the range. I am tremendously grateful to everyone for doing their part and picking up after themselves/others when they are there. The place looks great. Keep up the good work!
Several of us were able to attend the Hunter Safety Instructor Appreciation Banquet held last month at the Waterbury-Stowe Fish and Game Club. It was a great (hot!) day where we were able to meet with other instructors from all over the state. There were some ideas that we got from that club that we will be discussing at the meeting as well.
Hunter Safety courses are listed on the states website and registrations are open! As of the writing of this newsletter there were lots of space available in both the firearms and archery courses. Firearms course will be held on Saturday August 6th and Archery to follow the next day Sunday August 7th. If anyone has any questions about the courses or where to register please do not hesitate to reach out to myself or any of the other officers/directors.
Update on the clubhouse progress! The trench has been dug for the communication and power lines as well as the holes drilled for the supports for the overhang on the edge of the building as well as the supports for that overhang have been milled.
Dennis Gaudet
Williamstown Fish and Game Club President
Calendar of Events - This calendar will be updated each month
7/13/22 July meeting
8/6/22 Firearms Hunter Safety Course
8/7/22 Archery Hunter Safety Course
8/27/22 Duck Race
9/14/22 September meeting
June 6, 2022
Hello to all Williamstown Fish and Game Club members!
This months meeting will FINALLY be held at the new clubhouse!! Yes it is still under construction so we won't be inside unless we absolutely have to be, but, we will be there and that feels so good to write!! As mentioned above if you can arrive a little early with the intention of helping pick up spent shell casings/trash or helping out with mowing or weed whacking.
At this months meeting we will be recapping the Big Game Raffle and the Joey Gingras Memorial Fishing Derby, as well as everything upcoming for the remainder of the year for the club.
The building is coming along very well and looks great. In no time we will be back to where we were before the fire! Huge shoutout and thank you to Scott McCarthy and his crew for really busting out the work there.
The Big Game Raffle has come and gone and it felt amazing to be back in person again after a couple years virtual. Big shoutout to The staff at the Roadhouse for helping put on a delicious meal as well as to Jim Hepsley, Marshall Cote, Bennet McFaun, Ralph Gerrish, Mark McCarthy, Larry Hebert, and Brent Kidder for their unwavering help and support to ensure the success of the night!
The Joey Gingras Memorial Fishing Derby happened this past Saturday at a new location this year. The pond that we were fortunate enough to be able to host the derby at is one that Joey fished years ago and is still owned by his Uncle. It was a beautiful day with 20 kids signed up to try their hand at securing dinner for their families. I lost track of the final number of fish caught and cleaned that day but it was somewhere around 30 with an amazing time had by all. Special thanks going out to Dan Beattie for allowing us to be at his property and share in his hard work of building and maintaining his pond. Majority of the fish that were caught were ones that had been in there for a significant amount of time and had none of the telltale fin clippings of a stocked fish. The joy and smiles from the kids and their parents as they brought up their fish to be cleaned is infectious and a difficult thing to describe. Pictures will be in next months newsletter because i was having trouble getting them loaded.
Duck Race tickets are available at $5/ea or 5/$20 and that will be happening on 8/27/22. The grand prize of the duck race is $1000 and is always a fun time. Reach out with any questions or for tickets.
Hope to see as many of you at the meeting as possible! If you can't make it but have some input on a topic please don't hesitate to reach out and we can make sure that your thoughts are included in the meeting. Thank you all for the continued support. This club is what it is because of the support of each and every member.
Dennis Gaudet
Williamstown Fish and Game Club President
Calendar of Events -- This calendar will be updated each month
6/8/22 June meeting
7/13/22 July meeting
8/6/22 Firearms Hunter Safety Course
8/7/22 Archery Hunter Safety Course
8/27/22 Duck Race
9/14/22 September meeting
Hello to all Williamstown Fish and Game Club members!
This months meeting will FINALLY be held at the new clubhouse!! Yes it is still under construction so we won't be inside unless we absolutely have to be, but, we will be there and that feels so good to write!! As mentioned above if you can arrive a little early with the intention of helping pick up spent shell casings/trash or helping out with mowing or weed whacking.
At this months meeting we will be recapping the Big Game Raffle and the Joey Gingras Memorial Fishing Derby, as well as everything upcoming for the remainder of the year for the club.
The building is coming along very well and looks great. In no time we will be back to where we were before the fire! Huge shoutout and thank you to Scott McCarthy and his crew for really busting out the work there.
The Big Game Raffle has come and gone and it felt amazing to be back in person again after a couple years virtual. Big shoutout to The staff at the Roadhouse for helping put on a delicious meal as well as to Jim Hepsley, Marshall Cote, Bennet McFaun, Ralph Gerrish, Mark McCarthy, Larry Hebert, and Brent Kidder for their unwavering help and support to ensure the success of the night!
The Joey Gingras Memorial Fishing Derby happened this past Saturday at a new location this year. The pond that we were fortunate enough to be able to host the derby at is one that Joey fished years ago and is still owned by his Uncle. It was a beautiful day with 20 kids signed up to try their hand at securing dinner for their families. I lost track of the final number of fish caught and cleaned that day but it was somewhere around 30 with an amazing time had by all. Special thanks going out to Dan Beattie for allowing us to be at his property and share in his hard work of building and maintaining his pond. Majority of the fish that were caught were ones that had been in there for a significant amount of time and had none of the telltale fin clippings of a stocked fish. The joy and smiles from the kids and their parents as they brought up their fish to be cleaned is infectious and a difficult thing to describe. Pictures will be in next months newsletter because i was having trouble getting them loaded.
Duck Race tickets are available at $5/ea or 5/$20 and that will be happening on 8/27/22. The grand prize of the duck race is $1000 and is always a fun time. Reach out with any questions or for tickets.
Hope to see as many of you at the meeting as possible! If you can't make it but have some input on a topic please don't hesitate to reach out and we can make sure that your thoughts are included in the meeting. Thank you all for the continued support. This club is what it is because of the support of each and every member.
Dennis Gaudet
Williamstown Fish and Game Club President
Calendar of Events -- This calendar will be updated each month
6/8/22 June meeting
7/13/22 July meeting
8/6/22 Firearms Hunter Safety Course
8/7/22 Archery Hunter Safety Course
8/27/22 Duck Race
9/14/22 September meeting
June 1, 2022
Joey Gingras Memorial Fishing Derby
Sponsored By the Williamstown Fish & Game Club
Saturday, June 4th
Location: Dan Beattie Residence, 122 Bearskat Road, Williamstown, VT
(located off from the Gilbert Road end nearest the Graniteville Road)
Ages: Open to ages 4-12
Registration: 8:30 / Fishing 9:00-Noon
Details: Participation Prizes / Bait / Lunch and Drinks Provided
For Additional Information Call: 476-9811
Hello to all Williamstown Fish and Game Club members!
We are excited to announce the time and place of this years Joey Gingras Memorial Fishing Derby. This years event will be held Saturday June 4th from 9:00 till noon. We will be at a new location this year, the residence of Dan Beattie at 122 Bearskat Road in Williamstown. Danny was the Uncle of Joey Gingras and is excited to host this years derby at his pond. We have toured the pond and it is an excellent venue and the fish were "jumping" when we were there! The State of Vermont will also be stocking the pond with additional fish so we expect there to be lots of great fishing activity for this years derby!
The Club will be offering prizes the bait for fishing and will also provide hot dogs, chips and beverages for all of those in attendance. This is a "rain or shine" event. Please spread the word all children ages 4 thru 12 are welcome.
For additional information you can contact Mark McCarthy at 476-9811.
Dennis Gaudet
Williamstown Fish and Game Club President
drygaudet@yahoo.com (860) 798-8781
Calendar of Events -- This calendar will be updated each month
6/4/22 Joey Gingras fishing derby
6/8/22 June meeting
7/13/22 July meeting
7/??/22 duck race
8/6/22 Firearms Hunter Safety Course
8/7/22 Archery Hunter Safety Course
9/14/22 September meeting
Joey Gingras Memorial Fishing Derby
Sponsored By the Williamstown Fish & Game Club
Saturday, June 4th
Location: Dan Beattie Residence, 122 Bearskat Road, Williamstown, VT
(located off from the Gilbert Road end nearest the Graniteville Road)
Ages: Open to ages 4-12
Registration: 8:30 / Fishing 9:00-Noon
Details: Participation Prizes / Bait / Lunch and Drinks Provided
For Additional Information Call: 476-9811
Hello to all Williamstown Fish and Game Club members!
We are excited to announce the time and place of this years Joey Gingras Memorial Fishing Derby. This years event will be held Saturday June 4th from 9:00 till noon. We will be at a new location this year, the residence of Dan Beattie at 122 Bearskat Road in Williamstown. Danny was the Uncle of Joey Gingras and is excited to host this years derby at his pond. We have toured the pond and it is an excellent venue and the fish were "jumping" when we were there! The State of Vermont will also be stocking the pond with additional fish so we expect there to be lots of great fishing activity for this years derby!
The Club will be offering prizes the bait for fishing and will also provide hot dogs, chips and beverages for all of those in attendance. This is a "rain or shine" event. Please spread the word all children ages 4 thru 12 are welcome.
For additional information you can contact Mark McCarthy at 476-9811.
Dennis Gaudet
Williamstown Fish and Game Club President
drygaudet@yahoo.com (860) 798-8781
Calendar of Events -- This calendar will be updated each month
6/4/22 Joey Gingras fishing derby
6/8/22 June meeting
7/13/22 July meeting
7/??/22 duck race
8/6/22 Firearms Hunter Safety Course
8/7/22 Archery Hunter Safety Course
9/14/22 September meeting
May 2022
Hello to all Williamstown Fish and Game Club members!
This months meeting will be held Wednesday May 11th at the American Legion in Barre at 7 PM. If there is ever a question about when the monthly meeting is the rule of thumb for meetings is as follows: First meeting of the year is the third Wednesday of January and every meeting after that is the second Wednesday of the month.
At this months meeting we will be discussing the upcoming Big Game Raffle and the other club fundraisers as well as the progress on building and updated timelines on getting a group of volunteers together to help with the grounds maintenance. We will also be talking about the Joey Gingras fishing derby.
The building is underway!!!!!!!!!!!! I stopped up to the range on my way home today and was amazed and so pleased to see the progress.
The Big Game Raffle is right around the corner! This is a calcutta style raffle and we do our best to secure donations to ensure that each number drawn goes home with a prize. If you have something that you would like to donate please reach out and one of us will be happy to pick it up from you at your convenience.
The Spring Gun Raffle is happening the night of the Big Game Raffle on May 14th. Tickets are still available if anyone is interested in them. The raffle is $10 a piece and for a Ruger American 7mm 08 rifle or a Tenpoint M370 Crossbow.
Duck Race tickets are also available at $5/ea or 5/$20 and that will be happening on 8/27/22. This is a change in schedule. We are changing the date to run at the same time as the Shangraw Truck Show and Shine event in town.
Hope to see as many of you at the meeting as possible! If you can't make it but have some input on a topic please don't hesitate to reach out and we can make sure that your thoughts are included in the meeting. Thank you all for the continued support. This club is what it is because of the support of each and every member.
There has been quite a bit of shooting of things other than targets attached to the target backer. This picture of the sign is from mid April. I was up there today and there is another hole with the two in the picture. This kind of disregard/stupidity is completely unacceptable and will not tolerated. If you see something say something.
Dennis Gaudet
Williamstown Fish and Game Club President
Hello to all Williamstown Fish and Game Club members!
This months meeting will be held Wednesday May 11th at the American Legion in Barre at 7 PM. If there is ever a question about when the monthly meeting is the rule of thumb for meetings is as follows: First meeting of the year is the third Wednesday of January and every meeting after that is the second Wednesday of the month.
At this months meeting we will be discussing the upcoming Big Game Raffle and the other club fundraisers as well as the progress on building and updated timelines on getting a group of volunteers together to help with the grounds maintenance. We will also be talking about the Joey Gingras fishing derby.
The building is underway!!!!!!!!!!!! I stopped up to the range on my way home today and was amazed and so pleased to see the progress.
The Big Game Raffle is right around the corner! This is a calcutta style raffle and we do our best to secure donations to ensure that each number drawn goes home with a prize. If you have something that you would like to donate please reach out and one of us will be happy to pick it up from you at your convenience.
The Spring Gun Raffle is happening the night of the Big Game Raffle on May 14th. Tickets are still available if anyone is interested in them. The raffle is $10 a piece and for a Ruger American 7mm 08 rifle or a Tenpoint M370 Crossbow.
Duck Race tickets are also available at $5/ea or 5/$20 and that will be happening on 8/27/22. This is a change in schedule. We are changing the date to run at the same time as the Shangraw Truck Show and Shine event in town.
Hope to see as many of you at the meeting as possible! If you can't make it but have some input on a topic please don't hesitate to reach out and we can make sure that your thoughts are included in the meeting. Thank you all for the continued support. This club is what it is because of the support of each and every member.
There has been quite a bit of shooting of things other than targets attached to the target backer. This picture of the sign is from mid April. I was up there today and there is another hole with the two in the picture. This kind of disregard/stupidity is completely unacceptable and will not tolerated. If you see something say something.
Dennis Gaudet
Williamstown Fish and Game Club President
April 2022
Hello to all Williamstown Fish and Game Club members!
This months meeting will be held Wednesday April 13th at the American Legion in Barre. If there is ever a question about when the monthly meeting is the rule of thumb for meetings is as follows: First meeting of the year is the third Wednesday of January and every meeting after that is the second Wednesday of the month.
Quick Recap of the Moose Feed Benefit Dinner held by the Barre Fish and Game Club. For those of you that were not in attendance and had not yet heard about the overwhelming success of it here is the information. In one night just shy of $23k was raised. I say again just shy of $23,000 in one night. It was truly an amazing thing to see the support from the community. I sat with Vice President Ralph Gerrish and watched as the night unfolded. There was a whole lot going on and was hard to keep track of everything as it was happening. By the end of the night when the initial tallying had been completed everyone remaining there was in awe. This fundraiser surpassed the expectations of everyone. I think I can safely speak for the entire club when I say this that we are tremendously grateful and will never likely be able to fully express just how incredible that support is. There were roughly 100 silent auction items and every single one of them was donated.
At this months meeting we will be discussing the upcoming Big Game Raffle and the other club fundraisers as well as the progress on building and updated timelines on getting a group of volunteers together to help with the grounds maintenance. We will also be talking about the Joey Gingras fishing derby.
The Big Game Raffle is just over a month away as of the writing of this newsletter. If you have had a ticket in the past and are interested in a ticket for this year please reach out to myself or any of the other officers or directors. Chances are you will have already received a call about it, but if not be prepared to get one soon! This is a calcutta style raffle and we do our best to secure donations to ensure that each number drawn goes home with a prize. If you have something that you would like to donate please reach out and one of us will be happy to pick it up from you at your convenience.
The Spring Gun Raffle is happening the night of the Big Game Raffle on May 14th. Tickets are still available if anyone is interested in them. The raffle is $10 a piece and for a Ruger American 7mm 08 rifle or a Tenpoint M370 Crossbow.
Duck Race tickets are also available at $5/ea or 5/$20 and that will be happening sometime in the month of July with the official date TBD depending on water levels in the brook.
Hope to see as many of you at the meeting as possible! If you can't make it but have some input on a topic please don't hesitate to reach out and we can make sure that your thoughts are included in the meeting. Thank you all for the continued support. This club is what it is because of the support of each and every member.
Dennis Gaudet
Williamstown Fish and Game Club President
drygaudet@yahoo.com (860) 798-8781
Calendar of Events -- This calendar will be updated each month
4/13/22 April Meeting
5/11/22 May Meeting
5/14/22 Big Game Raffle/Dinner and Spring Gun Raffle at The Roadhouse in Williamstown
6/4/22 Joey Gingras fishing derby
6/8/22 June meeting
7/13/22 July meeting
7/??/22 duck race
8/6/22 Firearms Hunter Safety Course
8/7/22 Archery Hunter Safety Course
9/14/22 September meeting
Hello to all Williamstown Fish and Game Club members!
This months meeting will be held Wednesday April 13th at the American Legion in Barre. If there is ever a question about when the monthly meeting is the rule of thumb for meetings is as follows: First meeting of the year is the third Wednesday of January and every meeting after that is the second Wednesday of the month.
Quick Recap of the Moose Feed Benefit Dinner held by the Barre Fish and Game Club. For those of you that were not in attendance and had not yet heard about the overwhelming success of it here is the information. In one night just shy of $23k was raised. I say again just shy of $23,000 in one night. It was truly an amazing thing to see the support from the community. I sat with Vice President Ralph Gerrish and watched as the night unfolded. There was a whole lot going on and was hard to keep track of everything as it was happening. By the end of the night when the initial tallying had been completed everyone remaining there was in awe. This fundraiser surpassed the expectations of everyone. I think I can safely speak for the entire club when I say this that we are tremendously grateful and will never likely be able to fully express just how incredible that support is. There were roughly 100 silent auction items and every single one of them was donated.
At this months meeting we will be discussing the upcoming Big Game Raffle and the other club fundraisers as well as the progress on building and updated timelines on getting a group of volunteers together to help with the grounds maintenance. We will also be talking about the Joey Gingras fishing derby.
The Big Game Raffle is just over a month away as of the writing of this newsletter. If you have had a ticket in the past and are interested in a ticket for this year please reach out to myself or any of the other officers or directors. Chances are you will have already received a call about it, but if not be prepared to get one soon! This is a calcutta style raffle and we do our best to secure donations to ensure that each number drawn goes home with a prize. If you have something that you would like to donate please reach out and one of us will be happy to pick it up from you at your convenience.
The Spring Gun Raffle is happening the night of the Big Game Raffle on May 14th. Tickets are still available if anyone is interested in them. The raffle is $10 a piece and for a Ruger American 7mm 08 rifle or a Tenpoint M370 Crossbow.
Duck Race tickets are also available at $5/ea or 5/$20 and that will be happening sometime in the month of July with the official date TBD depending on water levels in the brook.
Hope to see as many of you at the meeting as possible! If you can't make it but have some input on a topic please don't hesitate to reach out and we can make sure that your thoughts are included in the meeting. Thank you all for the continued support. This club is what it is because of the support of each and every member.
Dennis Gaudet
Williamstown Fish and Game Club President
drygaudet@yahoo.com (860) 798-8781
Calendar of Events -- This calendar will be updated each month
4/13/22 April Meeting
5/11/22 May Meeting
5/14/22 Big Game Raffle/Dinner and Spring Gun Raffle at The Roadhouse in Williamstown
6/4/22 Joey Gingras fishing derby
6/8/22 June meeting
7/13/22 July meeting
7/??/22 duck race
8/6/22 Firearms Hunter Safety Course
8/7/22 Archery Hunter Safety Course
9/14/22 September meeting
March 2022
Hello to all Williamstown Fish and Game Club members!
This months meeting will be held Wednesday March 9th at the American Legion in Barre. If there is ever a question about when the monthly meeting is the rule of thumb for meetings is as follows: First meeting of the year is the third Wednesday of January and every meeting after that is the second Wednesday of the month.
At this months meeting we will finish the annual elections. There is still one director position to be filled. We will touch further on the clubhouse rebuild and process as well as if there are any additional material quotes received. We will be discussing in depth the Moose Feed being held by the Barre Fish and Game Club to benefit us on March 19th at the BFGC clubhouse. Also going to be going over the other fundraisers that are in the works (gun raffle, big game raffle, and duck race) as well as any additional fundraising opportunities.
With Town Meeting Day now in the rear view we have some exciting news! Mark McCarthy was able to give up some of his precious time and go to the town meeting in Williamstown and represent the club in its request for tax exemption. I don't know whether it was his charm or the good grace of the town, possibly a combination of both but we are now tax exempt for 5 years! Thank you Mark!!
One of the things that we as a club are looking for this year is a new location for the fish to be placed for the Joey Gingras fishing derby held this year on 6/4/22. This is an awesome event with fun had by all. We are looking for a private pond that we can place the fish into hopefully with a better chance of them carrying over year to year. If anyone is aware of a pond please reach out to myself or any other officer or director with the information.
The Moose Feed was touched on pretty heavily in the previous email sent out by Mark but I will recap the important information here quickly. Tickets are $40 each, meal is March 19th at the Barre Fish and Game Club. Mark McCarthy has tickets if anyone is interested. As a club we cannot thank the Barre Fish and Game Club enough for their generosity and willingness to help us out. If this event is anywhere near as successful as their venison feed then our club is going to have a chunk more to help offset the costs of the rebuild.
Hope to see as many of you at the meeting as possible! If you can't make it but have some input on a topic please don't hesitate to reach out and we can make sure that your thoughts are included in the meeting. Thank you all for the continued support. This club is what it is because of the support of each and every member.
Dennis Gaudet
Williamstown Fish and Game Club President
drygaudet@yahoo.com
(860) 798-8781
Calendar of Events - This calendar will be updated each month
3/9/22 March meeting
3/19/22 Moose Feed held at Barre Fish and Game Club
4/13/22 April Meeting
5/11/22 May Meeting
5/14/22 Big Game Raffle/Dinner and Spring Gun Raffle at The Roadhouse in Williamstown
6/4/22 Joey Gingras fishing derby
6/8/22 June meeting
7/13/22 July meeting
7/??/22 duck race
8/6/22 Firearms Hunter Safety Course
8/7/22 Archery Hunter Safety Course
9/14/22 September meeting
March 1, 2022
Williamstown Fish & Game Club Benefit Moose Feed
Happy March to you all!
We are excited to announce that tickets are now available for our "Benefit Moose Feed" to help in the raising of funds to rebuild our Club house lost to fire last summer. This is going to be a fun filled evening hosted by our friends at the "Barre Fish & Game Club" The feed is being held on Saturday March 19th with doors opening at 5:30 PM.
A quick run down of the evenings festivities are as follows:
Ticket cost will be $40.00 per person with all proceeds going to the Williamstown Fish & Game Club House rebuilding fund. The event is "BYOB" with doors opening and "Happy Hour" commencing at 5:30 PM. This will be a perfect time to socialize and mingle with friends and family. This will also be a good time to check out all of the great items donated to the silent auction as well as taking a chance on winning one of several firearms that will be available at the event.
The highlight of the evening will commence at 6:30, the moose feed with all the fixings expertly prepared by Club volunteers. The evening will close with the announcing of all the "lucky" silent auction winners and the drawing of the raffles to award the firearms being offered.
We will have the ability to accept credit cards the evening of the feed for payment of silent auction items and raffle tickets for the firearm raffles.
Tickets are available from Mark McCarthy who can be reached at 522-4000 and Brian Bailey who can be reached at 793-8948.
Seating is limited so don't wait to purchase your tickets!
Thank you to the entire Barre Fish & Game Club, Brian Bailey and Adam Martin for making this event possible!
Hope to see you all there!
Williamstown Fish & Game Club
Williamstown Fish & Game Club Benefit Moose Feed
Happy March to you all!
We are excited to announce that tickets are now available for our "Benefit Moose Feed" to help in the raising of funds to rebuild our Club house lost to fire last summer. This is going to be a fun filled evening hosted by our friends at the "Barre Fish & Game Club" The feed is being held on Saturday March 19th with doors opening at 5:30 PM.
A quick run down of the evenings festivities are as follows:
Ticket cost will be $40.00 per person with all proceeds going to the Williamstown Fish & Game Club House rebuilding fund. The event is "BYOB" with doors opening and "Happy Hour" commencing at 5:30 PM. This will be a perfect time to socialize and mingle with friends and family. This will also be a good time to check out all of the great items donated to the silent auction as well as taking a chance on winning one of several firearms that will be available at the event.
The highlight of the evening will commence at 6:30, the moose feed with all the fixings expertly prepared by Club volunteers. The evening will close with the announcing of all the "lucky" silent auction winners and the drawing of the raffles to award the firearms being offered.
We will have the ability to accept credit cards the evening of the feed for payment of silent auction items and raffle tickets for the firearm raffles.
Tickets are available from Mark McCarthy who can be reached at 522-4000 and Brian Bailey who can be reached at 793-8948.
Seating is limited so don't wait to purchase your tickets!
Thank you to the entire Barre Fish & Game Club, Brian Bailey and Adam Martin for making this event possible!
Hope to see you all there!
Williamstown Fish & Game Club
February 2022
Hello to all Williamstown Fish and Game Club members!
This months meeting will be held Wednesday February 9th at the American Legion in Barre. Masks are still strongly recommended and we will be social distanced. If there is ever a question about when the monthly meeting is the rule of thumb for meetings is as follows: First meeting of the year is the third Wednesday of January and every meeting after that is the second Wednesday of the month.
To be discussed at this months meeting will first and foremost be the clubs annual elections for open positions. Positions up for election this year are the secretary and treasurer positions as well as 3 director positions. We could not hold the elections at the first meeting of the year due to the meeting not being announced with enough notice to fulfill the clubs bylaws as well as not enough people in attendance at the meeting. We hope to have some new faces joining the ranks! We will also be discussing all of the upcoming fundraisers as well as the status of the clubhouse rebuild. I know we have received material quotes from a couple of local lumber yards and we are checking with other options as well to find the best value for our funds.
Some new and exciting news for all of us is we now have the ability to take credit card payments in person! This can be used for memberships, shares and raffle tickets!
The new membership cards are in and ready to be filled out with every new membership purchase.
The written newsletter and membership raffle ticket forms are going out in the mail in the next couple of days so everyone keep their eyes peeled for those.
I know it is difficult to think about mowing the lawn and grounds maintenance when we are all still digging out from this most recent snow storm but it is something that we need to be thinking of and prepping for. If you are someone that has time available on Mondays and would like to pitch in to help keep our club in the best shape we are able to please reach out and let us know. Many hands make light work and we would be glad to spread the workload around to many people as opposed to a couple of willing volunteers.
Dennis Gaudet
Williamstown Fish and Game Club President
Calendar of Events -- This calendar will be updated each month
2/9/22 Feb. meeting
3/9/22 March meeting
3/19/22 potential reschedule date for the Moose Dinner
4/13/22 April Meeting
5/11/22 May Meeting
5/14/22 potential date for Big Game Raffle/Dinner and Spring Gun Raffle
6/4/22 Joey Gingras fishing derby
6/8/22 June meeting
7/13/22 July meeting
7/??/22 Duck Race
8/6/22 Firearms Hunter Safety Course
8/7/22 Archery Hunter Safety Course
9/14/22 September meeting
Hello to all Williamstown Fish and Game Club members!
This months meeting will be held Wednesday February 9th at the American Legion in Barre. Masks are still strongly recommended and we will be social distanced. If there is ever a question about when the monthly meeting is the rule of thumb for meetings is as follows: First meeting of the year is the third Wednesday of January and every meeting after that is the second Wednesday of the month.
To be discussed at this months meeting will first and foremost be the clubs annual elections for open positions. Positions up for election this year are the secretary and treasurer positions as well as 3 director positions. We could not hold the elections at the first meeting of the year due to the meeting not being announced with enough notice to fulfill the clubs bylaws as well as not enough people in attendance at the meeting. We hope to have some new faces joining the ranks! We will also be discussing all of the upcoming fundraisers as well as the status of the clubhouse rebuild. I know we have received material quotes from a couple of local lumber yards and we are checking with other options as well to find the best value for our funds.
Some new and exciting news for all of us is we now have the ability to take credit card payments in person! This can be used for memberships, shares and raffle tickets!
The new membership cards are in and ready to be filled out with every new membership purchase.
The written newsletter and membership raffle ticket forms are going out in the mail in the next couple of days so everyone keep their eyes peeled for those.
I know it is difficult to think about mowing the lawn and grounds maintenance when we are all still digging out from this most recent snow storm but it is something that we need to be thinking of and prepping for. If you are someone that has time available on Mondays and would like to pitch in to help keep our club in the best shape we are able to please reach out and let us know. Many hands make light work and we would be glad to spread the workload around to many people as opposed to a couple of willing volunteers.
Dennis Gaudet
Williamstown Fish and Game Club President
Calendar of Events -- This calendar will be updated each month
2/9/22 Feb. meeting
3/9/22 March meeting
3/19/22 potential reschedule date for the Moose Dinner
4/13/22 April Meeting
5/11/22 May Meeting
5/14/22 potential date for Big Game Raffle/Dinner and Spring Gun Raffle
6/4/22 Joey Gingras fishing derby
6/8/22 June meeting
7/13/22 July meeting
7/??/22 Duck Race
8/6/22 Firearms Hunter Safety Course
8/7/22 Archery Hunter Safety Course
9/14/22 September meeting
January 2022
Hello to all Williamstown Fish and Game Club members!
The meeting will be held this Wednesday January 19th at 7 pm at the American Legion in Barre. Masks will be required as well as being fully vaccinated. There should be enough room for everyone to have 6 feet between each other but with the current spike we do not want to take any chances. It should go without saying that if you don't feel well please stay home. There will be more meetings and there will be meeting minutes available at the request of anyone that would like to see them.
Happy New Year! I hope everyone had as many days afield as they were able to and came home with some good stories and new knowledge at the very least. With the colder weather arriving it is time for those of us that enjoy winter sports to cherish the time hunting, and look forward to the next time to dust off the firearm/bow and get outside for some cold weather fun.
With the new year it is time to start thinking about nominations for the yearly elections for the club. Positions up for vote this year are the clubs secretary and treasurer positions as well as three director positions. If you or someone you know has any interest in any of those positions please do not hesitate to reach out with any questions and throw your name into the hat!
This year is going to be an exciting year for the club! As saddening and disheartening as it was to watch the clubhouse be destroyed, it means a new chapter is starting. We will be looking for contractors to put in bids for the clubhouse rebuild. If you or anyone you know has any interest in that please reach out and we can get you some plans to give you the best information available to accurately bid the job. That being said there are likely to be a tremendous amount of volunteer hours needed for this upcoming year, and I look forward to seeing many of you there!
Everyone will see something a little bit different when they purchase their memberships this year. We are raising the membership price to $40. This is simply due to the fact that since the inception of the club there have been many increases in overall cost to run the club and there has yet to be an increase in membership price. Along with that there will be a "Gold" level membership for $100 that will include a one off member gift along with a certain amount to go towards raffle tickets of your choosing (except the big game raffle). We are going to have to fundraise at a level not seen before this year in order to get the clubhouse rebuilt. Yes, we did get a check from the insurance company, but sadly the amount of that check is falling significantly short of the initial estimates for rebuild. More details will be discussed at the meeting and I'm sure at meetings in the future as well.
Items to be discussed at this upcoming meeting are all of the upcoming raffles/fundraisers (big game, gun raffle, duck race, etc.) hunter safety courses, progression of the grounds and new building, stories from recent seasons and much much more.
Everyone keep an eye out in their mailboxes for the printed copy of the newsletter which will be much more in depth and will include the membership renewal, share purchase, and raffle ticket forms.
Dennis Gaudet
Williamstown Fish and Game Club President
drygaudet@yahoo.com (860) 798-8781
Hello to all Williamstown Fish and Game Club members!
The meeting will be held this Wednesday January 19th at 7 pm at the American Legion in Barre. Masks will be required as well as being fully vaccinated. There should be enough room for everyone to have 6 feet between each other but with the current spike we do not want to take any chances. It should go without saying that if you don't feel well please stay home. There will be more meetings and there will be meeting minutes available at the request of anyone that would like to see them.
Happy New Year! I hope everyone had as many days afield as they were able to and came home with some good stories and new knowledge at the very least. With the colder weather arriving it is time for those of us that enjoy winter sports to cherish the time hunting, and look forward to the next time to dust off the firearm/bow and get outside for some cold weather fun.
With the new year it is time to start thinking about nominations for the yearly elections for the club. Positions up for vote this year are the clubs secretary and treasurer positions as well as three director positions. If you or someone you know has any interest in any of those positions please do not hesitate to reach out with any questions and throw your name into the hat!
This year is going to be an exciting year for the club! As saddening and disheartening as it was to watch the clubhouse be destroyed, it means a new chapter is starting. We will be looking for contractors to put in bids for the clubhouse rebuild. If you or anyone you know has any interest in that please reach out and we can get you some plans to give you the best information available to accurately bid the job. That being said there are likely to be a tremendous amount of volunteer hours needed for this upcoming year, and I look forward to seeing many of you there!
Everyone will see something a little bit different when they purchase their memberships this year. We are raising the membership price to $40. This is simply due to the fact that since the inception of the club there have been many increases in overall cost to run the club and there has yet to be an increase in membership price. Along with that there will be a "Gold" level membership for $100 that will include a one off member gift along with a certain amount to go towards raffle tickets of your choosing (except the big game raffle). We are going to have to fundraise at a level not seen before this year in order to get the clubhouse rebuilt. Yes, we did get a check from the insurance company, but sadly the amount of that check is falling significantly short of the initial estimates for rebuild. More details will be discussed at the meeting and I'm sure at meetings in the future as well.
Items to be discussed at this upcoming meeting are all of the upcoming raffles/fundraisers (big game, gun raffle, duck race, etc.) hunter safety courses, progression of the grounds and new building, stories from recent seasons and much much more.
Everyone keep an eye out in their mailboxes for the printed copy of the newsletter which will be much more in depth and will include the membership renewal, share purchase, and raffle ticket forms.
Dennis Gaudet
Williamstown Fish and Game Club President
drygaudet@yahoo.com (860) 798-8781
September 14, 2021
Hello to all Williamstown Fish and Game Club members!
We have scheduled one more work day to try and get the rest of the wood from the power line work cleaned up. This is going to be happening on Sunday September 26th at 8 am and going until we have completed work. Lunch and water will be provided. Yes, we are aware it is the weekend before bow season starts and the opening weekend of partridge and rabbit/hare season but we really do need to get this done. At the last clean up weekend we managed to get a pretty good chunk of the wood taken care of but there is plenty more to go. As with all things the more the merrier!
If you are able to make it be prepared to get dirty and play with wood. If you have a chainsaw by all means bring it. If you have a wood splitter that is always a good thing. If you happen to have a dump body pick up truck that would be even more amazing. Feel free to reach out with any questions and if you are able to be there and with what equipment.
Thanks everyone for all the support and making this club into what it is today!
Dennis Gaudet
President of the Williamstown Fish and Game Club
(860) 798-8781
drygaudet@yahoo.com
Hello to all Williamstown Fish and Game Club members!
We have scheduled one more work day to try and get the rest of the wood from the power line work cleaned up. This is going to be happening on Sunday September 26th at 8 am and going until we have completed work. Lunch and water will be provided. Yes, we are aware it is the weekend before bow season starts and the opening weekend of partridge and rabbit/hare season but we really do need to get this done. At the last clean up weekend we managed to get a pretty good chunk of the wood taken care of but there is plenty more to go. As with all things the more the merrier!
If you are able to make it be prepared to get dirty and play with wood. If you have a chainsaw by all means bring it. If you have a wood splitter that is always a good thing. If you happen to have a dump body pick up truck that would be even more amazing. Feel free to reach out with any questions and if you are able to be there and with what equipment.
Thanks everyone for all the support and making this club into what it is today!
Dennis Gaudet
President of the Williamstown Fish and Game Club
(860) 798-8781
drygaudet@yahoo.com
September 6, 2021
Hello to all Williamstown Fish and Game Club members!
Our September monthly meeting will be held this Wednesday, September 8th at 7 pm at the American Legion in Barre.
September marks the start of some of the best months of the year. Already there have been some nice bears reported at local reporting stations. Along with the start of the early bear season there are also some other seasons that kicked off as well. Gray Squirrel kicked off on the first along with the resident Canada Goose season. Many seasons are starting later in the month with Whitetail Deer archery season starting on October 1st. Always double check season dates as well as sunrise and sundown times prior to a day afield.
The duck race came and went by on Saturday August 28th. There were 631 ducks sold and dumped in the brook for a quick float down to Seaver field. Marion Gray was set up at the farmers market and truck show selling some last minute tickets while Mark McCarthy and myself were clearing out the brook and ensuring a seamless float for all the ducks. While I was chasing the stragglers down the brook there was several kids that saw the ducks floating and were very anxious to help catch the ducks at the end. We were very grateful for their help because there were a couple of ducks that managed to sneak by Mark and Marion. All in all, thanks to the support from the membership base and the community it was once again a successful fundraiser and we are looking forward to next year.
This meeting will likely be a recap of the duck race as well as the starting discussions of the rebuild process and possibly another work day/weekend being scheduled.
Hope to see everyone there and I wish everyone a safe and educational set of hunting seasons!
Dennis Gaudet
Williamstown Fish and Game Club President
drygaudet@yahoo.com (860) 798-8781
Hello to all Williamstown Fish and Game Club members!
Our September monthly meeting will be held this Wednesday, September 8th at 7 pm at the American Legion in Barre.
September marks the start of some of the best months of the year. Already there have been some nice bears reported at local reporting stations. Along with the start of the early bear season there are also some other seasons that kicked off as well. Gray Squirrel kicked off on the first along with the resident Canada Goose season. Many seasons are starting later in the month with Whitetail Deer archery season starting on October 1st. Always double check season dates as well as sunrise and sundown times prior to a day afield.
The duck race came and went by on Saturday August 28th. There were 631 ducks sold and dumped in the brook for a quick float down to Seaver field. Marion Gray was set up at the farmers market and truck show selling some last minute tickets while Mark McCarthy and myself were clearing out the brook and ensuring a seamless float for all the ducks. While I was chasing the stragglers down the brook there was several kids that saw the ducks floating and were very anxious to help catch the ducks at the end. We were very grateful for their help because there were a couple of ducks that managed to sneak by Mark and Marion. All in all, thanks to the support from the membership base and the community it was once again a successful fundraiser and we are looking forward to next year.
This meeting will likely be a recap of the duck race as well as the starting discussions of the rebuild process and possibly another work day/weekend being scheduled.
Hope to see everyone there and I wish everyone a safe and educational set of hunting seasons!
Dennis Gaudet
Williamstown Fish and Game Club President
drygaudet@yahoo.com (860) 798-8781
August 13, 2021
This past weekend was one for the history books for the club. On both Saturday and Sunday we had a fantastic turn out of volunteers to help clean up after the fire. Between both days we managed to clean up and remove all of the debris from the fire, and cut, split, move and stack about 1/3 of the wood cut from the power company to run the power lines. We still have more wood to cut, split and stack so keep your eyes open for the next announcement of a work day/weekend for that. All of the wood that is being cut is going to be raffled at a further date. All the work that was done could not have been accomplished without the help and equipment from Steve Bigras. Huge thank you to him for bringing up his mini excavator to safely remove the roof structure and break down the remaining chunks of the building. Not only did it make the work go much faster but exponentially safer as well. The complete list of volunteers from this weekend is Steve Bigras, Mark McCarthy, Steve and Marion Gray, Ralph Gerrish, Cody and Jaden Griggs, Rod Small Jr. and his son Zach, Mike and Carol Noury, Jim Saunders, Mark Laperle, Ned McCarthy, Ben Kempen and myself. Without the tireless effort of everyone that was able to be there we would not be where we are today. We were able to get all the debris removed and down to a bare slab to be prepped for the rebuild. We are going to have someone come up and look at the slab to verify that it is ok for us to build on and that there isn't any damage to it that will cause issues.
With all of that being said I am happy to say that the range is now once again open for shooting. As always please have your membership card with you and prepared to show it if asked. Please be respectful when there. Not only to other club members but also to the neighbors (no shot groups over 5 shots) and to the range itself. Please only hang your targets on the target backers and not on the poles for the berm or the structures down range. It is easy to see that some people have abused the structures (shotgun pellets in the tin on the top of the berm structure and bullet holes all over the place).
I hope to see/meet many more of you over the coming months.
Remember push the duck race tickets! The race will be happening on August 28th. If you have any questions or need tickets please reach out and I will be glad to answer them or get tickets to you.
Thank you all for the understanding through out this unique time.
Dennis Gaudet
President Williamstown Fish and Game Club
860-798-8781
drygaudet@yahoo.com
This past weekend was one for the history books for the club. On both Saturday and Sunday we had a fantastic turn out of volunteers to help clean up after the fire. Between both days we managed to clean up and remove all of the debris from the fire, and cut, split, move and stack about 1/3 of the wood cut from the power company to run the power lines. We still have more wood to cut, split and stack so keep your eyes open for the next announcement of a work day/weekend for that. All of the wood that is being cut is going to be raffled at a further date. All the work that was done could not have been accomplished without the help and equipment from Steve Bigras. Huge thank you to him for bringing up his mini excavator to safely remove the roof structure and break down the remaining chunks of the building. Not only did it make the work go much faster but exponentially safer as well. The complete list of volunteers from this weekend is Steve Bigras, Mark McCarthy, Steve and Marion Gray, Ralph Gerrish, Cody and Jaden Griggs, Rod Small Jr. and his son Zach, Mike and Carol Noury, Jim Saunders, Mark Laperle, Ned McCarthy, Ben Kempen and myself. Without the tireless effort of everyone that was able to be there we would not be where we are today. We were able to get all the debris removed and down to a bare slab to be prepped for the rebuild. We are going to have someone come up and look at the slab to verify that it is ok for us to build on and that there isn't any damage to it that will cause issues.
With all of that being said I am happy to say that the range is now once again open for shooting. As always please have your membership card with you and prepared to show it if asked. Please be respectful when there. Not only to other club members but also to the neighbors (no shot groups over 5 shots) and to the range itself. Please only hang your targets on the target backers and not on the poles for the berm or the structures down range. It is easy to see that some people have abused the structures (shotgun pellets in the tin on the top of the berm structure and bullet holes all over the place).
I hope to see/meet many more of you over the coming months.
Remember push the duck race tickets! The race will be happening on August 28th. If you have any questions or need tickets please reach out and I will be glad to answer them or get tickets to you.
Thank you all for the understanding through out this unique time.
Dennis Gaudet
President Williamstown Fish and Game Club
860-798-8781
drygaudet@yahoo.com
August 2021
Hello to all Williamstown Fish and Game Club members!
Our August monthly meeting will be held next Tuesday August 10th at 7 pm at the American Legion in Barre. This is not only a change of venue but also a change in day of the week from the normal meeting day.
First and foremost thank you all for the continued support through all of this. This upcoming meeting we will be discussing the upcoming duck race which we will hold on Saturday August 28th. The genuine hope is that we can drum up enough interest and sell enough duck tickets that we will need to find a larger brook to dump the ducks in! Ducks are $5 a piece or 5/$20. If you have interest in buying some duck tickets please reach out to myself or any of the other officers or directors and we can get you set up with all the ducks you could ever desire. We will also talk at length about the current situation with the clubhouse and where we stand on progressing towards the rebuild.
Speaking of the rebuild. That can't happen without first there being a very large cleanup process. That is going to be starting this weekend August 7th and 8th. While we wish we were hosting hunter safety courses in the clubhouse we are instead devoting all our time and energy to the cleanup process. Sunday is going to be the big day for the clubhouse remains to be cleaned up as that is the day that the mini excavator and operator are available. Saturday can also be a very busy day. If you are able to come out and help cleanup please reach out to myself or any of the officers or directors and let us know what your availability is so we can plan accordingly. If you are able to come and you have any cordless power tools they will come in handy for sure. Also chainsaws are going to be very useful. Most importantly dress in grubby clothes wear gloves and sturdy closed toe shoes. We want it cleaned up but most importantly we want to make sure that everyone leaves with all the parts and pieces that they arrived with. Many hands make a lot of work go quickly. On Saturday we won't be able to do a tremendous amount with the building but there is plenty that can be done.
Hope to see everyone there!
Dennis Gaudet
Williamstown Fish and Game Club President
drygaudet@yahoo.com (860) 798-8781
Hello to all Williamstown Fish and Game Club members!
Our August monthly meeting will be held next Tuesday August 10th at 7 pm at the American Legion in Barre. This is not only a change of venue but also a change in day of the week from the normal meeting day.
First and foremost thank you all for the continued support through all of this. This upcoming meeting we will be discussing the upcoming duck race which we will hold on Saturday August 28th. The genuine hope is that we can drum up enough interest and sell enough duck tickets that we will need to find a larger brook to dump the ducks in! Ducks are $5 a piece or 5/$20. If you have interest in buying some duck tickets please reach out to myself or any of the other officers or directors and we can get you set up with all the ducks you could ever desire. We will also talk at length about the current situation with the clubhouse and where we stand on progressing towards the rebuild.
Speaking of the rebuild. That can't happen without first there being a very large cleanup process. That is going to be starting this weekend August 7th and 8th. While we wish we were hosting hunter safety courses in the clubhouse we are instead devoting all our time and energy to the cleanup process. Sunday is going to be the big day for the clubhouse remains to be cleaned up as that is the day that the mini excavator and operator are available. Saturday can also be a very busy day. If you are able to come out and help cleanup please reach out to myself or any of the officers or directors and let us know what your availability is so we can plan accordingly. If you are able to come and you have any cordless power tools they will come in handy for sure. Also chainsaws are going to be very useful. Most importantly dress in grubby clothes wear gloves and sturdy closed toe shoes. We want it cleaned up but most importantly we want to make sure that everyone leaves with all the parts and pieces that they arrived with. Many hands make a lot of work go quickly. On Saturday we won't be able to do a tremendous amount with the building but there is plenty that can be done.
Hope to see everyone there!
Dennis Gaudet
Williamstown Fish and Game Club President
drygaudet@yahoo.com (860) 798-8781
July 22, 2021
Well the last 24 hours have been very interesting for the Williamstown Fish and Game Club. As the time has passed (very slowly I might add) and I have had time to reflect on the events from last night and this morning, I have experienced a full range of emotions. Everything from straight rage down to despair and sadness. I have not been involved with the club for nearly as long as many of our members so I can only imagine how they are feeling. Bottom line is we all suffered a terrible loss last night.
Several officers and directors met at the grounds this morning with the fire department as well as the group of fire investigators. As their work unfolded before our eyes they came to the conclusion that the cause of the fire was a lightning strike. They were unable to pinpoint the exact point of impact of the strike due to the amount of damage and total destruction. However, they were able to figure out that there was enough heat produced from the bolt of lightning that it melted the aluminum inside of the deep fryer placed in the kitchen and the aluminum pooled up on the concrete underneath it. We know that people are going to want to get up there and see the remains of the clubhouse, BUT we ask that you give the insurance company and the investigators to conclude everything that they need with the building.
AS OF RIGHT NOW THE GROUNDS ARE CLOSED. It is currently not safe and we please ask that you do not go there. This is temporary and will be lifted as soon as it is deemed safe to do so.
We will undoubtedly be having many work days in the upcoming days. Please pay attention to your email inboxes and if you are able to help please do. With work days the more the merrier.
If anyone has any pictures of the clubhouse (interior or exterior) please send them to myself or our secretary/treasurer Marion Gray at mgsutpl@comcast.net.
Dennis Gaudet
President Williamstown Fish and Game Club
Well the last 24 hours have been very interesting for the Williamstown Fish and Game Club. As the time has passed (very slowly I might add) and I have had time to reflect on the events from last night and this morning, I have experienced a full range of emotions. Everything from straight rage down to despair and sadness. I have not been involved with the club for nearly as long as many of our members so I can only imagine how they are feeling. Bottom line is we all suffered a terrible loss last night.
Several officers and directors met at the grounds this morning with the fire department as well as the group of fire investigators. As their work unfolded before our eyes they came to the conclusion that the cause of the fire was a lightning strike. They were unable to pinpoint the exact point of impact of the strike due to the amount of damage and total destruction. However, they were able to figure out that there was enough heat produced from the bolt of lightning that it melted the aluminum inside of the deep fryer placed in the kitchen and the aluminum pooled up on the concrete underneath it. We know that people are going to want to get up there and see the remains of the clubhouse, BUT we ask that you give the insurance company and the investigators to conclude everything that they need with the building.
AS OF RIGHT NOW THE GROUNDS ARE CLOSED. It is currently not safe and we please ask that you do not go there. This is temporary and will be lifted as soon as it is deemed safe to do so.
We will undoubtedly be having many work days in the upcoming days. Please pay attention to your email inboxes and if you are able to help please do. With work days the more the merrier.
If anyone has any pictures of the clubhouse (interior or exterior) please send them to myself or our secretary/treasurer Marion Gray at mgsutpl@comcast.net.
Dennis Gaudet
President Williamstown Fish and Game Club
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July 21, 2021
I wish that I never had to write something like this. Tonight just after 9:30 PM I received a call from a neighbor of the club saying that the clubhouse was currently on fire. By the time I arrived the Williamstown Fire Department was on scene followed shortly after by departments from Chelsea, Washington, Barre Town and Northfield. Unfortunately the clubhouse has all but burned to the ground. Vice President Ralph Gerrish former President Mark McCarthy and I stood at the shooting stand in disbelief as we watched the fire fighters do everything that they are trained to do.
As of right now the range will be closed to give the fire investigators time to do what they do. We will be keeping everyone updated through another email as we learn more information.
Thank you to all the first responders!!!!
Dennis Gaudet
President Williamstown Fish and Game Club
I wish that I never had to write something like this. Tonight just after 9:30 PM I received a call from a neighbor of the club saying that the clubhouse was currently on fire. By the time I arrived the Williamstown Fire Department was on scene followed shortly after by departments from Chelsea, Washington, Barre Town and Northfield. Unfortunately the clubhouse has all but burned to the ground. Vice President Ralph Gerrish former President Mark McCarthy and I stood at the shooting stand in disbelief as we watched the fire fighters do everything that they are trained to do.
As of right now the range will be closed to give the fire investigators time to do what they do. We will be keeping everyone updated through another email as we learn more information.
Thank you to all the first responders!!!!
Dennis Gaudet
President Williamstown Fish and Game Club
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July 12, 2021
Hello to all Williamstown Fish and Game Club members!
Our July monthly meeting will be held this Wednesday July 14th at the Club house starting at 7:00 PM hope to see you all there.
The year seems to be flying by! With that being said it means that the undisputed best time of year is coming just around the corner. At the beginning of next month the club will be hosting our annual firearm and bow hunter safety courses. Saturday August 7th for the firearms course and Sunday August 9th for the bow hunter course. As of the writing of this newsletter there were still plenty of open slots for both courses!
Before we can get to the hunter safety courses however, we have our duck race to contend with! Get out there and sell as many tickets as possible. If you would like some tickets and aren't sure where to get them from come to the meeting and we will be glad to get you set up with all the tickets your heart can desire. We still have plenty of "ducks" left! Ducks are $5.00 each or 5 ducks for $20.00. Contact Mark McCarthy or any Club officer or director to purchase. The grand prize is $1000.00!
We will also be discussing the progress being made on getting power brought up from the main road to the clubhouse! I for one am very excited about this happening. Since I first became involved with the club we have made huge strides in the work and completion of the clubhouse itself.
Now on to some of the not so fun stuff. As always if you see something say something. That goes for anything that seems out of place at the club. Whether it be someone doing something that doesn't make you feel comfortable/safe or if you see someone blatantly breaking the rules. Those rules are put in place for the safety of not only the club members but also our neighbors.
Grounds maintenance is ongoing. If anyone has availability on Mondays to help with the mowing please don't hesitate to reach out, or better yet come to the meeting and throw your name in the hat!
Hope to see everyone there
Dennis Gaudet
Williamstown Fish and Game Club President
Hello to all Williamstown Fish and Game Club members!
Our July monthly meeting will be held this Wednesday July 14th at the Club house starting at 7:00 PM hope to see you all there.
The year seems to be flying by! With that being said it means that the undisputed best time of year is coming just around the corner. At the beginning of next month the club will be hosting our annual firearm and bow hunter safety courses. Saturday August 7th for the firearms course and Sunday August 9th for the bow hunter course. As of the writing of this newsletter there were still plenty of open slots for both courses!
Before we can get to the hunter safety courses however, we have our duck race to contend with! Get out there and sell as many tickets as possible. If you would like some tickets and aren't sure where to get them from come to the meeting and we will be glad to get you set up with all the tickets your heart can desire. We still have plenty of "ducks" left! Ducks are $5.00 each or 5 ducks for $20.00. Contact Mark McCarthy or any Club officer or director to purchase. The grand prize is $1000.00!
We will also be discussing the progress being made on getting power brought up from the main road to the clubhouse! I for one am very excited about this happening. Since I first became involved with the club we have made huge strides in the work and completion of the clubhouse itself.
Now on to some of the not so fun stuff. As always if you see something say something. That goes for anything that seems out of place at the club. Whether it be someone doing something that doesn't make you feel comfortable/safe or if you see someone blatantly breaking the rules. Those rules are put in place for the safety of not only the club members but also our neighbors.
Grounds maintenance is ongoing. If anyone has availability on Mondays to help with the mowing please don't hesitate to reach out, or better yet come to the meeting and throw your name in the hat!
Hope to see everyone there
Dennis Gaudet
Williamstown Fish and Game Club President
June 8, 2021
Hello to all Williamstown Fish and Game Club members!
Our June monthly meeting will be held this Wednesday June 9th at the Club house starting at 7:00 PM hope to see you all there.
Last Wednesday evening we held the drawings for our Spring Raffle and our annual Big Game Raffle. Again this year like last do to covid restrictions we were unable to all get together in person and were forced to broadcast the event on CVTV and stream it live on the web. Although not perfect it did allow us to hold our two biggest fundraisers again this year. Like everyone else we hope and expect that we will all be able to get together in person for next years raffle! So the evening started with the drawing of the winner of this years Spring Raffle and that lucky winner was Angela Bolio. Angela (or her husband) selected the PSE Vang crossbow. From what we were told the crossbow will be put to good use this fall in Pennsylvania! With Angela selecting the crossbow that placed the custom Henry nickle plated Golden Boy .22 LR into the Big Game Raffle as the 2nd prize. For the next 45 minutes we drew numbered ping pong balls out of the bucket until we had our winner of the Big Game Raffle and awarded the grand prize of a whitetail hunt for (2) at Occoneechee Hunting Lodge in Jackson, North Carolina. And that lucky winner was Scott Tewksbury! The first prize winner of 2 days of fishing and lodging on Lake Ontario with Hat Trick Charters was our own Dave Wilder. And the second prize winner of the Henry Golden Boy was Gregg Barney. Congratulations to all of this years winners! We gave away almost 50 prizes in total this year. Thank you to all of those that generously donated towards this event, and thank you to all that supported this years raffles by purchasing tickets.
This Saturday June 12th the Club will be hosting our Joey Gingras Memorial Fishing Derby. After taking a year off due to Covid restrictions one of the funniest events of the year is back! This years derby will again be held at the Clark family residence pond on Gilbert Road in Williamstown. The Club will provide cold drinks, snacks and bait. Along with prizes for all those youngsters that attend. (participation is limited to those aged 12 and under) Registration will be from 8:30 - 9:00 AM, with fishing from 9:00 until noon. Please spread the word about this event the more the merrier!
As a quick reminder our final fundraiser of the year our annual "Duck Race" will be happening in July. We still have plenty of "ducks" left! Ducks are $5.00 each or 5 ducks for $20.00. Contact Mark McCarthy or any Club officer or director to purchase. The grand prize is $1000.00!
Williamstown Fish and Game Club
drygaudet@yahoo.com
Hello to all Williamstown Fish and Game Club members!
Our June monthly meeting will be held this Wednesday June 9th at the Club house starting at 7:00 PM hope to see you all there.
Last Wednesday evening we held the drawings for our Spring Raffle and our annual Big Game Raffle. Again this year like last do to covid restrictions we were unable to all get together in person and were forced to broadcast the event on CVTV and stream it live on the web. Although not perfect it did allow us to hold our two biggest fundraisers again this year. Like everyone else we hope and expect that we will all be able to get together in person for next years raffle! So the evening started with the drawing of the winner of this years Spring Raffle and that lucky winner was Angela Bolio. Angela (or her husband) selected the PSE Vang crossbow. From what we were told the crossbow will be put to good use this fall in Pennsylvania! With Angela selecting the crossbow that placed the custom Henry nickle plated Golden Boy .22 LR into the Big Game Raffle as the 2nd prize. For the next 45 minutes we drew numbered ping pong balls out of the bucket until we had our winner of the Big Game Raffle and awarded the grand prize of a whitetail hunt for (2) at Occoneechee Hunting Lodge in Jackson, North Carolina. And that lucky winner was Scott Tewksbury! The first prize winner of 2 days of fishing and lodging on Lake Ontario with Hat Trick Charters was our own Dave Wilder. And the second prize winner of the Henry Golden Boy was Gregg Barney. Congratulations to all of this years winners! We gave away almost 50 prizes in total this year. Thank you to all of those that generously donated towards this event, and thank you to all that supported this years raffles by purchasing tickets.
This Saturday June 12th the Club will be hosting our Joey Gingras Memorial Fishing Derby. After taking a year off due to Covid restrictions one of the funniest events of the year is back! This years derby will again be held at the Clark family residence pond on Gilbert Road in Williamstown. The Club will provide cold drinks, snacks and bait. Along with prizes for all those youngsters that attend. (participation is limited to those aged 12 and under) Registration will be from 8:30 - 9:00 AM, with fishing from 9:00 until noon. Please spread the word about this event the more the merrier!
As a quick reminder our final fundraiser of the year our annual "Duck Race" will be happening in July. We still have plenty of "ducks" left! Ducks are $5.00 each or 5 ducks for $20.00. Contact Mark McCarthy or any Club officer or director to purchase. The grand prize is $1000.00!
Williamstown Fish and Game Club
drygaudet@yahoo.com
June 2, 2021
Hello to all Williamstown Fish and Game Club members!
We have three quick updates we want to share with you concerning upcoming Club events.
The first is that this evening June 2, 2021 we will be holding the drawings for our (2) biggest raffles of the year. First will be our Spring Raffle with the winner receiving their choice of either a PSE Fang HD crossbow package provided by Tribal Archery or a Henry Golden Boy .22 LR with custom etching on the stock provided by Southpaw Imaging. And then the big one, our annual Big Game Raffle with the grand prize of a whitetail hunt for (2) at Occoneechee Hunting Lodge in Jackson, North Carolina. You can watch both of these drawings live tonight starting at 7:30 PM on Charter/Spectrum cable channel 192. If you don't subscribe to Charter/Spectrum you can watch a live stream of the raffles on the web at cvtv723.org
Next up is our Joey Gingras Memorial Fishing Derby. After taking a year off due to Covid restrictions one of the funniest events of the year is back! This years derby will be held Saturday June 12th starting at 9:00 PM at the Clark Family residence pond on Gilbert Road in Williamstown. The Club will provide cold drinks, snacks and bait. Along with prizes for all those youngsters that attend. (participation is limited to those aged 12 and under) Please spread the word about this event the more the merrier!
Final event to remind you all of is our next monthly Club meeting will be held Wednesday June 9th at the Club starting at 7:00 PM., would love to see some new faces!
Williamstown Fish and Game Club
(860) 798-8781
drygaudet@yahoo.com
Hello to all Williamstown Fish and Game Club members!
We have three quick updates we want to share with you concerning upcoming Club events.
The first is that this evening June 2, 2021 we will be holding the drawings for our (2) biggest raffles of the year. First will be our Spring Raffle with the winner receiving their choice of either a PSE Fang HD crossbow package provided by Tribal Archery or a Henry Golden Boy .22 LR with custom etching on the stock provided by Southpaw Imaging. And then the big one, our annual Big Game Raffle with the grand prize of a whitetail hunt for (2) at Occoneechee Hunting Lodge in Jackson, North Carolina. You can watch both of these drawings live tonight starting at 7:30 PM on Charter/Spectrum cable channel 192. If you don't subscribe to Charter/Spectrum you can watch a live stream of the raffles on the web at cvtv723.org
Next up is our Joey Gingras Memorial Fishing Derby. After taking a year off due to Covid restrictions one of the funniest events of the year is back! This years derby will be held Saturday June 12th starting at 9:00 PM at the Clark Family residence pond on Gilbert Road in Williamstown. The Club will provide cold drinks, snacks and bait. Along with prizes for all those youngsters that attend. (participation is limited to those aged 12 and under) Please spread the word about this event the more the merrier!
Final event to remind you all of is our next monthly Club meeting will be held Wednesday June 9th at the Club starting at 7:00 PM., would love to see some new faces!
Williamstown Fish and Game Club
(860) 798-8781
drygaudet@yahoo.com
May 10, 2021
Hello to all Williamstown Fish and Game Club members!
I am excited to share with you all some pictures of the completed etching on the "nickle plated" Henry Golden Boy .22LR that is one of the two choices for the winner of our annual spring raffle. Club members Jarrod Hart and Chanti Slora who are the co-owners of Southpaw Imaging in Barre graciously created the logo artwork and etched it into the stock of this great gun making it truly a one-of-a-kind collectible. Many thanks to them both for their contribution to this project. And as an FYI we are going to draw the winner of the spring raffle the evening of June 1st, prior to the start of the Club's Big Game raffle. So there is still time to purchase tickets for a chance to win either of the great prizes being offered. You can contact any Club officer or director to obtain raffle tickets, the price is $10.00 per ticket.
And speaking of the Big Game raffle we still have (4) tickets available. If anyone is interested in one of these remaining tickets you can contact Mark McCarthy.
Hello to all Williamstown Fish and Game Club members!
I am excited to share with you all some pictures of the completed etching on the "nickle plated" Henry Golden Boy .22LR that is one of the two choices for the winner of our annual spring raffle. Club members Jarrod Hart and Chanti Slora who are the co-owners of Southpaw Imaging in Barre graciously created the logo artwork and etched it into the stock of this great gun making it truly a one-of-a-kind collectible. Many thanks to them both for their contribution to this project. And as an FYI we are going to draw the winner of the spring raffle the evening of June 1st, prior to the start of the Club's Big Game raffle. So there is still time to purchase tickets for a chance to win either of the great prizes being offered. You can contact any Club officer or director to obtain raffle tickets, the price is $10.00 per ticket.
And speaking of the Big Game raffle we still have (4) tickets available. If anyone is interested in one of these remaining tickets you can contact Mark McCarthy.
May 2021
Hello to all Williamstown Fish and Game Club members!
We are happy to announce that we will be holding our first in person Club meeting of the year Wednesday May 12th starting at 7:00 PM at the Club House in Williamstown. Please bring a face mask, but if at all possible and the weather cooperates we will hold the meeting outside. Of most importance will be the election of officers and directors whose terms had expired at the end of January 2021.
As was mentioned in our last newsletter we are in the process of having power brought to the Club house. The permits have been issued and we expect the power to be at our doorstep by the end of May!
The Club's Annual Big Game Raffle will be held Tuesday June 1st. Again like last year the raffle will be broadcast live on the local Charter cable access channel and streamed live on the internet for those outside of the Charter cable area. At this time we have (4) tickets that are still available for this years raffle. The first four individuals that contact Mark McCarthy will claim these last 4 tickets. Price is $100.00 and includes (2) tickets into the Spring raffle as well.
And speaking of the Spring Raffle we still have tickets left for purchase there as well. $10.00 each with the winner getting choice of either a Henry Golden Boy "Nickle plated" .22LR with custom etching provided by Southpaw Imaging or a PSE Fang HD crossbow.
At this time the Joey Gingras Memorial Fishing Derby is scheduled for Saturday June 12th at the Ritchie Clark family pond on Gilbert Road in Williamstown. The state has given us clearance to hold this event with certain requirements. We will have all details solidified after next weeks meeting and will send out a notification to the membership.
Williamstown Fish & Game Club
(860) 798-8781
drygaudet@yahoo.com
Hello to all Williamstown Fish and Game Club members!
We are happy to announce that we will be holding our first in person Club meeting of the year Wednesday May 12th starting at 7:00 PM at the Club House in Williamstown. Please bring a face mask, but if at all possible and the weather cooperates we will hold the meeting outside. Of most importance will be the election of officers and directors whose terms had expired at the end of January 2021.
As was mentioned in our last newsletter we are in the process of having power brought to the Club house. The permits have been issued and we expect the power to be at our doorstep by the end of May!
The Club's Annual Big Game Raffle will be held Tuesday June 1st. Again like last year the raffle will be broadcast live on the local Charter cable access channel and streamed live on the internet for those outside of the Charter cable area. At this time we have (4) tickets that are still available for this years raffle. The first four individuals that contact Mark McCarthy will claim these last 4 tickets. Price is $100.00 and includes (2) tickets into the Spring raffle as well.
And speaking of the Spring Raffle we still have tickets left for purchase there as well. $10.00 each with the winner getting choice of either a Henry Golden Boy "Nickle plated" .22LR with custom etching provided by Southpaw Imaging or a PSE Fang HD crossbow.
At this time the Joey Gingras Memorial Fishing Derby is scheduled for Saturday June 12th at the Ritchie Clark family pond on Gilbert Road in Williamstown. The state has given us clearance to hold this event with certain requirements. We will have all details solidified after next weeks meeting and will send out a notification to the membership.
Williamstown Fish & Game Club
(860) 798-8781
drygaudet@yahoo.com
April 2021
Hello to all Williamstown Fish and Game Club members!
The weather has finally broken and majority of the snow has melted. I know the range has been getting a fair amount of use. With the increase in use comes the same things as last year. Always have your membership card on you and be prepared to show it if/when asked. Also please feel free to ask people for their cards. I have heard from a couple of people that there are a lot of shells that are on the ground from shooting. Please pick up all of your trash and shells. Treat the range the way you do the woods when out hunting. Pack it in, pack it out.
Another thing that the warmer weather brings to mind is grounds maintenance. Monday is the ideal day for all grounds maintenance (mowing and weed whacking, brush cleanup and other projects) because the range is closed on Mondays.
For all that have been wanting to keep updated on my wife's condition; on Monday March 29th she is going in for a second surgery. The operation is likely to be equally as intense as the last one back in October. With this operation happening I will be doing everything I can to stay involved with the club happenings, however I will need to take some time to help her recover. Please feel free to continue to reach out to me with questions about any club matters, but please be patient if I don't respond immediately. All of the other club officers and directors are also available and equally, if not more so, knowledgeable about everything going on.
Another exciting thing with the weather warming up is the prospect of finally being able to hold an in person meeting. At the first in person meeting of the year the elections that are due will take place. The positions that are up for election this year are President, Vice President, and three Director positions. If anyone would like to know more information about the responsibilities of the various positions please do not hesitate to reach out to myself or any of the other officers or directors.
The Spring Raffle is going well and tickets are scattered about. If you need tickets once again reach out to any of the officers or directors and we will be able to get them to you!
Big Game Raffle tickets are available. If you had a ticket last year you have first choice, however there is a waiting list that you are able to get onto if you have interest in the raffle. The grand prize is a muzzle loader hunt for 2 in North Carolina and a $500 cash card for licenses and other expenses, the first prize is a fishing trip on Lake Ontario for 2 days for up to 4 people, and the second prize is the remaining prize from the Spring Raffle either the crossbow package or the Henry rifle.
Update on getting electric up to the range: We have sent a deposit to Washington Electric to have them get started on placing power poles and clearing the right of way and running the cables to the clubhouse!
The Joey Gingras Memorial Fishing Derby - The fish have been ordered so there is potential to bring this wonderful event back for this year!
Hunter Safety Courses - Currently are scheduled for August 7th (firearms) and 8th (archery). The state has also already cleared us to hold these courses!
The Duck Race will be happening in the month of July so start drumming up interest in tickets now!
Dennis Gaudet
Williamstown Fish and Game Club President
Hello to all Williamstown Fish and Game Club members!
The weather has finally broken and majority of the snow has melted. I know the range has been getting a fair amount of use. With the increase in use comes the same things as last year. Always have your membership card on you and be prepared to show it if/when asked. Also please feel free to ask people for their cards. I have heard from a couple of people that there are a lot of shells that are on the ground from shooting. Please pick up all of your trash and shells. Treat the range the way you do the woods when out hunting. Pack it in, pack it out.
Another thing that the warmer weather brings to mind is grounds maintenance. Monday is the ideal day for all grounds maintenance (mowing and weed whacking, brush cleanup and other projects) because the range is closed on Mondays.
For all that have been wanting to keep updated on my wife's condition; on Monday March 29th she is going in for a second surgery. The operation is likely to be equally as intense as the last one back in October. With this operation happening I will be doing everything I can to stay involved with the club happenings, however I will need to take some time to help her recover. Please feel free to continue to reach out to me with questions about any club matters, but please be patient if I don't respond immediately. All of the other club officers and directors are also available and equally, if not more so, knowledgeable about everything going on.
Another exciting thing with the weather warming up is the prospect of finally being able to hold an in person meeting. At the first in person meeting of the year the elections that are due will take place. The positions that are up for election this year are President, Vice President, and three Director positions. If anyone would like to know more information about the responsibilities of the various positions please do not hesitate to reach out to myself or any of the other officers or directors.
The Spring Raffle is going well and tickets are scattered about. If you need tickets once again reach out to any of the officers or directors and we will be able to get them to you!
Big Game Raffle tickets are available. If you had a ticket last year you have first choice, however there is a waiting list that you are able to get onto if you have interest in the raffle. The grand prize is a muzzle loader hunt for 2 in North Carolina and a $500 cash card for licenses and other expenses, the first prize is a fishing trip on Lake Ontario for 2 days for up to 4 people, and the second prize is the remaining prize from the Spring Raffle either the crossbow package or the Henry rifle.
Update on getting electric up to the range: We have sent a deposit to Washington Electric to have them get started on placing power poles and clearing the right of way and running the cables to the clubhouse!
The Joey Gingras Memorial Fishing Derby - The fish have been ordered so there is potential to bring this wonderful event back for this year!
Hunter Safety Courses - Currently are scheduled for August 7th (firearms) and 8th (archery). The state has also already cleared us to hold these courses!
The Duck Race will be happening in the month of July so start drumming up interest in tickets now!
Dennis Gaudet
Williamstown Fish and Game Club President
January 2021
Hello to all Williamstown Fish and Game Club members!
Happy new year! As is par for the course this year is starting off a little funky. We will not be holding any in person meetings until a time when the state guidelines/regulations allow us to whether that be outside at our beautiful club house and grounds or when restrictions are lifted and we can meet inside. That being said it brings several things to light. The first of which is the elections of officers and directors whose positions are up for election. The officers and directors had our first attempt at a zoom call the other night and we unanimously agreed that everyone will stay in their current roles until we can have an official in person annual meeting. The positions that are up for election this year are the President, Vice President, and 3 director slots. If anyone is interested in any of the open positions please do not hesitate to reach out to myself or another officer or director to find out more information. Our current Vice President David Wilder III has made it known that he will have to step down from his current role due to not being able to commit the time deserved with all of his other obligations. We as a membership thank him for his time as an officer and hope that he will continue to be an active member! During the zoom meeting we discussed several other things including this years Big Game Raffle, Spring Raffle, The Joey Gingras Memorial Fishing Derby, hunter safety courses, the duck race and several other important club related things. Tentative dates have been set for most of the events.
The Big Game Raffle is going to be similar to last year in that we will not be doing a dinner this year just with the likelihood of not being able to have roughly 150 people gathered for a meal anywhere. It will be virtual again and with a potential date of June 1st. We are pinning down the grand prize currently and will have more information shortly. If anyone has something they would like to donate as a prize please reach out and we can figure out how to get those items from you. If you had a ticket in the past you will have first dibs on a ticket this year. If you know you are either interested in your ticket this year or not interested please reach out so we can figure out how many tickets are available for people on the wait list.
The Joey Gingras Memorial Fishing Derby - The fish have been ordered so there is potential to bring this wonderful event back for this year!
Hunter Safety Courses - Currently are scheduled for August 7th (firearms) and 8th (archery).
The Spring Raffle will be different this year as well in the past few years we have had multiple winners. This year will be one winner but they get a choice of two wonderful options. We are finalizing some options for that but will see tickets in the mailing with your printed out newsletter.
The Duck Race will be happening in the month of July so start drumming up interest in tickets now!
An application has been submitted for a loan to get power up to the clubhouse! This is a huge step in finishing up the clubhouse and grounds and there was a huge sense of excitement on the call the other night.
We are also in the process of having the building insurance quoted. Last year we saved a significant amount of money on the range insurance and realized it was worth looking into the building insurance as well. Stay tuned for an update on that.
I hope that everyone made it through all the seasons of 2020 safely and healthy. We all love to hear a good hunting story!
Dennis Gaudet
Williamstown Fish and Game Club President
(860) 798-8781
drygaudet@yahoo.com
Hello to all Williamstown Fish and Game Club members!
Happy new year! As is par for the course this year is starting off a little funky. We will not be holding any in person meetings until a time when the state guidelines/regulations allow us to whether that be outside at our beautiful club house and grounds or when restrictions are lifted and we can meet inside. That being said it brings several things to light. The first of which is the elections of officers and directors whose positions are up for election. The officers and directors had our first attempt at a zoom call the other night and we unanimously agreed that everyone will stay in their current roles until we can have an official in person annual meeting. The positions that are up for election this year are the President, Vice President, and 3 director slots. If anyone is interested in any of the open positions please do not hesitate to reach out to myself or another officer or director to find out more information. Our current Vice President David Wilder III has made it known that he will have to step down from his current role due to not being able to commit the time deserved with all of his other obligations. We as a membership thank him for his time as an officer and hope that he will continue to be an active member! During the zoom meeting we discussed several other things including this years Big Game Raffle, Spring Raffle, The Joey Gingras Memorial Fishing Derby, hunter safety courses, the duck race and several other important club related things. Tentative dates have been set for most of the events.
The Big Game Raffle is going to be similar to last year in that we will not be doing a dinner this year just with the likelihood of not being able to have roughly 150 people gathered for a meal anywhere. It will be virtual again and with a potential date of June 1st. We are pinning down the grand prize currently and will have more information shortly. If anyone has something they would like to donate as a prize please reach out and we can figure out how to get those items from you. If you had a ticket in the past you will have first dibs on a ticket this year. If you know you are either interested in your ticket this year or not interested please reach out so we can figure out how many tickets are available for people on the wait list.
The Joey Gingras Memorial Fishing Derby - The fish have been ordered so there is potential to bring this wonderful event back for this year!
Hunter Safety Courses - Currently are scheduled for August 7th (firearms) and 8th (archery).
The Spring Raffle will be different this year as well in the past few years we have had multiple winners. This year will be one winner but they get a choice of two wonderful options. We are finalizing some options for that but will see tickets in the mailing with your printed out newsletter.
The Duck Race will be happening in the month of July so start drumming up interest in tickets now!
An application has been submitted for a loan to get power up to the clubhouse! This is a huge step in finishing up the clubhouse and grounds and there was a huge sense of excitement on the call the other night.
We are also in the process of having the building insurance quoted. Last year we saved a significant amount of money on the range insurance and realized it was worth looking into the building insurance as well. Stay tuned for an update on that.
I hope that everyone made it through all the seasons of 2020 safely and healthy. We all love to hear a good hunting story!
Dennis Gaudet
Williamstown Fish and Game Club President
(860) 798-8781
drygaudet@yahoo.com
December 2020
Hello to all Williamstown Fish and Game Club members!
I am going to start this email newsletter off a little differently than any of the newsletters that I have written in the past. Both my wife Crystal and I are overwhelmingly humbled by the grace and generosity of the club as a whole. Never would we have ever expected that people would step out of the way to do anything like the raffle for us. When we got the news of her diagnosis and started to prep for the surgery and recovery there after we knew there were going to be some very hard times coming ahead, but didn't really have much of an option on proceeding with the operation. I'll give a quick summary of her procedure. Up until October 19th it was believed that Crystal had what was being described as a "pelvic mass" that was measuring no less than 28cm x 12cm x 21cm (for perspective a regulation NFL football is 27.9 cm long). Part way through the operation they discovered that there was not one, but two of approximately equal size. With growths of any size there is always a concern for cancer and fortunately it seems that these were caught in the Pre-cancer stage. Meaning that if they had been left alone for a longer period of time they would have likely mutated into full blown cancer. Due to the size and the possibility of cancer this was not a laparoscopic procedure so Crystal has a 10 inch incision in her lower abdomen. Needless to say her mobility is cut down pretty significantly and we are finding that even basic simple things are often times too much or just downright impossible at this point. Her "expected" recovery time is truly unknown at this point due to the fact of how intense and complicated of a procedure it ended up being.
Every day brings new changes and challenges but with the love and support of all of you we are making it through! Two days before Thanksgiving Crystal was brought by ambulance to the ER with what we at the time believed was a heart attack or something very similar. Through lots of tests the doctors have ruled out blood clots, collapsed lungs, and heart attacks. However that does leave a whole lot of questions that hopefully her team of doctors will be working through in the coming weeks. Like I said new challenges every day!
And now onto the normal newsletter stuff!
Rifle season has officially come to a close and the second portion of the archery season and the late muzzle loader seasons have kicked into gear. If you still have a tag to fill good luck!!!
The January meeting is coming quickly, but might look a lot different than it has in past years with the current COVID 19 regulations. Obviously this is an ever changing situation and we will be keeping an eye on things to make sure that we are able to meet as soon as we safely can. That being said this January brings some elections to take care of. The positions that are up for election are the President, Vice President, and two director positions. If there is anyone that would like more information about these positions or would like to be in the running for them please do not hesitate to reach out to myself or another officer or director.
Keep an eye on your emails for updates on how, when, and where the meeting will be happening.
As always thank you for your support of the club, stay safe, and we look forward to seeing each other again in the new year.
Dennis Gaudet
Williamstown Fish and Game Club President
(860) 798-8781
drygaudet@yahoo.com
Hello to all Williamstown Fish and Game Club members!
I am going to start this email newsletter off a little differently than any of the newsletters that I have written in the past. Both my wife Crystal and I are overwhelmingly humbled by the grace and generosity of the club as a whole. Never would we have ever expected that people would step out of the way to do anything like the raffle for us. When we got the news of her diagnosis and started to prep for the surgery and recovery there after we knew there were going to be some very hard times coming ahead, but didn't really have much of an option on proceeding with the operation. I'll give a quick summary of her procedure. Up until October 19th it was believed that Crystal had what was being described as a "pelvic mass" that was measuring no less than 28cm x 12cm x 21cm (for perspective a regulation NFL football is 27.9 cm long). Part way through the operation they discovered that there was not one, but two of approximately equal size. With growths of any size there is always a concern for cancer and fortunately it seems that these were caught in the Pre-cancer stage. Meaning that if they had been left alone for a longer period of time they would have likely mutated into full blown cancer. Due to the size and the possibility of cancer this was not a laparoscopic procedure so Crystal has a 10 inch incision in her lower abdomen. Needless to say her mobility is cut down pretty significantly and we are finding that even basic simple things are often times too much or just downright impossible at this point. Her "expected" recovery time is truly unknown at this point due to the fact of how intense and complicated of a procedure it ended up being.
Every day brings new changes and challenges but with the love and support of all of you we are making it through! Two days before Thanksgiving Crystal was brought by ambulance to the ER with what we at the time believed was a heart attack or something very similar. Through lots of tests the doctors have ruled out blood clots, collapsed lungs, and heart attacks. However that does leave a whole lot of questions that hopefully her team of doctors will be working through in the coming weeks. Like I said new challenges every day!
And now onto the normal newsletter stuff!
Rifle season has officially come to a close and the second portion of the archery season and the late muzzle loader seasons have kicked into gear. If you still have a tag to fill good luck!!!
The January meeting is coming quickly, but might look a lot different than it has in past years with the current COVID 19 regulations. Obviously this is an ever changing situation and we will be keeping an eye on things to make sure that we are able to meet as soon as we safely can. That being said this January brings some elections to take care of. The positions that are up for election are the President, Vice President, and two director positions. If there is anyone that would like more information about these positions or would like to be in the running for them please do not hesitate to reach out to myself or another officer or director.
Keep an eye on your emails for updates on how, when, and where the meeting will be happening.
As always thank you for your support of the club, stay safe, and we look forward to seeing each other again in the new year.
Dennis Gaudet
Williamstown Fish and Game Club President
(860) 798-8781
drygaudet@yahoo.com
November 27, 2020
HAPPY THANKSGIVING!
Hello to all Williamstown Fish and Game Club members,
I hope everyone had a "Happy Thanksgiving" as odd or unusual as it may have been.
Just a quick update on the results of our raffle to benefit Club president Dennis Gaudet's wife Crystal and her sudden illness. First of all I want to thank members Ralph Gerrish and Marion Gray for spearheading this effort and pulling it together in very short order. In total 202 tickets were sold resulting in a very generous donation of $2020.00 to Dennis and Crystal as they navigate through these trying times. Thank you to all that helped sell tickets and to all of those that purchased tickets.
Now for the results! The first ticket drawn was that of Mark Laperle of Berlin. Mark owns the local
Snap-On Tools franchise and has been a long time member and generous supporter of the Club. Mark had his choice of the PSE Coalition Crossbow package supplied by the Club or a $500.00 gift card to Lenny's Shoe and Apparel donated by that business. Marks choice was the $500.00 gift card from Lenny's. The second name drawn was that of Chantel Otis, wife of member Gerry Otis. Now I am pretty sure Chantel is not an avid hunter but I am quite confident that the crossbow will be put to very good use by someone in her household.
Again thank you to all that supported this very worthwhile cause and please keep Dennis and Crystal in your thoughts and prayers.
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all!
Sincerely,
Williamstown Fish & Game Club
Officers and Directors
HAPPY THANKSGIVING!
Hello to all Williamstown Fish and Game Club members,
I hope everyone had a "Happy Thanksgiving" as odd or unusual as it may have been.
Just a quick update on the results of our raffle to benefit Club president Dennis Gaudet's wife Crystal and her sudden illness. First of all I want to thank members Ralph Gerrish and Marion Gray for spearheading this effort and pulling it together in very short order. In total 202 tickets were sold resulting in a very generous donation of $2020.00 to Dennis and Crystal as they navigate through these trying times. Thank you to all that helped sell tickets and to all of those that purchased tickets.
Now for the results! The first ticket drawn was that of Mark Laperle of Berlin. Mark owns the local
Snap-On Tools franchise and has been a long time member and generous supporter of the Club. Mark had his choice of the PSE Coalition Crossbow package supplied by the Club or a $500.00 gift card to Lenny's Shoe and Apparel donated by that business. Marks choice was the $500.00 gift card from Lenny's. The second name drawn was that of Chantel Otis, wife of member Gerry Otis. Now I am pretty sure Chantel is not an avid hunter but I am quite confident that the crossbow will be put to very good use by someone in her household.
Again thank you to all that supported this very worthwhile cause and please keep Dennis and Crystal in your thoughts and prayers.
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all!
Sincerely,
Williamstown Fish & Game Club
Officers and Directors
October 19, 2020
Special Announcement
Hello to all Williamstown Fish and Game Club members,
I hope everyone's fall is off to a great start and that if you haven't had a chance to get out in the woods to do some hunting you will soon!
You are all receiving this note today because it was brought to our attention that Club President Dennis Gaudet's wife Crystal is battling with some recently diagnosed health issues. We ask that you all keep the two of them in your thoughts and prayers during this time. Club director Ralph Gerrish thought it would be a nice gesture to hold a benefit raffle to in some small way help support Dennis and Crystal as they navigate these trying times. The Club officers and directors decided on $10.00 per ticket raffle with all of the proceeds going to Dennis and Crystal to help alleviate some of the financial burden caused by this sudden illness.
The raffle is as follows:
There will be 2 winners with the first ticket drawn having choice of the 2 prizes being offered.
PSE Coalition Crossbow Package, Includes:
Crossbow, Case, Broadheads, Scent Elimination Package, Target
Or
$500.00 Gift Card to Lenny's Shoe and Apparel
As previously mentioned tickets will be $10.00 each, with the drawing date November 25th, 2020. Again all proceeds will go directly to Dennis and Crystal. The Club is utilizing the crossbow package that was previously purchased and Lenny's is donating the gift card. We hope to sell a minimum of 200 tickets.
Since it was Ralph's idea we have nominated him to be the chairperson of the event you can contact him directly at 917-4048 or wildhunter62@gmail.com to obtain tickets. Other Club officers and directors will also have tickets.
We ask you all to help support Dennis and Crystal.
Sincerely,
Williamstown Fish & Game Club
Officers and Directors
Special Announcement
Hello to all Williamstown Fish and Game Club members,
I hope everyone's fall is off to a great start and that if you haven't had a chance to get out in the woods to do some hunting you will soon!
You are all receiving this note today because it was brought to our attention that Club President Dennis Gaudet's wife Crystal is battling with some recently diagnosed health issues. We ask that you all keep the two of them in your thoughts and prayers during this time. Club director Ralph Gerrish thought it would be a nice gesture to hold a benefit raffle to in some small way help support Dennis and Crystal as they navigate these trying times. The Club officers and directors decided on $10.00 per ticket raffle with all of the proceeds going to Dennis and Crystal to help alleviate some of the financial burden caused by this sudden illness.
The raffle is as follows:
There will be 2 winners with the first ticket drawn having choice of the 2 prizes being offered.
PSE Coalition Crossbow Package, Includes:
Crossbow, Case, Broadheads, Scent Elimination Package, Target
Or
$500.00 Gift Card to Lenny's Shoe and Apparel
As previously mentioned tickets will be $10.00 each, with the drawing date November 25th, 2020. Again all proceeds will go directly to Dennis and Crystal. The Club is utilizing the crossbow package that was previously purchased and Lenny's is donating the gift card. We hope to sell a minimum of 200 tickets.
Since it was Ralph's idea we have nominated him to be the chairperson of the event you can contact him directly at 917-4048 or wildhunter62@gmail.com to obtain tickets. Other Club officers and directors will also have tickets.
We ask you all to help support Dennis and Crystal.
Sincerely,
Williamstown Fish & Game Club
Officers and Directors
September 2020
September meeting at the clubhouse Wednesday September 9th 6:30 PM
Hello to all Williamstown Fish and Game Club members!
This month is the start of what a lot of us would consider the best time of the year. With September 1st marking the start of the Resident Canada Goose, early Black Bear and Gray Squirrel seasons it is officially time to see the leaves change color. First and foremost I hope that everyone is able to have as many successful hunts as possible, regardless of what your individual measure of success is. Secondly there have been a staggering amount of changes to the hunting seasons and laws for this year so please do your due diligence and know the laws of the seasons.
This months meeting is going to be a little bit different. It is the last meeting of the year. We will have light refreshments, door prizes and possibly a raffle. With getting this newsletter out a week earlier hopefully that will give some more people an opportunity to prepare and be at the meeting.
September also marks the start of the busiest time of year at the range. If you are going to be at the range have your membership card on you and be prepared to show it if asked for it. Also be courteous to your fellow members. If you are bringing an entire arsenal for a full day at the range and someone shows up to sight in their rifle be polite and take turns.
When hanging your targets on the target backer boards try to use the middle of the boards and not the edges where the framing is. It makes it easier for a quick change out when the backer board is shot up. If you see that the backer boards are in need of replacing please don't hesitate to call myself or another officer or director and make us aware. As potentially annoying as it is if you see that the backer board is shot up and not useable please come back another time after calling me. That is possibly what led to the range being shut down last year and personally I really do not want to see that happen this or any other year.
Thank you to all members. Without your yearly membership dues and support during raffles and other club fundraisers this club would not be possible. In my time with the club I have met some amazing people that our paths might not have crossed otherwise.
Dennis Gaudet
Williamstown Fish and Game Club President
(860) 798-8781
drygaudet@yahoo.com
September meeting at the clubhouse Wednesday September 9th 6:30 PM
Hello to all Williamstown Fish and Game Club members!
This month is the start of what a lot of us would consider the best time of the year. With September 1st marking the start of the Resident Canada Goose, early Black Bear and Gray Squirrel seasons it is officially time to see the leaves change color. First and foremost I hope that everyone is able to have as many successful hunts as possible, regardless of what your individual measure of success is. Secondly there have been a staggering amount of changes to the hunting seasons and laws for this year so please do your due diligence and know the laws of the seasons.
This months meeting is going to be a little bit different. It is the last meeting of the year. We will have light refreshments, door prizes and possibly a raffle. With getting this newsletter out a week earlier hopefully that will give some more people an opportunity to prepare and be at the meeting.
September also marks the start of the busiest time of year at the range. If you are going to be at the range have your membership card on you and be prepared to show it if asked for it. Also be courteous to your fellow members. If you are bringing an entire arsenal for a full day at the range and someone shows up to sight in their rifle be polite and take turns.
When hanging your targets on the target backer boards try to use the middle of the boards and not the edges where the framing is. It makes it easier for a quick change out when the backer board is shot up. If you see that the backer boards are in need of replacing please don't hesitate to call myself or another officer or director and make us aware. As potentially annoying as it is if you see that the backer board is shot up and not useable please come back another time after calling me. That is possibly what led to the range being shut down last year and personally I really do not want to see that happen this or any other year.
Thank you to all members. Without your yearly membership dues and support during raffles and other club fundraisers this club would not be possible. In my time with the club I have met some amazing people that our paths might not have crossed otherwise.
Dennis Gaudet
Williamstown Fish and Game Club President
(860) 798-8781
drygaudet@yahoo.com
August 2020
August meeting at the clubhouse August 12th 7 o'clock
Hello to all Williamstown Fish and Game Club members!
Let's start this months newsletter off with a whole bunch of good news!
The Big Game Raffle was VERY different this year but it has come and gone now and worked out very well with the help of Tony from Vermont Public Television. The lucky winner of a trip to Big Boom's Northern Maine Adventures is Mike Carney. If you know Mike reach out to him and offer your congratulations in your best begging voice in hopes he will decide to bring you along!!
As many of the club members know some of us are Hunter Safety Instructors for the state. Hunter Education this year has been quite a bit different than it has in the past. That being said our annual Firearms and Bowhunter safety courses were last weekend. They ended up being the first in person courses held in the state since the start of COVID. Our firearms course was a really small class...we had one student that made the drive from Rutland to attend and get some vital instruction. There were five instructors to help answer all of his questions and work through all of the information that is part of the firearms course. The bow course on Sunday was better attended with around 12 students taking part. As usual Dave Hutchinson from Tribal Archery came and talked about crossbows to the students and answered great questions.
Also continuing with the good news is that the roofing for the berms has mostly been completed. We do need a few more strips of tin for the large rifle berm. If anyone has either spare tin or is redoing their roof please let an officer or director know and we will be glad to get that from you.
Now for the bad...in the picture below it clearly says no targets. If that is hard for some people to see they really shouldn't be around firearms. That being said there are no less than 6 bullet holes in that board already. Within the first week of that board being there. Please people be responsible and know what your effective range is and how to shoot. With every "Oh I didn't know" it costs the club money. We need to self police. If anyone sees something that just doesn't feel or look right please speak up and say something. Don't start a fight over it but handle it politely.
There are a lot of changes this year to the seasons and bag limits of our collective favorite time of year. It is your responsibility to know these changes. The officers and directors have been doing our best to learn them so if you have a question we MIGHT be able to answer it. Ultimately the best possible option is get to know your local warden. They are a wealth of knowledge and can easily walk you through the right option in every situation.
With August drawing on the halfway point that means that the start of the Fall hunting seasons are upon us. With all of the bear complaints that have been overwhelming the Fish and Wildlife Law Enforcement officers it should not be difficult to find an expanded range of hunting land to pursue Black Bear.
Once again if you are at the range have your membership card on you and be prepared to show it.
Grounds Maintenance -- Every Monday the grounds are being taken care of. If you have any free time to help out please reach out to myself and we can coordinate making sure that you can be put to work!
There have been some updates to the Calendar of Events please update your calendars!
Calendar of Events
August 12th -- August meeting at the Clubhouse
September 9th -- September meeting at the Clubhouse (last meeting of the year)
Grounds Maintenance---- Every Monday from the time the snow melts until the snow flies
We have 300+ names on the mailing list and unfortunately only the same 8 people are the ones at the meetings. We are not looking for a major time commitment from anyone. I can say that I heard from more members about the closing of the range than I have ever met at all of the events combined. I love that people are passionate about it but am asking that some of that passion be transferred into in person.
The more the merrier at the meetings. We all would love to see this club blossom into more than what it is. In order for that to happen we need more active members at the meetings and all of the events. I would love to get to know more of the members of this awesome club!
Dennis Gaudet
Williamstown Fish and Game Club President
(860) 798-8781
drygaudet@yahoo.com
August meeting at the clubhouse August 12th 7 o'clock
Hello to all Williamstown Fish and Game Club members!
Let's start this months newsletter off with a whole bunch of good news!
The Big Game Raffle was VERY different this year but it has come and gone now and worked out very well with the help of Tony from Vermont Public Television. The lucky winner of a trip to Big Boom's Northern Maine Adventures is Mike Carney. If you know Mike reach out to him and offer your congratulations in your best begging voice in hopes he will decide to bring you along!!
As many of the club members know some of us are Hunter Safety Instructors for the state. Hunter Education this year has been quite a bit different than it has in the past. That being said our annual Firearms and Bowhunter safety courses were last weekend. They ended up being the first in person courses held in the state since the start of COVID. Our firearms course was a really small class...we had one student that made the drive from Rutland to attend and get some vital instruction. There were five instructors to help answer all of his questions and work through all of the information that is part of the firearms course. The bow course on Sunday was better attended with around 12 students taking part. As usual Dave Hutchinson from Tribal Archery came and talked about crossbows to the students and answered great questions.
Also continuing with the good news is that the roofing for the berms has mostly been completed. We do need a few more strips of tin for the large rifle berm. If anyone has either spare tin or is redoing their roof please let an officer or director know and we will be glad to get that from you.
Now for the bad...in the picture below it clearly says no targets. If that is hard for some people to see they really shouldn't be around firearms. That being said there are no less than 6 bullet holes in that board already. Within the first week of that board being there. Please people be responsible and know what your effective range is and how to shoot. With every "Oh I didn't know" it costs the club money. We need to self police. If anyone sees something that just doesn't feel or look right please speak up and say something. Don't start a fight over it but handle it politely.
There are a lot of changes this year to the seasons and bag limits of our collective favorite time of year. It is your responsibility to know these changes. The officers and directors have been doing our best to learn them so if you have a question we MIGHT be able to answer it. Ultimately the best possible option is get to know your local warden. They are a wealth of knowledge and can easily walk you through the right option in every situation.
With August drawing on the halfway point that means that the start of the Fall hunting seasons are upon us. With all of the bear complaints that have been overwhelming the Fish and Wildlife Law Enforcement officers it should not be difficult to find an expanded range of hunting land to pursue Black Bear.
Once again if you are at the range have your membership card on you and be prepared to show it.
Grounds Maintenance -- Every Monday the grounds are being taken care of. If you have any free time to help out please reach out to myself and we can coordinate making sure that you can be put to work!
There have been some updates to the Calendar of Events please update your calendars!
Calendar of Events
August 12th -- August meeting at the Clubhouse
September 9th -- September meeting at the Clubhouse (last meeting of the year)
Grounds Maintenance---- Every Monday from the time the snow melts until the snow flies
We have 300+ names on the mailing list and unfortunately only the same 8 people are the ones at the meetings. We are not looking for a major time commitment from anyone. I can say that I heard from more members about the closing of the range than I have ever met at all of the events combined. I love that people are passionate about it but am asking that some of that passion be transferred into in person.
The more the merrier at the meetings. We all would love to see this club blossom into more than what it is. In order for that to happen we need more active members at the meetings and all of the events. I would love to get to know more of the members of this awesome club!
Dennis Gaudet
Williamstown Fish and Game Club President
(860) 798-8781
drygaudet@yahoo.com
July Newsletter
Hello to all Williamstown Fish and Game Club members!
I hope everyone had a happy and safe 4th of July in this crazy world. The weekend before the 4th there was a crew up at the range finishing up work on the pistol berm, replacing the infamous shot down pole, and filling both of the berms with a whole bunch of sand. The sand was graciously donated by Max Ducharme and the trucking of the sand was graciously donated by R.G. Paving. These things being completed are a huge step towards finalizing all of the work on the backstops.
The Big Game Raffle will be happening virtually on July 22nd! If you had a ticket last year you have first choice on your ticket for this drawing. If you did not have a ticket but are interested in having one please reach out to myself or another officer or director.
Given the size of the signs on the new pistol berm that very specifically say no targets I sincerely hope to never see any bullet holes or targets tacked to the main board of the roofing structure.
I went up and mowed the field and was very pleasantly surprised not to see piles and piles of trash and or spent shell casings. A huge thank you to all members that are cleaning up after themselves!
Once again if you are at the range have your membership card on you and be prepared to show it.
Grounds Maintenance -- Every Monday the grounds are being taken care of. If you have any free time to help out please reach out to myself and we can coordinate making sure that you can be put to work!
There have been some updates to the Calendar of Events please update your calendars!
Calendar of Events
July 8th -- July meeting at the Clubhouse
August 1st-- Firearms hunter safety course at the Clubhouse
August 2nd -- Archery hunter safety course at the Clubhouse
August 12th -- August meeting at the Clubhouse
September 9th -- September meeting at the Clubhouse (last meeting of the year)
Duck race -- August - date to be set as the time gets closer
Grounds Maintenance-- Every Monday from the time the snow melts until the snow flies
We have 300+ names on the mailing list and unfortunately only the same 8 people are the ones at the meetings. We are not looking for a major time commitment from anyone. I can say that I heard from more members about the closing of the range than I have ever met at all of the events combined. I love that people are passionate about it but am asking that some of that passion be transferred into in person.
The more the merrier at the meetings. We all would love to see this club blossom into more than what it is. In order for that to happen we need more active members at the meetings and all of the events. I would love to get to know more of the members of this awesome club!
Dennis Gaudet
Williamstown Fish and Game Club President
(860) 798-8781
drygaudet@yahoo.com
Hello to all Williamstown Fish and Game Club members!
I hope everyone had a happy and safe 4th of July in this crazy world. The weekend before the 4th there was a crew up at the range finishing up work on the pistol berm, replacing the infamous shot down pole, and filling both of the berms with a whole bunch of sand. The sand was graciously donated by Max Ducharme and the trucking of the sand was graciously donated by R.G. Paving. These things being completed are a huge step towards finalizing all of the work on the backstops.
The Big Game Raffle will be happening virtually on July 22nd! If you had a ticket last year you have first choice on your ticket for this drawing. If you did not have a ticket but are interested in having one please reach out to myself or another officer or director.
Given the size of the signs on the new pistol berm that very specifically say no targets I sincerely hope to never see any bullet holes or targets tacked to the main board of the roofing structure.
I went up and mowed the field and was very pleasantly surprised not to see piles and piles of trash and or spent shell casings. A huge thank you to all members that are cleaning up after themselves!
Once again if you are at the range have your membership card on you and be prepared to show it.
Grounds Maintenance -- Every Monday the grounds are being taken care of. If you have any free time to help out please reach out to myself and we can coordinate making sure that you can be put to work!
There have been some updates to the Calendar of Events please update your calendars!
Calendar of Events
July 8th -- July meeting at the Clubhouse
August 1st-- Firearms hunter safety course at the Clubhouse
August 2nd -- Archery hunter safety course at the Clubhouse
August 12th -- August meeting at the Clubhouse
September 9th -- September meeting at the Clubhouse (last meeting of the year)
Duck race -- August - date to be set as the time gets closer
Grounds Maintenance-- Every Monday from the time the snow melts until the snow flies
We have 300+ names on the mailing list and unfortunately only the same 8 people are the ones at the meetings. We are not looking for a major time commitment from anyone. I can say that I heard from more members about the closing of the range than I have ever met at all of the events combined. I love that people are passionate about it but am asking that some of that passion be transferred into in person.
The more the merrier at the meetings. We all would love to see this club blossom into more than what it is. In order for that to happen we need more active members at the meetings and all of the events. I would love to get to know more of the members of this awesome club!
Dennis Gaudet
Williamstown Fish and Game Club President
(860) 798-8781
drygaudet@yahoo.com
June 2020
June meeting at the clubhouse June 10th 7 o'clock
Hello to all Williamstown Fish and Game Club members!
With May having come and gone (mostly snow free) hopefully we all got to spend as much time afield as we wished we could to chase the ever elusive long beard. Personally I made it out just a little bit and didn't bring home any meat but had an awesome experience with a good friend that I will remember and talk about for years and seasons to come.
This years spring gun raffle is FINALLY going to be drawn at this weeks meeting. If there are any tickets out there that have been paid please reach out to myself or one of the other officers or directors to make sure that they are submitted and entered into the raffle.
The Big Game Raffle. The officers and directors held an executive meeting to discuss further the future of this amazing event. With all of the uncertainty that is around during these times we debated and eventually decided to do a virtual Big Game Raffle this year. More details will follow but with a tentative draw date of July 22nd streamed for all to see.
I went up and mowed the field and was very pleasantly surprised not to see piles and piles of trash and or spent shell casings. A huge thank you to all members that are cleaning up after themselves!
I will say this again however. All targets are to be placed onto the plywood target backer and shot at from a distance that you are comfortable shooting at. In other words do not go shoot your 9mm from the shooting stand and hope like hell you are going to be hitting the bullseye. There are already several bullet holes in the very top board of the berm.
Once again if you are at the range have your membership card on you and be prepared to show it.
Grounds Maintenance -- Every Monday the grounds are being taken care of. If you have any free time to help out please reach out to myself and we can coordinate making sure that you can be put to work!
There have been some updates to the Calendar of Events please update your calendars!
Calendar of Events
June 10th -- June meeting at the Clubhouse
July 8th -- July meeting at the Clubhouse
August 1st-- Firearms hunter safety course at the Clubhouse
August 2nd -- Archery hunter safety course at the Clubhouse
August 12th -- August meeting at the Clubhouse
September 9th -- September meeting at the Clubhouse (last meeting of the year)
Duck race -- August - date to be set as the time gets closer
Grounds Maintenance -- Every Monday from the time the snow melts until the snow flies
Summer shooting league usually every other week starting sometime in June will keep updated
We have 300+ names on the mailing list and unfortunately only the same 8 people are the ones at the meetings. We are not looking for a major time commitment from anyone. I can say that I heard from more members about the closing of the range than I have ever met at all of the events combined. I love that people are passionate about it but am asking that some of that passion be transferred into in person.
The more the merrier at the meetings. We all would love to see this club blossom into more than what it is. In order for that to happen we need more active members at the meetings and all of the events. I would love to get to know more of the members of this awesome club!
Dennis Gaudet
Williamstown Fish and Game Club President
(860) 798-8781
drygaudet@yahoo.com
June meeting at the clubhouse June 10th 7 o'clock
Hello to all Williamstown Fish and Game Club members!
With May having come and gone (mostly snow free) hopefully we all got to spend as much time afield as we wished we could to chase the ever elusive long beard. Personally I made it out just a little bit and didn't bring home any meat but had an awesome experience with a good friend that I will remember and talk about for years and seasons to come.
This years spring gun raffle is FINALLY going to be drawn at this weeks meeting. If there are any tickets out there that have been paid please reach out to myself or one of the other officers or directors to make sure that they are submitted and entered into the raffle.
The Big Game Raffle. The officers and directors held an executive meeting to discuss further the future of this amazing event. With all of the uncertainty that is around during these times we debated and eventually decided to do a virtual Big Game Raffle this year. More details will follow but with a tentative draw date of July 22nd streamed for all to see.
I went up and mowed the field and was very pleasantly surprised not to see piles and piles of trash and or spent shell casings. A huge thank you to all members that are cleaning up after themselves!
I will say this again however. All targets are to be placed onto the plywood target backer and shot at from a distance that you are comfortable shooting at. In other words do not go shoot your 9mm from the shooting stand and hope like hell you are going to be hitting the bullseye. There are already several bullet holes in the very top board of the berm.
Once again if you are at the range have your membership card on you and be prepared to show it.
Grounds Maintenance -- Every Monday the grounds are being taken care of. If you have any free time to help out please reach out to myself and we can coordinate making sure that you can be put to work!
There have been some updates to the Calendar of Events please update your calendars!
Calendar of Events
June 10th -- June meeting at the Clubhouse
July 8th -- July meeting at the Clubhouse
August 1st-- Firearms hunter safety course at the Clubhouse
August 2nd -- Archery hunter safety course at the Clubhouse
August 12th -- August meeting at the Clubhouse
September 9th -- September meeting at the Clubhouse (last meeting of the year)
Duck race -- August - date to be set as the time gets closer
Grounds Maintenance -- Every Monday from the time the snow melts until the snow flies
Summer shooting league usually every other week starting sometime in June will keep updated
We have 300+ names on the mailing list and unfortunately only the same 8 people are the ones at the meetings. We are not looking for a major time commitment from anyone. I can say that I heard from more members about the closing of the range than I have ever met at all of the events combined. I love that people are passionate about it but am asking that some of that passion be transferred into in person.
The more the merrier at the meetings. We all would love to see this club blossom into more than what it is. In order for that to happen we need more active members at the meetings and all of the events. I would love to get to know more of the members of this awesome club!
Dennis Gaudet
Williamstown Fish and Game Club President
(860) 798-8781
drygaudet@yahoo.com
May 2020
May meeting at the clubhouse May 20th 7 o'clock
Hello to all Williamstown Fish and Game Club members!
Gobble Gobble Gobble!!!
I hope that everyone has been able to get out and enjoy the few snow free days that we have had up until this point! Personally I made it out for a little bit of turkey hunting on the first weekend and although I did not come home with a bird in hand I still had an amazing hunt!
Some of the things that are going to be discussed at this upcoming meeting are the future of the Big Game Dinner and the Gun Raffle, grounds upkeep and upgrades, Hunter Safety Courses, and more! If you are planning on attending do plan on following the states guidelines for social distancing and have a mask with you. Hopefully the weather will cooperate enough and we will be able to be outside in the open but if we are in the clubhouse building plan on wearing your mask for the duration of the meeting.
With all of his new found time Mark McCarthy has been busy at the range getting the rough cut lumber up to form the backstop! Hopefully more of us can see it this upcoming week at the meeting.
Recently I have received a couple of calls about the range. There are only so many ways that this can be said. Targets are only to be attached to the target backer. The shooting of glass bottles is never an acceptable target. Common sense has to be the first thing that is packed when planning for any amount of time at the range. That does not seem to be the case over these last 6 months and it is pretty frightening.
Once again if you are at the range have your membership card on you and be prepared to show it. When you are shooting you need to pick up AT LEAST the same amount of shells that you shoot. Pistol shooters and people shooting from the picnic table this is directed at you mainly.
The gun raffle tickets have been selling well. We will be making one last push on selling tickets and will be setting the date for the raffle at next weeks meeting.
The Big Game Dinner will hopefully be rescheduled soon depending entirely on the reopening schedule set forth by the state.
Grounds Maintenance -- Now that the weather seems to be slowly breaking (it is snowing right now as I am writing this...) the weekly mowing is going to need to be starting up. Please reach out to me with any questions or for your availability to help out. Even if the mowers are being used there is plenty of other things that can be done by anyone that shows up at all times.
There have been some updates to the Calendar of Events please update your calendars!
Calendar of Events
May 20th -- May meeting at the Clubhouse
June 6th -- Fishing Derby CANCELLED
June 10th -- June meeting at the Clubhouse
July 8th -- July meeting at the Clubhouse
August 1st-- Firearms hunter safety course at the Clubhouse
August 2nd -- Archery hunter safety course at the Clubhouse
August 12th -- August meeting at the Clubhouse
September 9th -- September meeting at the Clubhouse (last meeting of the year)
Duck race ---- July - date to be set as the time gets closer
Grounds Maintenance---- Every Monday from the time the snow melts until the snow flies
Summer shooting league usually every other week starting sometime in June will keep updated
We have 300+ names on the mailing list and unfortunately only the same 8 people are the ones at the meetings. We are not looking for a major time commitment from anyone. I can say that I heard from more members about the closing of the range than I have ever met at all of the events combined. I love that people are passionate about it but am asking that some of that passion be transferred into in person.
The more the merrier at the meetings. We all would love to see this club blossom into more than what it is. In order for that to happen we need more active members at the meetings and all of the events. I would love to get to know more of the members of this awesome club!
Dennis Gaudet
Williamstown Fish and Game Club President
(860) 798-8781
drygaudet@yahoo.com
May meeting at the clubhouse May 20th 7 o'clock
Hello to all Williamstown Fish and Game Club members!
Gobble Gobble Gobble!!!
I hope that everyone has been able to get out and enjoy the few snow free days that we have had up until this point! Personally I made it out for a little bit of turkey hunting on the first weekend and although I did not come home with a bird in hand I still had an amazing hunt!
Some of the things that are going to be discussed at this upcoming meeting are the future of the Big Game Dinner and the Gun Raffle, grounds upkeep and upgrades, Hunter Safety Courses, and more! If you are planning on attending do plan on following the states guidelines for social distancing and have a mask with you. Hopefully the weather will cooperate enough and we will be able to be outside in the open but if we are in the clubhouse building plan on wearing your mask for the duration of the meeting.
With all of his new found time Mark McCarthy has been busy at the range getting the rough cut lumber up to form the backstop! Hopefully more of us can see it this upcoming week at the meeting.
Recently I have received a couple of calls about the range. There are only so many ways that this can be said. Targets are only to be attached to the target backer. The shooting of glass bottles is never an acceptable target. Common sense has to be the first thing that is packed when planning for any amount of time at the range. That does not seem to be the case over these last 6 months and it is pretty frightening.
Once again if you are at the range have your membership card on you and be prepared to show it. When you are shooting you need to pick up AT LEAST the same amount of shells that you shoot. Pistol shooters and people shooting from the picnic table this is directed at you mainly.
The gun raffle tickets have been selling well. We will be making one last push on selling tickets and will be setting the date for the raffle at next weeks meeting.
The Big Game Dinner will hopefully be rescheduled soon depending entirely on the reopening schedule set forth by the state.
Grounds Maintenance -- Now that the weather seems to be slowly breaking (it is snowing right now as I am writing this...) the weekly mowing is going to need to be starting up. Please reach out to me with any questions or for your availability to help out. Even if the mowers are being used there is plenty of other things that can be done by anyone that shows up at all times.
There have been some updates to the Calendar of Events please update your calendars!
Calendar of Events
May 20th -- May meeting at the Clubhouse
June 6th -- Fishing Derby CANCELLED
June 10th -- June meeting at the Clubhouse
July 8th -- July meeting at the Clubhouse
August 1st-- Firearms hunter safety course at the Clubhouse
August 2nd -- Archery hunter safety course at the Clubhouse
August 12th -- August meeting at the Clubhouse
September 9th -- September meeting at the Clubhouse (last meeting of the year)
Duck race ---- July - date to be set as the time gets closer
Grounds Maintenance---- Every Monday from the time the snow melts until the snow flies
Summer shooting league usually every other week starting sometime in June will keep updated
We have 300+ names on the mailing list and unfortunately only the same 8 people are the ones at the meetings. We are not looking for a major time commitment from anyone. I can say that I heard from more members about the closing of the range than I have ever met at all of the events combined. I love that people are passionate about it but am asking that some of that passion be transferred into in person.
The more the merrier at the meetings. We all would love to see this club blossom into more than what it is. In order for that to happen we need more active members at the meetings and all of the events. I would love to get to know more of the members of this awesome club!
Dennis Gaudet
Williamstown Fish and Game Club President
(860) 798-8781
drygaudet@yahoo.com
April 2020
Hello to all Williamstown Fish and Game Club members!
I hope this newsletter finds everyone happy and healthy!! Happy Trout Season!!!!
I apologize for the delay in this newsletter. Technology and I have not been friends these past few weeks. Thankfully Mark took control of things and got some updates out to everyone.
The range is still open in these uncertain times, but in sticking with recommendations from the state if you are there please continue to observe the 6 foot rule. Please also pick up after yourselves.
The gun raffle for this spring has been set. We are once again raffling off two guns. Same setup as last year with the first person being drawn having their choice and the second person getting the remaining. The two guns for this year are a Ruger American Go Wild in the new and exciting 350 Legend, and a beautiful Henry Golden Boy Lever Action in 22 mag. If anyone is in need of tickets please reach out and we will be glad to get some over to you.
The Big Game Dinner and Raffle -- The club voted to choose a gift certificate to Big Boom's Northern Maine Adventures this year as the grand prize. That way the winner isn't limited to only a bear hunt, but is able to select from any of the hunts that Boomer offers up in Portage Lake. If anyone has anything that they would like to donate to the club as a prize please call myself or one of the other officers or directors to make sure that we can pick it up from you. Same as before, if you had a ticket last year you have first dibs on that ticket again this year. Please reach out to one of the officers or directors of the club and let one of us know that you would like the ticket. That will cut down on us having to track down people up until the last minute to try and verify that the tickets are spoken for. If you did not have a ticket, but would like one reach out to an officer or director to have your name put on the waiting list.
Both the Gun Raffle and the Big Game Dinner and Raffle have been postponed until further notice. No real idea when things will happen because it is completely dependent on when the world takes a turn back towards some sense of what it used to be prior to the Coronavirus outbreak.
Grounds Maintenance -- As the weather eventually starts to turn around and get a bit warmer we will be needing members to help out with the more hands on and weekly grounds maintenance. Monday is the day for all work at the range because that is the day of the week that the range is shut down to shooting. As that time draws nearer if you think you would be available for any of the days please reach out to an officer or director.
There have been some updates to the Calendar of Events please update your calendars!
Calendar of Events
April 18th -- Big Game Dinner at the American Legion POSTPONED
May 2nd -- Spring Hunter Safety Course firearms only CANCELLED
May 13th -- May meeting at the Clubhouse weather permitting
June 6th -- Fishing Derby
June 10th -- June meeting at the Clubhouse
July 8th -- July meeting at the Clubhouse
August 1st-- Firearms hunter safety course at the Clubhouse
August 2nd -- Archery hunter safety course at the Clubhouse
August 12th -- August meeting at the Clubhouse
September 9th -- September meeting at the Clubhouse (last meeting of the year)
Duck race ---- July - date to be set as the time gets closer
Grounds Maintenance---- Every Monday from the time the snow melts until the snow flies
Summer shooting league usually every other week starting sometime in June will keep updated
We have 290 names on the mailing list and unfortunately only the same 8 people are the ones at the meetings. We are not looking for a major time commitment from anyone. I can say that I heard from more members about the closing of the range than I have ever met at all of the events combined. I love that people are passionate about it but am asking that some of that passion be transferred into in person.
The more the merrier at the meetings. We all would love to see this club blossom into more than what it is. In order for that to happen we need more active members at the meetings and all of the events. I would love to get to know more of the members of this awesome club!
Dennis Gaudet
Williamstown Fish and Game Club President
(860) 798-8781
drygaudet@yahoo.com
Hello to all Williamstown Fish and Game Club members!
I hope this newsletter finds everyone happy and healthy!! Happy Trout Season!!!!
I apologize for the delay in this newsletter. Technology and I have not been friends these past few weeks. Thankfully Mark took control of things and got some updates out to everyone.
The range is still open in these uncertain times, but in sticking with recommendations from the state if you are there please continue to observe the 6 foot rule. Please also pick up after yourselves.
The gun raffle for this spring has been set. We are once again raffling off two guns. Same setup as last year with the first person being drawn having their choice and the second person getting the remaining. The two guns for this year are a Ruger American Go Wild in the new and exciting 350 Legend, and a beautiful Henry Golden Boy Lever Action in 22 mag. If anyone is in need of tickets please reach out and we will be glad to get some over to you.
The Big Game Dinner and Raffle -- The club voted to choose a gift certificate to Big Boom's Northern Maine Adventures this year as the grand prize. That way the winner isn't limited to only a bear hunt, but is able to select from any of the hunts that Boomer offers up in Portage Lake. If anyone has anything that they would like to donate to the club as a prize please call myself or one of the other officers or directors to make sure that we can pick it up from you. Same as before, if you had a ticket last year you have first dibs on that ticket again this year. Please reach out to one of the officers or directors of the club and let one of us know that you would like the ticket. That will cut down on us having to track down people up until the last minute to try and verify that the tickets are spoken for. If you did not have a ticket, but would like one reach out to an officer or director to have your name put on the waiting list.
Both the Gun Raffle and the Big Game Dinner and Raffle have been postponed until further notice. No real idea when things will happen because it is completely dependent on when the world takes a turn back towards some sense of what it used to be prior to the Coronavirus outbreak.
Grounds Maintenance -- As the weather eventually starts to turn around and get a bit warmer we will be needing members to help out with the more hands on and weekly grounds maintenance. Monday is the day for all work at the range because that is the day of the week that the range is shut down to shooting. As that time draws nearer if you think you would be available for any of the days please reach out to an officer or director.
There have been some updates to the Calendar of Events please update your calendars!
Calendar of Events
April 18th -- Big Game Dinner at the American Legion POSTPONED
May 2nd -- Spring Hunter Safety Course firearms only CANCELLED
May 13th -- May meeting at the Clubhouse weather permitting
June 6th -- Fishing Derby
June 10th -- June meeting at the Clubhouse
July 8th -- July meeting at the Clubhouse
August 1st-- Firearms hunter safety course at the Clubhouse
August 2nd -- Archery hunter safety course at the Clubhouse
August 12th -- August meeting at the Clubhouse
September 9th -- September meeting at the Clubhouse (last meeting of the year)
Duck race ---- July - date to be set as the time gets closer
Grounds Maintenance---- Every Monday from the time the snow melts until the snow flies
Summer shooting league usually every other week starting sometime in June will keep updated
We have 290 names on the mailing list and unfortunately only the same 8 people are the ones at the meetings. We are not looking for a major time commitment from anyone. I can say that I heard from more members about the closing of the range than I have ever met at all of the events combined. I love that people are passionate about it but am asking that some of that passion be transferred into in person.
The more the merrier at the meetings. We all would love to see this club blossom into more than what it is. In order for that to happen we need more active members at the meetings and all of the events. I would love to get to know more of the members of this awesome club!
Dennis Gaudet
Williamstown Fish and Game Club President
(860) 798-8781
drygaudet@yahoo.com
Updated News Concerning Hunter Education On-Line Certification
Hello to all Williamstown Fish and Game Club members!
Just since last evenings email updating you all on postponements and cancellations of upcoming scheduled Club activities new information has been received concerning hunter education certification.
Although the Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department has made the decision to cancel all in person hunter education classes through the end of May a new opportunity has been created for "Vermont residents" to receive their certification via online. This will be a temporary program that will last only as long as the "stay at home" order is in place. If you are interested in this opportunity or may know someone that maybe looking to earn their hunter education certification prior to this years spring turkey seasons you can direct them to the departments website www.vtfishandwildlife.com where all information is posted. This online certification is only for "firearms" archery certification is not available via online.
I hope this is good news for anyone that was hoping to attend our Club sponsored class that had been scheduled for this spring.
Everyone please stay safe and healthy.
Mark McCarthy
Hello to all Williamstown Fish and Game Club members!
Just since last evenings email updating you all on postponements and cancellations of upcoming scheduled Club activities new information has been received concerning hunter education certification.
Although the Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department has made the decision to cancel all in person hunter education classes through the end of May a new opportunity has been created for "Vermont residents" to receive their certification via online. This will be a temporary program that will last only as long as the "stay at home" order is in place. If you are interested in this opportunity or may know someone that maybe looking to earn their hunter education certification prior to this years spring turkey seasons you can direct them to the departments website www.vtfishandwildlife.com where all information is posted. This online certification is only for "firearms" archery certification is not available via online.
I hope this is good news for anyone that was hoping to attend our Club sponsored class that had been scheduled for this spring.
Everyone please stay safe and healthy.
Mark McCarthy
March 31, 2020
Updated News Concerning Club Activities Postponements and Cancellations Due to Coronavirus
Hello to all Williamstown Fish and Game Club members!
I hope this note finds all of you and your families healthy and safe during these unprecedented times we all find ourselves living through right now.
This note is a brief update outlining which scheduled Club activities have been affected by the recent State of Vermont "stay at home" order due to the Coronavirus pandemic. Dennis will be sending out his April newsletter sometime this week and will probably expand upon details here. We felt it important to get this note out now as we have been receiving inquiries about upcoming scheduled events.
April regular monthly meeting scheduled for Wednesday the 8th is canceled.
Big Game Raffle scheduled for Saturday April 18th has been postponed. An alternative date has yet to be selected at this time. For all of those that had purchased tickets from last years raffle your tickets are still secure. You will be contacted by a Club member in the coming weeks to confirm that you would like to purchase your ticket again this year. If your are able to purchase your ticket now it would be greatly appreciated as the Club has several projects at the Club House and grounds that we will continue working on this spring and the funds would help out. If however you are not in a position at this time to purchase your ticket not to worry, if you want us to hold it for you we will. The plan is to give everyone 30 days notice prior to the new date of the raffle and at that time you can make your decision regarding your ticket.
The Spring Gun Raffle also has been postponed at this time. As with the Big Game Raffle it will be rescheduled and the 2 events will coincide with each other.
Due to directives from the Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department our May 2nd scheduled firearm hunter safety course has been canceled. At this time our August scheduled firearm and archery hunter safety courses are still on as planned. We will continue to update the status of those courses as directives are forwarded to us from the State.
Unfortunately the Joey Gingras Memorial Fishing Derby has been canceled as well. We have again been informed by the Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department that they will not be providing any fish for any youth fishing events for the remainder of 2020.
At this point this is the most up to date information that we have on scheduled Club activities that have been affected by the Coronavirus pandemic. We will continue to pass along any new information or updates as we receive them.
On a final note the range is open and operational. Shooting ranges have been deemed as "essential activities" and will continue to remain open to the public. Please use common sense and good judgement and limit groups to 5 or less.
I was at the range yesterday and changed out the backer board. With turkey season only a month away I would again ask anyone using the range to pattern their shotguns to place targets so they hang below the backer board so we don't blow holes through it with "turkey loads" I also noticed a lot of brass both on the lawn in front of the berm and on the floor of the shooting bench. "Please pick up after yourself, is that to much to ask"?
Everyone please stay safe and healthy.
Mark McCarthy
Updated News Concerning Club Activities Postponements and Cancellations Due to Coronavirus
Hello to all Williamstown Fish and Game Club members!
I hope this note finds all of you and your families healthy and safe during these unprecedented times we all find ourselves living through right now.
This note is a brief update outlining which scheduled Club activities have been affected by the recent State of Vermont "stay at home" order due to the Coronavirus pandemic. Dennis will be sending out his April newsletter sometime this week and will probably expand upon details here. We felt it important to get this note out now as we have been receiving inquiries about upcoming scheduled events.
April regular monthly meeting scheduled for Wednesday the 8th is canceled.
Big Game Raffle scheduled for Saturday April 18th has been postponed. An alternative date has yet to be selected at this time. For all of those that had purchased tickets from last years raffle your tickets are still secure. You will be contacted by a Club member in the coming weeks to confirm that you would like to purchase your ticket again this year. If your are able to purchase your ticket now it would be greatly appreciated as the Club has several projects at the Club House and grounds that we will continue working on this spring and the funds would help out. If however you are not in a position at this time to purchase your ticket not to worry, if you want us to hold it for you we will. The plan is to give everyone 30 days notice prior to the new date of the raffle and at that time you can make your decision regarding your ticket.
The Spring Gun Raffle also has been postponed at this time. As with the Big Game Raffle it will be rescheduled and the 2 events will coincide with each other.
Due to directives from the Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department our May 2nd scheduled firearm hunter safety course has been canceled. At this time our August scheduled firearm and archery hunter safety courses are still on as planned. We will continue to update the status of those courses as directives are forwarded to us from the State.
Unfortunately the Joey Gingras Memorial Fishing Derby has been canceled as well. We have again been informed by the Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department that they will not be providing any fish for any youth fishing events for the remainder of 2020.
At this point this is the most up to date information that we have on scheduled Club activities that have been affected by the Coronavirus pandemic. We will continue to pass along any new information or updates as we receive them.
On a final note the range is open and operational. Shooting ranges have been deemed as "essential activities" and will continue to remain open to the public. Please use common sense and good judgement and limit groups to 5 or less.
I was at the range yesterday and changed out the backer board. With turkey season only a month away I would again ask anyone using the range to pattern their shotguns to place targets so they hang below the backer board so we don't blow holes through it with "turkey loads" I also noticed a lot of brass both on the lawn in front of the berm and on the floor of the shooting bench. "Please pick up after yourself, is that to much to ask"?
Everyone please stay safe and healthy.
Mark McCarthy
February 2020
February Regular Monthly Meeting
February 12th 7:00 PM
American Legion Hall Barre
Hello to all Williamstown Fish and Game Club members!
For those members that were not able to attend the meeting in January we held elections for several positions. The treasurer and secretary positions were up for election and Marion Gray has stepped up to fill both of those positions. As a club we thank Laura Wilder immensely for her years of service as the clubs treasurer! We also held elections for three director positions. New to an elected position with the club is Anthony Millus. Anthony is taking Alan Larrabee's position. Anthony has helped out with cooking at the big game dinner and will be a welcome addition to the position. Returning to their positions are Mark McCarthy and Dominique Renaud.
A huge thank you going out to club member Ronnie Blouin for all of his hard work with finish work and painting of the ceilings and walls. An equally huge thank you going out to Mark and Scott McCarthy for all of their continued work on the clubhouse (framing in and sheetrocking the kitchen and bathroom).
Update on the issues at the range. A report has been filed with the Sheriff's Department and they will be helping to monitor the activity at the club. We are still looking for any and all information available.
The paper copy of the January newsletter is on the way I promise. We had a mix up with the printing causing some delays and they will be out in the mail by the end of the week.
The gun raffle for this spring has been set. We are once again raffling off two guns. Same setup as last year with the first person being drawn having their choice and the second person getting the remaining. The two guns for this year are a Ruger American Go Wild in the new and exciting 350 Legend, and a beautiful Henry Golden Boy Lever Action in 22 mag.
The Big Game Dinner and Raffle -- It is never too early to start attempting to secure donations for the prizes for this wonderful event.
If you had a ticket last year you have first grab at that same ticket for this year. Please reach out to one of the officers and directors if you would still like your ticket. We are trying to avoid last minute scrambling to make contact with people to verify whether or not they want their tickets and be left with tickets at the day of the event. At the same point if you did not have a ticket last year and would like to be put on the waiting list for one for this year please do the same and reach out to an officer or director with your contact information so we can reach out to you once a ticket becomes available. Last year was the most attended event in recent memory and went very well. The grand prize for this years raffle is a certificate with Big Boom's Northern Maine Adventures that will allow the winner to take part in whatever hunt they so choose that he offers.
Grounds Maintenance -- As the weather eventually starts to turn around and get a bit warmer we will be needing members to help out with the more hands on and weekly grounds maintenance. Monday is the day for all work at the range because that is the day of the week that the range is shut down to shooting. As that time draws nearer if you think you would be available for any of the days please reach out to an officer or director.
There have been some updates to the Calendar of Events please update your calendars!
Calendar of Events
February 12th-- February meeting at the American Legion
March 11th-- March meeting at the American Legion
April 8th-- April meeting at the American Legion
April 18th -- Big Game Dinner at the American Legion
May 2nd -- Spring Hunter Safety Course firearms only
May 13th -- May meeting at the Clubhouse weather permitting
June 6th -- Fishing Derby
June 10th -- June meeting at the Clubhouse
July 8th -- July meeting at the Clubhouse
August 1st-- Firearms hunter safety course at the Clubhouse
August 2nd -- Archery hunter safety course at the Clubhouse
August 12th -- August meeting at the Clubhouse
September 9th -- September meeting at the Clubhouse (last meeting of the year)
Duck race ---- July - date to be set as the time gets closer
Grounds Maintenance---- Every Monday from the time the snow melts until the snow flies
Summer shooting league usually every other week starting sometime in June will keep updated
We have 290 names on the mailing list and unfortunately only the same 8 people are the ones at the meetings. We are not looking for a major time commitment from anyone. I can say that I heard from more members about the closing of the range than I have ever met at all of the events combined. I love that people are passionate about it but am asking that some of that passion be transferred into in person.
The more the merrier at the meetings. We all would love to see this club blossom into more than what it is. In order for that to happen we need more active members at the meetings and all of the events. I would love to get to know more of the members of this awesome club!
Dennis Gaudet
Williamstown Fish and Game Club President
(860) 798-8781
drygaudet@yahoo.com
February Regular Monthly Meeting
February 12th 7:00 PM
American Legion Hall Barre
Hello to all Williamstown Fish and Game Club members!
For those members that were not able to attend the meeting in January we held elections for several positions. The treasurer and secretary positions were up for election and Marion Gray has stepped up to fill both of those positions. As a club we thank Laura Wilder immensely for her years of service as the clubs treasurer! We also held elections for three director positions. New to an elected position with the club is Anthony Millus. Anthony is taking Alan Larrabee's position. Anthony has helped out with cooking at the big game dinner and will be a welcome addition to the position. Returning to their positions are Mark McCarthy and Dominique Renaud.
A huge thank you going out to club member Ronnie Blouin for all of his hard work with finish work and painting of the ceilings and walls. An equally huge thank you going out to Mark and Scott McCarthy for all of their continued work on the clubhouse (framing in and sheetrocking the kitchen and bathroom).
Update on the issues at the range. A report has been filed with the Sheriff's Department and they will be helping to monitor the activity at the club. We are still looking for any and all information available.
The paper copy of the January newsletter is on the way I promise. We had a mix up with the printing causing some delays and they will be out in the mail by the end of the week.
The gun raffle for this spring has been set. We are once again raffling off two guns. Same setup as last year with the first person being drawn having their choice and the second person getting the remaining. The two guns for this year are a Ruger American Go Wild in the new and exciting 350 Legend, and a beautiful Henry Golden Boy Lever Action in 22 mag.
The Big Game Dinner and Raffle -- It is never too early to start attempting to secure donations for the prizes for this wonderful event.
If you had a ticket last year you have first grab at that same ticket for this year. Please reach out to one of the officers and directors if you would still like your ticket. We are trying to avoid last minute scrambling to make contact with people to verify whether or not they want their tickets and be left with tickets at the day of the event. At the same point if you did not have a ticket last year and would like to be put on the waiting list for one for this year please do the same and reach out to an officer or director with your contact information so we can reach out to you once a ticket becomes available. Last year was the most attended event in recent memory and went very well. The grand prize for this years raffle is a certificate with Big Boom's Northern Maine Adventures that will allow the winner to take part in whatever hunt they so choose that he offers.
Grounds Maintenance -- As the weather eventually starts to turn around and get a bit warmer we will be needing members to help out with the more hands on and weekly grounds maintenance. Monday is the day for all work at the range because that is the day of the week that the range is shut down to shooting. As that time draws nearer if you think you would be available for any of the days please reach out to an officer or director.
There have been some updates to the Calendar of Events please update your calendars!
Calendar of Events
February 12th-- February meeting at the American Legion
March 11th-- March meeting at the American Legion
April 8th-- April meeting at the American Legion
April 18th -- Big Game Dinner at the American Legion
May 2nd -- Spring Hunter Safety Course firearms only
May 13th -- May meeting at the Clubhouse weather permitting
June 6th -- Fishing Derby
June 10th -- June meeting at the Clubhouse
July 8th -- July meeting at the Clubhouse
August 1st-- Firearms hunter safety course at the Clubhouse
August 2nd -- Archery hunter safety course at the Clubhouse
August 12th -- August meeting at the Clubhouse
September 9th -- September meeting at the Clubhouse (last meeting of the year)
Duck race ---- July - date to be set as the time gets closer
Grounds Maintenance---- Every Monday from the time the snow melts until the snow flies
Summer shooting league usually every other week starting sometime in June will keep updated
We have 290 names on the mailing list and unfortunately only the same 8 people are the ones at the meetings. We are not looking for a major time commitment from anyone. I can say that I heard from more members about the closing of the range than I have ever met at all of the events combined. I love that people are passionate about it but am asking that some of that passion be transferred into in person.
The more the merrier at the meetings. We all would love to see this club blossom into more than what it is. In order for that to happen we need more active members at the meetings and all of the events. I would love to get to know more of the members of this awesome club!
Dennis Gaudet
Williamstown Fish and Game Club President
(860) 798-8781
drygaudet@yahoo.com
January 2020
January Regular Monthly Meeting
January 15th 7:00 PM
American Legion Hall Barre
Hello to all Williamstown Fish and Game Club members!
Well I think it is safe to say that the end of 2019 was really crappy for the Williamstown Fish and Game Club. Because of the lack of caring of at least one STUPID individual the range was closed to everyone for the first time in the time that I have been proud to be associated with this club. We can not stress enough the issues with exactly what happened at the club. It goes WAY above just a lack of respect for property and the efforts and time of many people. It is more than that. It is whole heartedly a safety issue. The fact that someone was foolish enough to think that they could sit there and shot after shot wait until the telephone pole fell over is frightening. We are not talking about nerf guns here people. Whoever is responsible knew exactly what they were doing.
I understand that the target backstop was not in good shape and had likely been shot over with the increased use that comes right before rifle season of every year. That being said I put my email address and phone number in ALL email correspondences to make sure that if anyone has any concerns or notices something that I am readily available to be reached. I did not receive any calls or emails about range issues. Neither did any of the other officers or directors.
If you see something going on or someone doing something that they shouldn't be SAY SOMETHING. I have only once been asked if I was a member when I was at the range and that was 4 years ago. I want everyone asking everyone else that they see there to see their membership card. If you don't have your card go home and get it. We can not be the next range on the list that goes from fully functional to defunct because of the actions of some negligent fools.
In the paper copy that goes out to all members on the mailing list will be a written note from former club president Mark McCarthy. He is the one that clued me in to the happenings at the range. He returned from a hunt out of state and stopped up there to put an eye on things and gather trash as he does regularly without hesitation. I got a call from him and he sent me pictures of what he found and we immediately agreed the correct course of action was to shut the range down. The very next day he went up and rebuilt the target backstop so that way anyone that didn't immediately look at the email would have a safe location to hang targets. I went up there the second weekend of rifle season and found miraculously that there had been zero shots through the new plywood. Fast forward a week to the last weekend of rifle season (range still closed) and there are targets everywhere and lots of holes in the backstop. As of the writing of this newsletter the activity at the range has only ramped up even though the range is still CLOSED.
Well time has come to open the range back up again. Hopefully with it being opened the increased activity will mean that there will be people there to monitor the happenings. Once again if you see something say something. Call or email me. Be specific get as much information as possible. Everyone ask everyone for their memberships. If someone doesn't have a membership politely tell them that this is a members only firing range and club and that they need to purchase a membership, which can be done right online at the website. Don't get into a fight over it if someone is there and they are being uncooperative about it just make note of them and call me. Almost everyone has a smart phone these days it is very easy to snap a picture of a person and or vehicle and get that information over to an officer or director and let us know about what is going on.
The club does not have someone set to go plow out the parking lot so in the winter time please be mindful that if you drive in there you might be spending a lot more time there than you had originally intended. We will attempt to clear the parking lot and driveway as often as we can but as of right now there will not be any consistency to that.
The rules of the range are posted both on the website and also on a gigantic metal sign right behind the shooting stand. Abide by those rules or get the hell out. There is no gray area. We will not tolerate any breaking of the rules or blatant disregard for other members that are there to enjoy themselves. Take turns we only have one shooting lane so if someone is trying to dial in a rifle and someone else wants to shoot a handgun alternate in a safe manner. Be respectful.
For the love of god do NOT shoot the telephone poles or the trash barrels. Targets are only to be secured to the plywood. Please try not to attach the targets to the support beams of the target backstop but instead to the body of the plywood only. No exploding targets and no aerial targets (skeet). We have good neighbors that we do not need to piss off. This is a group effort and needs to be thought of as such. The club needs more active members in order to survive. If you have the time to give please consider doing so.
Hopefully everyone's seasons were successful and safe. I personally did not manage to get as much time out in the field as I had hoped this year (that would still be true even if I was out every minute of legal shooting hours). But as I am finding out that is exactly what happens when you finally become a homeowner. I hope to be able to get out on the ice every chance I get this winter and start prepping as soon as possible for the upcoming 2020 seasons.
Speaking of the 2020 seasons there are some major changes this year and they can be pretty confusing. I will try to learn the rules as best as I can to answer any questions about the rule changes but the best way to make sure that you are abiding by the rules would be to pick up the most recent copy of the law digest and read up. As the seasons draw nearer update your knowledge online. The law digests are printed and distributed in December of the previous year to make sure that they are out for the start of the year so any changes will be updated online and not in the print copy. There are also new baitfish regulations. Please read up on the new regulations because ignorance of the law is not a free pass.
The Big Game Dinner and Raffle -- It is never too early to start attempting to secure donations for the prizes for this wonderful event.
If you had a ticket last year you have first grab at that same ticket for this year. Please reach out to one of the officers and directors if you would still like your ticket. We are trying to avoid last minute scrambling to make contact with people to verify whether or not they want their tickets and be left with tickets at the day of the event. At the same point if you did not have a ticket last year and would like to be put on the waiting list for one for this year please do the same and reach out to an officer or director with your contact information so we can reach out to you once a ticket becomes available. Last year was the most attended event in recent memory and went very well. I have been in contact with Boomer from Big Boom's Northern Maine Adventures several times since the raffle winners spent a week at his camp in September and he was very happy with the individuals that went on the hunt. He is also hoping to attend the dinner this year.
Grounds Maintenance -- Last year we got behind the 8 ball in the beginning of the lawn mowing season. Partially because we did not have the necessary equipment to handle the mowing. We secured a 48 inch deck riding mower that managed to hay the field a couple of times and eventually turn it back into a "lawn". There is more than just mowing that has to happen so please if you have any availability to help out on Monday evenings the more people we have the better we can keep up with the land.
The clubhouse itself had seen some major work in the later part of the year. The overall interior available space is now less but it means that we have finally managed to get the bathroom and kitchen walls framed in!! We are coming closer still to finishing off the clubhouse. As work days are scheduled I will be sending out emails looking for volunteers to help out.
We have several positions that are up for election at the January meeting. Those positions are the secretary, treasurer and 3 director positions that are expiring and will need to be voted on. If you or someone you know are interested in filling one of these positions please come to the meeting and nominate them or have someone nominate you.
Calendar of Events
January 15th -- January meeting at the American Legion
February 12th -- February meeting at the American Legion
March 11th -- March meeting at the American Legion
April 8th -- April meeting at the American Legion
April 25th ??? -- Big Game Dinner at the American Legion
May 13th -- May meeting at the Clubhouse weather permitting
June 6th??? -- Fishing Derby?
June 10th -- June meeting at the Clubhouse
July 8th -- July meeting at the Clubhouse
August 1st -- Firearms hunter safety course at the Clubhouse???
August 2nd -- Archery hunter safety course at the Clubhouse???
August 12th -- August meeting at the Clubhouse
September 9th -- September meeting at the Clubhouse (last meeting of the year)
Duck race -- TBD
Spring Hunter Safety course -- TBD
Grounds Maintenance -- Every Monday from the time the snow melts until the snow flies
Summer shooting league usually every other week starting sometime in June will keep updated
We have 290 names on the mailing list and unfortunately only the same 8 people are the ones at the meetings. We are not looking for a major time commitment from anyone. I can say that I heard from more members about the closing of the range than I have ever met at all of the events combined. I love that people are passionate about it but am asking that some of that passion be transferred into in person.
The more the merrier at the meetings. We all would love to see this club blossom into more than what it is. In order for that to happen we need more active members at the meetings and all of the events. I would love to get to know more of the members of this awesome club!
Dennis Gaudet
Williamstown Fish and Game Club President
(860) 798-8781
drygaudet@yahoo.com
January Regular Monthly Meeting
January 15th 7:00 PM
American Legion Hall Barre
Hello to all Williamstown Fish and Game Club members!
Well I think it is safe to say that the end of 2019 was really crappy for the Williamstown Fish and Game Club. Because of the lack of caring of at least one STUPID individual the range was closed to everyone for the first time in the time that I have been proud to be associated with this club. We can not stress enough the issues with exactly what happened at the club. It goes WAY above just a lack of respect for property and the efforts and time of many people. It is more than that. It is whole heartedly a safety issue. The fact that someone was foolish enough to think that they could sit there and shot after shot wait until the telephone pole fell over is frightening. We are not talking about nerf guns here people. Whoever is responsible knew exactly what they were doing.
I understand that the target backstop was not in good shape and had likely been shot over with the increased use that comes right before rifle season of every year. That being said I put my email address and phone number in ALL email correspondences to make sure that if anyone has any concerns or notices something that I am readily available to be reached. I did not receive any calls or emails about range issues. Neither did any of the other officers or directors.
If you see something going on or someone doing something that they shouldn't be SAY SOMETHING. I have only once been asked if I was a member when I was at the range and that was 4 years ago. I want everyone asking everyone else that they see there to see their membership card. If you don't have your card go home and get it. We can not be the next range on the list that goes from fully functional to defunct because of the actions of some negligent fools.
In the paper copy that goes out to all members on the mailing list will be a written note from former club president Mark McCarthy. He is the one that clued me in to the happenings at the range. He returned from a hunt out of state and stopped up there to put an eye on things and gather trash as he does regularly without hesitation. I got a call from him and he sent me pictures of what he found and we immediately agreed the correct course of action was to shut the range down. The very next day he went up and rebuilt the target backstop so that way anyone that didn't immediately look at the email would have a safe location to hang targets. I went up there the second weekend of rifle season and found miraculously that there had been zero shots through the new plywood. Fast forward a week to the last weekend of rifle season (range still closed) and there are targets everywhere and lots of holes in the backstop. As of the writing of this newsletter the activity at the range has only ramped up even though the range is still CLOSED.
Well time has come to open the range back up again. Hopefully with it being opened the increased activity will mean that there will be people there to monitor the happenings. Once again if you see something say something. Call or email me. Be specific get as much information as possible. Everyone ask everyone for their memberships. If someone doesn't have a membership politely tell them that this is a members only firing range and club and that they need to purchase a membership, which can be done right online at the website. Don't get into a fight over it if someone is there and they are being uncooperative about it just make note of them and call me. Almost everyone has a smart phone these days it is very easy to snap a picture of a person and or vehicle and get that information over to an officer or director and let us know about what is going on.
The club does not have someone set to go plow out the parking lot so in the winter time please be mindful that if you drive in there you might be spending a lot more time there than you had originally intended. We will attempt to clear the parking lot and driveway as often as we can but as of right now there will not be any consistency to that.
The rules of the range are posted both on the website and also on a gigantic metal sign right behind the shooting stand. Abide by those rules or get the hell out. There is no gray area. We will not tolerate any breaking of the rules or blatant disregard for other members that are there to enjoy themselves. Take turns we only have one shooting lane so if someone is trying to dial in a rifle and someone else wants to shoot a handgun alternate in a safe manner. Be respectful.
For the love of god do NOT shoot the telephone poles or the trash barrels. Targets are only to be secured to the plywood. Please try not to attach the targets to the support beams of the target backstop but instead to the body of the plywood only. No exploding targets and no aerial targets (skeet). We have good neighbors that we do not need to piss off. This is a group effort and needs to be thought of as such. The club needs more active members in order to survive. If you have the time to give please consider doing so.
Hopefully everyone's seasons were successful and safe. I personally did not manage to get as much time out in the field as I had hoped this year (that would still be true even if I was out every minute of legal shooting hours). But as I am finding out that is exactly what happens when you finally become a homeowner. I hope to be able to get out on the ice every chance I get this winter and start prepping as soon as possible for the upcoming 2020 seasons.
Speaking of the 2020 seasons there are some major changes this year and they can be pretty confusing. I will try to learn the rules as best as I can to answer any questions about the rule changes but the best way to make sure that you are abiding by the rules would be to pick up the most recent copy of the law digest and read up. As the seasons draw nearer update your knowledge online. The law digests are printed and distributed in December of the previous year to make sure that they are out for the start of the year so any changes will be updated online and not in the print copy. There are also new baitfish regulations. Please read up on the new regulations because ignorance of the law is not a free pass.
The Big Game Dinner and Raffle -- It is never too early to start attempting to secure donations for the prizes for this wonderful event.
If you had a ticket last year you have first grab at that same ticket for this year. Please reach out to one of the officers and directors if you would still like your ticket. We are trying to avoid last minute scrambling to make contact with people to verify whether or not they want their tickets and be left with tickets at the day of the event. At the same point if you did not have a ticket last year and would like to be put on the waiting list for one for this year please do the same and reach out to an officer or director with your contact information so we can reach out to you once a ticket becomes available. Last year was the most attended event in recent memory and went very well. I have been in contact with Boomer from Big Boom's Northern Maine Adventures several times since the raffle winners spent a week at his camp in September and he was very happy with the individuals that went on the hunt. He is also hoping to attend the dinner this year.
Grounds Maintenance -- Last year we got behind the 8 ball in the beginning of the lawn mowing season. Partially because we did not have the necessary equipment to handle the mowing. We secured a 48 inch deck riding mower that managed to hay the field a couple of times and eventually turn it back into a "lawn". There is more than just mowing that has to happen so please if you have any availability to help out on Monday evenings the more people we have the better we can keep up with the land.
The clubhouse itself had seen some major work in the later part of the year. The overall interior available space is now less but it means that we have finally managed to get the bathroom and kitchen walls framed in!! We are coming closer still to finishing off the clubhouse. As work days are scheduled I will be sending out emails looking for volunteers to help out.
We have several positions that are up for election at the January meeting. Those positions are the secretary, treasurer and 3 director positions that are expiring and will need to be voted on. If you or someone you know are interested in filling one of these positions please come to the meeting and nominate them or have someone nominate you.
Calendar of Events
January 15th -- January meeting at the American Legion
February 12th -- February meeting at the American Legion
March 11th -- March meeting at the American Legion
April 8th -- April meeting at the American Legion
April 25th ??? -- Big Game Dinner at the American Legion
May 13th -- May meeting at the Clubhouse weather permitting
June 6th??? -- Fishing Derby?
June 10th -- June meeting at the Clubhouse
July 8th -- July meeting at the Clubhouse
August 1st -- Firearms hunter safety course at the Clubhouse???
August 2nd -- Archery hunter safety course at the Clubhouse???
August 12th -- August meeting at the Clubhouse
September 9th -- September meeting at the Clubhouse (last meeting of the year)
Duck race -- TBD
Spring Hunter Safety course -- TBD
Grounds Maintenance -- Every Monday from the time the snow melts until the snow flies
Summer shooting league usually every other week starting sometime in June will keep updated
We have 290 names on the mailing list and unfortunately only the same 8 people are the ones at the meetings. We are not looking for a major time commitment from anyone. I can say that I heard from more members about the closing of the range than I have ever met at all of the events combined. I love that people are passionate about it but am asking that some of that passion be transferred into in person.
The more the merrier at the meetings. We all would love to see this club blossom into more than what it is. In order for that to happen we need more active members at the meetings and all of the events. I would love to get to know more of the members of this awesome club!
Dennis Gaudet
Williamstown Fish and Game Club President
(860) 798-8781
drygaudet@yahoo.com
November 13, 2019
As you can see from these pictures there has been some pretty serious disregard for the range. If it isn't clear what that picture is it is one of the telephone poles that we had sunk into the ground in order to build a bigger berm. The individual or individuals that are responsible for this are fully aware of exactly what they were doing when they did this. This isn't from just a couple of shots this is repeated shooting. We have also received several complaints of people not following the range rules and shooting much more than 5 shots at a time and having no respect for anyone else that is there to use the range.
With all of that being said the very difficult and even more disappointing choice was made to close the range until further notice. I am sorry for the timing just before rifle season, but it only takes one person to ruin it for everyone. Anyone that is observed using the range until it is officially reopened will have their membership revoked and will not be allowed back for an amount of time to be determined by the officers and directors of this amazing club. To those of you that have used the range as it is intended we thank you. To those of you that have not please have some respect for the work and effort of people that are just trying to build a nice place to have access to.
Any questions or information please reach out to me.
Dennis Gaudet
President
(860) 798-8781
drygaudet@yahoo.com
As you can see from these pictures there has been some pretty serious disregard for the range. If it isn't clear what that picture is it is one of the telephone poles that we had sunk into the ground in order to build a bigger berm. The individual or individuals that are responsible for this are fully aware of exactly what they were doing when they did this. This isn't from just a couple of shots this is repeated shooting. We have also received several complaints of people not following the range rules and shooting much more than 5 shots at a time and having no respect for anyone else that is there to use the range.
With all of that being said the very difficult and even more disappointing choice was made to close the range until further notice. I am sorry for the timing just before rifle season, but it only takes one person to ruin it for everyone. Anyone that is observed using the range until it is officially reopened will have their membership revoked and will not be allowed back for an amount of time to be determined by the officers and directors of this amazing club. To those of you that have used the range as it is intended we thank you. To those of you that have not please have some respect for the work and effort of people that are just trying to build a nice place to have access to.
Any questions or information please reach out to me.
Dennis Gaudet
President
(860) 798-8781
drygaudet@yahoo.com
September 2019 Hello to all Williamstown Fish and Game Club members!
This newsletter is the last one of the year leading up to a meeting. Any newsletters from here on out will hopefully be full of success stories and pictures from fellow club members of successful harvests!
With September finally here and the weather starting to act a little more like the season that we all long for throughout the year it is time for all of us to shift gears into outdoors mode. Dig out the rifles, shotguns, and bows and make sure they are all sighted in and doing exactly what we know they are capable of!
A few friendly reminders about the range: Range is closed on Monday's. Please clean up after yourself. If you are shooting pistols please try and pick up all of your spent shells. You don't have to bring them home with you but please pick them up and throw them in one of the trash barrels. Targets are only to be placed on the target, or in front of the smaller pistol berm to the left of the main backstop. This time of year is when the range starts to get VERY busy with everyone preparing for trips and the upcoming seasons. Be courteous it goes a long way. All members have the right and ability to ask anyone else at the range to see their membership. Please bring your card with you this is the easiest way to make sure that everyone is following the same rules.
If anyone has any questions or runs into an issue at the range we want to know about it. Please reach out to me immediately with any concerns or questions. I will do my best to get back to you as soon as I can. If you don't hear back from me as quickly as you need please don't worry about pestering me and try again. E-mail drygaudet@yahoo.com Cell (860) 798-8781
Be safe out there during whatever seasons you are devoting time to. All hunts are successful hunts as long as everyone comes home in one piece!
Calendar of Events
Wednesday September 11th September monthly meeting
The more the merrier at the meetings. We all would love to see this club blossom into more than what it is. In order for that to happen we need more active members at the meetings and all of the events. I would love to get to know more of the members of this awesome club!
Dennis Gaudet
Williamstown Fish and Game Club President
This newsletter is the last one of the year leading up to a meeting. Any newsletters from here on out will hopefully be full of success stories and pictures from fellow club members of successful harvests!
With September finally here and the weather starting to act a little more like the season that we all long for throughout the year it is time for all of us to shift gears into outdoors mode. Dig out the rifles, shotguns, and bows and make sure they are all sighted in and doing exactly what we know they are capable of!
A few friendly reminders about the range: Range is closed on Monday's. Please clean up after yourself. If you are shooting pistols please try and pick up all of your spent shells. You don't have to bring them home with you but please pick them up and throw them in one of the trash barrels. Targets are only to be placed on the target, or in front of the smaller pistol berm to the left of the main backstop. This time of year is when the range starts to get VERY busy with everyone preparing for trips and the upcoming seasons. Be courteous it goes a long way. All members have the right and ability to ask anyone else at the range to see their membership. Please bring your card with you this is the easiest way to make sure that everyone is following the same rules.
If anyone has any questions or runs into an issue at the range we want to know about it. Please reach out to me immediately with any concerns or questions. I will do my best to get back to you as soon as I can. If you don't hear back from me as quickly as you need please don't worry about pestering me and try again. E-mail drygaudet@yahoo.com Cell (860) 798-8781
Be safe out there during whatever seasons you are devoting time to. All hunts are successful hunts as long as everyone comes home in one piece!
Calendar of Events
Wednesday September 11th September monthly meeting
The more the merrier at the meetings. We all would love to see this club blossom into more than what it is. In order for that to happen we need more active members at the meetings and all of the events. I would love to get to know more of the members of this awesome club!
Dennis Gaudet
Williamstown Fish and Game Club President
August 2019
Hello to all Williamstown Fish and Game Club members!
This newsletter is going to be a wrap up of a fundraiser, completion of adding a new group of outdoorsmen and women, and a whole lot of range issues!
First and foremost; The Duck Race. Thank you to everyone that helped sell tickets. The last week that we delayed things really did help a lot. We went from barely breaking even to turning a small profit to help fund more work at the clubhouse. Forrest DeGrenia's (if I spelled your name wrong i apologize!) duck was the fastest down the stream this year. With that fundraiser behind us now it is time to put those funds to use. If anyone has been up to the range or clubhouse recently there have been some pretty big changes this past year. From here on out the clubhouse is NO SMOKING. Feel free to step outside and have a smoke in the parking lot or on the porch but no smoking inside.
The second item on the list is the completion of another round of firearm and bow hunter safety courses. This weekend we had wonderful weather and smaller groups than expected. That being said we had 24 students each day and all of them passed!!!! The weather worked out well for us and was an amazing time. If there are any members that have any interest in helping to grow the participation in this amazing way of life please don't hesitate to reach out and find out more. The feeling that we as instructors get when we see the success stories and pictures is extremely rewarding.
The most important item on the list for this newsletter hands down is the issues that we are having at the range. If you have been to the range recently you undoubtedly have seen the big posts sunk in the ground that will shortly be the base for an enclosure for the backstop. These posts are only for that purpose. They are completely riddled with holes and staples from people using them as their own personal target holders. If anyone is seen doing this their membership will be revoked immediately, and quite frankly so should their ability to use a firearm at all because they are not safe to shoot at. The berm is there and the target backstop set up in a way that ensures safety for everyone. Intentionally doing anything other than being safe with a firearm is unacceptable. Along the same lines as the posts is the trash can by the backstop. Once again this is not a target. There is nothing more to say about that it is a trash can and not something to lean targets up against and shoot at. The range is undoubtedly going to be getting very busy over the next few months as we all prepare for the best time of year. We all need to be vigilant on making sure that there are no accidents and that everyone is working together on this.
If anyone sees something out of the ordinary or something that they think is questionable don't hesitate to say something about it. The only thing you can do wrong at that point is remain silent
THERE IS ONLY ONE SAFE LOCATION TO HANG A TARGET IN THIS PICTURE!!!!!!!!!!
I apologize for taking that harsh of a tone in this newsletter but quite frankly it is unacceptable.
Calendar of Events
Wednesday August 14th August monthly meeting
Wednesday September 11th September monthly meeting
The more the merrier at the meetings. We all would love to see this club blossom into more than what it is. In order for that to happen we need more active members at the meetings and all of the events. I would love to get to know more of the members of this awesome club!
Dennis Gaudet
Williamstown Fish and Game Club President
Hello to all Williamstown Fish and Game Club members!
This newsletter is going to be a wrap up of a fundraiser, completion of adding a new group of outdoorsmen and women, and a whole lot of range issues!
First and foremost; The Duck Race. Thank you to everyone that helped sell tickets. The last week that we delayed things really did help a lot. We went from barely breaking even to turning a small profit to help fund more work at the clubhouse. Forrest DeGrenia's (if I spelled your name wrong i apologize!) duck was the fastest down the stream this year. With that fundraiser behind us now it is time to put those funds to use. If anyone has been up to the range or clubhouse recently there have been some pretty big changes this past year. From here on out the clubhouse is NO SMOKING. Feel free to step outside and have a smoke in the parking lot or on the porch but no smoking inside.
The second item on the list is the completion of another round of firearm and bow hunter safety courses. This weekend we had wonderful weather and smaller groups than expected. That being said we had 24 students each day and all of them passed!!!! The weather worked out well for us and was an amazing time. If there are any members that have any interest in helping to grow the participation in this amazing way of life please don't hesitate to reach out and find out more. The feeling that we as instructors get when we see the success stories and pictures is extremely rewarding.
The most important item on the list for this newsletter hands down is the issues that we are having at the range. If you have been to the range recently you undoubtedly have seen the big posts sunk in the ground that will shortly be the base for an enclosure for the backstop. These posts are only for that purpose. They are completely riddled with holes and staples from people using them as their own personal target holders. If anyone is seen doing this their membership will be revoked immediately, and quite frankly so should their ability to use a firearm at all because they are not safe to shoot at. The berm is there and the target backstop set up in a way that ensures safety for everyone. Intentionally doing anything other than being safe with a firearm is unacceptable. Along the same lines as the posts is the trash can by the backstop. Once again this is not a target. There is nothing more to say about that it is a trash can and not something to lean targets up against and shoot at. The range is undoubtedly going to be getting very busy over the next few months as we all prepare for the best time of year. We all need to be vigilant on making sure that there are no accidents and that everyone is working together on this.
If anyone sees something out of the ordinary or something that they think is questionable don't hesitate to say something about it. The only thing you can do wrong at that point is remain silent
THERE IS ONLY ONE SAFE LOCATION TO HANG A TARGET IN THIS PICTURE!!!!!!!!!!
I apologize for taking that harsh of a tone in this newsletter but quite frankly it is unacceptable.
Calendar of Events
Wednesday August 14th August monthly meeting
Wednesday September 11th September monthly meeting
The more the merrier at the meetings. We all would love to see this club blossom into more than what it is. In order for that to happen we need more active members at the meetings and all of the events. I would love to get to know more of the members of this awesome club!
Dennis Gaudet
Williamstown Fish and Game Club President
April 2019
Regular Monthly Meeting
April 10th 7:00 PM
American Legion Hall Barre
Hello to all Williamstown Fish and Game Club members!
As long as the winter seemed, Spring is finally here. It seems like everywhere I look there are more and more signs of animals roaming about. The turkeys and deer are certainly back out in numbers and eating everything that they can find. It also means that the work days at the clubhouse and on the grounds are starting to become a reality. We will shortly be assembling a group of people to help keep the grounds of the club looking their absolute best. I am hoping that we will be able to have a group of people that can cycle through the general upkeep of it all (mowing, weeding, trash pick up, etc.). There have been some major improvements on the clubhouse in the last few weeks. Scott McCarthy has been hard at work getting the sheetrock up on the ceiling so we can insulate up there. On March 30th Dave Wilder, Marion Gray and myself spent a chunk of the day insulating the walls and getting plastic put up to hold it all in place. While we were working there were several people that came up to use the range! For anyone that is really getting that itch to get out and shoot you certainly can. Just be prepared to trek through some snow still. Saturday April 6th we will be back up there again hoping to finish up the ceiling and the insulation. The clubhouse will be many steps closer to completion!!
As April draws on we come to a couple of big events. First and foremost is the spring hunter safety course. April 13th is going to be a big day for everyone involved. With 39 students registered (31 of which are adults!) the grounds and the new and improved clubhouse will be tested.
Next on the schedule is the Big Game Raffle. For anyone that had a ticket last year if you have not reached out to someone about confirming your ticket for this year please do. The more confirmations we have ahead of time the more smoothly everything runs. Also for that event the more donations the better. If anyone has anything that would make for a great prize that they would be willing to part with please reach out to Dave Wilder (802) 249-2685
New on the calendar of events is the Williamstown Memorial Day Parade. We will be putting a float in the parade this year.
April 13th, 2019
Williamstown Fish and Game Club sponsored firearm hunter safety course. This will be held at the Club house winter conditions permitting. The event has been posted on the Vermont Fish & Wildlife site and sign ups are now open. Contact Marion Gray for additional information.
April 27th, 2019
Williamstown Fish and Game Club Big Game Raffle held at the American Legion Hall in Barre. This years Grand Prize will be a bear hunt for 2 in northern Maine with Big Boom's Northern Maine Adventures. Contact Dave Wilder for additional information.
April 27th, 2019
Drawing for the Williamstown Fish and Game Club Spring Gun Raffle. As last year the winners of our Spring Gun Raffle will be drawn at the the evening of the Big Game Raffle. This years two firearms are a Mossberg "Patriot" rifle chambered in .308 caliber and a Taurus "Judge" 45 Colt / .410 gauge pistol. First name drawn will have choice with second name drawn receiving the remaining firearm. Contact Dennis Gaudet (860) 798-8781 or David Wilder III (802) 522-6938 for additional information and to obtain tickets.
May 18th, 2019
Williamstown Memorial Day Parade We are going to have a float in the parade this year as discussed at the last meeting. Anyone with ideas on how to make this stand out and bring good positive attention to the club please present the ideas to any officer or director.
June 8th, 2019
The Joey Gingras Memorial Fishing Derby to be held at the Clark residence on Gilbert Road in Williamstown. Contact Mark McCarthy for additional information.
June 11th, 2019
Tentative start date of summer shooting league. Contact Dave Wilder (802) 249-2685 / Ralph Gerrish (802) 917-4048 for additional information.
June 22nd, 2019
Williamstown Fish and Game Club Open House to be held at the Club House in Williamstown. Event to be open to all Williamstown residents cookout and other family activities for all in attendance.
July 13th 2019
Williamstown Fish and Game Club Annual Duck Race Fundraiser. Coordinating exact date with Williamstown Fire Department who will be conducting a chicken barbecue in conjunction with the event.
August 10th, 2019
Williamstown Fish and Game Club sponsored firearm hunter safety course to be held at the Club house. Contact Marion Gray (802) 272-0954 for additional information.
August 11th, 2019
Williamstown Fish and Game Club sponsored archery hunter safety course to be held at Club house. Contact Marion Gray (802) 272-0954 for additional information.
All of these events will be listed on the Club's website calendar, and any updates will be shared in future newsletters.
Once again this year the Williamstown Fish and Game Club will be sponsoring 5 young people to attend Green Mountain Conservation Camp at either Buck Lake or Lake Bomoseen. As has been the Club's traditional our first choice would to be to send the child or grandchild of a Club member that has not yet attended conservation Club. If you know of a child that would be interested in attending contact a Club officer or director for more information.
The more the merrier at the meetings. We all would love to see this club blossom into more than what it is. In order for that to happen we need more active members at the meetings and all of the events. I would love to get to know more of the members of this awesome club!
Dennis Gaudet
Williamstown Fish and Game Club President
Regular Monthly Meeting
April 10th 7:00 PM
American Legion Hall Barre
Hello to all Williamstown Fish and Game Club members!
As long as the winter seemed, Spring is finally here. It seems like everywhere I look there are more and more signs of animals roaming about. The turkeys and deer are certainly back out in numbers and eating everything that they can find. It also means that the work days at the clubhouse and on the grounds are starting to become a reality. We will shortly be assembling a group of people to help keep the grounds of the club looking their absolute best. I am hoping that we will be able to have a group of people that can cycle through the general upkeep of it all (mowing, weeding, trash pick up, etc.). There have been some major improvements on the clubhouse in the last few weeks. Scott McCarthy has been hard at work getting the sheetrock up on the ceiling so we can insulate up there. On March 30th Dave Wilder, Marion Gray and myself spent a chunk of the day insulating the walls and getting plastic put up to hold it all in place. While we were working there were several people that came up to use the range! For anyone that is really getting that itch to get out and shoot you certainly can. Just be prepared to trek through some snow still. Saturday April 6th we will be back up there again hoping to finish up the ceiling and the insulation. The clubhouse will be many steps closer to completion!!
As April draws on we come to a couple of big events. First and foremost is the spring hunter safety course. April 13th is going to be a big day for everyone involved. With 39 students registered (31 of which are adults!) the grounds and the new and improved clubhouse will be tested.
Next on the schedule is the Big Game Raffle. For anyone that had a ticket last year if you have not reached out to someone about confirming your ticket for this year please do. The more confirmations we have ahead of time the more smoothly everything runs. Also for that event the more donations the better. If anyone has anything that would make for a great prize that they would be willing to part with please reach out to Dave Wilder (802) 249-2685
New on the calendar of events is the Williamstown Memorial Day Parade. We will be putting a float in the parade this year.
April 13th, 2019
Williamstown Fish and Game Club sponsored firearm hunter safety course. This will be held at the Club house winter conditions permitting. The event has been posted on the Vermont Fish & Wildlife site and sign ups are now open. Contact Marion Gray for additional information.
April 27th, 2019
Williamstown Fish and Game Club Big Game Raffle held at the American Legion Hall in Barre. This years Grand Prize will be a bear hunt for 2 in northern Maine with Big Boom's Northern Maine Adventures. Contact Dave Wilder for additional information.
April 27th, 2019
Drawing for the Williamstown Fish and Game Club Spring Gun Raffle. As last year the winners of our Spring Gun Raffle will be drawn at the the evening of the Big Game Raffle. This years two firearms are a Mossberg "Patriot" rifle chambered in .308 caliber and a Taurus "Judge" 45 Colt / .410 gauge pistol. First name drawn will have choice with second name drawn receiving the remaining firearm. Contact Dennis Gaudet (860) 798-8781 or David Wilder III (802) 522-6938 for additional information and to obtain tickets.
May 18th, 2019
Williamstown Memorial Day Parade We are going to have a float in the parade this year as discussed at the last meeting. Anyone with ideas on how to make this stand out and bring good positive attention to the club please present the ideas to any officer or director.
June 8th, 2019
The Joey Gingras Memorial Fishing Derby to be held at the Clark residence on Gilbert Road in Williamstown. Contact Mark McCarthy for additional information.
June 11th, 2019
Tentative start date of summer shooting league. Contact Dave Wilder (802) 249-2685 / Ralph Gerrish (802) 917-4048 for additional information.
June 22nd, 2019
Williamstown Fish and Game Club Open House to be held at the Club House in Williamstown. Event to be open to all Williamstown residents cookout and other family activities for all in attendance.
July 13th 2019
Williamstown Fish and Game Club Annual Duck Race Fundraiser. Coordinating exact date with Williamstown Fire Department who will be conducting a chicken barbecue in conjunction with the event.
August 10th, 2019
Williamstown Fish and Game Club sponsored firearm hunter safety course to be held at the Club house. Contact Marion Gray (802) 272-0954 for additional information.
August 11th, 2019
Williamstown Fish and Game Club sponsored archery hunter safety course to be held at Club house. Contact Marion Gray (802) 272-0954 for additional information.
All of these events will be listed on the Club's website calendar, and any updates will be shared in future newsletters.
Once again this year the Williamstown Fish and Game Club will be sponsoring 5 young people to attend Green Mountain Conservation Camp at either Buck Lake or Lake Bomoseen. As has been the Club's traditional our first choice would to be to send the child or grandchild of a Club member that has not yet attended conservation Club. If you know of a child that would be interested in attending contact a Club officer or director for more information.
The more the merrier at the meetings. We all would love to see this club blossom into more than what it is. In order for that to happen we need more active members at the meetings and all of the events. I would love to get to know more of the members of this awesome club!
Dennis Gaudet
Williamstown Fish and Game Club President
March 2019
Hello to all Boonie Club members!
I hope that the winter so far has been bearable and enjoyable. The weather has been perfect to develop very thick ice in most places throughout the state and made for some great days out on the ice with hopefully many more to come. That being said I personally can’t wait for the snow to thaw and the rivers and streams to become fishable once again and the critters to be more active!
The next few months are some of the busiest months for the club. We are hosting our first spring hunter safety course at the clubhouse on April 13th! A very short two weeks later we have hands down our largest fundraiser, The Big Game Raffle. A call for all hands on deck during these very busy times is being put out there. If anyone is available to help in any way with any of the upcoming events please reach out to any of the officers or directors.
We are several steps closer to officially transitioning into the Williamstown Fish and Game Club. The bank accounts have been changed over, the property has been transferred, and we are in the final steps of finalizing the reincorporation!!!
At February's meeting we discussed a lot of the upcoming events in varying levels of detail depending on how close the events are.
April 13th, 2019
Boonie Club sponsored firearm hunter safety course. This will be held at the Club house winter conditions permitting. The event has been posted on the Vermont Fish & Wildlife site and sign ups are now open. Contact Marion Gray for additional information.
April 27th, 2019
Boonie Club Big Game Raffle held at the American Legion Hall in Barre. This years Grand Prize will be a bear hunt for 2 in northern Maine with Big Boom Northern Maine Adventures. Tickets will be available for purchase at the February meeting. Contact Dave Wilder for additional information.
April 27th, 2019
Drawing for the Boonie Club Spring Gun Raffle. As last year the winners of our Spring Gun Raffle will be drawn at the the evening of the Big Game Raffle. This years to firearms are a Mossberg "Patriot" rifle chambered in .308 caliber and a Taurus "Judge" 45 Colt / .410 gauge pistol. First name drawn will have choice with second name drawn receiving the remaining firearm. Contact Dennis Gaudet or David Wilder III for additional information and to obtain tickets.
June 8th, 2019
The Joey Gingras Memorial Fishing Derby to be held at the Clark residence on Gilbert Road in Williamstown. Contact Mark McCarthy for additional information.
June 11th, 2019
Tenative start date of summer shooting league. Contact Dave Wilder / Ralph Gerrish for additional information.
June 22nd, 2019
Boonie Club Open House to be held at the Club House in Williamstown. Event to be open to all Williamstown residence cookout and other family activities for all in attendance.
July 13th, 2019
Boonie Club Annual Duck Race Fundraiser. Coordinating exact date with Williamstown Fire Department who will be conducting a chicken barbecue in conjunction with the event.
August 10th, 2019
Boonie Club sponsored firearm hunter safety course to be held at the Club house. Contact Marion Gray for additional information.
August 11th, 2019
Boonie Club sponsored archery hunter safety course to be held at Club house. Contact Marion Gray for additional information.
All of these events will be listed on the Club's website calendar, and any updates will be shared in future newsletters.
Once again this year the Boonie Club will sponsoring 5 young people to attend Green Mountain Conservation Camp at either Buck Lake or Lake Bomoseen. As has been the Club's traditional our first choice would to be to send the child or grandchild of a Club member that has not yet attended conservation Club. If you know of a child that would be interested in attending contact a Club officer or director for more information.
The more the merrier at the meetings. We all would love to see this club blossom into more than what it is. In order for that to happen we need more active members at the meetings and all of the events. I would love to get to know more of the members of this awesome club!
Dennis Gaudet
Williamstown Fish and Game Club President
Hello to all Boonie Club members!
I hope that the winter so far has been bearable and enjoyable. The weather has been perfect to develop very thick ice in most places throughout the state and made for some great days out on the ice with hopefully many more to come. That being said I personally can’t wait for the snow to thaw and the rivers and streams to become fishable once again and the critters to be more active!
The next few months are some of the busiest months for the club. We are hosting our first spring hunter safety course at the clubhouse on April 13th! A very short two weeks later we have hands down our largest fundraiser, The Big Game Raffle. A call for all hands on deck during these very busy times is being put out there. If anyone is available to help in any way with any of the upcoming events please reach out to any of the officers or directors.
We are several steps closer to officially transitioning into the Williamstown Fish and Game Club. The bank accounts have been changed over, the property has been transferred, and we are in the final steps of finalizing the reincorporation!!!
At February's meeting we discussed a lot of the upcoming events in varying levels of detail depending on how close the events are.
April 13th, 2019
Boonie Club sponsored firearm hunter safety course. This will be held at the Club house winter conditions permitting. The event has been posted on the Vermont Fish & Wildlife site and sign ups are now open. Contact Marion Gray for additional information.
April 27th, 2019
Boonie Club Big Game Raffle held at the American Legion Hall in Barre. This years Grand Prize will be a bear hunt for 2 in northern Maine with Big Boom Northern Maine Adventures. Tickets will be available for purchase at the February meeting. Contact Dave Wilder for additional information.
April 27th, 2019
Drawing for the Boonie Club Spring Gun Raffle. As last year the winners of our Spring Gun Raffle will be drawn at the the evening of the Big Game Raffle. This years to firearms are a Mossberg "Patriot" rifle chambered in .308 caliber and a Taurus "Judge" 45 Colt / .410 gauge pistol. First name drawn will have choice with second name drawn receiving the remaining firearm. Contact Dennis Gaudet or David Wilder III for additional information and to obtain tickets.
June 8th, 2019
The Joey Gingras Memorial Fishing Derby to be held at the Clark residence on Gilbert Road in Williamstown. Contact Mark McCarthy for additional information.
June 11th, 2019
Tenative start date of summer shooting league. Contact Dave Wilder / Ralph Gerrish for additional information.
June 22nd, 2019
Boonie Club Open House to be held at the Club House in Williamstown. Event to be open to all Williamstown residence cookout and other family activities for all in attendance.
July 13th, 2019
Boonie Club Annual Duck Race Fundraiser. Coordinating exact date with Williamstown Fire Department who will be conducting a chicken barbecue in conjunction with the event.
August 10th, 2019
Boonie Club sponsored firearm hunter safety course to be held at the Club house. Contact Marion Gray for additional information.
August 11th, 2019
Boonie Club sponsored archery hunter safety course to be held at Club house. Contact Marion Gray for additional information.
All of these events will be listed on the Club's website calendar, and any updates will be shared in future newsletters.
Once again this year the Boonie Club will sponsoring 5 young people to attend Green Mountain Conservation Camp at either Buck Lake or Lake Bomoseen. As has been the Club's traditional our first choice would to be to send the child or grandchild of a Club member that has not yet attended conservation Club. If you know of a child that would be interested in attending contact a Club officer or director for more information.
The more the merrier at the meetings. We all would love to see this club blossom into more than what it is. In order for that to happen we need more active members at the meetings and all of the events. I would love to get to know more of the members of this awesome club!
Dennis Gaudet
Williamstown Fish and Game Club President
February 2019
February Regular Monthly Meeting
February 13th 7:00 PM
American Legion Hall Barre
Hello to all Boonie Club members!
February's newsletter unfortunately begins with the news of the unexpected passing of founding member Tony Hedges Sr.'s grandson Cameron Hedges. It is with heart felt sympathy from all of us at the Boonie Club that we pass along our sincere condolences to Tony Sr., Jeremy, Tony Jr. and the entire Hedges family on their tragic loss.
At January's meeting the first order of business was the election of new officers and directors. We are pleased to announce that Dennis Gaudet has stepped up to lead the Club for the next two years as our President and Davey Wilder III will be serving in the capacity of Vice-president during the same period. New Club directors include Ralph Gerrish and Jim Saunders. Thank you to all those that have stepped up to serve the Club in these positions. We still have 1 open director position available and if there is any member interested in serving in this capacity please reach out to Dennis or any of the other officers or directors to discuss.
As is the case every January at the Annual Meeting we start to set the agenda of events for the upcoming year. The following is a list of dates and events set so far for 2019.
April 13th, 2019
Boonie Club sponsored firearm hunter safety course. This will be held at the Club house winter conditions permitting. The event has been posted on the Vermont Fish & Wildlife site and sign ups are now open. Contact Marion Gray for additional information.
April 27th, 2019
Boonie Club Big Game Raffle held at the American Legion Hall in Barre. This years Grand Prize will be a bear hunt for 2 in northern Maine with Big Boom Northern Maine Adventures. Tickets will be available for purchase at the February meeting. Contact Dave Wilder for additional information.
April 27th, 2019
Drawing for the Boonie Club Spring Gun Raffle. As last year the winners of our Spring Gun Raffle will be drawn at the the evening of the Big Game Raffle. This years to firearms are a Mossberg "Patriot" rifle chambered in .308 caliber and a Taurus "Judge" 45 Colt / .410 gauge pistol. First name drawn will have choice with second name drawn receiving the remaining firearm. Contact Dennis Gaudet for additional information and to obtain tickets.
June 8th, 2019
The Joey Gingras Memorial Fishing Derby to be held at the Clark residence on Gilbert Road in Williamstown. Contact Mark McCarthy for additional information.
June 11th, 2019
Tenative start date of summer shooting league. Contact Dave Wilder / George Gerrish for additional information.
June 22nd, 2019
Boonie Club Open House to be held at the Club House in Williamstown. Event to be open to all Williamstown residence cookout and other family activities for all in attendance.
July 2019
Boonie Club Annual Duck Race Fundraiser. Coordinating exact date with Williamstown Fire Department who will be conducting a chicken barbecue in conjunction with the event.
August 10th, 2019
Boonie Club sponsored firearm hunter safety course to be held at the Club house. Contact Marion Gray for additional information.
August 11th, 2019
Boonie Club sponsored archery hunter safety course to be held at Club house. Contact Marion Gray for additional information.
All of these events will be listed on the Club's website calendar, and any updates will be shared in future newsletters.
Congratulations to Boonie Club Member Dennis Bandy of Barre on his awesome Vermont firearm buck! This beauty sported 10 points and tipped the scales at 189 lbs.
Once again this year the Boonie Club will sponsoring 5 young people to attend Green Mountain Conservation Camp at either Buck Lake or Lake Bomoseen. As has been the Club's traditional our first choice would to be to send the child or grandchild of a Club member that has not yet attended conservation Club. If you know of a child that would be interested in attending contact a Club officer or director for more information.
Thank you to all those members that have already renewed their 2019 memberships to date we have already 80 members that have renewed! Memberships are available at Big D's Guns, Quarry Hill Quick Stop, Tribal Archery, and Ammo Warehouse as well as on the Club's website.
Hope to see you all at the February meeting tomorrow!
February Regular Monthly Meeting
February 13th 7:00 PM
American Legion Hall Barre
Hello to all Boonie Club members!
February's newsletter unfortunately begins with the news of the unexpected passing of founding member Tony Hedges Sr.'s grandson Cameron Hedges. It is with heart felt sympathy from all of us at the Boonie Club that we pass along our sincere condolences to Tony Sr., Jeremy, Tony Jr. and the entire Hedges family on their tragic loss.
At January's meeting the first order of business was the election of new officers and directors. We are pleased to announce that Dennis Gaudet has stepped up to lead the Club for the next two years as our President and Davey Wilder III will be serving in the capacity of Vice-president during the same period. New Club directors include Ralph Gerrish and Jim Saunders. Thank you to all those that have stepped up to serve the Club in these positions. We still have 1 open director position available and if there is any member interested in serving in this capacity please reach out to Dennis or any of the other officers or directors to discuss.
As is the case every January at the Annual Meeting we start to set the agenda of events for the upcoming year. The following is a list of dates and events set so far for 2019.
April 13th, 2019
Boonie Club sponsored firearm hunter safety course. This will be held at the Club house winter conditions permitting. The event has been posted on the Vermont Fish & Wildlife site and sign ups are now open. Contact Marion Gray for additional information.
April 27th, 2019
Boonie Club Big Game Raffle held at the American Legion Hall in Barre. This years Grand Prize will be a bear hunt for 2 in northern Maine with Big Boom Northern Maine Adventures. Tickets will be available for purchase at the February meeting. Contact Dave Wilder for additional information.
April 27th, 2019
Drawing for the Boonie Club Spring Gun Raffle. As last year the winners of our Spring Gun Raffle will be drawn at the the evening of the Big Game Raffle. This years to firearms are a Mossberg "Patriot" rifle chambered in .308 caliber and a Taurus "Judge" 45 Colt / .410 gauge pistol. First name drawn will have choice with second name drawn receiving the remaining firearm. Contact Dennis Gaudet for additional information and to obtain tickets.
June 8th, 2019
The Joey Gingras Memorial Fishing Derby to be held at the Clark residence on Gilbert Road in Williamstown. Contact Mark McCarthy for additional information.
June 11th, 2019
Tenative start date of summer shooting league. Contact Dave Wilder / George Gerrish for additional information.
June 22nd, 2019
Boonie Club Open House to be held at the Club House in Williamstown. Event to be open to all Williamstown residence cookout and other family activities for all in attendance.
July 2019
Boonie Club Annual Duck Race Fundraiser. Coordinating exact date with Williamstown Fire Department who will be conducting a chicken barbecue in conjunction with the event.
August 10th, 2019
Boonie Club sponsored firearm hunter safety course to be held at the Club house. Contact Marion Gray for additional information.
August 11th, 2019
Boonie Club sponsored archery hunter safety course to be held at Club house. Contact Marion Gray for additional information.
All of these events will be listed on the Club's website calendar, and any updates will be shared in future newsletters.
Congratulations to Boonie Club Member Dennis Bandy of Barre on his awesome Vermont firearm buck! This beauty sported 10 points and tipped the scales at 189 lbs.
Once again this year the Boonie Club will sponsoring 5 young people to attend Green Mountain Conservation Camp at either Buck Lake or Lake Bomoseen. As has been the Club's traditional our first choice would to be to send the child or grandchild of a Club member that has not yet attended conservation Club. If you know of a child that would be interested in attending contact a Club officer or director for more information.
Thank you to all those members that have already renewed their 2019 memberships to date we have already 80 members that have renewed! Memberships are available at Big D's Guns, Quarry Hill Quick Stop, Tribal Archery, and Ammo Warehouse as well as on the Club's website.
Hope to see you all at the February meeting tomorrow!
Boonie Club House
January 2019
Annual Meeting
January 23rd 7:00 PM
American Legion Hall Barre
Happy 2019 To Everyone!
I hope that everyone had a wonderful holiday season and you all had the opportunity to spend time with friends and family. And I'm also hoping that everyone got lots of time in the woods hunting this past fall and punched all your tags and filled your freezers with a pile of venison!
With the help of a number of volunteers we continue to complete the to do list at the Club House. With thanks to Jamie Laquerre the rough wiring of the electrical service within the Club House has been completed which brings us one step closer to completion of the interior. Myself and member Jim Saunders have installed all of the posts that will serve as the frame to the enclosure that will encompass the entire target and backstop area. The completion of this project will continue to add to the overall safety of the Club's range. During this same time Jim and I also broke ground on what will be the berm and backstop for our handgun specific target area. This area will also be receiving a complete enclosure over it as well to aid in the containment of rounds fired.The plan is to construct a flat hard service from which to shoot handguns from forward of the existing shooting bench now. This is a request that we have heard from may members. As many of you are aware a combination padlock was added to the entry gate this past year and only members with a valid membership card were privy to the combination. The combination will be changed at the annual meeting next week and will be done so every year at that time going forward. The new combination is printed on your 2019 membership card.
As for 2019 memberships everyone will be getting a renewal form in their hard copy newsletter later this week, or they can be purchased in person at Quarry Hill Quick Stop, Big D's Guns, Tribal Archery or the Ammo Warehouse.
Two final notes concerning the range and the use there of. First I want to thank everyone for the continued respectful and safe use of the facility. Please follow all posted rules and regulations and pick-up after yourselves including targets and spent casings. Secondly our abutting property owner the Churchill's may start up there logging operation now that the ground has frozen. As was the case last year if you arrive at the range and find the, "Range Closed Logging In Progress" sign hanging from our gate the range is "CLOSED" no exceptions.
So annual meeting will be held Wednesday January 23rd commencing at 7:00 PM at the American Legion Hall in Barre. We will be holding elections for President and Vice-President offices, mine and Dennis's terms will be expiring this month along directors terms of Tony Hedges Sr, Chris Wilder, and James St. Lawrence. Anyone interested in stepping up and becoming a more active member in the Club this year we invite you to attend and volunteer for one of the open officers or director positions. As always at our annual meeting we will be setting our calendar of events for the upcoming year which will include hunter safety course dates, Joey Gingras Fishing Derby, Big Game Raffle, Duck Race and more. Speaking of the Big Game Raffle if anyone has any ideas for this years grand prize please reach out to myself or any other officer and share your thoughts.
As stated earlier along with your mailed newsletter you will find an order blank for membership renewal, duck race tickets and spring gun raffle tickets. Please fill out "completely" and return at your earliest convenience. We have enclosed (2) spring gun raffle tickets, but if you want to purchase more you are welcome to. I will turn around your membership renewals and raffle ticket purchases in 2-3 days.
Hope to see you all at the Annual meeting next week!
Sincerely,
Mark McCarthy
President
Annual Meeting
January 23rd 7:00 PM
American Legion Hall Barre
Happy 2019 To Everyone!
I hope that everyone had a wonderful holiday season and you all had the opportunity to spend time with friends and family. And I'm also hoping that everyone got lots of time in the woods hunting this past fall and punched all your tags and filled your freezers with a pile of venison!
With the help of a number of volunteers we continue to complete the to do list at the Club House. With thanks to Jamie Laquerre the rough wiring of the electrical service within the Club House has been completed which brings us one step closer to completion of the interior. Myself and member Jim Saunders have installed all of the posts that will serve as the frame to the enclosure that will encompass the entire target and backstop area. The completion of this project will continue to add to the overall safety of the Club's range. During this same time Jim and I also broke ground on what will be the berm and backstop for our handgun specific target area. This area will also be receiving a complete enclosure over it as well to aid in the containment of rounds fired.The plan is to construct a flat hard service from which to shoot handguns from forward of the existing shooting bench now. This is a request that we have heard from may members. As many of you are aware a combination padlock was added to the entry gate this past year and only members with a valid membership card were privy to the combination. The combination will be changed at the annual meeting next week and will be done so every year at that time going forward. The new combination is printed on your 2019 membership card.
As for 2019 memberships everyone will be getting a renewal form in their hard copy newsletter later this week, or they can be purchased in person at Quarry Hill Quick Stop, Big D's Guns, Tribal Archery or the Ammo Warehouse.
Two final notes concerning the range and the use there of. First I want to thank everyone for the continued respectful and safe use of the facility. Please follow all posted rules and regulations and pick-up after yourselves including targets and spent casings. Secondly our abutting property owner the Churchill's may start up there logging operation now that the ground has frozen. As was the case last year if you arrive at the range and find the, "Range Closed Logging In Progress" sign hanging from our gate the range is "CLOSED" no exceptions.
So annual meeting will be held Wednesday January 23rd commencing at 7:00 PM at the American Legion Hall in Barre. We will be holding elections for President and Vice-President offices, mine and Dennis's terms will be expiring this month along directors terms of Tony Hedges Sr, Chris Wilder, and James St. Lawrence. Anyone interested in stepping up and becoming a more active member in the Club this year we invite you to attend and volunteer for one of the open officers or director positions. As always at our annual meeting we will be setting our calendar of events for the upcoming year which will include hunter safety course dates, Joey Gingras Fishing Derby, Big Game Raffle, Duck Race and more. Speaking of the Big Game Raffle if anyone has any ideas for this years grand prize please reach out to myself or any other officer and share your thoughts.
As stated earlier along with your mailed newsletter you will find an order blank for membership renewal, duck race tickets and spring gun raffle tickets. Please fill out "completely" and return at your earliest convenience. We have enclosed (2) spring gun raffle tickets, but if you want to purchase more you are welcome to. I will turn around your membership renewals and raffle ticket purchases in 2-3 days.
Hope to see you all at the Annual meeting next week!
Sincerely,
Mark McCarthy
President
August 2018
September 1st and the start of the early bear season is only 23 days away! Whitetail archery starts October 6th! Guess what fellow sportsmen its almost here! Time to start preparing for what we have been waiting for since the end of muzzle loader season last December, "hunting seasons" 2018!
For the Boonie Club with the start of August we start to wrap up the formal business of the Club for the year. The last 2 monthly meeting for the year are held this month and then September is the finale until January 2019. Since our last newsletter we have wrapped up our last fundraiser of the year, our annual "duck race" and conducted our 2 hunter education courses both firearm and archery.
So first things first, "Fourth Annual Duck Race" was successfully held Saturday July 21st. I want to start by thanking all of those that purchased and or sold duck tickets for this years event. We came up a little short of our 1000 duck goal, but did set a new record with "702" ducks sold for this years race, not bad! Secondly I want to thank nephew and fellow Boonie Club member Ryan McCarthy for helping myself prepare the brook for the race. As you all know we have been experiencing extremely dry conditions and the brook was quite low and needed much massaging to create a good channel for the ducks to navigate through to the finish line. And not to mention the hour of time needed to clear the fallen tree that was completely blocking the stream half way down the streams course. So again a huge thank you goes out to Ryan!
And the results were as follows:
1st place Albert Gingras $1000.00
2nd place Bill Bond $150.00
3rd place Mark Mast $100.00
4th place Bill Clark $50.00
5th place Brian Bailey $25.00
Thank you to all that participated and help make this event a successful fund raiser for the Club again this year.
And this past weekend the Boonie Club conducted our 2 hunter education classes. Saturday was the firearm course and Sunday was for archery. Saturdays firearm course had 25 participants and Sundays archery course contained 26. The Club again did itself proud hosting two very well organized and executed courses. I want to thank the following Club members that are all now certified hunter education instructors for making this weekend the huge success that it was. Marion Gray, Dennis Gaudet, David Wilder, Davey WIlder, Bill Gerrish, Ralph Gerrish and Tyler Mitchell. It is the dedication of this group of members that truly symbolizes the Boonie Clubs dedication to the preservation and advancement of our hunting heritage here in the state of Vermont!
Just an update on the improvements to the Clubs range. Jim Saunders and myself have installed the first "8" telephone poles that will be the frame over the entire berm and target area. The lumber to frame in the structure will be milled in the next couple of weeks with a hope of finishing the project by the end of August before the heavy fall sight in period begins. When this project is completed it should really enhance the safety of our range. Just an FYI there may be some unexpected closures of the range during the construction phase sorry for any inconvenience.
That's all for now hope to see you all at this evenings meeting!
Boonie Club President
Mark McCarthy
September 1st and the start of the early bear season is only 23 days away! Whitetail archery starts October 6th! Guess what fellow sportsmen its almost here! Time to start preparing for what we have been waiting for since the end of muzzle loader season last December, "hunting seasons" 2018!
For the Boonie Club with the start of August we start to wrap up the formal business of the Club for the year. The last 2 monthly meeting for the year are held this month and then September is the finale until January 2019. Since our last newsletter we have wrapped up our last fundraiser of the year, our annual "duck race" and conducted our 2 hunter education courses both firearm and archery.
So first things first, "Fourth Annual Duck Race" was successfully held Saturday July 21st. I want to start by thanking all of those that purchased and or sold duck tickets for this years event. We came up a little short of our 1000 duck goal, but did set a new record with "702" ducks sold for this years race, not bad! Secondly I want to thank nephew and fellow Boonie Club member Ryan McCarthy for helping myself prepare the brook for the race. As you all know we have been experiencing extremely dry conditions and the brook was quite low and needed much massaging to create a good channel for the ducks to navigate through to the finish line. And not to mention the hour of time needed to clear the fallen tree that was completely blocking the stream half way down the streams course. So again a huge thank you goes out to Ryan!
And the results were as follows:
1st place Albert Gingras $1000.00
2nd place Bill Bond $150.00
3rd place Mark Mast $100.00
4th place Bill Clark $50.00
5th place Brian Bailey $25.00
Thank you to all that participated and help make this event a successful fund raiser for the Club again this year.
And this past weekend the Boonie Club conducted our 2 hunter education classes. Saturday was the firearm course and Sunday was for archery. Saturdays firearm course had 25 participants and Sundays archery course contained 26. The Club again did itself proud hosting two very well organized and executed courses. I want to thank the following Club members that are all now certified hunter education instructors for making this weekend the huge success that it was. Marion Gray, Dennis Gaudet, David Wilder, Davey WIlder, Bill Gerrish, Ralph Gerrish and Tyler Mitchell. It is the dedication of this group of members that truly symbolizes the Boonie Clubs dedication to the preservation and advancement of our hunting heritage here in the state of Vermont!
Just an update on the improvements to the Clubs range. Jim Saunders and myself have installed the first "8" telephone poles that will be the frame over the entire berm and target area. The lumber to frame in the structure will be milled in the next couple of weeks with a hope of finishing the project by the end of August before the heavy fall sight in period begins. When this project is completed it should really enhance the safety of our range. Just an FYI there may be some unexpected closures of the range during the construction phase sorry for any inconvenience.
That's all for now hope to see you all at this evenings meeting!
Boonie Club President
Mark McCarthy
July 2018
I hope everyone has survived the heat wave without to many issues. As I've always said I will take the cold over the heat any day, can always put another layer on, but just can't escape the heat and humidity! I hope that you all had the chance to spend some time in or around some water to beat the heat. As you see from the photo's below myself, son Ned and friends Randy and Brady Lamberti got out a couple of weeks ago to do some striper fishing in celebration of Ned and Brady's graduation from 8th grade! Fishing was great with plenty of action and some great "filet's" brought home for the grill!
DUCK RACE DUCK RACE DUCK RACE DUCK RACE DUCK RACE DUCK RACE
SATURDAY JULY 21ST!
Only a couple of weeks away from the culmination of another one of the Club's big fundraisers, and we need to sell some more tickets! Tickets are available at Lenny's in Barre, Quarry Hill Quick Stop, and the Pub in Williamstown as well as any Club officer. We had heard some comments that customers wanted to see prizes for other finishers than only the winner. So this will be the prize breakdown for this years race.
Winner - $1,000.00
Second Place - $150.00
Third Place - $100.00
Fourth Place - $50.00
Fifth Place - $25.00
As mentioned previously the Williamstown Fire Department has agreed to host a chicken barbecue on the same day as our race to add to the festivities. I included an order form for barbecue tickets as well as duck race tickets in everyone's mailed June newsletter and to date have not received any responses. I have let our contacts at the fire department know that we will make a decision on the barbecue Tuesday next week. So if you are interested in a great chicken barbecue dinner for only $12.00 you have to let us know by that date. Let's support this event and the fire departments efforts as well.
I hope that all of those interested in signing up for the Club's firearm hunter safety course and archery hunter safety course made it onto the list. As of this morning the firearm course sign up is closed and the archery course has only 3 spaces left available. The courses will be held at the Club House on Saturday August 4th for the firearm course and Sunday August 5th for the archery course. For any additional information you can contact Club hunter education coordinator Marion Gray.
That's all for now hope to see you all at tomorrow's meeting!
Boonie Club President
I hope everyone has survived the heat wave without to many issues. As I've always said I will take the cold over the heat any day, can always put another layer on, but just can't escape the heat and humidity! I hope that you all had the chance to spend some time in or around some water to beat the heat. As you see from the photo's below myself, son Ned and friends Randy and Brady Lamberti got out a couple of weeks ago to do some striper fishing in celebration of Ned and Brady's graduation from 8th grade! Fishing was great with plenty of action and some great "filet's" brought home for the grill!
DUCK RACE DUCK RACE DUCK RACE DUCK RACE DUCK RACE DUCK RACE
SATURDAY JULY 21ST!
Only a couple of weeks away from the culmination of another one of the Club's big fundraisers, and we need to sell some more tickets! Tickets are available at Lenny's in Barre, Quarry Hill Quick Stop, and the Pub in Williamstown as well as any Club officer. We had heard some comments that customers wanted to see prizes for other finishers than only the winner. So this will be the prize breakdown for this years race.
Winner - $1,000.00
Second Place - $150.00
Third Place - $100.00
Fourth Place - $50.00
Fifth Place - $25.00
As mentioned previously the Williamstown Fire Department has agreed to host a chicken barbecue on the same day as our race to add to the festivities. I included an order form for barbecue tickets as well as duck race tickets in everyone's mailed June newsletter and to date have not received any responses. I have let our contacts at the fire department know that we will make a decision on the barbecue Tuesday next week. So if you are interested in a great chicken barbecue dinner for only $12.00 you have to let us know by that date. Let's support this event and the fire departments efforts as well.
I hope that all of those interested in signing up for the Club's firearm hunter safety course and archery hunter safety course made it onto the list. As of this morning the firearm course sign up is closed and the archery course has only 3 spaces left available. The courses will be held at the Club House on Saturday August 4th for the firearm course and Sunday August 5th for the archery course. For any additional information you can contact Club hunter education coordinator Marion Gray.
That's all for now hope to see you all at tomorrow's meeting!
Boonie Club President
June 2018
Just imagine another 3 weeks and half of 2018 will be history! This months e-newsletter will be a little short as I will be mailing out or second of our 2 hard copy newsletters that are mailed to all members in January and June each year later this week.
Thank you to Richie Clark and his entire family for their hospitality in again hosting our annual Joey Gingras Memorial "Let's-go-Fishing Day" at their pond on Gilbert Road in Williamstown. The pond and grounds were in great shape and the fish were very cooperative! I believe that we had 23 youngsters participate in this years event with a like number of parents in attendance. I handled the cleaning station and dressed around 25-30 brook trout for successful anglers, and as I observed probably another 15-20 trout were caught and released. As the fishing wound down we fired up the grill and Dave Wilder and helpers grilled up some hot dogs and hamburgers for all to enjoy. Thanks to Mike Carney for again securing and donating the hot dogs for the event as well as R & L Archery for donating the bait for the day. As we concluded the day each participant was able to select a prize from the table of either a rod and reel, tackle box or some other fishing related tackle. Again thank you to all that participated and thank you to all the Club members that volunteered their time and we look forward to next year!
The following is a list of Club events and dates that will round out our schedule of events for the calendar year.
Shooting League will be kicking off later in the month of June, Dave Wilder will be firming up final details at this weeks meeting and I will send another note out to all members at the end of this week.
Boonie Club 4th Annual Duck Race fund raiser will be held Saturday July 21st in Williamstown. The Williamstown Fire Department has agreed to host a chicken barbecue the same day as our event in an effort to build upon the days festivities. I will be including an order form for both duck race tickets and chicken barbecue tickets in the hard copied newsletter that will be mailed out.
Saturday August 4th the Club will hold our annual firearm hunter safety course with the archery hunter safety course to follow on Sunday August 5th. Spread the word to all those that may be interested that sign up for both courses is not open on the Vermont Fish & Wildlife web site. Space is limited and sign ups will be closed when all spaces are filled, so don't wait to sign up!
That's all for this e-newsletter but there will be more details in the mailed letter that will be sent out later this week.
Next Club meeting this Wednesday the 13th at the Club house starting at 6:30 PM plan on attending and bring a friend.
Boonie Club President
Mark McCarthy
Just imagine another 3 weeks and half of 2018 will be history! This months e-newsletter will be a little short as I will be mailing out or second of our 2 hard copy newsletters that are mailed to all members in January and June each year later this week.
Thank you to Richie Clark and his entire family for their hospitality in again hosting our annual Joey Gingras Memorial "Let's-go-Fishing Day" at their pond on Gilbert Road in Williamstown. The pond and grounds were in great shape and the fish were very cooperative! I believe that we had 23 youngsters participate in this years event with a like number of parents in attendance. I handled the cleaning station and dressed around 25-30 brook trout for successful anglers, and as I observed probably another 15-20 trout were caught and released. As the fishing wound down we fired up the grill and Dave Wilder and helpers grilled up some hot dogs and hamburgers for all to enjoy. Thanks to Mike Carney for again securing and donating the hot dogs for the event as well as R & L Archery for donating the bait for the day. As we concluded the day each participant was able to select a prize from the table of either a rod and reel, tackle box or some other fishing related tackle. Again thank you to all that participated and thank you to all the Club members that volunteered their time and we look forward to next year!
The following is a list of Club events and dates that will round out our schedule of events for the calendar year.
Shooting League will be kicking off later in the month of June, Dave Wilder will be firming up final details at this weeks meeting and I will send another note out to all members at the end of this week.
Boonie Club 4th Annual Duck Race fund raiser will be held Saturday July 21st in Williamstown. The Williamstown Fire Department has agreed to host a chicken barbecue the same day as our event in an effort to build upon the days festivities. I will be including an order form for both duck race tickets and chicken barbecue tickets in the hard copied newsletter that will be mailed out.
Saturday August 4th the Club will hold our annual firearm hunter safety course with the archery hunter safety course to follow on Sunday August 5th. Spread the word to all those that may be interested that sign up for both courses is not open on the Vermont Fish & Wildlife web site. Space is limited and sign ups will be closed when all spaces are filled, so don't wait to sign up!
That's all for this e-newsletter but there will be more details in the mailed letter that will be sent out later this week.
Next Club meeting this Wednesday the 13th at the Club house starting at 6:30 PM plan on attending and bring a friend.
Boonie Club President
Mark McCarthy
Joey Gingras Memorial
"Let's Go Fishing Day"
Saturday, June 2nd
Attention all members,
Just a reminder to all members that this Saturday June 2nd the Boonie Club will be holding it's annual, Joey Gingras Memorial "Let's-go-Fishing" Day! Please spread the word to family and friends the more the merrier! This years event is going to be different than in years past years in that we will not be conducting the 3-5 various workshops that have accompanied the event in the past. This years event will be more of a traditional fishing derby, with sign up starting at 9:00 AM and fishing commencing at 9:30. Anglers should bring their own fishing equipment and the Club will be proving live bait donated by R&L Archery. The Club will be providing a hamburger and hot dog barbecue with drinks at 12:30 PM, with the day wrapping up at or around 1:00 PM. Again this year the Richie Clark family will be hosting this event at their residence at 1195 Gilbert Road in Williamstown. Gilbert road can be accessed from either the Graniteville Road or the Chelsea Road. The Club will have signs up at either end to help direct all to the Clark residence.
Hope to see you all there!
Mark
"Let's Go Fishing Day"
Saturday, June 2nd
Attention all members,
Just a reminder to all members that this Saturday June 2nd the Boonie Club will be holding it's annual, Joey Gingras Memorial "Let's-go-Fishing" Day! Please spread the word to family and friends the more the merrier! This years event is going to be different than in years past years in that we will not be conducting the 3-5 various workshops that have accompanied the event in the past. This years event will be more of a traditional fishing derby, with sign up starting at 9:00 AM and fishing commencing at 9:30. Anglers should bring their own fishing equipment and the Club will be proving live bait donated by R&L Archery. The Club will be providing a hamburger and hot dog barbecue with drinks at 12:30 PM, with the day wrapping up at or around 1:00 PM. Again this year the Richie Clark family will be hosting this event at their residence at 1195 Gilbert Road in Williamstown. Gilbert road can be accessed from either the Graniteville Road or the Chelsea Road. The Club will have signs up at either end to help direct all to the Clark residence.
Hope to see you all there!
Mark
May 2018
Gobble, Gobble, Gobble! Welcome to May!
A great time to be sportsman or woman here in Vermont! Trout season has started ponds, brooks and rivers are starting to warm up and yes it's turkey season. As you can see from the photos below we started out the season in great style with my son Ned and Brady Lamberti both tagging turkey's during the opening youth weekend. For Ned it was his first ever turkey and a 20 pounder to boot! Not sure who was more excited Ned or dad! The regular season has been great as well with lots of gobbling and plenty of long beards around. Was speaking to Rodney Elmer of Mountain Deer Taxidermy in Northfield and as of Sunday he had checked in only 1 jake with all of the remaining turkeys reported being long beards, that includes the youth weekend as well!
On the evening of Friday April 27th the Club held it's annual Big Game Raffle and dinner at the American Legion in Barre. It was a great evening with a great turn out. Long time ticket holder and Boonie Club member Mike Noury was this years Grand Prize Winner! Mike and a guest will be heading to North Carolina this October for a five day whitetail hunt with Northeastern Outfitters. Unfortunately Mike had to work the night of the raffle and was unable to attend the dinner, but if he was half as excited as his wife Carol was who was there Friday night Mike must have been some happy! Runner up at this years raffle was Jimmy Hebert who took home a Savage model 11/111 Accu-trigger in .204 Ruger caliber. Many other prizes were given out through out the evening, Thank you to all those businesses and individuals that donated to the evenings program. And thank you to all those Club members that helped with the set up of the dining room and main hall for the evening's event. A huge thank you goes out to member Denny Barney for preparing a fabulous meal enjoyed by all, as well as the American Legion and those that helped serve and clear the dining room! Again thanks to all for supporting another great Club event!
The evening also saw the culmination of our annual spring gun raffle. Vice President Dennis Gaudet chaired this event again this year and did a fantastic job. Every raffle ticket was sold and 2 great firearms were awarded on Friday evening. Adam Grant was the winner of the Stoeger over/under shotgun and Jenifer Smith took home the Taurus pistol. Thank you to all that supported the raffle through the purchase of tickets another great fundraiser for the Club. The final raffle of the evening was the return of the Yeti cooler package that not only included a great Yeti Roadie cooler but also a selction of Yeti drinkware, Yeti hat and t-shirt. This years lucky winner of the Yeti package was long time Club supporter Mike Kearney! I'm sure I have forgotten to mention someone that helped make the evening a great success again this year and I apologize for that and we all look forward to next years raffle!
Next up on the busy spring/summer Club agenda is the Joey Gingras Memorial "Let's-go-Fishing Day" being held on Saturday June 2nd again this year at the Richie Clark residence at 1195 Gilbert Road in Williamstown. Unlike in past years we will not be teaching the various seminars that accompany the "let's-go-fishing" program. Instead it will be more of a traditional fishing derby with registration starting at 9:00 AM and fishing commencing at 9:30. Participants need to bring their own fishing equipment, the Club will provide bait, and will serving up a hamburger and hotdog barbecue at 12:30 PM with the day wrapping up at 1:30. Spread the word the more the merrier!
We met with the Williamstown Fire Department and they have agreed to host a chicken barbecue in conjunction with our annual duck race. The date has been set for Saturday July 21st. The details of when the meal will be served and when we will run the race will be worked out to best maximize sales for both the barbecue and duck race. So with that said we need to sell some duck race tickets! to date we have sold 125, which is great for this point, but as I have said the past 2 years we can sell "1000"! Every member buys 2 and sells 2 and that's about 800 right there. We will be selling tickets at various locations around the area if you know of a business that may be willing to sell tickets let me know.
The Town of Williamstown will be celebrating Memorial Day on Saturday May 19thwith a parade at 12:30 PM and wreath ceremony at the Veterans Memorial. I think it would be great public relations if we put a float in the parade. If anyone has any interest in heading up that effort or helping out let me know.
As a reminder we will be voting on the proposed revisions to the Boonie Club By-Laws and Constitution at this months meeting. Again thank you to Steve and Marion Gray for their efforts on this important project.
I also want to say thank you to members Dave Wilder, Davey Wilder, Dennis Gaudet and Ralph Garrish for making the commitment to become certified firearm hunter safety instructors. When they complete their training that will give the Club 6 very active members that are certified to teach at our annual hunter safety courses.
And finally with May as it always is we will be transitioning the Clubs monthly meeting from the American Legion hall in Barre to the Club house in Williamstown. This months meeting will begin at 6:30 PM. We will be discussing a number of projects that we intend to complete this summer on the Club house and grounds. Hope to see you all there and bring a friend!
Boonie Club President
Mark McCarthy
Gobble, Gobble, Gobble! Welcome to May!
A great time to be sportsman or woman here in Vermont! Trout season has started ponds, brooks and rivers are starting to warm up and yes it's turkey season. As you can see from the photos below we started out the season in great style with my son Ned and Brady Lamberti both tagging turkey's during the opening youth weekend. For Ned it was his first ever turkey and a 20 pounder to boot! Not sure who was more excited Ned or dad! The regular season has been great as well with lots of gobbling and plenty of long beards around. Was speaking to Rodney Elmer of Mountain Deer Taxidermy in Northfield and as of Sunday he had checked in only 1 jake with all of the remaining turkeys reported being long beards, that includes the youth weekend as well!
On the evening of Friday April 27th the Club held it's annual Big Game Raffle and dinner at the American Legion in Barre. It was a great evening with a great turn out. Long time ticket holder and Boonie Club member Mike Noury was this years Grand Prize Winner! Mike and a guest will be heading to North Carolina this October for a five day whitetail hunt with Northeastern Outfitters. Unfortunately Mike had to work the night of the raffle and was unable to attend the dinner, but if he was half as excited as his wife Carol was who was there Friday night Mike must have been some happy! Runner up at this years raffle was Jimmy Hebert who took home a Savage model 11/111 Accu-trigger in .204 Ruger caliber. Many other prizes were given out through out the evening, Thank you to all those businesses and individuals that donated to the evenings program. And thank you to all those Club members that helped with the set up of the dining room and main hall for the evening's event. A huge thank you goes out to member Denny Barney for preparing a fabulous meal enjoyed by all, as well as the American Legion and those that helped serve and clear the dining room! Again thanks to all for supporting another great Club event!
The evening also saw the culmination of our annual spring gun raffle. Vice President Dennis Gaudet chaired this event again this year and did a fantastic job. Every raffle ticket was sold and 2 great firearms were awarded on Friday evening. Adam Grant was the winner of the Stoeger over/under shotgun and Jenifer Smith took home the Taurus pistol. Thank you to all that supported the raffle through the purchase of tickets another great fundraiser for the Club. The final raffle of the evening was the return of the Yeti cooler package that not only included a great Yeti Roadie cooler but also a selction of Yeti drinkware, Yeti hat and t-shirt. This years lucky winner of the Yeti package was long time Club supporter Mike Kearney! I'm sure I have forgotten to mention someone that helped make the evening a great success again this year and I apologize for that and we all look forward to next years raffle!
Next up on the busy spring/summer Club agenda is the Joey Gingras Memorial "Let's-go-Fishing Day" being held on Saturday June 2nd again this year at the Richie Clark residence at 1195 Gilbert Road in Williamstown. Unlike in past years we will not be teaching the various seminars that accompany the "let's-go-fishing" program. Instead it will be more of a traditional fishing derby with registration starting at 9:00 AM and fishing commencing at 9:30. Participants need to bring their own fishing equipment, the Club will provide bait, and will serving up a hamburger and hotdog barbecue at 12:30 PM with the day wrapping up at 1:30. Spread the word the more the merrier!
We met with the Williamstown Fire Department and they have agreed to host a chicken barbecue in conjunction with our annual duck race. The date has been set for Saturday July 21st. The details of when the meal will be served and when we will run the race will be worked out to best maximize sales for both the barbecue and duck race. So with that said we need to sell some duck race tickets! to date we have sold 125, which is great for this point, but as I have said the past 2 years we can sell "1000"! Every member buys 2 and sells 2 and that's about 800 right there. We will be selling tickets at various locations around the area if you know of a business that may be willing to sell tickets let me know.
The Town of Williamstown will be celebrating Memorial Day on Saturday May 19thwith a parade at 12:30 PM and wreath ceremony at the Veterans Memorial. I think it would be great public relations if we put a float in the parade. If anyone has any interest in heading up that effort or helping out let me know.
As a reminder we will be voting on the proposed revisions to the Boonie Club By-Laws and Constitution at this months meeting. Again thank you to Steve and Marion Gray for their efforts on this important project.
I also want to say thank you to members Dave Wilder, Davey Wilder, Dennis Gaudet and Ralph Garrish for making the commitment to become certified firearm hunter safety instructors. When they complete their training that will give the Club 6 very active members that are certified to teach at our annual hunter safety courses.
And finally with May as it always is we will be transitioning the Clubs monthly meeting from the American Legion hall in Barre to the Club house in Williamstown. This months meeting will begin at 6:30 PM. We will be discussing a number of projects that we intend to complete this summer on the Club house and grounds. Hope to see you all there and bring a friend!
Boonie Club President
Mark McCarthy
Showing the next generation the finer points of ice fishing.
February 2018
Regular Monthly Meeting
February 13th 6:30 PM
American Legion Hall Barre, VT.
Hello to all members!
PLEASE TAKE NOTE THAT THIS MONTH'S MEETING WILL BE HELD ON "TUESDAY THE 13TH" NOT "WEDNESDAY THE 14TH" DUE TO THE VALENTINES DAY HOLIDAY SO WE CAN ALL SPEND THE EVENING WITH OUR SWEETHEARTS!
So we are off and running with 2018 Boonie Club business. I want to thank all of those that attended our annual meeting in January. It would be great to see this increased participation at all of our meetings in 2018. The first order of business at the annual meeting was elections. On the officer side Laura Wilder agreed to another 2 year term as Club treasurer. Thank you to Laura for her continued service. Unfortunately we are starting 2018 the same way we ended 2017 with no one willing to assume the duties of the secretary position. As I have said time and time again it is not that difficult of an office to hold and not a title that anyone should be intimidated by. There has got to be a member out there that is ready to step up and serve the Club in this capacity. Contact me and I will be happy to discuss the position and the duties involved. Next on the docket was filling 3 expiring directors positions. Those three slots were filled by 2 first timers Allan Larabee and Dominique Renaud and the renewal of David Wilder III. for another 2 year term.
So as of right now here is what our slate of Boonie Club officers and directors looks like:
President - Mark McCarthy term expires January 2019
Vice President - Dennis Gaudet term expires January 2019
Treasurer - Laura Wilder term expires January 2020
Secretary - vacant
Director - Tony Hedges term expires January 2019
Director - Chris Wilder term expires January 2019
Director - James St. Lawrence term expires January 2019
Director - David Wilder III term expires January 2020
Director - Dominique Renaud term expires January 2020
Director - Allan Larabee term expires January 2020
23" 5.3 pound Rainbow trout. And full disclosure, it was Brady Lamberti the young man in the green plaid jacket kneeling next to my son Ned that actually landed this beauty! Location to be a closely held secret!
Next order of business for the evening was the setting of the years schedule of events and fundraisers. We have another busy schedule ahead of us this year and the list of events in chronological is as follows:
Crow Shoot April 7, 2018
Big Game Raffle April 27, 2018
Spring Gun Raffle Draw April 27, 2018
Joey Gingras Memorial "Lets-go-Fishing Day June 2 or 9, 2018
Summer Shooting League To start in month of June
Duck Race One of 4 Saturday's in July TBD
Hunter Safety Courses August 4th and 5th 2018
Further details for all of these events will follow in the next couple of months. Of one note Big Game Raffle chairman David Wilder will have tickets for this years event at the February meeting. As in the past if you held a ticket last year you will have first option to purchase that ticket again this year. Dave one again will be managing a waiting list, if interested in getting onto that list contact Dave directly.
The Club has once again committed to sponsoring 5 young people to attend conservation camp at either Buck Lake, or Lake Bomoseen this summer. We would like to offer these scholarships to the children or grandchildren of Club members that have not previously attended conservation camp first. If you have a child that is interested please contact any Club officer to discuss the application process.
Final order of business that was discussed at the annual meeting was the renaming of the Club for incorporation purposes from the "Boonie Club" to "Williamstown Fish and Game Club" As we have allowed or incorporation status to lapse this would be a good time to make the change. If this change is approved by a quorum at the March meeting the Club would be known as "Williamstown Fish and Game Club" DBA ("Doing Business As") "Boonie Club"
Article X - Amendments of the Boonie Club Constitution reads as follows:
A copy of the proposed amendment to the constitution must be made available to each Club member in good standing at least (10) days prior to the annual meeting. At the annual meeting a quorum of the Club membership eligible to vote must be present and the amendment must be approved by an affirmative vote of those present.
Section 4.1 Quorum of the Boonie Club By-Laws reads as follows:
A quorum, for the purpose of the By-Laws and Constitution of the Club, shall consist of two members of the Board of Directors and five other members, two of which must be current officers.
So in accordance with our Club By-Laws and Constitution the following is the official notification to make the change to "Article I - Name" of the Boonie Club constitution.
The official name of the organization at this time is "Boonie Club" The proposed amendment to Article I - Name of the Club's constitution would change the official name of the organization to "Williamstown Fish and Game Club"
I would urge all members with any interest or concerns with the above proposed amendment to the Boonie Club Constitution to attend the February meeting to discuss further. A formal vote on this amendment will be taken at the March regular monthly meeting of the Club.
I am pleased to report that as of the writing of this newsletter we already have over 100 paid members for 2018! Way ahead of last year at this point. Thank you to all of those that have renewed their 2018 Club membership!
Vice President Dennis Gaudet is heading up the 2018 Spring Gun raffle again this year. As most of you are aware we included (2) raffle tickets along with your Annual newsletter and a ton of those have been returned "purchased" Again thank you to all of those that purchased 1 or both of those enclosed tickets. If you would like to purchase more or have friends or relatives that you could sell more to please contact Dennis.
Hope to see you all at next weeks February meeting!
Sincerely,
Mark McCarthy
President
Regular Monthly Meeting
February 13th 6:30 PM
American Legion Hall Barre, VT.
Hello to all members!
PLEASE TAKE NOTE THAT THIS MONTH'S MEETING WILL BE HELD ON "TUESDAY THE 13TH" NOT "WEDNESDAY THE 14TH" DUE TO THE VALENTINES DAY HOLIDAY SO WE CAN ALL SPEND THE EVENING WITH OUR SWEETHEARTS!
So we are off and running with 2018 Boonie Club business. I want to thank all of those that attended our annual meeting in January. It would be great to see this increased participation at all of our meetings in 2018. The first order of business at the annual meeting was elections. On the officer side Laura Wilder agreed to another 2 year term as Club treasurer. Thank you to Laura for her continued service. Unfortunately we are starting 2018 the same way we ended 2017 with no one willing to assume the duties of the secretary position. As I have said time and time again it is not that difficult of an office to hold and not a title that anyone should be intimidated by. There has got to be a member out there that is ready to step up and serve the Club in this capacity. Contact me and I will be happy to discuss the position and the duties involved. Next on the docket was filling 3 expiring directors positions. Those three slots were filled by 2 first timers Allan Larabee and Dominique Renaud and the renewal of David Wilder III. for another 2 year term.
So as of right now here is what our slate of Boonie Club officers and directors looks like:
President - Mark McCarthy term expires January 2019
Vice President - Dennis Gaudet term expires January 2019
Treasurer - Laura Wilder term expires January 2020
Secretary - vacant
Director - Tony Hedges term expires January 2019
Director - Chris Wilder term expires January 2019
Director - James St. Lawrence term expires January 2019
Director - David Wilder III term expires January 2020
Director - Dominique Renaud term expires January 2020
Director - Allan Larabee term expires January 2020
23" 5.3 pound Rainbow trout. And full disclosure, it was Brady Lamberti the young man in the green plaid jacket kneeling next to my son Ned that actually landed this beauty! Location to be a closely held secret!
Next order of business for the evening was the setting of the years schedule of events and fundraisers. We have another busy schedule ahead of us this year and the list of events in chronological is as follows:
Crow Shoot April 7, 2018
Big Game Raffle April 27, 2018
Spring Gun Raffle Draw April 27, 2018
Joey Gingras Memorial "Lets-go-Fishing Day June 2 or 9, 2018
Summer Shooting League To start in month of June
Duck Race One of 4 Saturday's in July TBD
Hunter Safety Courses August 4th and 5th 2018
Further details for all of these events will follow in the next couple of months. Of one note Big Game Raffle chairman David Wilder will have tickets for this years event at the February meeting. As in the past if you held a ticket last year you will have first option to purchase that ticket again this year. Dave one again will be managing a waiting list, if interested in getting onto that list contact Dave directly.
The Club has once again committed to sponsoring 5 young people to attend conservation camp at either Buck Lake, or Lake Bomoseen this summer. We would like to offer these scholarships to the children or grandchildren of Club members that have not previously attended conservation camp first. If you have a child that is interested please contact any Club officer to discuss the application process.
Final order of business that was discussed at the annual meeting was the renaming of the Club for incorporation purposes from the "Boonie Club" to "Williamstown Fish and Game Club" As we have allowed or incorporation status to lapse this would be a good time to make the change. If this change is approved by a quorum at the March meeting the Club would be known as "Williamstown Fish and Game Club" DBA ("Doing Business As") "Boonie Club"
Article X - Amendments of the Boonie Club Constitution reads as follows:
A copy of the proposed amendment to the constitution must be made available to each Club member in good standing at least (10) days prior to the annual meeting. At the annual meeting a quorum of the Club membership eligible to vote must be present and the amendment must be approved by an affirmative vote of those present.
Section 4.1 Quorum of the Boonie Club By-Laws reads as follows:
A quorum, for the purpose of the By-Laws and Constitution of the Club, shall consist of two members of the Board of Directors and five other members, two of which must be current officers.
So in accordance with our Club By-Laws and Constitution the following is the official notification to make the change to "Article I - Name" of the Boonie Club constitution.
The official name of the organization at this time is "Boonie Club" The proposed amendment to Article I - Name of the Club's constitution would change the official name of the organization to "Williamstown Fish and Game Club"
I would urge all members with any interest or concerns with the above proposed amendment to the Boonie Club Constitution to attend the February meeting to discuss further. A formal vote on this amendment will be taken at the March regular monthly meeting of the Club.
I am pleased to report that as of the writing of this newsletter we already have over 100 paid members for 2018! Way ahead of last year at this point. Thank you to all of those that have renewed their 2018 Club membership!
Vice President Dennis Gaudet is heading up the 2018 Spring Gun raffle again this year. As most of you are aware we included (2) raffle tickets along with your Annual newsletter and a ton of those have been returned "purchased" Again thank you to all of those that purchased 1 or both of those enclosed tickets. If you would like to purchase more or have friends or relatives that you could sell more to please contact Dennis.
Hope to see you all at next weeks February meeting!
Sincerely,
Mark McCarthy
President
January 22, 2018
Boonie Club Shooting Range Now Open!
Attention all members,
As you can see from this photo the shooting ranges target support has been replaced. As you can also see it has been modified from Jim's original design, I did save the roof structure and I think it will work nicely over a couple of hanging archery rag targets that will be built this spring.
A couple of points concerning the use of the range and the newly constructed target support. Over the past year and half or so as use of the range has increased I have noticed more and more errant shots all over the previous target support from the vertical supports to the roof of the structure. As I had stated in this months newsletter it was these repeated rounds into the vertical supports that finally along with wind and snow did the original structure in. And these are the errant shots that we know about because they actually hit the target support structure, god only knows where some of the other shots ended up! My point is that all of us as members and shooting enthusiasts need to be using the rang intelligently and above all safely.That sheet of particle board that you see on the target support structure is 3 feet high and 8 feet long. There is absolutely no reason that all shots cannot be kept in that space! If you are sighting in a new firearm for the first time instead of wasting rounds and spraying shots all over the countryside grab the picnic table and set up 20-25 yards from the target structure and get the thing on paper! Placement of paper targets on the support is another thing we need to work on. As we all now occasionally we will have an errant shot that will strike either the vertical or horizontal supports of the structure but lets not place our targets right on those supports and fire repeated shots into them. And if you are patterning a shotgun place the targets so that they hang below the particle board so you don't hammer it with 3" turkey loads over and over. And for all you shooters that are are shooting your .223's and 9mm's put up multiple targets so that your not concentrating all those shots into 1 area on the target support and blowing large holes through the particle board backer.
The range is there for all members use and enjoyment. All we ask is to abide by the range regulations and use the range intelligently and safely. If any member has any thoughts, or comments on the use of the range please plan on attending Wednesday's meeting or contact me directly.
Sincerely,
Mark McCarthy
President
Boonie Club Shooting Range Now Open!
Attention all members,
As you can see from this photo the shooting ranges target support has been replaced. As you can also see it has been modified from Jim's original design, I did save the roof structure and I think it will work nicely over a couple of hanging archery rag targets that will be built this spring.
A couple of points concerning the use of the range and the newly constructed target support. Over the past year and half or so as use of the range has increased I have noticed more and more errant shots all over the previous target support from the vertical supports to the roof of the structure. As I had stated in this months newsletter it was these repeated rounds into the vertical supports that finally along with wind and snow did the original structure in. And these are the errant shots that we know about because they actually hit the target support structure, god only knows where some of the other shots ended up! My point is that all of us as members and shooting enthusiasts need to be using the rang intelligently and above all safely.That sheet of particle board that you see on the target support structure is 3 feet high and 8 feet long. There is absolutely no reason that all shots cannot be kept in that space! If you are sighting in a new firearm for the first time instead of wasting rounds and spraying shots all over the countryside grab the picnic table and set up 20-25 yards from the target structure and get the thing on paper! Placement of paper targets on the support is another thing we need to work on. As we all now occasionally we will have an errant shot that will strike either the vertical or horizontal supports of the structure but lets not place our targets right on those supports and fire repeated shots into them. And if you are patterning a shotgun place the targets so that they hang below the particle board so you don't hammer it with 3" turkey loads over and over. And for all you shooters that are are shooting your .223's and 9mm's put up multiple targets so that your not concentrating all those shots into 1 area on the target support and blowing large holes through the particle board backer.
The range is there for all members use and enjoyment. All we ask is to abide by the range regulations and use the range intelligently and safely. If any member has any thoughts, or comments on the use of the range please plan on attending Wednesday's meeting or contact me directly.
Sincerely,
Mark McCarthy
President
January 2018
Annual Meeting
January 24th 7:00 PM
American Legion Hall Barre
Happy New Year!
I hope that everyone had a joyous holiday season with friends and family, and every piece of new sporting gear you were dreaming about was found under your Christmas tree! Since you last heard from me the fall big game seasons have come and gone. I hope that everyone had the opportunity to get out and hunt and spend time with friends and family in the woods our at deer camp! I myself was able to get several days afield and found some success in Ohio and Massachusetts as well.
Annual Meeting
January 24th 7:00 PM
American Legion Hall Barre
Happy New Year!
I hope that everyone had a joyous holiday season with friends and family, and every piece of new sporting gear you were dreaming about was found under your Christmas tree! Since you last heard from me the fall big game seasons have come and gone. I hope that everyone had the opportunity to get out and hunt and spend time with friends and family in the woods our at deer camp! I myself was able to get several days afield and found some success in Ohio and Massachusetts as well.
As you see from this photo the exterior of the Club house was completed along with the front porch. Many thanks to my brother Scott McCarthy for his continued support of the completion of this project. The focus for 2018 will be the completion of the interior finishes of the Club house flooring, ceilings, walls etc. I have secured our heating system for the building as I was able to purchase a real nice Rinnai wall mount gas heater that will warm the entire space when installed.
As you can see from the photo above we've had a little issue with our target support. When Jim Saunders and myself went up to plow out the yard on Sunday this is what we found. It was not vandalism, just age and too many shots fired through the upright posts. It appeared that ice had built up on the roof and then high wind had caused the uprights to snap where the had been weakened by excessive rounds having been fired through them. For the time being I would ask all members to refrain from using the range until the target support is repaired. I hope to have the structure replaced by the end of the January 21st weekend. A couple of other range notes I would like to pass on. Range use is only for Boonie Club members with valid membership cards in their possession. All range rules are posted on the sign next to shooting bench as well as on the Club web site. Anyone seen disobeying any range rules will be asked to leave range and will have membership revoked. One of the most frequently broken rules is the placing of targets on the lawn in front of shooting bench. This practice can result in ricochets off from the ground which can result in a very dangerous situation. Two other points that I want to make everyone aware of are the following. Our neighbors behind the target berm are the Churchill's and they actively log the woods there. I have had a sign made up that says, "Range Closed Logging In Progress". I have given this sign to the Churchill's and instructed them to hang this sign on the Club house gate when they are working in the woods. If you see this sign hanging on the gate when you arrive at the range, it means the range is "closed" to all shooting no exceptions! And the final topic on the shooting range we will be installing a chain and combination lock onto the gate and only members with valid membership cards will be given the combination and will be able to gain access to the range. For all of those that have already purchased their 2018 Club memberships I will send you the combination via text, email, or phone. All those that will renew their memberships in the near future will have the combination written on their new cards.
Thanks Shadetree!
So annual meeting will be held Wednesday January 24th commencing at 7:00 PM at the American Legion Hall in Barre. We will be holding elections for treasurer and secretary offices, (yes we still need a secretary) as well as 3 directors positions. Anyone interested in stepping up and becoming a more active member in the Club this year we invite you to attend and volunteer for one of the open officers or director positions. As always at our annual meeting we will be setting our calendar of events for the upcoming year which will include hunter safety course dates, Joey Gingras Fishing Derby, Big Game Raffle, Duck Race and more. Speaking of the Big Game Raffle if anyone has any ideas for this years grand prize please reach out to myself or any other officer and share your thoughts.
Along with your mailed newsletter you will find an order blank for membership renewal, duck race tickets and spring gun raffle tickets. Please fill out "completely" and return at your earliest convenience. We have enclosed (2) spring gun raffle tickets, but if you want to purchase more you are welcome to. I will turn around your membership renewals and raffle ticket purchases in 2-3 days.
On last piece of information I want to share with you is that there will be a public hearing concerning firearms and gun ownership in the state of Vermont. This hearing will take place Tuesday January 30th from 5;30 PM to 7:30 PM at the Vermont State House in Montpelier. I would all persons interested in preserving our rights to lawfully hunt and own firearms in Vermont to attend.
Hope to see you all at the Annual meeting next week!
Sincerely,
Mark McCarthy
President
So annual meeting will be held Wednesday January 24th commencing at 7:00 PM at the American Legion Hall in Barre. We will be holding elections for treasurer and secretary offices, (yes we still need a secretary) as well as 3 directors positions. Anyone interested in stepping up and becoming a more active member in the Club this year we invite you to attend and volunteer for one of the open officers or director positions. As always at our annual meeting we will be setting our calendar of events for the upcoming year which will include hunter safety course dates, Joey Gingras Fishing Derby, Big Game Raffle, Duck Race and more. Speaking of the Big Game Raffle if anyone has any ideas for this years grand prize please reach out to myself or any other officer and share your thoughts.
Along with your mailed newsletter you will find an order blank for membership renewal, duck race tickets and spring gun raffle tickets. Please fill out "completely" and return at your earliest convenience. We have enclosed (2) spring gun raffle tickets, but if you want to purchase more you are welcome to. I will turn around your membership renewals and raffle ticket purchases in 2-3 days.
On last piece of information I want to share with you is that there will be a public hearing concerning firearms and gun ownership in the state of Vermont. This hearing will take place Tuesday January 30th from 5;30 PM to 7:30 PM at the Vermont State House in Montpelier. I would all persons interested in preserving our rights to lawfully hunt and own firearms in Vermont to attend.
Hope to see you all at the Annual meeting next week!
Sincerely,
Mark McCarthy
President
September 2017
Regular Monthly Meeting
September 13th 6:30 PM
Boonie Club House
Happy September!
Bear hunting and resident Canadian goose seasons have began, small game, ducks and deer seasons are right around the corner.
With September comes the last monthly meeting of the Club until January of 2018. The time certainly fly's the older we get! Thanks to everyone that volunteered at the various events and fund raisers throughout the year it was greatly appreciated!
Just an update on the Club's website. We changed companies that host the site so if you were unable to find the site the last couple of days that is why. It is all set now and up and running again at this time.
One last note, the range will be closed this Sunday the 17th until 2:00 PM as I will be hosting an introduction to bow hunting seminar in conjunction with the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department.
Have a great fall!
Sincerely,
Mark McCarthy
President
Regular Monthly Meeting
September 13th 6:30 PM
Boonie Club House
Happy September!
Bear hunting and resident Canadian goose seasons have began, small game, ducks and deer seasons are right around the corner.
With September comes the last monthly meeting of the Club until January of 2018. The time certainly fly's the older we get! Thanks to everyone that volunteered at the various events and fund raisers throughout the year it was greatly appreciated!
Just an update on the Club's website. We changed companies that host the site so if you were unable to find the site the last couple of days that is why. It is all set now and up and running again at this time.
One last note, the range will be closed this Sunday the 17th until 2:00 PM as I will be hosting an introduction to bow hunting seminar in conjunction with the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department.
Have a great fall!
Sincerely,
Mark McCarthy
President
August 2017
Regular Monthly Meeting
August 9th 6:30 PM
Boonie Club House
Welcome To August!
As I write this month's newsletter we are just a day removed from having completed our two hunter education classes. On Saturday the 5th we endured a brief a late afternoon down pour but other than that enjoyed a wonderful day at the Club house grounds. I am pleased to say that all 21 participants completed the course and passed their final exam and became the proud recipients of their firearm hunter safety cards enabling them to purchase a license and join the ranks of the hunting community! And then Sunday the 6th we had 23 participants attend our archery hunter safety course and again all were successful in completing the course and securing their cards that will allow them to archery hunt this fall if they so choose. We actual had six individuals that attended both classes over the weekend congratulations to them and all those that participated! I would like to thank the following Club members for volunteering their time over the weekend and assisting in making both courses huge successes! Marion Gray, Dave Wilder, Dave Wilder Jr., Dennis Gaudet and Brooke Pearce did an outstanding job all weekend and were the major reason for the two great courses we conducted! I would also like to thank Stuart McLaren from R&L Archery for attending Sunday's archery course and lending his expertise in the area of crossbow equipment and safety. A job well done and what I would consider to be one of the most important weekends of the year for the Club!
On Saturday July 22nd at high noon, we held our annual duck race in the heart of Williamstown in the Stevens Branch brook starting from the bridge at the Lake Sunapee Bank and ending at Seaver Field. Their was no shortage of water this year and the 550+ ducks covered the course in record time! I am plesed to announce that it was the duck purchased by Boonie Club member Brad Luther that was first across the finish line securing Brad the first place money of $1,000! Congratulations Brad! The ducks of Brooke Pierce and Bobby McGlynn finished 2nd and 3rd respectively. Thank you to all that bought ducks this year and helped make this a successful fundraiser for the Club again this year. I would also like to thank the members that volunteered their time the day of the race in helping make it all come together. Scott McCarthy, Steve and Marion Gray, Brooke Pierce, Dennis and Crystal Gaudet.
Speaking of Crystal Gaudet, I am pleased to announce that she has created a Face Book page for the Club and has started posting pictures and information from Boonie Club events. Crystal took a ton of pictures at the Duck Race and took it upon herself to create the page. Way to go, and thanks Crystal! Visit the page and start clicking that "like" button!
Members Dave Wilder and Ralph Gerrish's summer shooting league continues tomorrow evening at the Club house range. All are welcome, contact Dave or Ralph to find out what type of weapon is being shot this week as it changes each session. The final date for this years league is Friday August 18th, and Dave has informed that their will be a cook out provided by the Club that evening and all are welcome to attend!
Members and memberships
Since last month we have added another 15 members which brings are total for the year to 157! If you haven't yet renewed your 2017 membership please due as soon as possible. And if you can get a friend or family member to join that would be great as well. You can renew by mail or online from our web site and the cost is still only $20.00!
That's all for now, hope to see you all at this months meeting!
Sincerely,
Mark McCarthy
President
Regular Monthly Meeting
August 9th 6:30 PM
Boonie Club House
Welcome To August!
As I write this month's newsletter we are just a day removed from having completed our two hunter education classes. On Saturday the 5th we endured a brief a late afternoon down pour but other than that enjoyed a wonderful day at the Club house grounds. I am pleased to say that all 21 participants completed the course and passed their final exam and became the proud recipients of their firearm hunter safety cards enabling them to purchase a license and join the ranks of the hunting community! And then Sunday the 6th we had 23 participants attend our archery hunter safety course and again all were successful in completing the course and securing their cards that will allow them to archery hunt this fall if they so choose. We actual had six individuals that attended both classes over the weekend congratulations to them and all those that participated! I would like to thank the following Club members for volunteering their time over the weekend and assisting in making both courses huge successes! Marion Gray, Dave Wilder, Dave Wilder Jr., Dennis Gaudet and Brooke Pearce did an outstanding job all weekend and were the major reason for the two great courses we conducted! I would also like to thank Stuart McLaren from R&L Archery for attending Sunday's archery course and lending his expertise in the area of crossbow equipment and safety. A job well done and what I would consider to be one of the most important weekends of the year for the Club!
On Saturday July 22nd at high noon, we held our annual duck race in the heart of Williamstown in the Stevens Branch brook starting from the bridge at the Lake Sunapee Bank and ending at Seaver Field. Their was no shortage of water this year and the 550+ ducks covered the course in record time! I am plesed to announce that it was the duck purchased by Boonie Club member Brad Luther that was first across the finish line securing Brad the first place money of $1,000! Congratulations Brad! The ducks of Brooke Pierce and Bobby McGlynn finished 2nd and 3rd respectively. Thank you to all that bought ducks this year and helped make this a successful fundraiser for the Club again this year. I would also like to thank the members that volunteered their time the day of the race in helping make it all come together. Scott McCarthy, Steve and Marion Gray, Brooke Pierce, Dennis and Crystal Gaudet.
Speaking of Crystal Gaudet, I am pleased to announce that she has created a Face Book page for the Club and has started posting pictures and information from Boonie Club events. Crystal took a ton of pictures at the Duck Race and took it upon herself to create the page. Way to go, and thanks Crystal! Visit the page and start clicking that "like" button!
Members Dave Wilder and Ralph Gerrish's summer shooting league continues tomorrow evening at the Club house range. All are welcome, contact Dave or Ralph to find out what type of weapon is being shot this week as it changes each session. The final date for this years league is Friday August 18th, and Dave has informed that their will be a cook out provided by the Club that evening and all are welcome to attend!
Members and memberships
Since last month we have added another 15 members which brings are total for the year to 157! If you haven't yet renewed your 2017 membership please due as soon as possible. And if you can get a friend or family member to join that would be great as well. You can renew by mail or online from our web site and the cost is still only $20.00!
That's all for now, hope to see you all at this months meeting!
Sincerely,
Mark McCarthy
President
July 2017
Regular Monthly Meeting
July 12th 6:30 PM
Boonie Club House
Finally Summer!
We had a great day for our annual Joey Gingras Memorial, "Let's-Go-Fishing" day on June the 17th! The sun was shining and the fish were biting! I want to first thank Richie Clark and family for hosting this years event at their home on Gilbert Road in Williamstown. The grounds were manicured to perfection and the pond was pristine! Secondly thanks to all those members that volunteered their time for Saturday to help with the set-up and running of the days event it was much appreciated! And finally thanks to all those that participated, we had approximately 15 young people participate in the event. And as I said the fish did cooperate. We had a couple of great small mouth bass caught, a few 10-12 inch perch, 2 great rainbow trout I'm guessing in the 15-20 inch range and probably 30-40 of the brook trout that the state stocked the pond with for us. There was nobody that didn't catch something and many caught several fish. A great day for sure!
Annual Duck Race
July 22nd
So the last of our big fund raisers is scheduled for Saturday July 22nd, the running of the "Ducks" from the Lake Sunapee Bank on main street to Seaver Field. If you haven't gotten your tickets yet there is still plenty of time. Tickets are available at Quarry Hill Quick Stop, The Pub in Williamstown or from Club officers and several other members. Tickets are only $5.00 with a grand prize of $1,000.00 going to the first duck to cross the finish line!
I need to report that we have decided to cancel the chicken barbecue that we had planned in conjunction with this years duck race. Member Dave Wilder that was heading up the effort had made tickets up and over the past 2-3 weeks of selling had received little interest and had only sold tickets to members that were planning on volunteering at the event. It was decided better to cut our losses with only the expense of the tickets versus being stuck with a 150 half chickens. We are not giving up on this idea and will look to make this happen next year along with some participation of some of the other service groups in town.
Boonie Club Sponsored Firearm & Archery Hunter Safety Courses
August 5th and August 6th
The dates for this years hunter safety courses are set for Saturday August 5th for the firearms course and Sunday August 6th for the Archery course. As in the past both of the courses are the home study version. Participants are required to sign up for the courses on the Fish and Wildlife web site. (courses are now listed on Fish & Wildlife site) It is the participants responsibility to obtain the text and work books for either or both courses and have the workbook completed prior to the start of the 1 day classroom portion of the class hosted by the Club. The classroom portion consists of several workshops, practical obstacle course, live fire (firearm course) and culminating with final testing. If you or anyone that you know is interested in either get signed up early as space is limited.
I was just on the Vermont Fish & Wildlife site and it showed that there are 12 spaces left for Saturdays firearm course and only 6 spaces left for Sunday's archery course. If you know of someone interested in either course tell them to get signed up ASAP!
If you are able to volunteer and help for either course please contact Marion and let here know as the July meeting will be the last one prior to the courses. We could use 6-8 volunteers for each day.
What: Firearm and Archery hunter safety courses
When: Saturday August 5th firearm course / Sunday August 6th archery course
Where: Boonie Club House Williamstown
For additional information contact Marion Gray 272-0954
Dave Wilder's Club sponsored "Summer Shooting League" has reached the half way point today. The league will consist of 6 weeks of shooting, every other Tuesday during the months of June, July, and August. Anyone one interested is encouraged to show up at the Club house by 6:30 on the dates listed to have some fun target shooting!
Dates as follows:
July 11th and 25th
August 2nd and 16th
Each nights league shooting starts at 6:30 PM. Each week will with a different type of firearm, muzzleloader, rim fire, center fire, ect., as well as different shooting disciplines offhand, resting, ect. Participants must be current Club members and the cost will be $10.00 per night. At the end of the 6 weeks there will be a cash prize awarded for highest scorer, and a cookout for all that participated.
Contact Dave Wilder 249-2685 or Ralph Gerrish 917-4048 for more information and to get signed up.
Members and Memberships
Since last month we have added another 12 members which brings are total for the year to 142! If you haven't yet renewed your 2017 membership please due as soon as possible. And if you can get a friend or family member to join that would be great as well. You can renew by mail or online from our web site and the cost is still only $20.00!
That's all for now, hope to see you all at this months meeting!
Sincerely,
Mark McCarthy
President
Regular Monthly Meeting
July 12th 6:30 PM
Boonie Club House
Finally Summer!
We had a great day for our annual Joey Gingras Memorial, "Let's-Go-Fishing" day on June the 17th! The sun was shining and the fish were biting! I want to first thank Richie Clark and family for hosting this years event at their home on Gilbert Road in Williamstown. The grounds were manicured to perfection and the pond was pristine! Secondly thanks to all those members that volunteered their time for Saturday to help with the set-up and running of the days event it was much appreciated! And finally thanks to all those that participated, we had approximately 15 young people participate in the event. And as I said the fish did cooperate. We had a couple of great small mouth bass caught, a few 10-12 inch perch, 2 great rainbow trout I'm guessing in the 15-20 inch range and probably 30-40 of the brook trout that the state stocked the pond with for us. There was nobody that didn't catch something and many caught several fish. A great day for sure!
Annual Duck Race
July 22nd
So the last of our big fund raisers is scheduled for Saturday July 22nd, the running of the "Ducks" from the Lake Sunapee Bank on main street to Seaver Field. If you haven't gotten your tickets yet there is still plenty of time. Tickets are available at Quarry Hill Quick Stop, The Pub in Williamstown or from Club officers and several other members. Tickets are only $5.00 with a grand prize of $1,000.00 going to the first duck to cross the finish line!
I need to report that we have decided to cancel the chicken barbecue that we had planned in conjunction with this years duck race. Member Dave Wilder that was heading up the effort had made tickets up and over the past 2-3 weeks of selling had received little interest and had only sold tickets to members that were planning on volunteering at the event. It was decided better to cut our losses with only the expense of the tickets versus being stuck with a 150 half chickens. We are not giving up on this idea and will look to make this happen next year along with some participation of some of the other service groups in town.
Boonie Club Sponsored Firearm & Archery Hunter Safety Courses
August 5th and August 6th
The dates for this years hunter safety courses are set for Saturday August 5th for the firearms course and Sunday August 6th for the Archery course. As in the past both of the courses are the home study version. Participants are required to sign up for the courses on the Fish and Wildlife web site. (courses are now listed on Fish & Wildlife site) It is the participants responsibility to obtain the text and work books for either or both courses and have the workbook completed prior to the start of the 1 day classroom portion of the class hosted by the Club. The classroom portion consists of several workshops, practical obstacle course, live fire (firearm course) and culminating with final testing. If you or anyone that you know is interested in either get signed up early as space is limited.
I was just on the Vermont Fish & Wildlife site and it showed that there are 12 spaces left for Saturdays firearm course and only 6 spaces left for Sunday's archery course. If you know of someone interested in either course tell them to get signed up ASAP!
If you are able to volunteer and help for either course please contact Marion and let here know as the July meeting will be the last one prior to the courses. We could use 6-8 volunteers for each day.
What: Firearm and Archery hunter safety courses
When: Saturday August 5th firearm course / Sunday August 6th archery course
Where: Boonie Club House Williamstown
For additional information contact Marion Gray 272-0954
Dave Wilder's Club sponsored "Summer Shooting League" has reached the half way point today. The league will consist of 6 weeks of shooting, every other Tuesday during the months of June, July, and August. Anyone one interested is encouraged to show up at the Club house by 6:30 on the dates listed to have some fun target shooting!
Dates as follows:
July 11th and 25th
August 2nd and 16th
Each nights league shooting starts at 6:30 PM. Each week will with a different type of firearm, muzzleloader, rim fire, center fire, ect., as well as different shooting disciplines offhand, resting, ect. Participants must be current Club members and the cost will be $10.00 per night. At the end of the 6 weeks there will be a cash prize awarded for highest scorer, and a cookout for all that participated.
Contact Dave Wilder 249-2685 or Ralph Gerrish 917-4048 for more information and to get signed up.
Members and Memberships
Since last month we have added another 12 members which brings are total for the year to 142! If you haven't yet renewed your 2017 membership please due as soon as possible. And if you can get a friend or family member to join that would be great as well. You can renew by mail or online from our web site and the cost is still only $20.00!
That's all for now, hope to see you all at this months meeting!
Sincerely,
Mark McCarthy
President
June 2017
Regular Monthly Meeting
June 14th 6:30 PM
Boonie Club House
Welcome to June!
Sure doesn't feel like June 20th is going to be the first day of summer! Rainy and temperatures in the 50's! I know for my son Ned's junior high baseball team and the little league team that I coach scheduling and playing games has been a major challenge. Oh well can't control the weather just roll with it.
I hope everyone had plenty of time to get out and do some turkey hunting during the month of May. For myself I found lots of gobbling birds pretty much every spot we tried. And it had been several years since I had seen so many groups of multiple tom's together right into the 3rd and 4th weeks of the season. My hunting partner Randy Lamberti and myself were fortunate to tag 2 toms apiece and Randy's son Brady added a couple of more jakes.
Hard to believe that with the coming of month of June also comes the almost half way point of 2017! We have already had a lot of Club activities in the first half of the year and the next 2-3 months will be just as busy. So by date of event here are the upcoming Boonie Club sponsored events:
JOEY GINGRAS MEMORIAL
"LET'S-GO-FISHING DAY"
SATURDAY JUNE 17TH
This is a day that we look forward to every year. We partner up with the Vermont Fish & Wildlife Dept for a fun filled and informative day that celebrates one of the greatest summer past times for any young person, "fishing"! The "let's-go-fishing" program is designed to introduce young and first timers to the great sport of fishing. The day starts with 3-4 quick and fun workshops that touch on some of the basics such as rules, regulations and ethics. Fish identification and healthy habitat. And the basics of tackle and equipment. After completion of the workshops its time to go fishing for a couple of hours and then finish the day with a quick barbecue provided by the Club. The particulars are as follows:
What: Joey Gingras Memorial "Let's-Go-Fishing" Day
When: Saturday June 17th, registration commences at 8:00 AM
Where: Richie Clark residence 1195 Gilbert Road Williamstown. Gilbert Road can be found either from the Chelsea Road or the Graniteville Road.
For additional information call Mark McCarthy 476-9811
BOONIE CLUB
ANNUAL DUCK RACE & CHICKEN BARBECUE
SATURDAY JULY 22nd
What with the damp and rainy spring and start to summer we are not expecting any issues with low water levels in the brook that runs through Williamstown and will carry some lucky winners duck to a $1,000.00 grand prize! "The running of the ducks" is the culmination of our final big fund raiser of the year for the Club. As you have all heard me preach for the past several years I want to sell "1,000" ducks and we need your help to do it. If each member buys 4 ducks and each member sells 4 ducks we get to that number easily! Duck tickets make great gifts for birthdays, graduations and lots of other occasions as well. I will be including an order form in this months hard copy "mailed" newsletter. Send us your purchase request and we will get the duck race tickets right back to you via the mail.
In conjunction with this years duck race we are going to be holding a chicken barbecue with all the fixings in an effort to make the day of the race more of an "event". The meal will be a traditional chicken barbecue consisting of a half a charcoal barbecued chicken, mostaccioli, baked beans, and rolls all for only $10.00! Barbecue tickets will be limited to only 150 so get yours early for this great meal! We are also working on securing a few activities for the kids as well that might include bouncy houses, balloons and face painting more details to follow.
What: Duck Race / Chicken Barbecue
When: Saturday July 22nd / Duck Race 12:00 Noon / Barbecue 1:00 PM
Where: Duck Race starts at Sunapee Bank and ends at Seaver Field. Barbecue
to be served at Seaver Field.
For additional information concerning Duck race call Mark McCarthy 476-9811
For additional information concerning chicken barbecue call Dave Wilder 249-2685
BOONIE CLUB SPONSORED
FIREARM & ARCHERY
HUNTER SAFETY COURSES
AUGUST 5TH AND AUGUST 6TH
The dates for this years hunter safety courses are set for Saturday August 5th for the firearms course and Sunday August 6th for the Archery course. As in the past both of the courses are the home study version. Participants are required to sign up for the courses on the Fish and Wildlife web site. (courses are now listed on Fish & Wildlife site) It is the participants responsibility to obtain the text and work books for either or both courses and have the workbook completed prior to the start of the 1 day classroom portion of the class hosted by the Club. The classroom portion consists of several workshops, practical obstacle course, live fire (firearm course) and culminating with final testing. If you or anyone that you know is interested in either get signed up early as space is limited.
What: Firearm and Archery hunter safety courses
When: Saturday August 5th firearm course / Sunday August 6th archery course
Where: Boonie Club House Williamstown
For additional information contact Marion Gray 272-0954
Dave Wilder wanted to pass along to everyone that the Club sponsored "Summer Shooting League" is set to commence Tuesday June 6th at the Club house range in Williamstown. The league will consist of 6 weeks of shooting, every other Tuesday during the months of June, July, and August. Dates as follows:
June 6th and 20th
July 11th and 25th
August 2nd and 16th
Each nights league shooting starts at 6:30 PM. Each week will with a different type of firearm, muzzleloader, rim fire, center fire, ect., as well as different shooting disciplines offhand, resting, ect. Participants must be current Club members and the cost will be $10.00 per night. At the end of the 6 weeks there will be a cash prize awarded for highest scorer, and a cookout for all that participated.
Contact Dave Wilder 249-2685 or Ralph Gerrish 917-4048 for more information and to get signed up.
I would ask everyone to keep their eyes and ears open for an inexpensive riding lawnmower to maintain the Club grounds. I am thinking of something not so special this year to get us through the rest of this summer, and look into a more permanent higher quality one for summer 2018.
Members and memberships. As of today we have 131 paid members. Thank you to all those that have renewed their 2017 memberships and to all those new members that have joined us for the first time. If you haven't yet renewed your 2017 membership please due as soon as possible. And if you can get a friend or family member to join that would be great as well, There is no reason we can't be at 150 members by the end of June. Remember you can renew by mail or online from our web site and the cost is still only $20.00!
That's all for now, hope to see you all at this months meeting!
Sincerely,
Mark McCarthy
President
May 2017
Regular Monthly Meeting
May 10th 6:30 PM
Boonie Club House
Horray, horray it's finally May!
I started last months newsletter by stating it was "75 degrees out and sunny", well as I write this newsletter it's snowing and 38 degrees! Oh well so goes the weather in Vermont, if you don't like it wait 15 minutes and it will change. Even though less than stellar weather has been the norm so far for the month of May it's still "turkey season"! Gobble, gobble! I have been out many mornings so far starting with youth weekend but have not been able to tag a long beard yet. Have had several jake's come charging in but no Tom's so far. Another reason I like spring turkey other than the weather, (it's usually nice in May!) is that it's a long season plenty of time left.
Congratulations to Chris Wilder! Chris was the grand prize winner of our annual Big Game Raffle! Chris and a guest will be headed to North Carolina this fall to hunt Whitetail with Northeastern Outfitters along with a guest. No word as to whether he will be taking brother Dave along! Speaking of Dave he reported to me that the night went well with all tickets sold and every ticket drawn won a door prize. Thanks to all that contributed particularly members Dick Lyford and Eugene Booska. Dave reported that 132 meals were served and I have heard from a number of people that it was some of the best prime rib they have every enjoyed! A big thank you to Denny Barney, and Tony Hedges for a great meal! And thank you to the American Legion and their staff for all their help and support again with hosting this important Boonie Club fund raiser.
And congratulations to member Helen Owen who was the lucky winner of the Yeti cooler package. The raffle was a total sell out, thanks to all that participated.
The date for this years Joey Gingras Memorial "Let's-Go-Fishing" Day will be Saturday June 10th. We will have the location finalized later this week, and I will send out another email blast with the location and other details. We will be looking for 6-8 volunteers to help out with the day, if you are available and can help please contact me and let me know.
Next and final big fundraiser for the year is our annual "Duck Race" There is absolutely no reason we can't sell 1000 ducks for this event and make a nice tidy sum for the club. If each member buys or sells only 10 tickets that right there will put us well over a 1000 ducks. Contact me if you would like some tickets to sell. You can also send your ticket request along with payment along to our PO box and I will send them right back to you. As we have discussed at previous meetings this year we are going to include a chicken barbeque on the day of the duck race, we are going to set the date at tomorrows meeting. The most probable date will be the weekend of 22nd or 23rd in July but will be made official at this months meeting.
Speaking of meetings as is the tradition starting in May the rest of our monthly meetings will be held at the Club House in Williamstown. I am planning on being there at around 2:30 to do a little ground work and mowing if anyone else can me it would be appreciated. Bring rakes, shovels and other tools if available. Also plan on bringing a chair for the meeting
Members and memberships. As of today we have 112 paid members. Thank you to all those that have renewed their 2017 memberships and to all those new members that have joined us for the first time. If you haven't yet renewed you 2017 membership please due as soon as possible. And if you can get a friend or family member to join that would be great as well, There is no reason we can't be at 150 members by June. Remember you can renew by mail or online from our web site and the cost is still only $20.00!
That's all for now, hope to see you all at this months meeting!
Sincerely,
Mark McCarthy
President
Regular Monthly Meeting
May 10th 6:30 PM
Boonie Club House
Horray, horray it's finally May!
I started last months newsletter by stating it was "75 degrees out and sunny", well as I write this newsletter it's snowing and 38 degrees! Oh well so goes the weather in Vermont, if you don't like it wait 15 minutes and it will change. Even though less than stellar weather has been the norm so far for the month of May it's still "turkey season"! Gobble, gobble! I have been out many mornings so far starting with youth weekend but have not been able to tag a long beard yet. Have had several jake's come charging in but no Tom's so far. Another reason I like spring turkey other than the weather, (it's usually nice in May!) is that it's a long season plenty of time left.
Congratulations to Chris Wilder! Chris was the grand prize winner of our annual Big Game Raffle! Chris and a guest will be headed to North Carolina this fall to hunt Whitetail with Northeastern Outfitters along with a guest. No word as to whether he will be taking brother Dave along! Speaking of Dave he reported to me that the night went well with all tickets sold and every ticket drawn won a door prize. Thanks to all that contributed particularly members Dick Lyford and Eugene Booska. Dave reported that 132 meals were served and I have heard from a number of people that it was some of the best prime rib they have every enjoyed! A big thank you to Denny Barney, and Tony Hedges for a great meal! And thank you to the American Legion and their staff for all their help and support again with hosting this important Boonie Club fund raiser.
And congratulations to member Helen Owen who was the lucky winner of the Yeti cooler package. The raffle was a total sell out, thanks to all that participated.
The date for this years Joey Gingras Memorial "Let's-Go-Fishing" Day will be Saturday June 10th. We will have the location finalized later this week, and I will send out another email blast with the location and other details. We will be looking for 6-8 volunteers to help out with the day, if you are available and can help please contact me and let me know.
Next and final big fundraiser for the year is our annual "Duck Race" There is absolutely no reason we can't sell 1000 ducks for this event and make a nice tidy sum for the club. If each member buys or sells only 10 tickets that right there will put us well over a 1000 ducks. Contact me if you would like some tickets to sell. You can also send your ticket request along with payment along to our PO box and I will send them right back to you. As we have discussed at previous meetings this year we are going to include a chicken barbeque on the day of the duck race, we are going to set the date at tomorrows meeting. The most probable date will be the weekend of 22nd or 23rd in July but will be made official at this months meeting.
Speaking of meetings as is the tradition starting in May the rest of our monthly meetings will be held at the Club House in Williamstown. I am planning on being there at around 2:30 to do a little ground work and mowing if anyone else can me it would be appreciated. Bring rakes, shovels and other tools if available. Also plan on bringing a chair for the meeting
Members and memberships. As of today we have 112 paid members. Thank you to all those that have renewed their 2017 memberships and to all those new members that have joined us for the first time. If you haven't yet renewed you 2017 membership please due as soon as possible. And if you can get a friend or family member to join that would be great as well, There is no reason we can't be at 150 members by June. Remember you can renew by mail or online from our web site and the cost is still only $20.00!
That's all for now, hope to see you all at this months meeting!
Sincerely,
Mark McCarthy
President
April 2017
Happy April!
As I write this newsletter its 75 degrees out and sunny! You know this winter wasn't terrible but when the 3 biggest snow storms of the year come during the months of March and April I think we all get a little "cabin fever" and long for spring! I am going to go out on a limb here and say I don't think any of us will have to shovel snow again this season!
First things first, this Saturday April 15th at the American Legion Hall in Barre we will be holding our Annual Big Game Raffle. At the end of the evening one lucky winner will be taking a friend or family member and headed to North Eastern Outfitters in North Carolina to hunt whitetails this fall! There will also be many other great prizes and gift cards given away throughout the evening to all of those that don't make to the final ball pulled. Dinner will be served promptly at 6:00 PM so plan on arriving between 5:00 and 5:30 for a few cocktails and to reserve your seats.
In addition to the Big Game Raffle this Saturday evening we will be drawing the winner to the Spring Raffle Yeti Cooler Package. This package that is valued at $425.00 includes a Roadie 20 cooler, 1 Rambler 20, 1 Rambler 30, 2 Colsters a Yeti logo hat and Yeti logo t-shirt. Raffle tickets are $5.00 each or 5 for $20.00. We still have tickets left to purchase now so if you haven't gotten yours yet contact myself, Dave Wilder, or Dennis Gaudet. Any remaining tickets left will be sold the night of the Big Game raffle with the winner to be drawn that evening.
To date we have committed to sponsoring 5 young people to conservation camp. This is the number that the Club had budgeted for 2017, if however you know of other young people that would like to attend that may not be able to do so without the financial help of the Club have them contact me and we will see what we can do. We may be able to get a few other businesses or individuals that are willing to help out in sponsoring a couple of more youngsters.
So I am happy to say that the Crow Shoot team of myself, Jeff and Seth Porier won this years competition. I am disappointed to say however that we were the only team to compete. As I've stated here before I always enjoyed this event and had decided to attempt and resurrect the event this year. I believe that I was a little late in getting the word out this time around. I will definitely be scheduling next years shoot in January so everyone has plenty of warning and can get their teams together. But irregardless 1 team or 100 we will be the defending champions!
I hope many of you got out for the opener of trout season this past weekend. I remember as a younger person how much I looked forward to that day, I hope my son feels that same excitement. Other dates to mark on your calendar include April 29th and 30th youth turkey hunting weekend, and then the following Monday May 1stopens up the regular season for us all. If possible take a young person out turkey hunting this season its a great way to introduce them to hunting and the great outdoors!
Members and memberships. As of today we have 95 paid members. Thank you to all those that have renewed their 2017 memberships and to all those new members that have joined us for the first time. If you haven't yet renewed you 2017 membership please due as soon as possible. And if you can get a friend or family member to join that would be great as well, There is no reason we can't be at 150 members by June. Remember you can renew by mail or online from our web site and the cost is still only $20.00!
As usual we will start holding our regular monthly meetings at the Club house in May take note.
That's all for now, hope to see you all at this months meeting!
Sincerely,
Mark McCarthy
President
Happy April!
As I write this newsletter its 75 degrees out and sunny! You know this winter wasn't terrible but when the 3 biggest snow storms of the year come during the months of March and April I think we all get a little "cabin fever" and long for spring! I am going to go out on a limb here and say I don't think any of us will have to shovel snow again this season!
First things first, this Saturday April 15th at the American Legion Hall in Barre we will be holding our Annual Big Game Raffle. At the end of the evening one lucky winner will be taking a friend or family member and headed to North Eastern Outfitters in North Carolina to hunt whitetails this fall! There will also be many other great prizes and gift cards given away throughout the evening to all of those that don't make to the final ball pulled. Dinner will be served promptly at 6:00 PM so plan on arriving between 5:00 and 5:30 for a few cocktails and to reserve your seats.
In addition to the Big Game Raffle this Saturday evening we will be drawing the winner to the Spring Raffle Yeti Cooler Package. This package that is valued at $425.00 includes a Roadie 20 cooler, 1 Rambler 20, 1 Rambler 30, 2 Colsters a Yeti logo hat and Yeti logo t-shirt. Raffle tickets are $5.00 each or 5 for $20.00. We still have tickets left to purchase now so if you haven't gotten yours yet contact myself, Dave Wilder, or Dennis Gaudet. Any remaining tickets left will be sold the night of the Big Game raffle with the winner to be drawn that evening.
To date we have committed to sponsoring 5 young people to conservation camp. This is the number that the Club had budgeted for 2017, if however you know of other young people that would like to attend that may not be able to do so without the financial help of the Club have them contact me and we will see what we can do. We may be able to get a few other businesses or individuals that are willing to help out in sponsoring a couple of more youngsters.
So I am happy to say that the Crow Shoot team of myself, Jeff and Seth Porier won this years competition. I am disappointed to say however that we were the only team to compete. As I've stated here before I always enjoyed this event and had decided to attempt and resurrect the event this year. I believe that I was a little late in getting the word out this time around. I will definitely be scheduling next years shoot in January so everyone has plenty of warning and can get their teams together. But irregardless 1 team or 100 we will be the defending champions!
I hope many of you got out for the opener of trout season this past weekend. I remember as a younger person how much I looked forward to that day, I hope my son feels that same excitement. Other dates to mark on your calendar include April 29th and 30th youth turkey hunting weekend, and then the following Monday May 1stopens up the regular season for us all. If possible take a young person out turkey hunting this season its a great way to introduce them to hunting and the great outdoors!
Members and memberships. As of today we have 95 paid members. Thank you to all those that have renewed their 2017 memberships and to all those new members that have joined us for the first time. If you haven't yet renewed you 2017 membership please due as soon as possible. And if you can get a friend or family member to join that would be great as well, There is no reason we can't be at 150 members by June. Remember you can renew by mail or online from our web site and the cost is still only $20.00!
As usual we will start holding our regular monthly meetings at the Club house in May take note.
That's all for now, hope to see you all at this months meeting!
Sincerely,
Mark McCarthy
President
March 2017 Upcoming Events
Hello All,
I just wanted to send out a quick note to remind you all of a couple of Club sponsored events that will be happening in the next few weeks.
The first is the Boonie Club sponsored Crow Shoot. This is an event that the Club sponsored for a number of years that members Jeff Porier and then Eric Morton had organized. It was always one of my favorite events in which I had always participated. The particulars are as follows:
CROW SHOOT
Sponsored By the Boonie Club
Saturday, April 1st
Team competition (max 4 hunters per team)
Cost $40.00 per team
Contest ends 5:00 PM sharp
Must check in at Moose Lodge parking lot in Williamstown by 5:00 PM
Cash prizes for top 3 placing teams
Contact Mark McCarthy at 476-9811 / mmccarthy@lennyshoe.com
to register team and for additional information
All state and federal hunting regulations must be followed. Teams can use their choice of firearms rifle or shotgun.
BOONIE CLUB ANNUAL BIG GAME RAFFLE
Saturday, April 15th 6:00 PM
American Legion Hall, Barre VT
This is our annual fund raising calcutta raffle and dinner. This years grand prize is a whitetail hunt for 2 with North Eastern Outfitters in North Carolina. Along with the grand prize there will be many other great items given away throughout the evening. Price per ticket is again $100 this year and includes dinner for 2 of either prime rib or stuffed chicken breast. If you had a ticket to last years raffle and have not heard from a Club member yet about purchasing your ticket for this year you can reach out to member and event chairman Dave Wilder to make arrangements to do so. Dave can be reached at 802-249-2685 or zoie1967@yahoo.com
BOONIE CLUB YETI COOLER PACKAGE
SPRING RAFFLE
Package includes the following:
Roadie 20 Cooler
(1) Rambler 20 Tumbler / (1) Rambler 30 Tumbler
(2) Rambler Colster's
Yeti Logo Hat and T-shirt
Package value of $425.00"
Drawing April 15th at the Big Game raffle
Tickets cost $5.00 each or (5) tickets for $20.00
This raffle replaces the spring firearm raffle that we have held in the past. If anyone is interested in purchasing tickets for this raffle you can reach out to me by either phone or email and we can make arrangements to connect.
That's all for now, hope to see you all at April's meeting!
Sincerely,
Mark McCarthy
President
Hello All,
I just wanted to send out a quick note to remind you all of a couple of Club sponsored events that will be happening in the next few weeks.
The first is the Boonie Club sponsored Crow Shoot. This is an event that the Club sponsored for a number of years that members Jeff Porier and then Eric Morton had organized. It was always one of my favorite events in which I had always participated. The particulars are as follows:
CROW SHOOT
Sponsored By the Boonie Club
Saturday, April 1st
Team competition (max 4 hunters per team)
Cost $40.00 per team
Contest ends 5:00 PM sharp
Must check in at Moose Lodge parking lot in Williamstown by 5:00 PM
Cash prizes for top 3 placing teams
Contact Mark McCarthy at 476-9811 / mmccarthy@lennyshoe.com
to register team and for additional information
All state and federal hunting regulations must be followed. Teams can use their choice of firearms rifle or shotgun.
BOONIE CLUB ANNUAL BIG GAME RAFFLE
Saturday, April 15th 6:00 PM
American Legion Hall, Barre VT
This is our annual fund raising calcutta raffle and dinner. This years grand prize is a whitetail hunt for 2 with North Eastern Outfitters in North Carolina. Along with the grand prize there will be many other great items given away throughout the evening. Price per ticket is again $100 this year and includes dinner for 2 of either prime rib or stuffed chicken breast. If you had a ticket to last years raffle and have not heard from a Club member yet about purchasing your ticket for this year you can reach out to member and event chairman Dave Wilder to make arrangements to do so. Dave can be reached at 802-249-2685 or zoie1967@yahoo.com
BOONIE CLUB YETI COOLER PACKAGE
SPRING RAFFLE
Package includes the following:
Roadie 20 Cooler
(1) Rambler 20 Tumbler / (1) Rambler 30 Tumbler
(2) Rambler Colster's
Yeti Logo Hat and T-shirt
Package value of $425.00"
Drawing April 15th at the Big Game raffle
Tickets cost $5.00 each or (5) tickets for $20.00
This raffle replaces the spring firearm raffle that we have held in the past. If anyone is interested in purchasing tickets for this raffle you can reach out to me by either phone or email and we can make arrangements to connect.
That's all for now, hope to see you all at April's meeting!
Sincerely,
Mark McCarthy
President
March 2017
Hello All,
Congratulations to Boonie Club member John Lepore from Northfield! John was the winner of our fall / spring gun raffle and is now the proud owner of a Panther Arms AR style rifle! John purchased his winning ticket when he renewed his 2017 Club membership via the mail. Thanks to John and all those that purchased tickets the fund raiser was a huge success for the Club!
The next big event for the Club is our annual Big Game Raffle. This years raffle will be held Saturday April 15th at the American Legion Hall in Barre. Raffle chairman Dave Wilder has started to distribute tickets. If you had a ticket last year and would like it again this year you can contact Dave directly and he will make arrangements to connect with you and get you your ticket. If you don't touch base with Dave someone from the Club will be reaching out to all those that had tickets in last years raffle. As most of you are aware for the past several years we have sold the last remaining tickets from our spring gun raffle the evening of the Big Game Raffle and drawn the winner at that event. Well this years gun raffle being a wrap around from last fall and having sold all those tickets and already presented John Lepore with his new Panther Arms AR, we have decided on a different type of spring raffle for this year. This years spring raffle that will be drawn the evening of the Big Game Raffle will be a Yeti cooler package that will consist of the following:
A Yeti Roadie 20 cooler, a Rambler 20 tumbler, a Rambler 30 tumbler, 2 Colsters, a Yeti logo hat and a Yeti logo t-shirt. Total value of this package is $425.00. Tickets will be $5.00 each or 5 tickets for $20.00. Tickets will be available starting at tomorrows meeting with the winner to be drawn on April 15th. Anyone interested in tickets can contact me directly or send payment in the mail and I will return tickets directly back to you. This is a raffle prize that everyone would love to win!
At the February meeting as a Club we joined the Vermont Gun Owners of Vermont. This watchdog group monitors any and all gun legislation both here in the state as well as nationally. We now have a link to their web site on our boonieclub.org site so that all of you can quickly and easily keep yourselves informed as to whats going on with the issues that matter to us as gun owners and sportsmen and women here in the state of Vermont.
The Club also purchased a $100 raffle ticket at Februarys meeting on a 1 in a 100 chance to win a deer hunt from an outfitter in Wyoming. This raffle was to support the Billy Werneke family from Williamstown as their daughter is battling a rare form of cancer. The raffle was the idea of Club member Dennis Duff who is also a close personal friend of Billy's. I am sorry to say that the Club did not win the hunt, Steve Rich of Berlin was the lucky winner. But we did help in presenting the Werneke family a check for $10,000.00 to help with their mounting medical bills. Nice job Dennis and our thoughts and prayers are with the entire Werneke family.
Members and memberships. As of today we have 83 paid members. Thank you to all those that have renewed their 2017 memberships and to all those new members that have joined us for the first time. If you haven't yet renewed you 2017 membership please due as soon as possible. And if you can get a friend or family member to join that would be great as well, There is no reason we can't be at 150 members by June. Remember you can renew by mail or online from our web site and the cost is still only $20.00!
Is anyone interested in participating in a crow shoot contest? For many years the Club sponsored a crow shoot, one of my personal favorite events that we used to hold. I would like to bring the event back but would like to know what the interest level is before proceeding. I was thinking that we would hold the contest on Saturday April 1st. Teams would consist of up to 4 members with the cost per team being $40.00. Prizes would be given to the top 3 teams with the most crows harvested. Give me a call or send me an email in the next week. If I get enough interest I will start the promotion of the event in earnest.
That's all for now, hope to see you all at this months meeting!
Sincerely,
Mark McCarthy
President
Hello All,
Congratulations to Boonie Club member John Lepore from Northfield! John was the winner of our fall / spring gun raffle and is now the proud owner of a Panther Arms AR style rifle! John purchased his winning ticket when he renewed his 2017 Club membership via the mail. Thanks to John and all those that purchased tickets the fund raiser was a huge success for the Club!
The next big event for the Club is our annual Big Game Raffle. This years raffle will be held Saturday April 15th at the American Legion Hall in Barre. Raffle chairman Dave Wilder has started to distribute tickets. If you had a ticket last year and would like it again this year you can contact Dave directly and he will make arrangements to connect with you and get you your ticket. If you don't touch base with Dave someone from the Club will be reaching out to all those that had tickets in last years raffle. As most of you are aware for the past several years we have sold the last remaining tickets from our spring gun raffle the evening of the Big Game Raffle and drawn the winner at that event. Well this years gun raffle being a wrap around from last fall and having sold all those tickets and already presented John Lepore with his new Panther Arms AR, we have decided on a different type of spring raffle for this year. This years spring raffle that will be drawn the evening of the Big Game Raffle will be a Yeti cooler package that will consist of the following:
A Yeti Roadie 20 cooler, a Rambler 20 tumbler, a Rambler 30 tumbler, 2 Colsters, a Yeti logo hat and a Yeti logo t-shirt. Total value of this package is $425.00. Tickets will be $5.00 each or 5 tickets for $20.00. Tickets will be available starting at tomorrows meeting with the winner to be drawn on April 15th. Anyone interested in tickets can contact me directly or send payment in the mail and I will return tickets directly back to you. This is a raffle prize that everyone would love to win!
At the February meeting as a Club we joined the Vermont Gun Owners of Vermont. This watchdog group monitors any and all gun legislation both here in the state as well as nationally. We now have a link to their web site on our boonieclub.org site so that all of you can quickly and easily keep yourselves informed as to whats going on with the issues that matter to us as gun owners and sportsmen and women here in the state of Vermont.
The Club also purchased a $100 raffle ticket at Februarys meeting on a 1 in a 100 chance to win a deer hunt from an outfitter in Wyoming. This raffle was to support the Billy Werneke family from Williamstown as their daughter is battling a rare form of cancer. The raffle was the idea of Club member Dennis Duff who is also a close personal friend of Billy's. I am sorry to say that the Club did not win the hunt, Steve Rich of Berlin was the lucky winner. But we did help in presenting the Werneke family a check for $10,000.00 to help with their mounting medical bills. Nice job Dennis and our thoughts and prayers are with the entire Werneke family.
Members and memberships. As of today we have 83 paid members. Thank you to all those that have renewed their 2017 memberships and to all those new members that have joined us for the first time. If you haven't yet renewed you 2017 membership please due as soon as possible. And if you can get a friend or family member to join that would be great as well, There is no reason we can't be at 150 members by June. Remember you can renew by mail or online from our web site and the cost is still only $20.00!
Is anyone interested in participating in a crow shoot contest? For many years the Club sponsored a crow shoot, one of my personal favorite events that we used to hold. I would like to bring the event back but would like to know what the interest level is before proceeding. I was thinking that we would hold the contest on Saturday April 1st. Teams would consist of up to 4 members with the cost per team being $40.00. Prizes would be given to the top 3 teams with the most crows harvested. Give me a call or send me an email in the next week. If I get enough interest I will start the promotion of the event in earnest.
That's all for now, hope to see you all at this months meeting!
Sincerely,
Mark McCarthy
President
February 2017
Regular Monthly Meeting
February 15th 7:00 PM
AMERICAN LEGION HALL
Hello All,
Well we are off and running in 2017 with Boonie Club business. Thanks to all that made it to our January annual meeting. The first order of business was to elect individuals to fill the positions of, president and vice president for the next 2 years. Yours truly ran unopposed for the office of Club president and I look forward to serving the Club in that capacity for another term. Fairly new member Dennis Gaudet was the only nomination for vice-president and myself and the rest of the Club should look forward to his service in that office for the next 2 years. Thank you to Dennis for stepping up to serve and thank you to Jim Hepsley our out going vice president for his past service in the position. There were still no takers for the office of Club secretary, I am really hoping that we can get a member to step up and fill that position in the near future.
Next on the agenda was the the setting of dates for calendar year 2017 Club events. First up is the Big Game raffle that will be held Saturday April 15th at the American Legion Hall in Barre. This years raffle will again be a hunt for 2 with Northeastern Hunting Outfitters in North Carolina. Last years winners reported having a very good time, in fact they booked again for this year on their own. Dave Wilder has the tickets already in hand and will be contacting all of last years ticket holders soon.
Marion Gray our hunter safety course coordinator informed us that this years courses will be held on the weekend of August 5th and 6th. The firearm course will be held on Saturday the 5th with the archery course being held the next day Sunday the 6th. These dates are a little earlier than the Club has held the courses in the past so make sure and pass the dates along to any of those that may be interested in attending. As always class space is limited so don't procrastinate.
We also discussed the dates for the Joey Gingras Memorial Let's Go Fishing day, and the date for the annual Duck Race fundraiser and possible accompanying barbeque. These dates were not set as additional discussion needs to be had to iron out the details. We hope to have these dates finalized be the March meeting.
Member Dave Wilder is planning on forming a bench target league similar to what he started with several members last year. Dave will have more info in the next couple of months.
I would also like to resurrect the crow shoot that the Club has sponsored in the past. Please contact me if you are interested in participating so I can gauge interest and proceed with planning.
Next up we had a group of guest speakers from the Gun Owners of Vermont group. Rick Lafayette, Terry Reil, Ed Cutler and Bob DePino were generous enough with their time to come to our meeting and update us as to what the organization is all about and what legislation they are keeping an eye on both locally in the state as well as nationally. They had a list of bills that they handed out to those in attendance that they are monitoring at this time. The conversation was lively and very informative. All that was discussed can be found on their web site gunownersofvermont.org. We are in the process of putting a link from their site onto the Boonie Club site so that all members can easily keep track of the legislation that their organization is watching. Just because Donald Trump and Phil Scott won elections this past November we can't be lulled into a false sense of security that our gun and hunting rights are safe and secure!
We will be drawing the winner of the Panther Arms AR type rifle at the February meeting. There may be just a handful of tickets left if you haven't gotten one and are interested contact myself, Dennis Gaudet, or Dave Wilder.
Thank you to all those that have renewed their 2017 memberships already the response has been great. Remember you can renew via mail or from our web site. I have been turning cards around in only a few days.
Finally wanted to let you know that member Dennis Duff is holding a raffle to raise money for a local family struggling with a very ill child. Some of you may know Billy Wernecke from Williamstown he is an avid outdoors man he has a child that is suffering from a rare form of cancer and the medical bills as you can imagine are immense. Dennis Duff has taken it upon himself to secure a deer hunt with an outfitter in Wyoming that he has hunted with many times along with free taxidermy for what ever you are lucking enough to harvest. There are 100 tickets at $100 each, with the hopes of presenting Billy and his family with a check for $10,000.00 if all tickets can be sold. If you are interested in supporting this cause you can contact Dennis Duff at his place of business Barre Tile / Morrison Clark at 476-0912.
Hope to see you this Wednesday!
Sincerely,
Mark McCarthy
President
Regular Monthly Meeting
February 15th 7:00 PM
AMERICAN LEGION HALL
Hello All,
Well we are off and running in 2017 with Boonie Club business. Thanks to all that made it to our January annual meeting. The first order of business was to elect individuals to fill the positions of, president and vice president for the next 2 years. Yours truly ran unopposed for the office of Club president and I look forward to serving the Club in that capacity for another term. Fairly new member Dennis Gaudet was the only nomination for vice-president and myself and the rest of the Club should look forward to his service in that office for the next 2 years. Thank you to Dennis for stepping up to serve and thank you to Jim Hepsley our out going vice president for his past service in the position. There were still no takers for the office of Club secretary, I am really hoping that we can get a member to step up and fill that position in the near future.
Next on the agenda was the the setting of dates for calendar year 2017 Club events. First up is the Big Game raffle that will be held Saturday April 15th at the American Legion Hall in Barre. This years raffle will again be a hunt for 2 with Northeastern Hunting Outfitters in North Carolina. Last years winners reported having a very good time, in fact they booked again for this year on their own. Dave Wilder has the tickets already in hand and will be contacting all of last years ticket holders soon.
Marion Gray our hunter safety course coordinator informed us that this years courses will be held on the weekend of August 5th and 6th. The firearm course will be held on Saturday the 5th with the archery course being held the next day Sunday the 6th. These dates are a little earlier than the Club has held the courses in the past so make sure and pass the dates along to any of those that may be interested in attending. As always class space is limited so don't procrastinate.
We also discussed the dates for the Joey Gingras Memorial Let's Go Fishing day, and the date for the annual Duck Race fundraiser and possible accompanying barbeque. These dates were not set as additional discussion needs to be had to iron out the details. We hope to have these dates finalized be the March meeting.
Member Dave Wilder is planning on forming a bench target league similar to what he started with several members last year. Dave will have more info in the next couple of months.
I would also like to resurrect the crow shoot that the Club has sponsored in the past. Please contact me if you are interested in participating so I can gauge interest and proceed with planning.
Next up we had a group of guest speakers from the Gun Owners of Vermont group. Rick Lafayette, Terry Reil, Ed Cutler and Bob DePino were generous enough with their time to come to our meeting and update us as to what the organization is all about and what legislation they are keeping an eye on both locally in the state as well as nationally. They had a list of bills that they handed out to those in attendance that they are monitoring at this time. The conversation was lively and very informative. All that was discussed can be found on their web site gunownersofvermont.org. We are in the process of putting a link from their site onto the Boonie Club site so that all members can easily keep track of the legislation that their organization is watching. Just because Donald Trump and Phil Scott won elections this past November we can't be lulled into a false sense of security that our gun and hunting rights are safe and secure!
We will be drawing the winner of the Panther Arms AR type rifle at the February meeting. There may be just a handful of tickets left if you haven't gotten one and are interested contact myself, Dennis Gaudet, or Dave Wilder.
Thank you to all those that have renewed their 2017 memberships already the response has been great. Remember you can renew via mail or from our web site. I have been turning cards around in only a few days.
Finally wanted to let you know that member Dennis Duff is holding a raffle to raise money for a local family struggling with a very ill child. Some of you may know Billy Wernecke from Williamstown he is an avid outdoors man he has a child that is suffering from a rare form of cancer and the medical bills as you can imagine are immense. Dennis Duff has taken it upon himself to secure a deer hunt with an outfitter in Wyoming that he has hunted with many times along with free taxidermy for what ever you are lucking enough to harvest. There are 100 tickets at $100 each, with the hopes of presenting Billy and his family with a check for $10,000.00 if all tickets can be sold. If you are interested in supporting this cause you can contact Dennis Duff at his place of business Barre Tile / Morrison Clark at 476-0912.
Hope to see you this Wednesday!
Sincerely,
Mark McCarthy
President
Annual Meeting
January 25th at 6:30 PM
American Legion Hall
Vermont Federation Of Sportsmen's Clubs
Legislative Mixer
Tuesday, January 24th
5:00 PM to 7:30 PM Statehouse Cafeteria
Wear Something Orange
Come Meet Your Representatives And Voice Your Concerns About Our Hunting And Gun Rights!
January 2017
Happy 2017 To All!
I hope that everyone had successful, safe and above all enjoyable fall hunting seasons! Whether it was ducks and geese, partridge and woodcock, bears or deer I hope that you all got out often and spent plenty of time with friends and family doing what we all live to do hunt and spend time outdoors!
For me it started with an archery hunt for elk and deer in Montana with good friend Randy Lamberti. I had lots of bugling action and many close calls actually ended up getting an arrow into a bull that unfortunately was not recovered. It happens but I am confident that the bull is still bugling as it was hit after my arrow deflected off a tree sending the arrow high and back. Randy had success arrowing a beauty of a mule deer at "54 yards" awesome shot that his guide caught on video! Very cool! From there it was onto Ohio for whitetail archery hunting. Action was a little slow with warm weather but 2 out of 4 of us took deer, Randy a nice 10 point and a decent 6 point for myself. Good friend Jeff Poulin who has a lease just down the road from us took a real nice 9 point while in Ohio. Next stop was Massachusetts for the opening week of shotgun season, tough conditions but I was able to take a small 6 point. Very cool hunting with a shotgun as it does require getting a little closer for sure.
With the end of another calendar year so starts another for the business of the Boonie Club and our monthly meetings. Our annual meeting will be held Wednesday January 25th starting at 6:30 PM at the American Legion Hall in Barre.
The first order of business will be elections as the terms for myself as club president and Jim Hepsley as club vice-president have come to an end. Time goes by faster and faster, and 2 years is a blink of an eye. My intentions are to seek another term, Jim has indicated he may be ready to step down and allow someone else to step up and get involved. If you or someone you know may be interested please reach out to me and I would be happy to discuss what the position entails. We are still looking to fill the vacant secretary's position as well. Nominations for both positions can be presented from the floor the night of the meeting also.
Next up will be discussion of the calendar of events and the setting of dates for fundraisers, hunter safety courses and all other Club functions for 2017. As always new ideas for fund raisers and Club functions to increase participation are always welcome.
As everyone should be aware by now at last year's Williamstown Town Meeting we were successful in securing a five year exemption from property taxes. Now is the time to capitalize on that savings and complete the interior of the Club house along with getting the septic and water scource squared away. We have talked about about the possibility of taking out a nominal bank loan for a relatively short period to finish up these projects and I think 2017 is the year to take this action. We will discuss further at the upcoming meeting.
Upon finishing up with Club business we will be fortunate enough to have some guest speakers from the Gun Owners of Vermont organization. For those of you that are not familiar with this organization they are a group of Vermonters that are dedicated to protecting the gun rights of us all. They tirelessly monitor and lobby our legislature in Montpelier to ensure that our constitutional rights to own and bear arms are not infringed upon. Rick Lafayette, Terry Reil, Eddie Cutler, and Bob Depino will be at our meeting to discuss what the organization is all about and what issues they will be monitoring during the 2017 legislative session. To find out more about the organization you can check out their website, gunownersofvermont.org Pass the word and bring some friends the discussion should be informative. Remember, "freedom" isn't free it takes work and dedication from all of us.
Included with the mailed version of the January Newsletter you will find a sheet that contains 3 potential ways to financially support your Club. The first is your 2017 membership renewal. As in the past the cost is only $20.00. Please fill out the form completely and more importantly "legibly". As you all should be aware January and June are the only months that a paper newsletter are sent out, so make sure your email address is correct as that is how we correspond with all of you for the rest of the year with our e-newsletter. We also post each months e-newsletter on our web site, boonieclub.org.
Second you will find a purchase form for annual "Duck Race" fund raiser. This fund raiser has the potential to be one if not our biggest fundraisers but we need all members to support it. If each member bought 4 duck tickets and sold 4 duck tickets to friends and family that alone would sell over 1000 ducks and raise $5000 for the Club! Please consider buying some ducks!
And finally as you all know we have always held a "spring gun raffle" well last fall member Dennis Gaudet (winner of last year's Ruger 9MM spring raffle) took it upon himself to start a fall gun raffle. At the last meeting of the year Dennis had made up 150 tickets for a Panther Arms AR-15 type rifle. The intentions were to sell all the tickets prior to the annual meeting and draw the winner then. We did a great job selling them but we have 40 or so left. When the remaining tickets are gone they are gone. So if you have always wanted an AR type rifle or have one already and want another here's your chance to win this sweet Panther Arms AR-15 in .223 for only $20.00. Fill out the form and send it in, first come first served. Again thank you to Dennis for taking the initiative!
So fill out the forms and include your payments and your membership card, duck race and gun raffle tickets will be sent right back to you via the mail ASAP!
Final word February's regular meeting will be held Wednesday the 15th at the American Legion Hall. March's meeting and all other meetings for the year will get back to our normal schedule of "second Wednesday" of the month.
Hope to see you all at the annual meeting! Bring a friend, if every current member gets 1 new member to join this year it double our size! It's that easy!
Sincerely,
Mark McCarthy
President
January 25th at 6:30 PM
American Legion Hall
Vermont Federation Of Sportsmen's Clubs
Legislative Mixer
Tuesday, January 24th
5:00 PM to 7:30 PM Statehouse Cafeteria
Wear Something Orange
Come Meet Your Representatives And Voice Your Concerns About Our Hunting And Gun Rights!
January 2017
Happy 2017 To All!
I hope that everyone had successful, safe and above all enjoyable fall hunting seasons! Whether it was ducks and geese, partridge and woodcock, bears or deer I hope that you all got out often and spent plenty of time with friends and family doing what we all live to do hunt and spend time outdoors!
For me it started with an archery hunt for elk and deer in Montana with good friend Randy Lamberti. I had lots of bugling action and many close calls actually ended up getting an arrow into a bull that unfortunately was not recovered. It happens but I am confident that the bull is still bugling as it was hit after my arrow deflected off a tree sending the arrow high and back. Randy had success arrowing a beauty of a mule deer at "54 yards" awesome shot that his guide caught on video! Very cool! From there it was onto Ohio for whitetail archery hunting. Action was a little slow with warm weather but 2 out of 4 of us took deer, Randy a nice 10 point and a decent 6 point for myself. Good friend Jeff Poulin who has a lease just down the road from us took a real nice 9 point while in Ohio. Next stop was Massachusetts for the opening week of shotgun season, tough conditions but I was able to take a small 6 point. Very cool hunting with a shotgun as it does require getting a little closer for sure.
With the end of another calendar year so starts another for the business of the Boonie Club and our monthly meetings. Our annual meeting will be held Wednesday January 25th starting at 6:30 PM at the American Legion Hall in Barre.
The first order of business will be elections as the terms for myself as club president and Jim Hepsley as club vice-president have come to an end. Time goes by faster and faster, and 2 years is a blink of an eye. My intentions are to seek another term, Jim has indicated he may be ready to step down and allow someone else to step up and get involved. If you or someone you know may be interested please reach out to me and I would be happy to discuss what the position entails. We are still looking to fill the vacant secretary's position as well. Nominations for both positions can be presented from the floor the night of the meeting also.
Next up will be discussion of the calendar of events and the setting of dates for fundraisers, hunter safety courses and all other Club functions for 2017. As always new ideas for fund raisers and Club functions to increase participation are always welcome.
As everyone should be aware by now at last year's Williamstown Town Meeting we were successful in securing a five year exemption from property taxes. Now is the time to capitalize on that savings and complete the interior of the Club house along with getting the septic and water scource squared away. We have talked about about the possibility of taking out a nominal bank loan for a relatively short period to finish up these projects and I think 2017 is the year to take this action. We will discuss further at the upcoming meeting.
Upon finishing up with Club business we will be fortunate enough to have some guest speakers from the Gun Owners of Vermont organization. For those of you that are not familiar with this organization they are a group of Vermonters that are dedicated to protecting the gun rights of us all. They tirelessly monitor and lobby our legislature in Montpelier to ensure that our constitutional rights to own and bear arms are not infringed upon. Rick Lafayette, Terry Reil, Eddie Cutler, and Bob Depino will be at our meeting to discuss what the organization is all about and what issues they will be monitoring during the 2017 legislative session. To find out more about the organization you can check out their website, gunownersofvermont.org Pass the word and bring some friends the discussion should be informative. Remember, "freedom" isn't free it takes work and dedication from all of us.
Included with the mailed version of the January Newsletter you will find a sheet that contains 3 potential ways to financially support your Club. The first is your 2017 membership renewal. As in the past the cost is only $20.00. Please fill out the form completely and more importantly "legibly". As you all should be aware January and June are the only months that a paper newsletter are sent out, so make sure your email address is correct as that is how we correspond with all of you for the rest of the year with our e-newsletter. We also post each months e-newsletter on our web site, boonieclub.org.
Second you will find a purchase form for annual "Duck Race" fund raiser. This fund raiser has the potential to be one if not our biggest fundraisers but we need all members to support it. If each member bought 4 duck tickets and sold 4 duck tickets to friends and family that alone would sell over 1000 ducks and raise $5000 for the Club! Please consider buying some ducks!
And finally as you all know we have always held a "spring gun raffle" well last fall member Dennis Gaudet (winner of last year's Ruger 9MM spring raffle) took it upon himself to start a fall gun raffle. At the last meeting of the year Dennis had made up 150 tickets for a Panther Arms AR-15 type rifle. The intentions were to sell all the tickets prior to the annual meeting and draw the winner then. We did a great job selling them but we have 40 or so left. When the remaining tickets are gone they are gone. So if you have always wanted an AR type rifle or have one already and want another here's your chance to win this sweet Panther Arms AR-15 in .223 for only $20.00. Fill out the form and send it in, first come first served. Again thank you to Dennis for taking the initiative!
So fill out the forms and include your payments and your membership card, duck race and gun raffle tickets will be sent right back to you via the mail ASAP!
Final word February's regular meeting will be held Wednesday the 15th at the American Legion Hall. March's meeting and all other meetings for the year will get back to our normal schedule of "second Wednesday" of the month.
Hope to see you all at the annual meeting! Bring a friend, if every current member gets 1 new member to join this year it double our size! It's that easy!
Sincerely,
Mark McCarthy
President
September 2016
Hello All,
Again the magic time of year is upon us! We wait for it all year and guess what its finally here! Time to go hunting as I write this months newsletter I have one foot already out the door, myself and my friend Randy Lamberti headed for Montana tomorrow morning to start a week of archery elk hunting! So forgive me if I seem a little distracted. Fellow member and brother Scott McCarthy left Thursday for a muzzle loader elk hunt in Colorado. Bear hunting has started and I have already heard of one giant 424 pounder being shot in Barre Town! And all of us will be chasing whitetails in a few weeks, actually think New Hampshire starts middle of next week.
**************************************************************************************
Ok first thing to note is that because of my absence we are moving the September monthly meeting, (which happens to be the last of the year) to Wednesday September 21st at the Club house. We are also going to move the starting time up to6:30 PM as it is getting darker earlier.
**************************************************************************************
So the month of August was a busy one for the Club. We held our Firearm and Archery hunter safety courses over the weekend of the 13th and 14th. We had 28 participants in both sessions, 56 total for the weekend. (firearms on Saturday and archery on Sunday) and am please to say that we had 100% success by all those in attendance! Saturday of the firearm course we had to dodge some rain and a few heavier showers but all participants and volunteers were troopers and we made it through. Sundays weather for the archery course was much better and actually got a little humid in the afternoon. Thank you to all the volunteers that helped out and made these two courses a huge success again this year. I hope I don't forget anyone.
Thanks to :
Marion Gray , Dave Wilder, Davey Wilder, Ralph Garrish, Amanda Garrish, Gary Carrier, Bob McLaughlin and "Brooke". With out the dedicated help of these members these courses would not be possible.
Duck Race 2016! Well after waiting for the waters to rise in the Stevens Branch that runs through Williamstown we decided we could wait no longer and we released the ducks! On Saturday August 20th at high noon we held our second annual Duck Race. With the help of Scott and Ryan McCarthy, Ralph Garrish and myself we massaged the high spots out of the "very low running" section of brook between the Sunapee National Bank and Seaver Field and had the stream ready for the big race. We ended up selling 409 ducks this year up slightly from last year, but still a far cry from the goal of "1000" Already have some thoughts in place for next years event that will hopefully boost sales. Well the suspense must be killing you, the winner this year of the $1000 prize was Brent Johnson. Brent and his wife Heather bought the ticket the night before from Anthony Spencer at the Behind The Scenes Pub in Williamstown. Congratulations Brent and Heather! Thanks to Quarry Hill Quick Stop, Behind The Scenes Pub, Steve and Marion Gray, Dave Wilder and particularly Tony Hedges for selling Ducks. Tony sold over 75 ducks himself! It can be done!
A couple of other quick notes. Member Dennis Gaudet has taken it upon himself to run a fall gun raffle fund raiser. Dennis has secured an "AR" type rifle that we will raffle off a limited number of $20 tickets. Dennis will have tickets and complete rifle information at monthly meeting. With this years election this type of firearm could be a hot commodity, better get your tickets.
Range Use - As we get into the busy time of year for sighting in our hunting rifles I need to remind everyone of the range rules that are in place and the safe use of the facility. The range rules are posted on the web site and on the "large" new sign right at the Club house. These rules were established for a reason and need to be followed without exception by all members. Particularly open days and times that the range is available for use. I have fielded a couple of calls of the range being used after sunset. We need to be courteous to our neighbors. Anyone seen violating any of the posted range regulations is subject to loosing their club membership. We need to police ourselves and if a member observes another violating range rules it is your duty and responsibility to point out what they are doing is unsafe or not allowed. Most of the time it just comes down to common sense, but not everyone thinks the same.
Again thank you to Paul Hill for keeping the lawn mowed this summer at the Club house. If you see him thank him!
Ok that's it for now see you all on the 21st 6:30 PM
Boonie Club President
Mark McCarthy
Hello All,
Again the magic time of year is upon us! We wait for it all year and guess what its finally here! Time to go hunting as I write this months newsletter I have one foot already out the door, myself and my friend Randy Lamberti headed for Montana tomorrow morning to start a week of archery elk hunting! So forgive me if I seem a little distracted. Fellow member and brother Scott McCarthy left Thursday for a muzzle loader elk hunt in Colorado. Bear hunting has started and I have already heard of one giant 424 pounder being shot in Barre Town! And all of us will be chasing whitetails in a few weeks, actually think New Hampshire starts middle of next week.
**************************************************************************************
Ok first thing to note is that because of my absence we are moving the September monthly meeting, (which happens to be the last of the year) to Wednesday September 21st at the Club house. We are also going to move the starting time up to6:30 PM as it is getting darker earlier.
**************************************************************************************
So the month of August was a busy one for the Club. We held our Firearm and Archery hunter safety courses over the weekend of the 13th and 14th. We had 28 participants in both sessions, 56 total for the weekend. (firearms on Saturday and archery on Sunday) and am please to say that we had 100% success by all those in attendance! Saturday of the firearm course we had to dodge some rain and a few heavier showers but all participants and volunteers were troopers and we made it through. Sundays weather for the archery course was much better and actually got a little humid in the afternoon. Thank you to all the volunteers that helped out and made these two courses a huge success again this year. I hope I don't forget anyone.
Thanks to :
Marion Gray , Dave Wilder, Davey Wilder, Ralph Garrish, Amanda Garrish, Gary Carrier, Bob McLaughlin and "Brooke". With out the dedicated help of these members these courses would not be possible.
Duck Race 2016! Well after waiting for the waters to rise in the Stevens Branch that runs through Williamstown we decided we could wait no longer and we released the ducks! On Saturday August 20th at high noon we held our second annual Duck Race. With the help of Scott and Ryan McCarthy, Ralph Garrish and myself we massaged the high spots out of the "very low running" section of brook between the Sunapee National Bank and Seaver Field and had the stream ready for the big race. We ended up selling 409 ducks this year up slightly from last year, but still a far cry from the goal of "1000" Already have some thoughts in place for next years event that will hopefully boost sales. Well the suspense must be killing you, the winner this year of the $1000 prize was Brent Johnson. Brent and his wife Heather bought the ticket the night before from Anthony Spencer at the Behind The Scenes Pub in Williamstown. Congratulations Brent and Heather! Thanks to Quarry Hill Quick Stop, Behind The Scenes Pub, Steve and Marion Gray, Dave Wilder and particularly Tony Hedges for selling Ducks. Tony sold over 75 ducks himself! It can be done!
A couple of other quick notes. Member Dennis Gaudet has taken it upon himself to run a fall gun raffle fund raiser. Dennis has secured an "AR" type rifle that we will raffle off a limited number of $20 tickets. Dennis will have tickets and complete rifle information at monthly meeting. With this years election this type of firearm could be a hot commodity, better get your tickets.
Range Use - As we get into the busy time of year for sighting in our hunting rifles I need to remind everyone of the range rules that are in place and the safe use of the facility. The range rules are posted on the web site and on the "large" new sign right at the Club house. These rules were established for a reason and need to be followed without exception by all members. Particularly open days and times that the range is available for use. I have fielded a couple of calls of the range being used after sunset. We need to be courteous to our neighbors. Anyone seen violating any of the posted range regulations is subject to loosing their club membership. We need to police ourselves and if a member observes another violating range rules it is your duty and responsibility to point out what they are doing is unsafe or not allowed. Most of the time it just comes down to common sense, but not everyone thinks the same.
Again thank you to Paul Hill for keeping the lawn mowed this summer at the Club house. If you see him thank him!
Ok that's it for now see you all on the 21st 6:30 PM
Boonie Club President
Mark McCarthy
August 2016
Hello All,
August is upon us and summer is winding down. Cooler evenings and mornings are a sure signal that fall and hunting seasons are just around the corner!
With August comes one of our most important weekends of the year for the Boonie Club, hunter safety courses! This Saturday the 13th is the firearm hunter safety course and Sunday the 14th is the archery hunter safety course. I have spoken to Marian Gray our hunter education coordinator and she informs me that both classes are full! If you know of anyone that will be attending either class please pass along the following information. Registration for both days begins at 8:00 AM. All participants are required to bring their completed workbooks or printed form stating that they completed the online home study course. We will have parental or guardian release forms for all minors participating available at registration each day for signing. All those in attendance should plan on bringing their own lunch and drinks. Bottled water will be provided by the Club. If you haven't already spoken to Marian about volunteering 1 or both days this weekend and are available please reach out to her ASAP. Phone 802-272-0954, email mgsutpl@comcast.net. We need 6-8 volunteers for each day to help with set-up and running certain workshops for each class.The more help the better! We will be working on grounds maintenance all this week cutting grass, trimming and generally sprucing up the Club house and grounds preparing for the weekend. Contact me if you are available and I can coordinate times and tasks that we need to complete. The plan is to get to Wednesdays meeting earlier say 3:00 PM to wrap up the last of the projects.
If anyone has 3D targets that they could loan out for the weekend that would be very helpful as the Club's supply of targets have gotten pretty ratty! Deer, bears and turkeys would be the preferred animals but we can use what ever you have. Contact me and I can make arrangements for pick-up.
Many have asked about the Duck Race and to date we have not ran the race due to extremely low water levels in the brook between the Sunapee bank and Seaver field in the center of Williamstown. As of right now it has been decided to run the raceSaturday August 20th starting at 12 noon! We still have tickets available so if you or anyone you know of is still interested in purchasing a duck we have them available. Anyone that took Duck Race tickets to sell and has not turned them back into me or another Club member sold or not please reach out to me ASAP to make arrangements to get those back to me.
Hope to see you all at the August meeting Wednesday August 10th at 7:00 PMBoonie Club House.
Boonie Club President
Mark McCarthy
Hello All,
August is upon us and summer is winding down. Cooler evenings and mornings are a sure signal that fall and hunting seasons are just around the corner!
With August comes one of our most important weekends of the year for the Boonie Club, hunter safety courses! This Saturday the 13th is the firearm hunter safety course and Sunday the 14th is the archery hunter safety course. I have spoken to Marian Gray our hunter education coordinator and she informs me that both classes are full! If you know of anyone that will be attending either class please pass along the following information. Registration for both days begins at 8:00 AM. All participants are required to bring their completed workbooks or printed form stating that they completed the online home study course. We will have parental or guardian release forms for all minors participating available at registration each day for signing. All those in attendance should plan on bringing their own lunch and drinks. Bottled water will be provided by the Club. If you haven't already spoken to Marian about volunteering 1 or both days this weekend and are available please reach out to her ASAP. Phone 802-272-0954, email mgsutpl@comcast.net. We need 6-8 volunteers for each day to help with set-up and running certain workshops for each class.The more help the better! We will be working on grounds maintenance all this week cutting grass, trimming and generally sprucing up the Club house and grounds preparing for the weekend. Contact me if you are available and I can coordinate times and tasks that we need to complete. The plan is to get to Wednesdays meeting earlier say 3:00 PM to wrap up the last of the projects.
If anyone has 3D targets that they could loan out for the weekend that would be very helpful as the Club's supply of targets have gotten pretty ratty! Deer, bears and turkeys would be the preferred animals but we can use what ever you have. Contact me and I can make arrangements for pick-up.
Many have asked about the Duck Race and to date we have not ran the race due to extremely low water levels in the brook between the Sunapee bank and Seaver field in the center of Williamstown. As of right now it has been decided to run the raceSaturday August 20th starting at 12 noon! We still have tickets available so if you or anyone you know of is still interested in purchasing a duck we have them available. Anyone that took Duck Race tickets to sell and has not turned them back into me or another Club member sold or not please reach out to me ASAP to make arrangements to get those back to me.
Hope to see you all at the August meeting Wednesday August 10th at 7:00 PMBoonie Club House.
Boonie Club President
Mark McCarthy
July 2016
Hello All,
I apologize for the short notice on this months news letter as time simply got away from me. And with that said this months letter will be short with a few key bullet points.
As stated this months meeting is tomorrow evening Wednesday the 13th of July at the Club house starting at 7:00 PM.
We are still selling Duck Race tickets unfortunately it appears we are going to come up quite short of our goal of "1000" ducks sold. At this point I am hoping for at least 500, we are at about 350-400 sold to this point. Anybody that has purchased tickets yet or thinks they can help sell a few more please get in touch with me ASAP! We will be selecting the date for the race at tomorrow's meeting. It looks like it will be either Saturday July 30th or Saturday August 6th.
Sign ups for this falls firearm and archery hunter safety courses are now open on line on the Vermont Fish & Wildlife website. If you know of anyone interested in either class tell them to get signed up ASAP as space is limited. The firearm class will be held Saturday August 13th and the archery class to be held the following daySunday August 14th. Both classes will be held at the Club house grounds. Anyone with questions concerning either class can contact Marion Gray at 272-0954 or via email at mgsutpl@comcast.net
Hope to see you all at the next meeting tomorrow night Wednesday July 13th at 7:00 PM Boonie Club House.
Boonie Club President
Mark McCarthy
Hello All,
I apologize for the short notice on this months news letter as time simply got away from me. And with that said this months letter will be short with a few key bullet points.
As stated this months meeting is tomorrow evening Wednesday the 13th of July at the Club house starting at 7:00 PM.
We are still selling Duck Race tickets unfortunately it appears we are going to come up quite short of our goal of "1000" ducks sold. At this point I am hoping for at least 500, we are at about 350-400 sold to this point. Anybody that has purchased tickets yet or thinks they can help sell a few more please get in touch with me ASAP! We will be selecting the date for the race at tomorrow's meeting. It looks like it will be either Saturday July 30th or Saturday August 6th.
Sign ups for this falls firearm and archery hunter safety courses are now open on line on the Vermont Fish & Wildlife website. If you know of anyone interested in either class tell them to get signed up ASAP as space is limited. The firearm class will be held Saturday August 13th and the archery class to be held the following daySunday August 14th. Both classes will be held at the Club house grounds. Anyone with questions concerning either class can contact Marion Gray at 272-0954 or via email at mgsutpl@comcast.net
Hope to see you all at the next meeting tomorrow night Wednesday July 13th at 7:00 PM Boonie Club House.
Boonie Club President
Mark McCarthy
June 2016
Hello All,
When you receive this newsletter we will be in the month and almost halfway through 2016, another year flying by!
As was mentioned in my January newsletter my intentions are to send 2 mailed hard copy newsletters each year. The first hard copy newsletter being mailed out at the beginning of the year in January, and the second one being delivered this month of June. I understand that not everyone has access to email on a regular basis and this is a good compromise that allows us to keep in touch with all members and let everyone know what's going on with the Club. As always though all members are welcome to attend our monthly meetings every second Wednesday of the month at7:00 PM.
A quick recap as to what the Club has been up to the first half of 2016. The most exciting news to report would definitely have to be the awarding of the Club's property tax exempt status from the Town of Williamstown. This was voted on and approved by all those in attendance at Williamstown's annual town meeting this past March. This exempt status is for 5 years commencing in 2016 and will go along way in bolstering our financial situation as the funds that would have been spent on property taxes can help with the completion of the Club house construction. We have completed 2 of our 3 biggest fund raisers of the year. The first was our Annual Big Game Raffle held at the American Legion Hall. This year's lucky winner of a 5-day whitetail hunt with Northeastern Hunting Outfitters in North Carolina was John Hudgens. This was a ticket that Mike Noury sold. Congratulations to John! That same evening we drew the winner of our Spring Gun Raffle. And the winner of the Ruger model 1911 .45 ACP in stainless was member Dennis Gaudet. He was some excited as he should be!
At our May meeting we adopted a comprehensive list of range rules and regulations that will govern the safe use of our facility. These rules and regulations are non-negotiable and must be followed by all members and guests to ensure every ones safe use of the range. Failure to abide by these rules regulations can and will result in the forfeiture of your privilege to use the rang facilities. These rules and regulations are now posted on the Boonie Club website, and each of you are receiving a hard copy of these along with this month's mailed newsletter. Please read completely and understand these regulation, if you have any questions please contact myself or any other officer. We have also created a sign with all of the same regulations posted on it that will be erected at the range this week.
As of now we have 86 paid members. There are many that are receiving this newsletter that have not renewed their 2016 memberships. There is no better time than right now to renew! You can send your $20 to our post office box or you can join right on our website. Every sold membership helps. If you have already renewed for 2016 thank you and if every existing member could sell 1 more membership we could double our size! It's that easy and it's not only about what the Club has to offer to someone for becoming a member as it is sometimes others simply wanting to support an organization that they align with.
We are still in need of a secretary to round out our full slate of officers. If anyone is interested please contact me to discuss the position and what it entails. Trust me it's not as involved as I think a a lot of people may expect. And if there is anyone that would like to help with the maintaining of the Club website that would be a huge help in keeping the site fresh and up to date. Again anyone with interest let me know.
Now a few events that will be coming up in the back half of the year. The first is our 3rd major fundraiser of the year our 2nd Annual Duck Race! Last year's inaugural event was met with great response and participation. This year we are shooting for "1000" ducks floating down the stream from Sunapee National Bank to Seaver Field in Williamstown! To make this happen we are all going to need to pitch in. This is the way I see it, if each existing member buys a minimum of 4 ducks that's 344 ducks and if each member can sell another 4 ducks to friends,family or co-workers that's almost 700 ducks in total just there. A 1000 ducks sold deduct the $1000 first prize money and that leaves $4000 for the Club! We can do this if everyone gets on board. Along with your newsletter and copy of our range rules and regulations you will find an order form for ducks. Fill it out and send it back with your check made out to the Boonie Club and I will send your tickets right back to you. If you think you can sell more and want to take an extra 10-20 tickets get in touch with me and I will make arrangements to get them to you. The tentative date for the race is July 16th at noon, this date may change slightly if we have not sold a minimum of 500 ducks by that date.
Hunter safety courses for fall 2016 will be held on the following dates. Firearm hunter safety course will be held Saturday August 13th. And the archery hunter safety course will be held the following day Sunday August 14th. Marion Gray is the point person for these events and if you need more info you can contact her directly. Both of these courses are the "home study" courses. What that entails is obtaining the text book and workbook from the Vermont Fish & Wildlife Dept. and completing the workbook prior to arriving at the one day class room course for either the firearm or archery certification. You can pick these workbooks at the Fish & Wildlife office at the National Life complex in Montpelier. Marion will have the class dates posted on the Fish & Wildlife website so the sign up process can commence. Space is limited so sign up early.
Paul Hill again is graciously donating his time and lawn tractor to keep the main part of the Club grounds mowed and trimmed.Paul's efforts over the past couple of years have been a tremendous help! At this month's meeting I am going to recommend that we start meeting at the Club house ground 1 night a week for an hour or so to do grounds maintenance and clean up as well as any other odd jobs such as painting or whatever may need taking care of. As we continue to develop the facility and complete the Club house it is unfortunately going to take more up keep. I am not thinking that a member has to come every week but if we could each make 1 or 2 nights a month during the summer it would go along way in keeping the grounds and Club house looking good!
Does anyone know a licensed electrician? We are at the point with the completion of the interior of the Club house dependent on completing the roughing in of the electrical service, outlets, switches, lighting. This needs to be completed prior to closing up the walls and ceiling and completing the interior partitions for the bathroom and kitchen. If anyone is or knows of someone that can fulfill this need and is willing to donate their time have them get in contact with me please ASAP. My guess s that with a few other volunteers and having all needed materials and supplies on hand this could be finished up in 10-20 hours time.
Well that is all for now. Hope to see many of you at one of our monthly meeting over the next couple of months.
Sincerely,
Mark McCarthy
President
Hello All,
When you receive this newsletter we will be in the month and almost halfway through 2016, another year flying by!
As was mentioned in my January newsletter my intentions are to send 2 mailed hard copy newsletters each year. The first hard copy newsletter being mailed out at the beginning of the year in January, and the second one being delivered this month of June. I understand that not everyone has access to email on a regular basis and this is a good compromise that allows us to keep in touch with all members and let everyone know what's going on with the Club. As always though all members are welcome to attend our monthly meetings every second Wednesday of the month at7:00 PM.
A quick recap as to what the Club has been up to the first half of 2016. The most exciting news to report would definitely have to be the awarding of the Club's property tax exempt status from the Town of Williamstown. This was voted on and approved by all those in attendance at Williamstown's annual town meeting this past March. This exempt status is for 5 years commencing in 2016 and will go along way in bolstering our financial situation as the funds that would have been spent on property taxes can help with the completion of the Club house construction. We have completed 2 of our 3 biggest fund raisers of the year. The first was our Annual Big Game Raffle held at the American Legion Hall. This year's lucky winner of a 5-day whitetail hunt with Northeastern Hunting Outfitters in North Carolina was John Hudgens. This was a ticket that Mike Noury sold. Congratulations to John! That same evening we drew the winner of our Spring Gun Raffle. And the winner of the Ruger model 1911 .45 ACP in stainless was member Dennis Gaudet. He was some excited as he should be!
At our May meeting we adopted a comprehensive list of range rules and regulations that will govern the safe use of our facility. These rules and regulations are non-negotiable and must be followed by all members and guests to ensure every ones safe use of the range. Failure to abide by these rules regulations can and will result in the forfeiture of your privilege to use the rang facilities. These rules and regulations are now posted on the Boonie Club website, and each of you are receiving a hard copy of these along with this month's mailed newsletter. Please read completely and understand these regulation, if you have any questions please contact myself or any other officer. We have also created a sign with all of the same regulations posted on it that will be erected at the range this week.
As of now we have 86 paid members. There are many that are receiving this newsletter that have not renewed their 2016 memberships. There is no better time than right now to renew! You can send your $20 to our post office box or you can join right on our website. Every sold membership helps. If you have already renewed for 2016 thank you and if every existing member could sell 1 more membership we could double our size! It's that easy and it's not only about what the Club has to offer to someone for becoming a member as it is sometimes others simply wanting to support an organization that they align with.
We are still in need of a secretary to round out our full slate of officers. If anyone is interested please contact me to discuss the position and what it entails. Trust me it's not as involved as I think a a lot of people may expect. And if there is anyone that would like to help with the maintaining of the Club website that would be a huge help in keeping the site fresh and up to date. Again anyone with interest let me know.
Now a few events that will be coming up in the back half of the year. The first is our 3rd major fundraiser of the year our 2nd Annual Duck Race! Last year's inaugural event was met with great response and participation. This year we are shooting for "1000" ducks floating down the stream from Sunapee National Bank to Seaver Field in Williamstown! To make this happen we are all going to need to pitch in. This is the way I see it, if each existing member buys a minimum of 4 ducks that's 344 ducks and if each member can sell another 4 ducks to friends,family or co-workers that's almost 700 ducks in total just there. A 1000 ducks sold deduct the $1000 first prize money and that leaves $4000 for the Club! We can do this if everyone gets on board. Along with your newsletter and copy of our range rules and regulations you will find an order form for ducks. Fill it out and send it back with your check made out to the Boonie Club and I will send your tickets right back to you. If you think you can sell more and want to take an extra 10-20 tickets get in touch with me and I will make arrangements to get them to you. The tentative date for the race is July 16th at noon, this date may change slightly if we have not sold a minimum of 500 ducks by that date.
Hunter safety courses for fall 2016 will be held on the following dates. Firearm hunter safety course will be held Saturday August 13th. And the archery hunter safety course will be held the following day Sunday August 14th. Marion Gray is the point person for these events and if you need more info you can contact her directly. Both of these courses are the "home study" courses. What that entails is obtaining the text book and workbook from the Vermont Fish & Wildlife Dept. and completing the workbook prior to arriving at the one day class room course for either the firearm or archery certification. You can pick these workbooks at the Fish & Wildlife office at the National Life complex in Montpelier. Marion will have the class dates posted on the Fish & Wildlife website so the sign up process can commence. Space is limited so sign up early.
Paul Hill again is graciously donating his time and lawn tractor to keep the main part of the Club grounds mowed and trimmed.Paul's efforts over the past couple of years have been a tremendous help! At this month's meeting I am going to recommend that we start meeting at the Club house ground 1 night a week for an hour or so to do grounds maintenance and clean up as well as any other odd jobs such as painting or whatever may need taking care of. As we continue to develop the facility and complete the Club house it is unfortunately going to take more up keep. I am not thinking that a member has to come every week but if we could each make 1 or 2 nights a month during the summer it would go along way in keeping the grounds and Club house looking good!
Does anyone know a licensed electrician? We are at the point with the completion of the interior of the Club house dependent on completing the roughing in of the electrical service, outlets, switches, lighting. This needs to be completed prior to closing up the walls and ceiling and completing the interior partitions for the bathroom and kitchen. If anyone is or knows of someone that can fulfill this need and is willing to donate their time have them get in contact with me please ASAP. My guess s that with a few other volunteers and having all needed materials and supplies on hand this could be finished up in 10-20 hours time.
Well that is all for now. Hope to see many of you at one of our monthly meeting over the next couple of months.
Sincerely,
Mark McCarthy
President
May 2016 Newsletter Correction and Updates
Hello all,
First let me start by apologizing for the mistake that I made with this months newsletter that I sent out a few weeks ago. Apparently my lack of computer knowledge was exposed. In attempting to utilize a saved format of a previous newsletter from a year ago last May some lines did not get edited and were included in the May 2016 Newsletter that I sent out to all of you. Again my apologies for any confusion this has caused.
A couple of the important pieces of information that were reported incorrectly were dates of upcoming Boonie Club sponsored events.
First is the Joey Gingras Memorial "Lets-go-Fishing" day. The actual date of this event is " Saturday June 4th" This is always one of our most fun events of the year. As usual thanks to the generosity of members Mike and Betty Poulin this event is held at their residence on Rood Pond Road in Williamstown. Registration is from 8-8:45 AM with the first rotation of workshops slated to begin at9:00 AM. The days events consists of 4-5 15 minute workshops that touch on topics such as fishing laws, basic tackle, lure making, knot tying, environmental impact. The workshops are fun and informative. After completing this part of the program the real fun of the day will commence as all participants are turned loose to catch some brook trout from the Poulin's pond. Bait and rods will be provided, you are welcome to bring your own fishing poles if you like. (no lead sinkers please) The Club will also be providing grilled hot dogs, chips water and soft drinks to all those in attendance. At the end of the day all those that participated will receive a certificate of participation. We will be looking for 6-8 Club members to volunteer for the day in helping with
set-up and managing the days activities. Please contact me if you are available to help. This event is open to all members and non-members alike invite family and friends!
Second correction. Our second annual Boonie Club Duck Race fundraiser is scheduled for July 16th. This date may change slightly depending on how well sales have gone by that date. We hope to sell a "1000" ducks this year! And this years first place winner will take home "$1000.00" We are going to need all members help in reaching this number. To start with I am hoping that each member will by 4 ducks for themselves, at 110 members that's 440 ducks and if each member can sell 4 more ducks to friends, relatives or co-workers we reach our goal easy! Ducks are only $5 apiece a $20 donation will go along way to helping the Club! Contact me if you think you can sell more and I will get you some tickets.
Third correction. Firearm and archery hunter safety courses. This years dates are as follows. Firearms hunter safety course will be held Saturday August 13th, and the archery hunter safety course will be held Sunday August 14th. Both courses will be held at the Club house grounds in Williamstown. Both courses are 1 day and require that the participant complete the corresponding work book prior to arriving for the course. Work books can be obtained by contacting the Vermont Fish & Wildlife Dept. For additional information you can contact member Marion Gray.
Ok that takes care of the corrections from the May newsletter now a couple of new pieces of business. As was stated in January we will be doing 2 mailed newsletters a year the first in January kicking off the year and the second in June. So all members should receive a hard copy of the June newsletter via the U.S. Mail in a week or so. I mention this because we have instituted a comprehensive list of "range regulations" that all members utilizing the range must be aware of. They are posted on the web site now and we will be erecting a sign at the range in the next couple of days. But along with your June newsletter will be a hard copy of these range regulations I urge every member to read and familiarize themselves with these rules and regulations. It is imperative that all members and legal guests abide by all of these regulations for the safety of all those using the facility. Anyone found to be not following these rules and regulations will be dealt with accordingly and may lose their privilege to use the facility. We all must take range safety very serious!
That's all for now. Our next monthly meeting is June 8th starting at 7:00 PM at the Club house, I hope to see many of you there.
Boonie Club President
Mark McCarthy
Hello all,
First let me start by apologizing for the mistake that I made with this months newsletter that I sent out a few weeks ago. Apparently my lack of computer knowledge was exposed. In attempting to utilize a saved format of a previous newsletter from a year ago last May some lines did not get edited and were included in the May 2016 Newsletter that I sent out to all of you. Again my apologies for any confusion this has caused.
A couple of the important pieces of information that were reported incorrectly were dates of upcoming Boonie Club sponsored events.
First is the Joey Gingras Memorial "Lets-go-Fishing" day. The actual date of this event is " Saturday June 4th" This is always one of our most fun events of the year. As usual thanks to the generosity of members Mike and Betty Poulin this event is held at their residence on Rood Pond Road in Williamstown. Registration is from 8-8:45 AM with the first rotation of workshops slated to begin at9:00 AM. The days events consists of 4-5 15 minute workshops that touch on topics such as fishing laws, basic tackle, lure making, knot tying, environmental impact. The workshops are fun and informative. After completing this part of the program the real fun of the day will commence as all participants are turned loose to catch some brook trout from the Poulin's pond. Bait and rods will be provided, you are welcome to bring your own fishing poles if you like. (no lead sinkers please) The Club will also be providing grilled hot dogs, chips water and soft drinks to all those in attendance. At the end of the day all those that participated will receive a certificate of participation. We will be looking for 6-8 Club members to volunteer for the day in helping with
set-up and managing the days activities. Please contact me if you are available to help. This event is open to all members and non-members alike invite family and friends!
Second correction. Our second annual Boonie Club Duck Race fundraiser is scheduled for July 16th. This date may change slightly depending on how well sales have gone by that date. We hope to sell a "1000" ducks this year! And this years first place winner will take home "$1000.00" We are going to need all members help in reaching this number. To start with I am hoping that each member will by 4 ducks for themselves, at 110 members that's 440 ducks and if each member can sell 4 more ducks to friends, relatives or co-workers we reach our goal easy! Ducks are only $5 apiece a $20 donation will go along way to helping the Club! Contact me if you think you can sell more and I will get you some tickets.
Third correction. Firearm and archery hunter safety courses. This years dates are as follows. Firearms hunter safety course will be held Saturday August 13th, and the archery hunter safety course will be held Sunday August 14th. Both courses will be held at the Club house grounds in Williamstown. Both courses are 1 day and require that the participant complete the corresponding work book prior to arriving for the course. Work books can be obtained by contacting the Vermont Fish & Wildlife Dept. For additional information you can contact member Marion Gray.
Ok that takes care of the corrections from the May newsletter now a couple of new pieces of business. As was stated in January we will be doing 2 mailed newsletters a year the first in January kicking off the year and the second in June. So all members should receive a hard copy of the June newsletter via the U.S. Mail in a week or so. I mention this because we have instituted a comprehensive list of "range regulations" that all members utilizing the range must be aware of. They are posted on the web site now and we will be erecting a sign at the range in the next couple of days. But along with your June newsletter will be a hard copy of these range regulations I urge every member to read and familiarize themselves with these rules and regulations. It is imperative that all members and legal guests abide by all of these regulations for the safety of all those using the facility. Anyone found to be not following these rules and regulations will be dealt with accordingly and may lose their privilege to use the facility. We all must take range safety very serious!
That's all for now. Our next monthly meeting is June 8th starting at 7:00 PM at the Club house, I hope to see many of you there.
Boonie Club President
Mark McCarthy
May 2016
Hello All,
GOBBLE, GOBBLE, GOBBLE! The month of May is upon us and with that comes arguably my favorite season of the year, "Turkey Season"! So far for myself and hunting partner Randy Lamberti we have had decent action and called in several Jakes, but the Toms have been uncooperative to this point but there is plenty of time left to tag some long beards. With April behind us fishing definitely starts to warm up in the month of May as do the temperatures in the streams, ponds and lakes. Whatever your passion is make the time to get outside and enjoy all that spring brings with it. And as always whenever possible bring a young person along with you and share the many joys that the natural world has to offer.
As usual April was a busy month with a lot of activity for the Boonie Club. First we held our annual Big Game Raffle the evening of April 16th at the American Legion in Barre. Thank you to Dave Wilder for chairing another very successful fundraiser. Thank you to Tony Hedges and Denny Barney and the entire wait staff for putting on a great meal again this year! Thank you to Jim Hepsely and his "Vanna" Ronnie Blouin for doing a super job MC'ing the event. Thanks to all those businesses and individuals that donated prizes for all to enjoy. And congratulations to John Hudgens for winning the Grand Prize of a guided whitetail hunt for "2" this fall with Northeastern Hunting Outfitters in North Carolina. And congratulations to member Mike Noury as the first runner-up, I am pretty sure that this is as close as Mike has ever come to winning the raffle.
We also drew the winner of our Spring Gun Raffle the evening of the Big Game Raffle and congratulations go out to member Dennis Goudet and his win of a Ruger model 1911 stainless pistol in .45 ACP caliber. Dave Wilder told me that Dennis headed right up to Big D's Guns the next day and promptly claimed his prize bought a couple of boxes of ammo and proceeded to the Club range to give it a good work out!
Other dates to mark on your calendars are June 6th for our Joey Gingras Memorial "Let's-go-Fishing Day" to be held at the Mike Poulin residence on Rood Pond Road in Williamstown. Activities will commence at 8:00 AM are open to children from 5-12 years of age. Contact Mark McCarthy for more information.
Our first annual Boonie Club "Duck Race" fundraiser will be held July 11th at highnoon in Williamstown. The race will commence at the Sunapee Bank and end at the bridge adjacent to the Seaver ball field. Price per duck is $5.00 each with $750 going to the first place finisher! Contact Mark McCarthy for more info and to purchase ducks.
Hunter education courses will be held at the Club house grounds August 15th for firearms and August 16th for archery. Contact Marion Gray for more information.
Steve Gray and his building committee have been hard at work getting estimates to get the Club House finished to a point that we can hold our Annual Meeting there January of 2016. It has been discussed at the past couple of meetings to borrow an amount of money to complete these projects. As soon as we have a firm number we will be putting it out to the entire membership for a vote and approval. We hope to have a complete list of materials and services needed to complete this project in the next week or so. When this list is completed we will be looking for any donations of materials and services to help complete the work required.
Member, members, members! We need more members if every current member could sign up 2-3 new members that we help out tremendously with our expenses. Jim Hepsley is our membership chairman this year contact him for cards and any other questions.
Boonie Club Web Site. Our new site has been launched! We are still working on content and the flow but once it is complete it is going to be much more user friendly for both members as well as the individuals maintaining the site. We are planning on having many more photos from events and a members "gallery" to show case successful hunts and fishing trips. We will soon have the bugs worked out of the program to allow us to accept payments for raffle tickets, club house shares and most importantly "memberships" We will keep you posted.
Hope to see you all at the May meeting Wednesday May 13th at 7:00 PM Boonie Club House.
Boonie Club President
Mark McCarthy
Hello All,
GOBBLE, GOBBLE, GOBBLE! The month of May is upon us and with that comes arguably my favorite season of the year, "Turkey Season"! So far for myself and hunting partner Randy Lamberti we have had decent action and called in several Jakes, but the Toms have been uncooperative to this point but there is plenty of time left to tag some long beards. With April behind us fishing definitely starts to warm up in the month of May as do the temperatures in the streams, ponds and lakes. Whatever your passion is make the time to get outside and enjoy all that spring brings with it. And as always whenever possible bring a young person along with you and share the many joys that the natural world has to offer.
As usual April was a busy month with a lot of activity for the Boonie Club. First we held our annual Big Game Raffle the evening of April 16th at the American Legion in Barre. Thank you to Dave Wilder for chairing another very successful fundraiser. Thank you to Tony Hedges and Denny Barney and the entire wait staff for putting on a great meal again this year! Thank you to Jim Hepsely and his "Vanna" Ronnie Blouin for doing a super job MC'ing the event. Thanks to all those businesses and individuals that donated prizes for all to enjoy. And congratulations to John Hudgens for winning the Grand Prize of a guided whitetail hunt for "2" this fall with Northeastern Hunting Outfitters in North Carolina. And congratulations to member Mike Noury as the first runner-up, I am pretty sure that this is as close as Mike has ever come to winning the raffle.
We also drew the winner of our Spring Gun Raffle the evening of the Big Game Raffle and congratulations go out to member Dennis Goudet and his win of a Ruger model 1911 stainless pistol in .45 ACP caliber. Dave Wilder told me that Dennis headed right up to Big D's Guns the next day and promptly claimed his prize bought a couple of boxes of ammo and proceeded to the Club range to give it a good work out!
Other dates to mark on your calendars are June 6th for our Joey Gingras Memorial "Let's-go-Fishing Day" to be held at the Mike Poulin residence on Rood Pond Road in Williamstown. Activities will commence at 8:00 AM are open to children from 5-12 years of age. Contact Mark McCarthy for more information.
Our first annual Boonie Club "Duck Race" fundraiser will be held July 11th at highnoon in Williamstown. The race will commence at the Sunapee Bank and end at the bridge adjacent to the Seaver ball field. Price per duck is $5.00 each with $750 going to the first place finisher! Contact Mark McCarthy for more info and to purchase ducks.
Hunter education courses will be held at the Club house grounds August 15th for firearms and August 16th for archery. Contact Marion Gray for more information.
Steve Gray and his building committee have been hard at work getting estimates to get the Club House finished to a point that we can hold our Annual Meeting there January of 2016. It has been discussed at the past couple of meetings to borrow an amount of money to complete these projects. As soon as we have a firm number we will be putting it out to the entire membership for a vote and approval. We hope to have a complete list of materials and services needed to complete this project in the next week or so. When this list is completed we will be looking for any donations of materials and services to help complete the work required.
Member, members, members! We need more members if every current member could sign up 2-3 new members that we help out tremendously with our expenses. Jim Hepsley is our membership chairman this year contact him for cards and any other questions.
Boonie Club Web Site. Our new site has been launched! We are still working on content and the flow but once it is complete it is going to be much more user friendly for both members as well as the individuals maintaining the site. We are planning on having many more photos from events and a members "gallery" to show case successful hunts and fishing trips. We will soon have the bugs worked out of the program to allow us to accept payments for raffle tickets, club house shares and most importantly "memberships" We will keep you posted.
Hope to see you all at the May meeting Wednesday May 13th at 7:00 PM Boonie Club House.
Boonie Club President
Mark McCarthy
April 2016
Hello All,
Well for the winter that wasn't spring certainly has come in like a lion! After not having much of a traditional winter I don't know about all of you but I for one was ready for spring to commence in early March. We got teased a little bit but old mother nature as usual gets the final say and as usual when it comes to weather it seems like it always evens out one way or another. I know one group that has enjoyed this chilly start to spring has been the sugar makers. Most of those that I know including my bother Scott found this to be a very good season considerably better than last. If nothing else we'll have plenty of fresh syrup for our pancakes throughout the rest of this year!
Well a sure sign that spring is actually here even though the weather may not feel like it is, is the start of open water trout season here in Vermont. It officially got started yesterday April 9th. I for one did not make it out to wet a line but I hope that any of you fellow members that did had some luck and if not just had a fun day. The month of May means turkey season, but the last full weekend prior to the traditionalMay 1st opener is reserved for the youth hunters. And with May 1st falling on a Sunday this year the kids get a really early start with their special weekend on April 23rd and 24th. Turkey hunting can be one of the more exciting ways to introduce young people to the great sport of hunting. If you have the opportunity take a young person out the enjoyment and memories for both of you will last a lifetime. Be sure to check the Fish & Game website for all the up to date rules and regulations.
FUNDRAISERS!
Well with April all so comes the culmination of 2 of our largest fundraisers of the year. Saturday the 16th at 6:00 PM doors will open for our annual "Big Game Raffle" This years prize is a 5 day whitetail hunt for 2 with Northeastern Outfitters in North Carolina. This hunt is sure to be an exciting hunt for the winner and his or her lucky companion with plenty of game seen and the opportunity to take the trophy of a lifetime! As usually this event is a complete sell out, however if you haven't paid for your ticket yet please contact Dave Wilder as soon as possible to make arrangements to do so. And if anyone has door prize donations for the evenings event again please contact Dave to make arrangements for pick up.
And as has been the tradition for the past several years we will be drawing the lucky winner of our Spring Gun Raffle. This years firearm is a sweet Ruger model 1911 stainless .45ACP caliber pistol! There may still be a few of these raffle tickets left if you or friends of yours have not gotten one yet you can contact myself to make arrangements to purchase some before this Saturday's drawing.
One quick but important note concerning the Club House and particularly the range. We have established a comprehensive list of range use regulations to ensure the safe use of the facility. These regulations will be posted on the Boonie Club web site within the next 48 hours along with a very visible sign at the Club grounds by the end of the month of April. Range safety is of utmost importance to all of us and needs to be practiced by all members that use the facility.These regulations are going to be strictly enforced please take the time to familiarize yourself them. In June which is when we send out our second of 2 yearly mailed newsletters all Boonie Club members will be provided a written copy of these range regulations. If anyone has any questions or concerns please do not hesitate to contact me to discuss.
Hope to see you all at the May meeting Wednesday April 13th at 7:00 PM American Legion Hall Barr, VT.
Boonie Club President
Mark McCarthy
Hello All,
Well for the winter that wasn't spring certainly has come in like a lion! After not having much of a traditional winter I don't know about all of you but I for one was ready for spring to commence in early March. We got teased a little bit but old mother nature as usual gets the final say and as usual when it comes to weather it seems like it always evens out one way or another. I know one group that has enjoyed this chilly start to spring has been the sugar makers. Most of those that I know including my bother Scott found this to be a very good season considerably better than last. If nothing else we'll have plenty of fresh syrup for our pancakes throughout the rest of this year!
Well a sure sign that spring is actually here even though the weather may not feel like it is, is the start of open water trout season here in Vermont. It officially got started yesterday April 9th. I for one did not make it out to wet a line but I hope that any of you fellow members that did had some luck and if not just had a fun day. The month of May means turkey season, but the last full weekend prior to the traditionalMay 1st opener is reserved for the youth hunters. And with May 1st falling on a Sunday this year the kids get a really early start with their special weekend on April 23rd and 24th. Turkey hunting can be one of the more exciting ways to introduce young people to the great sport of hunting. If you have the opportunity take a young person out the enjoyment and memories for both of you will last a lifetime. Be sure to check the Fish & Game website for all the up to date rules and regulations.
FUNDRAISERS!
Well with April all so comes the culmination of 2 of our largest fundraisers of the year. Saturday the 16th at 6:00 PM doors will open for our annual "Big Game Raffle" This years prize is a 5 day whitetail hunt for 2 with Northeastern Outfitters in North Carolina. This hunt is sure to be an exciting hunt for the winner and his or her lucky companion with plenty of game seen and the opportunity to take the trophy of a lifetime! As usually this event is a complete sell out, however if you haven't paid for your ticket yet please contact Dave Wilder as soon as possible to make arrangements to do so. And if anyone has door prize donations for the evenings event again please contact Dave to make arrangements for pick up.
And as has been the tradition for the past several years we will be drawing the lucky winner of our Spring Gun Raffle. This years firearm is a sweet Ruger model 1911 stainless .45ACP caliber pistol! There may still be a few of these raffle tickets left if you or friends of yours have not gotten one yet you can contact myself to make arrangements to purchase some before this Saturday's drawing.
One quick but important note concerning the Club House and particularly the range. We have established a comprehensive list of range use regulations to ensure the safe use of the facility. These regulations will be posted on the Boonie Club web site within the next 48 hours along with a very visible sign at the Club grounds by the end of the month of April. Range safety is of utmost importance to all of us and needs to be practiced by all members that use the facility.These regulations are going to be strictly enforced please take the time to familiarize yourself them. In June which is when we send out our second of 2 yearly mailed newsletters all Boonie Club members will be provided a written copy of these range regulations. If anyone has any questions or concerns please do not hesitate to contact me to discuss.
Hope to see you all at the May meeting Wednesday April 13th at 7:00 PM American Legion Hall Barr, VT.
Boonie Club President
Mark McCarthy
March 2016
Hello All,
TAX EXEMPT! TAX EXEMPT! TAX EXEMPT!
That's right we received the good news at last Tuesday's town meeting in Williamstown. Vice president Jim Hepsley and myself were on hand to present our request for property tax exemption and to describe the various activities that the club hosts that are a benefit to the community. We also answered questions from the residents in attendance and spoke of some of the history of the Boonie Club. A request for written ballot was made and 10 minutes later we had our exemption status passed by a vote of 55 in favor and 10 opposed. The 100% property tax exemption is for a period of 5 years commencing in 2016. With the passage of this exemption it should save the Club some where in the vicinity of $3000-$3500 a year that can be used to help fund other worthy Club activities. Thank you to all the Williamstown residents that signed our petition and those that were in attendance at the town meeting and voted in the affirmative. I hope that over the next 5 years that we can continue to exhibit ourselves as an asset to the Williamstown community.
Ok next thing on the docket for the next 6 to 7 weeks is fundraising and membership drive. We have our Big Game Raffle April 16th and our Spring Gun Raffle will be drawn the same evening. It is our hopes to have all Big Game Raffle tickets sold and money collected by the end of March. If you had a ticket last year and have not heard from anyone yet you can contact Dave Wilder and he will get you in touch with the member that has your ticket. This years hunt is a whitetail hunt for 2 with Northeastern Hunting Outfitters in North Carolina. We have gotten some great testimonials from area sportsmen that have been hunting with this outfitter for several seasons. Good accommodations and great deer quality in both population and size. Second annual spring gun raffle. This years prize is a stainless Ruger model 1911 in .45 ACP caliber. Tickets are $10 each if you haven't got yours you better hurry they are selling fast and the quantity is limited. If you would like to purchase a ticket or two contact me and I will get you in touch with a member that may have tickets left.
Memberships, if you haven't purchased your 2016 membership yet please do. We had a little over a hundred members in 2015 and the goal is "200" this year. That translates to $4,000 in revenue for the Club that can go a long way to help completing the interior of the Club house. If you have already got your 2016 membership thank you, what we need us all to do now is to sell a membership to a friend or family member. If each of us existing member sells 1 more membership we reach our goal easily! The Pay Pal option is available on our website so you can direct perspective members there to join on line. I am doing my best to turn all membership purchases around as quickly as possible and to have membership cards in the mail within 48 hours!
Plenty of other topics to discuss on Wednesday hope to see you all there.
Boonie Club President
Mark McCarthy
Hello All,
TAX EXEMPT! TAX EXEMPT! TAX EXEMPT!
That's right we received the good news at last Tuesday's town meeting in Williamstown. Vice president Jim Hepsley and myself were on hand to present our request for property tax exemption and to describe the various activities that the club hosts that are a benefit to the community. We also answered questions from the residents in attendance and spoke of some of the history of the Boonie Club. A request for written ballot was made and 10 minutes later we had our exemption status passed by a vote of 55 in favor and 10 opposed. The 100% property tax exemption is for a period of 5 years commencing in 2016. With the passage of this exemption it should save the Club some where in the vicinity of $3000-$3500 a year that can be used to help fund other worthy Club activities. Thank you to all the Williamstown residents that signed our petition and those that were in attendance at the town meeting and voted in the affirmative. I hope that over the next 5 years that we can continue to exhibit ourselves as an asset to the Williamstown community.
Ok next thing on the docket for the next 6 to 7 weeks is fundraising and membership drive. We have our Big Game Raffle April 16th and our Spring Gun Raffle will be drawn the same evening. It is our hopes to have all Big Game Raffle tickets sold and money collected by the end of March. If you had a ticket last year and have not heard from anyone yet you can contact Dave Wilder and he will get you in touch with the member that has your ticket. This years hunt is a whitetail hunt for 2 with Northeastern Hunting Outfitters in North Carolina. We have gotten some great testimonials from area sportsmen that have been hunting with this outfitter for several seasons. Good accommodations and great deer quality in both population and size. Second annual spring gun raffle. This years prize is a stainless Ruger model 1911 in .45 ACP caliber. Tickets are $10 each if you haven't got yours you better hurry they are selling fast and the quantity is limited. If you would like to purchase a ticket or two contact me and I will get you in touch with a member that may have tickets left.
Memberships, if you haven't purchased your 2016 membership yet please do. We had a little over a hundred members in 2015 and the goal is "200" this year. That translates to $4,000 in revenue for the Club that can go a long way to help completing the interior of the Club house. If you have already got your 2016 membership thank you, what we need us all to do now is to sell a membership to a friend or family member. If each of us existing member sells 1 more membership we reach our goal easily! The Pay Pal option is available on our website so you can direct perspective members there to join on line. I am doing my best to turn all membership purchases around as quickly as possible and to have membership cards in the mail within 48 hours!
Plenty of other topics to discuss on Wednesday hope to see you all there.
Boonie Club President
Mark McCarthy
February 2016
Hello All,
Well we are off and running in 2016! Thank you to all of those members that attended our Annual Meeting in January, a lot was discussed and much accomplished. First order of business was elections and our slate of officers and directors for 2016 looks like this:
President - Mark McCarthy
Vice President - Jim Hepsley
Treasurer - Laura Wilder
Secretary - vacant
Directors:
Cory Copeland
Corey Boulanger
Tony Hedges
Davey Wilder
Eric Morton
Brent Lefreniere
Chris Wilder
Thank you to all those that stepped up to fill these positions. As you saw the secretary position is still vacant, this is a very important position and one that I really would like to fill as soon as possible. Anyone remotely interested please contact me and we can discuss the position and what it entails.
I will also be taking over membership director duties from Jim Hepsley. It seemed to make sense that seeing how I was managing the email and postal list that I should take care of membership duties as well. I am going to do my best to get membership cards out as quickly as possible as payments come in. I also want to make sure I am collecting accurate email and physical mailing addresses. If you know a member that is not receiving emails or mailings from the Club and they think they are current members have them contact me and I will take care of ASAP! Speaking of "mailings" it was decided that we will do "two" postal mailings a year one in January that will be sent to the previous years members and then a second postal mailing in June to current members as of that month. All other correspondence will be done via email or on our website.
The following is a list of events scheduled so far for 2016.
Big Game Raffle April 16, 2016. Dave Wilder has tickets available and if you had a ticket last year someone will be in touch soon to offer you your ticket again. This years Grand Prize will be a whitetail hunt for two with Northeast Outfitters of North Carolina. The dates on this hunt will be this October 2016.
Spring Gun Raffle for a Ruger model 1911 .45 caliber pistol in stainless steel. Tickets are $10.00 each and we will draw the winner at the Annual Big Game Raffle in April.Tickets are selling well and we got a great response to those sent out in the January mailing. Contact me if you want more!
The Joey Gingras Memorial "Lets-Go-Fishing" Day will be held June 4th, 2016 at Mike and Betty Poulins residence on Rood Pond Road in Williamstown.
Boonie Club 2nd Annual Duck Race is slated for July 16. Ducks are $5.00 each and the winner will receive $1000.00!
Firearm Hunter Safety Course August 13, 2016
Archery Hunter Safety Course August 14, 2016
Contact Marion Gray for more information on either of these courses.
By the March meeting we should have the results of our petition to the town of Williamstown to be considered for property tax exemption on the Club house and grounds. This is a big deal and financially could really help the Club out. Keep your fingers crossed and we will update you all after Town Meeting Day.
Steve Gray will be doing a budget to determine what the cost will be to finish the interior of the Club house and get the septic system installed. Our plans are to apply for a building loan this spring so that this work can be completed and we can start enjoying the use of our facilities completely. We are also going to try and complete the wiring, insulating, ceiling and interior walls in the next month to 6 weeks. I will send a notice out for some upcoming work be dates to complete this work.
That's all for now hope to see you all at this weeks meeting!
Mark McCarthy
President
Hello All,
Well we are off and running in 2016! Thank you to all of those members that attended our Annual Meeting in January, a lot was discussed and much accomplished. First order of business was elections and our slate of officers and directors for 2016 looks like this:
President - Mark McCarthy
Vice President - Jim Hepsley
Treasurer - Laura Wilder
Secretary - vacant
Directors:
Cory Copeland
Corey Boulanger
Tony Hedges
Davey Wilder
Eric Morton
Brent Lefreniere
Chris Wilder
Thank you to all those that stepped up to fill these positions. As you saw the secretary position is still vacant, this is a very important position and one that I really would like to fill as soon as possible. Anyone remotely interested please contact me and we can discuss the position and what it entails.
I will also be taking over membership director duties from Jim Hepsley. It seemed to make sense that seeing how I was managing the email and postal list that I should take care of membership duties as well. I am going to do my best to get membership cards out as quickly as possible as payments come in. I also want to make sure I am collecting accurate email and physical mailing addresses. If you know a member that is not receiving emails or mailings from the Club and they think they are current members have them contact me and I will take care of ASAP! Speaking of "mailings" it was decided that we will do "two" postal mailings a year one in January that will be sent to the previous years members and then a second postal mailing in June to current members as of that month. All other correspondence will be done via email or on our website.
The following is a list of events scheduled so far for 2016.
Big Game Raffle April 16, 2016. Dave Wilder has tickets available and if you had a ticket last year someone will be in touch soon to offer you your ticket again. This years Grand Prize will be a whitetail hunt for two with Northeast Outfitters of North Carolina. The dates on this hunt will be this October 2016.
Spring Gun Raffle for a Ruger model 1911 .45 caliber pistol in stainless steel. Tickets are $10.00 each and we will draw the winner at the Annual Big Game Raffle in April.Tickets are selling well and we got a great response to those sent out in the January mailing. Contact me if you want more!
The Joey Gingras Memorial "Lets-Go-Fishing" Day will be held June 4th, 2016 at Mike and Betty Poulins residence on Rood Pond Road in Williamstown.
Boonie Club 2nd Annual Duck Race is slated for July 16. Ducks are $5.00 each and the winner will receive $1000.00!
Firearm Hunter Safety Course August 13, 2016
Archery Hunter Safety Course August 14, 2016
Contact Marion Gray for more information on either of these courses.
By the March meeting we should have the results of our petition to the town of Williamstown to be considered for property tax exemption on the Club house and grounds. This is a big deal and financially could really help the Club out. Keep your fingers crossed and we will update you all after Town Meeting Day.
Steve Gray will be doing a budget to determine what the cost will be to finish the interior of the Club house and get the septic system installed. Our plans are to apply for a building loan this spring so that this work can be completed and we can start enjoying the use of our facilities completely. We are also going to try and complete the wiring, insulating, ceiling and interior walls in the next month to 6 weeks. I will send a notice out for some upcoming work be dates to complete this work.
That's all for now hope to see you all at this weeks meeting!
Mark McCarthy
President
January 2016
Hello All,
Happy New Year! Wishing you and your families a most prosperous 2016!
I hope that everyone's fall hunting seasons were successful and full of excitement!
Well January is upon us and with this month starts another new year of Boonie Club business. I would like to start this first newsletter of the year off with a quick recap of 2015's progress and accomplishments. I will start with an update as to where we are with the Club House. Last year at this time I had made the bold statement that we would be holding our 2016 Annual Meeting at our Club House on Grandview Road in Williamstown. Unfortunately we were unable to make that happen and our meeting will be held at the American Legion Hall in Barre. There were several factors that kept us from meeting this goal with the two biggest being, "time and financial resources". However even with that being said we accomplished a lot! If you made a trip up to the property to sight your rifle in this fall you would have seen the results. Thanks to my brother and Boonie Club member Scott McCarthy the Club House is fully enclosed all windows and doors are installed. The exterior of the building is sided with the rough cut lumber purchased this spring except for the small portion underneath the front porch area. This was not finished as the windows and door in that area need some slight modifications. A shelter has been constructed over the generator to protect it from the elements as well. As mentioned before if you did get a chance to see the Club House this fall I hope you agree that it really does look great! For 2016 the plan will be to complete the interior which will include the last of the insulating, wall coverings, flooring, electrical, heating and plumbing. To help facilitate some of this work over the winter when it seems we all have a little more free time, member Dave Wilder has secured and installed a pellet stove to be on lone to the Club through the winter months that will allow us to work on this list of projects. A work schedule will be a topic of discussion at this months meeting. Thank you to all that were able to lend a hand this summer!
Our two main fundraisers were successful again this year with our annual Big Game Raffle and Spring Gun Raffle both netting nice returns for the Clubs treasury. A new fund raiser for 2015 was our first and hopefully annual duck race held on the Stevens Branch in the middle of Williamstown during the month of July. It was quite a site to see all those duckies bobbing down the stream towards the finish line at Seaver Field. Our goal this year is to sell 1000 ducks! We will have tickets for all 3 of these fundraisers at this months meeting.
The "Joey Gingras Memorial Let's-Go-Fishing Day" was held again this year at Boonie Club members Mike and Betty Poulin's house. A nice day and a good turnout made this another successful event in 2015, and the trout cooperated as well with many youngsters catching fish!
Firearm and archery hunter safety courses were held in August again this past fall. Many youngsters and females participated and successfully passed the courses. This is one of the most important events of the year that the Club hosts as it directly impacts the future of our hunting and shooting heritage here in the great state of Vermont! As in the past we received many compliments on how informative and well run both courses are. It's a testament to the dedication of the volunteers that help out every year.
The "Jamie Gray Memorial Field Day" was held in September. This is an event that all though not very well attended is one of the funnest events of the year. I would really like to see participation in this event increase and would welcome any and all suggestions as to how we could make this happen. Whether it be date or format change we are open to all ideas.
So that's a brief recap of Boonie Club happenings for 2015, now onto 2016.
First the meeting schedule for the first 3 months of the year will be as follows.
January 20th, 2016 6:30 PM American Legion Hall
This meeting is scheduled for a 6:30 PM start because the Legion closes at 8:00 PMduring the week and our first meeting of the year can tend to be a little longer in length.
February 10th, 2016 7:00 PM American Legion Hall
March 9th, 2016 7:00 PM American Legion Hall
Elections at annual meeting. The 3 positions of President, Vice-president, and Treasurer are all set for the 2016 calendar year. Again this year we are in need of Club Secretary. We totally understand that not everyone can make every meeting but the secretary position is a fairly important one and we truly need someone to step up and fill this spot that can commit to the needs of the office. If you have any questions about the position and what it entails please call me and we can discuss it in more detail. Somebody please consider we really need to fill this office in 2016. Dave Wilder will also be bringing a list of directors that are up for re-election in 2016 as well. Not a real time consuming position but a good way for a new member to become more active in the Club.
2016 Club Dues
Club dues run on the calendar year and are renewable starting in January. Cost are the same as they have been in the past $20.00. Although we only send the monthly newsletter via email we always send a hard copy in January along with membership renewal form. Please complete the enclosed form and mail back along with your $20 dues payment. Your membership card will be sent back to you in the mail upon receipt of your payment. Thank you for your prompt attention.
Big Game Raffle tickets will be available at the January meeting. Dave Wilder has last years list, those that purchased a ticket in 2015 will have first offer on that same ticket again this year. If you did not have a ticket last year and would like to get on the waiting list contact Dave as soon as possible. This years raffle will be held at the American Legion on April 16th, 2016. Cost of the tickets will be $100.00 each and includes 2 meals.
This years annual Spring Gun Raffle will be for a Ruger model 1911 .45ACP stainless pistol. Tickets will be $10.00 each and we will draw the winner the evening of the Big Game Raffle in April. I will be including 2 of these raffle tickets along with the hard copy of this months newsletter, if each member bought these 2 tickets and returned the name stubs and payment it would go along way to making this a successful fund raiser again this year. If you would like more raffle tickets to purchase or sell to friends and family contact me and I will make arrangements to get those to you.
Two other important pieces of business that will be discussed at this months meeting will be our petition to the town of Williamstown to obtain property tax exemption on the Club house and property. This years taxes were approximately $2200.00 and will likely increase upon completion of the building. I obtained the 100 signatures of registered Williamstown voters and submitted them to the town clerk at the end of December. The next step will be to attend town meeting in March and make a formal request for tax exempt status. Anyone that has any experience with this type of request please attend meeting or get in touch with me to discuss further.
Second important topic of discussion is one that was talked about last year and that is obtaining a loan to complete construction on the Club house. It has been discussed that at this point a short term loan of $25-$30,000.00 would allow us to finish up the building and start enjoying it completely for meetings and other functions. This is a major decision and we would welcome any and all input towards this decision.
All Club activity dates for the remainder of 2016 will be set at the January meeting and updated on the Boonie Club
web site calendar.
Hope to see you at this months meeting and many more this year!
Mark McCarthy
President
Hello All,
Happy New Year! Wishing you and your families a most prosperous 2016!
I hope that everyone's fall hunting seasons were successful and full of excitement!
Well January is upon us and with this month starts another new year of Boonie Club business. I would like to start this first newsletter of the year off with a quick recap of 2015's progress and accomplishments. I will start with an update as to where we are with the Club House. Last year at this time I had made the bold statement that we would be holding our 2016 Annual Meeting at our Club House on Grandview Road in Williamstown. Unfortunately we were unable to make that happen and our meeting will be held at the American Legion Hall in Barre. There were several factors that kept us from meeting this goal with the two biggest being, "time and financial resources". However even with that being said we accomplished a lot! If you made a trip up to the property to sight your rifle in this fall you would have seen the results. Thanks to my brother and Boonie Club member Scott McCarthy the Club House is fully enclosed all windows and doors are installed. The exterior of the building is sided with the rough cut lumber purchased this spring except for the small portion underneath the front porch area. This was not finished as the windows and door in that area need some slight modifications. A shelter has been constructed over the generator to protect it from the elements as well. As mentioned before if you did get a chance to see the Club House this fall I hope you agree that it really does look great! For 2016 the plan will be to complete the interior which will include the last of the insulating, wall coverings, flooring, electrical, heating and plumbing. To help facilitate some of this work over the winter when it seems we all have a little more free time, member Dave Wilder has secured and installed a pellet stove to be on lone to the Club through the winter months that will allow us to work on this list of projects. A work schedule will be a topic of discussion at this months meeting. Thank you to all that were able to lend a hand this summer!
Our two main fundraisers were successful again this year with our annual Big Game Raffle and Spring Gun Raffle both netting nice returns for the Clubs treasury. A new fund raiser for 2015 was our first and hopefully annual duck race held on the Stevens Branch in the middle of Williamstown during the month of July. It was quite a site to see all those duckies bobbing down the stream towards the finish line at Seaver Field. Our goal this year is to sell 1000 ducks! We will have tickets for all 3 of these fundraisers at this months meeting.
The "Joey Gingras Memorial Let's-Go-Fishing Day" was held again this year at Boonie Club members Mike and Betty Poulin's house. A nice day and a good turnout made this another successful event in 2015, and the trout cooperated as well with many youngsters catching fish!
Firearm and archery hunter safety courses were held in August again this past fall. Many youngsters and females participated and successfully passed the courses. This is one of the most important events of the year that the Club hosts as it directly impacts the future of our hunting and shooting heritage here in the great state of Vermont! As in the past we received many compliments on how informative and well run both courses are. It's a testament to the dedication of the volunteers that help out every year.
The "Jamie Gray Memorial Field Day" was held in September. This is an event that all though not very well attended is one of the funnest events of the year. I would really like to see participation in this event increase and would welcome any and all suggestions as to how we could make this happen. Whether it be date or format change we are open to all ideas.
So that's a brief recap of Boonie Club happenings for 2015, now onto 2016.
First the meeting schedule for the first 3 months of the year will be as follows.
January 20th, 2016 6:30 PM American Legion Hall
This meeting is scheduled for a 6:30 PM start because the Legion closes at 8:00 PMduring the week and our first meeting of the year can tend to be a little longer in length.
February 10th, 2016 7:00 PM American Legion Hall
March 9th, 2016 7:00 PM American Legion Hall
Elections at annual meeting. The 3 positions of President, Vice-president, and Treasurer are all set for the 2016 calendar year. Again this year we are in need of Club Secretary. We totally understand that not everyone can make every meeting but the secretary position is a fairly important one and we truly need someone to step up and fill this spot that can commit to the needs of the office. If you have any questions about the position and what it entails please call me and we can discuss it in more detail. Somebody please consider we really need to fill this office in 2016. Dave Wilder will also be bringing a list of directors that are up for re-election in 2016 as well. Not a real time consuming position but a good way for a new member to become more active in the Club.
2016 Club Dues
Club dues run on the calendar year and are renewable starting in January. Cost are the same as they have been in the past $20.00. Although we only send the monthly newsletter via email we always send a hard copy in January along with membership renewal form. Please complete the enclosed form and mail back along with your $20 dues payment. Your membership card will be sent back to you in the mail upon receipt of your payment. Thank you for your prompt attention.
Big Game Raffle tickets will be available at the January meeting. Dave Wilder has last years list, those that purchased a ticket in 2015 will have first offer on that same ticket again this year. If you did not have a ticket last year and would like to get on the waiting list contact Dave as soon as possible. This years raffle will be held at the American Legion on April 16th, 2016. Cost of the tickets will be $100.00 each and includes 2 meals.
This years annual Spring Gun Raffle will be for a Ruger model 1911 .45ACP stainless pistol. Tickets will be $10.00 each and we will draw the winner the evening of the Big Game Raffle in April. I will be including 2 of these raffle tickets along with the hard copy of this months newsletter, if each member bought these 2 tickets and returned the name stubs and payment it would go along way to making this a successful fund raiser again this year. If you would like more raffle tickets to purchase or sell to friends and family contact me and I will make arrangements to get those to you.
Two other important pieces of business that will be discussed at this months meeting will be our petition to the town of Williamstown to obtain property tax exemption on the Club house and property. This years taxes were approximately $2200.00 and will likely increase upon completion of the building. I obtained the 100 signatures of registered Williamstown voters and submitted them to the town clerk at the end of December. The next step will be to attend town meeting in March and make a formal request for tax exempt status. Anyone that has any experience with this type of request please attend meeting or get in touch with me to discuss further.
Second important topic of discussion is one that was talked about last year and that is obtaining a loan to complete construction on the Club house. It has been discussed that at this point a short term loan of $25-$30,000.00 would allow us to finish up the building and start enjoying it completely for meetings and other functions. This is a major decision and we would welcome any and all input towards this decision.
All Club activity dates for the remainder of 2016 will be set at the January meeting and updated on the Boonie Club
web site calendar.
Hope to see you at this months meeting and many more this year!
Mark McCarthy
President
Club House Work Bee: Saturday, October 10, 2015
Hello All,
This is a call out to all available members that can lend a hand this Saturday to help finish up the exterior siding of the Club House. My brother Scott and myself have spent a lot of time at the Club house since the middle of September strapping and siding the exterior of the building. We are about 3/4 done the siding and have installed all the windows and main entrance double door. We have one gable left to side around the kitchen area and we are going to do the ceiling under the porch. I really would like to wrap this up tomorrow if possible. We are planning on starting at 7:00 AM and with enough help should be done by 1:00 PM. If you can help it would be much appreciated!
Send me an e-mail at mmccarthy@lennyshoe.com if you can be there. Half a dozen to eight guys would really make this an easy job!
Thanks!
Boonie Club President
Mark McCarthy
Hello All,
This is a call out to all available members that can lend a hand this Saturday to help finish up the exterior siding of the Club House. My brother Scott and myself have spent a lot of time at the Club house since the middle of September strapping and siding the exterior of the building. We are about 3/4 done the siding and have installed all the windows and main entrance double door. We have one gable left to side around the kitchen area and we are going to do the ceiling under the porch. I really would like to wrap this up tomorrow if possible. We are planning on starting at 7:00 AM and with enough help should be done by 1:00 PM. If you can help it would be much appreciated!
Send me an e-mail at mmccarthy@lennyshoe.com if you can be there. Half a dozen to eight guys would really make this an easy job!
Thanks!
Boonie Club President
Mark McCarthy
September 2015
Hello All,
September is finally here! It's almost like Christmas for us hunter, outdoorsy types! Black bear season officially kicked off the fall hunting seasons September 1st. Two of the guys that I shoot skeet with throughout the summer have already tagged bears. Chris Wade from Northfield took a 151 pound bear in central New Hampshire, and Pat Bernier also of Northfield went to Fort Kent, Maine on a guided hunt a shot a real nice 208 pound bear last week. Our first opportunity for whitetails starts October 3rd with our early archery season, and for those of us that head east to New Hampshire you can be up in a tree in that state September 15th! And of course small game, upland birds and waterfowl seasons all kick in real soon as well. On a personal note my father, Lenny McCarthy was one of the lucky 250 or so hunters that secured a moose permit for this fall. Lenny has been applying for years in Vermont, Maine and New Hampshire and this is his fist tag, he is pretty excited to say the least. He will be hunting in WMU D1, the Newport area.
So during the weekend of August 15th and 16th the Club hosted our firearm and archery hunter safety courses. The weather was perfect and with all the help of our volunteers the weekend was a huge success! We had 33 participants on Saturday for the firearm course and 23 participants on Sunday for the archery course. I am happy to report that all that participated in both classes successful completed their respective course and passed the final exams! Again we received many compliments from the participants on how well run and informative both courses were. This is a direct result to the efforts put in by all the volunteers. This years group of volunteers included the following, Marion Gray who is our contact person for all of the participants as well as to Fish & Game. She does a boat load of work getting us ready for the courses. Other volunteers included Dave Wilder and his son Davey, Corey Parker, Ralph Garrish, Jim Hepsley, Mike Noury, Rick Ostrout, Gerry Otis, Brad Shangraw, and Warden Paul Brown. Mike Noury also supplied us with some Ben and Jerry's ice cream on Saturday which was much appreciated! It's all of these dedicated volunteers that make these two courses the mega success that they are, make sure and thank these people the next time you see them.
The Jamie Gray Memorial Field Day is generally held in one of the last two weekends in September. There has been a little confusion as to the exact date and format for this year event. We will clarify at this months meeting and we will send out a notice with the all the particulars by the end of the week.
The last of the windows and doors have been ordered and have arrived. Scott McCarthy will be installing those in the next few days and then we will be able to start the exterior siding. Again as soon as the windows and doors are completed we will send a notice out for volunteers to help with the siding installation and that will complete button up the exterior of the building and we can commence the interior.
For those of you that are unaware our September meeting is the last regular meeting scheduled for the year as we take October, November and December off. We will continue to be working on the Club House throughout the fall in preparation of our annual January meeting that God willing will be held at the Club House. I will keep you all informed as to our progress via continued email blasts.
Thanks for a great year and every ones support!
See you all at the next meeting.
Boonie Club President
Mark McCarthy
Hello All,
September is finally here! It's almost like Christmas for us hunter, outdoorsy types! Black bear season officially kicked off the fall hunting seasons September 1st. Two of the guys that I shoot skeet with throughout the summer have already tagged bears. Chris Wade from Northfield took a 151 pound bear in central New Hampshire, and Pat Bernier also of Northfield went to Fort Kent, Maine on a guided hunt a shot a real nice 208 pound bear last week. Our first opportunity for whitetails starts October 3rd with our early archery season, and for those of us that head east to New Hampshire you can be up in a tree in that state September 15th! And of course small game, upland birds and waterfowl seasons all kick in real soon as well. On a personal note my father, Lenny McCarthy was one of the lucky 250 or so hunters that secured a moose permit for this fall. Lenny has been applying for years in Vermont, Maine and New Hampshire and this is his fist tag, he is pretty excited to say the least. He will be hunting in WMU D1, the Newport area.
So during the weekend of August 15th and 16th the Club hosted our firearm and archery hunter safety courses. The weather was perfect and with all the help of our volunteers the weekend was a huge success! We had 33 participants on Saturday for the firearm course and 23 participants on Sunday for the archery course. I am happy to report that all that participated in both classes successful completed their respective course and passed the final exams! Again we received many compliments from the participants on how well run and informative both courses were. This is a direct result to the efforts put in by all the volunteers. This years group of volunteers included the following, Marion Gray who is our contact person for all of the participants as well as to Fish & Game. She does a boat load of work getting us ready for the courses. Other volunteers included Dave Wilder and his son Davey, Corey Parker, Ralph Garrish, Jim Hepsley, Mike Noury, Rick Ostrout, Gerry Otis, Brad Shangraw, and Warden Paul Brown. Mike Noury also supplied us with some Ben and Jerry's ice cream on Saturday which was much appreciated! It's all of these dedicated volunteers that make these two courses the mega success that they are, make sure and thank these people the next time you see them.
The Jamie Gray Memorial Field Day is generally held in one of the last two weekends in September. There has been a little confusion as to the exact date and format for this year event. We will clarify at this months meeting and we will send out a notice with the all the particulars by the end of the week.
The last of the windows and doors have been ordered and have arrived. Scott McCarthy will be installing those in the next few days and then we will be able to start the exterior siding. Again as soon as the windows and doors are completed we will send a notice out for volunteers to help with the siding installation and that will complete button up the exterior of the building and we can commence the interior.
For those of you that are unaware our September meeting is the last regular meeting scheduled for the year as we take October, November and December off. We will continue to be working on the Club House throughout the fall in preparation of our annual January meeting that God willing will be held at the Club House. I will keep you all informed as to our progress via continued email blasts.
Thanks for a great year and every ones support!
See you all at the next meeting.
Boonie Club President
Mark McCarthy
August 2015
Hello All,
Well with the calendar turning to August summer is starting to wind down. Now don't get me wrong there is plenty of nice warm weather to be had, but we'll be hunting before you know it! Time to break the bows out and start practicing less than 60 days to the opening day of archery season on October 3rd!
Plenty of activity for the Club as well as we wrap up the summer. First of all I want to thank all of those that purchased ducks and all those members and businesses that sold ducks for our first annual Boonie Club "Duck Race" fundraiser that was held on July 11th on the Stevens Branch from the Lake Sunapee Bank to Seaver Field. We ended up selling around 370 ducks in total, not quite a total sell out of the 500 ducks we had available but a very respectable showing for our first effort! We netted a little over a $1000.00 for the Club's treasury, not bad at all. As for the results it was Brian Bailey's duck #95 that crossed the finish line first winning the $750.00 prize money, congratulations Brian! Ned McCarthy's duck #32 was second and Club member James Scott's duck #279 came across third. I can't tell you how cool it was to see all those bobbing plastic ducky's come around the bend in the brook and into site of the finish line. We had about 25 people at the finish line to watch the ducks come across and finish the race. Special thanks to Dave Wilder, Steve and Marion Gray, and "duck wrangler" Tony Hedges for helping out the day of the event. Looking forward to next years race already and have some thoughts as to how we can make it an even bigger event!
Hunter safety courses are the weekend of August 15th and 16th at the Club House grounds. All those interested in participating should have signed up by now and for the most part completed their at home study work books. Anyone that has any questions concerning either the firearms or archery courses can contact hunter safety course coordinator for the Club Marion Gray at 802-456-8862 or e-mail atmgsutpl@comcast.net. Marion has informed me that both courses are full with 35 students in each. With that being said we need volunteers to help out during both classes. You do not need to be a certified instructor to assist with these classes only a desire to help new hunters become safe hunters as they join our ranks. Anyone willing to help out on either Saturday, Sunday or both days if at all possible we would love to have you attend this months regular meeting at the Club House Wednesdaythe 12th at 7:00 PM to discuss duties. If you cant attend the meeting Wednesday but are able to help out over the weekend please contact Marion at the the above phone number or e-mail address, it will be greatly appreciated.
Speaking of Wednesdays meeting I am planning on arriving at the grounds at 1:00 PM to do some yard work in preparation of the weekends hunter safety courses. Anyone that can show up early and help out with trimming, mowing, and set-up of the obstacle course it will be greatly appreciated! Rakes, brooms, and grass trimmers if available would be great if they could be brought along.
And speaking of "mowing" I would like to take the time here to thank Paul Hill for keeping the Club House grounds mowed as he has for the last 3 years. Paul has taken this task upon and it has been greatly appreciated and I apologize for not having mentioned it sooner. If any of you know Paul or see him out and about please make sure and thank him for his efforts!
As mentioned in last months letter building chairman Steve Gray has secured the lumber for the exterior siding of the Club House and it has been delivered to the grounds. The last 3 windows have been ordered as well as the double main entry door. With these last items secured we will be selecting some dates to finish up the last of the exterior buttoning up of the building and can then start the next phases in the interior kitchen, bathroom and electrical. Many hands make little work as soon as dates are selected I will send out an e-mail alert to request volunteers, the more the merrier.
See you all at the next meeting.
Boonie Club President
Mark McCarthy
Hello All,
Well with the calendar turning to August summer is starting to wind down. Now don't get me wrong there is plenty of nice warm weather to be had, but we'll be hunting before you know it! Time to break the bows out and start practicing less than 60 days to the opening day of archery season on October 3rd!
Plenty of activity for the Club as well as we wrap up the summer. First of all I want to thank all of those that purchased ducks and all those members and businesses that sold ducks for our first annual Boonie Club "Duck Race" fundraiser that was held on July 11th on the Stevens Branch from the Lake Sunapee Bank to Seaver Field. We ended up selling around 370 ducks in total, not quite a total sell out of the 500 ducks we had available but a very respectable showing for our first effort! We netted a little over a $1000.00 for the Club's treasury, not bad at all. As for the results it was Brian Bailey's duck #95 that crossed the finish line first winning the $750.00 prize money, congratulations Brian! Ned McCarthy's duck #32 was second and Club member James Scott's duck #279 came across third. I can't tell you how cool it was to see all those bobbing plastic ducky's come around the bend in the brook and into site of the finish line. We had about 25 people at the finish line to watch the ducks come across and finish the race. Special thanks to Dave Wilder, Steve and Marion Gray, and "duck wrangler" Tony Hedges for helping out the day of the event. Looking forward to next years race already and have some thoughts as to how we can make it an even bigger event!
Hunter safety courses are the weekend of August 15th and 16th at the Club House grounds. All those interested in participating should have signed up by now and for the most part completed their at home study work books. Anyone that has any questions concerning either the firearms or archery courses can contact hunter safety course coordinator for the Club Marion Gray at 802-456-8862 or e-mail atmgsutpl@comcast.net. Marion has informed me that both courses are full with 35 students in each. With that being said we need volunteers to help out during both classes. You do not need to be a certified instructor to assist with these classes only a desire to help new hunters become safe hunters as they join our ranks. Anyone willing to help out on either Saturday, Sunday or both days if at all possible we would love to have you attend this months regular meeting at the Club House Wednesdaythe 12th at 7:00 PM to discuss duties. If you cant attend the meeting Wednesday but are able to help out over the weekend please contact Marion at the the above phone number or e-mail address, it will be greatly appreciated.
Speaking of Wednesdays meeting I am planning on arriving at the grounds at 1:00 PM to do some yard work in preparation of the weekends hunter safety courses. Anyone that can show up early and help out with trimming, mowing, and set-up of the obstacle course it will be greatly appreciated! Rakes, brooms, and grass trimmers if available would be great if they could be brought along.
And speaking of "mowing" I would like to take the time here to thank Paul Hill for keeping the Club House grounds mowed as he has for the last 3 years. Paul has taken this task upon and it has been greatly appreciated and I apologize for not having mentioned it sooner. If any of you know Paul or see him out and about please make sure and thank him for his efforts!
As mentioned in last months letter building chairman Steve Gray has secured the lumber for the exterior siding of the Club House and it has been delivered to the grounds. The last 3 windows have been ordered as well as the double main entry door. With these last items secured we will be selecting some dates to finish up the last of the exterior buttoning up of the building and can then start the next phases in the interior kitchen, bathroom and electrical. Many hands make little work as soon as dates are selected I will send out an e-mail alert to request volunteers, the more the merrier.
See you all at the next meeting.
Boonie Club President
Mark McCarthy
July 2015
Hello All,
Summer is officially upon us! And if you and your families are anything like me and mine you are busier than "1 armed paper hangers!" Just not enough weekends in the summer to get it all done! However with that said my family and I just got back from the family vacation of a lifetime. We flew to Billings, Montana rented an RV and spent 10 wonderful days in Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Park's. In a word "amazing!" We saw bears, "black and grizzly", deer, "muleys and whitetails", elk, big horn sheep, mountain goats and more bison than you could shake a stick at! And not to mention all the other incredible scenery that included mountains, valleys, waterfalls and numerous geysers. Yes, we did see "Old Faithful" it was "10 minutes late" This is a trip that should be on every ones bucket list whether you are an outdoors person or not! Simply incredible!
Ok, back to Boonie Club business. Next on our schedule is our "First Annual Duck Race" fund raiser. It is scheduled for this Saturday July 11th at noon in Williamstown. The race will start at the Lake Sunapee Bank and end at Seaver Field.To date reports have been that duck sales have been a little slow, We need to sell at least 150 to cover the prize money and I would hope that we could make $500 profit so that means selling another 100 ducks for a total of 250 ducks sold. If everyone can bring all stubs and money for ducks sold so far to Wednesday's meeting or make arrangements to get them to myself so we can get an accurate accounting of where we stand it would be appreciated. We will make a decision at Wednesday's meeting if we need to postpone for a week or two to allow for more sales. Saturday is the town wide yard sale and we may have the opportunity to sell a number of them that morning. With that I'm thinking we will need 5-6 volunteers for this Saturday if we are a go. Contact me to let me know if you can be available. Probably looking at 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM and that early only because we may be looking to sell some more ducks.
Building chairman Steve Gray has secured the lumber for the exterior siding of the club house and we have the materials on site. We will be selecting a couple of Saturday's at this months meeting for work-bee dates to get it on the building.
Hunter education weekend is August 15th and 16th at the Club grounds. Firearms on Saturday and Archery on Sunday. If you know of anyone looking to participate in either or both courses direct them to the Vermont Fish and Wildlife web site to sign up sooner than later. Marion Gray is the chair of this most important weekend to the Club. If you have any questions or can volunteer she can be reached at 802-456-8862 or email at mgsutpl@comcast.net
DUCK RACE! JULY 11th AT NOON!
Our newest fund raiser, we have 400 ducks left that need to be sold! Sell them to your friends, sell them to your families, sell them to your co-workers. Its going to be awesome "500" rubber duckies bobbing down the brook in Williamstown from the Sunapee Bank to Seaver Field. $750 dollars to the owner of the fastest duck! Ducks are $5.00 a piece please help sell some ducks, contact me for tickets. We need to sell them all to make this a success!
See you all at the next meeting.
Boonie Club President
Mark McCarthy
Hello All,
Summer is officially upon us! And if you and your families are anything like me and mine you are busier than "1 armed paper hangers!" Just not enough weekends in the summer to get it all done! However with that said my family and I just got back from the family vacation of a lifetime. We flew to Billings, Montana rented an RV and spent 10 wonderful days in Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Park's. In a word "amazing!" We saw bears, "black and grizzly", deer, "muleys and whitetails", elk, big horn sheep, mountain goats and more bison than you could shake a stick at! And not to mention all the other incredible scenery that included mountains, valleys, waterfalls and numerous geysers. Yes, we did see "Old Faithful" it was "10 minutes late" This is a trip that should be on every ones bucket list whether you are an outdoors person or not! Simply incredible!
Ok, back to Boonie Club business. Next on our schedule is our "First Annual Duck Race" fund raiser. It is scheduled for this Saturday July 11th at noon in Williamstown. The race will start at the Lake Sunapee Bank and end at Seaver Field.To date reports have been that duck sales have been a little slow, We need to sell at least 150 to cover the prize money and I would hope that we could make $500 profit so that means selling another 100 ducks for a total of 250 ducks sold. If everyone can bring all stubs and money for ducks sold so far to Wednesday's meeting or make arrangements to get them to myself so we can get an accurate accounting of where we stand it would be appreciated. We will make a decision at Wednesday's meeting if we need to postpone for a week or two to allow for more sales. Saturday is the town wide yard sale and we may have the opportunity to sell a number of them that morning. With that I'm thinking we will need 5-6 volunteers for this Saturday if we are a go. Contact me to let me know if you can be available. Probably looking at 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM and that early only because we may be looking to sell some more ducks.
Building chairman Steve Gray has secured the lumber for the exterior siding of the club house and we have the materials on site. We will be selecting a couple of Saturday's at this months meeting for work-bee dates to get it on the building.
Hunter education weekend is August 15th and 16th at the Club grounds. Firearms on Saturday and Archery on Sunday. If you know of anyone looking to participate in either or both courses direct them to the Vermont Fish and Wildlife web site to sign up sooner than later. Marion Gray is the chair of this most important weekend to the Club. If you have any questions or can volunteer she can be reached at 802-456-8862 or email at mgsutpl@comcast.net
DUCK RACE! JULY 11th AT NOON!
Our newest fund raiser, we have 400 ducks left that need to be sold! Sell them to your friends, sell them to your families, sell them to your co-workers. Its going to be awesome "500" rubber duckies bobbing down the brook in Williamstown from the Sunapee Bank to Seaver Field. $750 dollars to the owner of the fastest duck! Ducks are $5.00 a piece please help sell some ducks, contact me for tickets. We need to sell them all to make this a success!
See you all at the next meeting.
Boonie Club President
Mark McCarthy
June 2015
Hello All,
I hope everyone's Turkey season was successful and you all had plenty of time afield. I was fortunate enough to be in on a couple of successful hunts, one for myself and one for my good friend Randy as well as several other "close calls". If fishing is your thing than this is prime time as well. With summer temperatures struggling to reach us brooks, streams and rivers should be good bets for this time of year. And for you lake fisherman many fishing derby's are scheduled for June, including the "grand daddy" of them all the LCI! which takes place over fathers day weekend as always.
Speaking of fishing derby's the Boonie Club held our annual "Joey Gingras Memorial Let's-Go-Fishing Day" this past Saturday at the Mike Poulin residence. Although a little cool due to the wind we had a great day with 12-15 kids participating in the event. Mark Scott from the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department was on hand as usual and helped organize the 4, fun and informative workshops for the kids and parents in attendance. After that "chef" Wilder grilled up lunch for all and the then the fishing commenced. The bass in Mike's pond had some of the kids hopping right off as worms hit the water. After a while the trout started to cooperate and a few spots around the pond got hot!. I had to leave early but had seen a dozen or so trout landed prior to my departure.
Thank you to all the members that volunteered their time to make the event a huge success as usual. And a special thanks to Mike and Betty Poulin for hosting the event at their home. Without their support the event wouldn't happen.
DUCK RACE! JULY 11th AT NOON
Our newest fund raiser, we have 400 ducks left that need to be sold! Sell them to your friends, sell them to your families, sell them to your co-workers. Its going to be awesome "500" rubber duckies bobbing down the brook in Williamstown from the Sunapee Bank to Seaver Field. $750 dollars to the owner of the fastest duck! Ducks are $5.00 a piece please help sell some ducks, contact me for tickets. We need to sell them all to make this a success!
Building committee chairman Steve Gray is gather prices for the remaining windows and siding to cover the exterior of the building. We hope to have these supplies by the end of the month and will be scheduling some time to complete the work. Stay tuned and we will pass along the schedule. As the old saying goes, "many hands make little work"!
See you all at the next meeting.
Boonie Club President
Mark McCarthy
Hello All,
I hope everyone's Turkey season was successful and you all had plenty of time afield. I was fortunate enough to be in on a couple of successful hunts, one for myself and one for my good friend Randy as well as several other "close calls". If fishing is your thing than this is prime time as well. With summer temperatures struggling to reach us brooks, streams and rivers should be good bets for this time of year. And for you lake fisherman many fishing derby's are scheduled for June, including the "grand daddy" of them all the LCI! which takes place over fathers day weekend as always.
Speaking of fishing derby's the Boonie Club held our annual "Joey Gingras Memorial Let's-Go-Fishing Day" this past Saturday at the Mike Poulin residence. Although a little cool due to the wind we had a great day with 12-15 kids participating in the event. Mark Scott from the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department was on hand as usual and helped organize the 4, fun and informative workshops for the kids and parents in attendance. After that "chef" Wilder grilled up lunch for all and the then the fishing commenced. The bass in Mike's pond had some of the kids hopping right off as worms hit the water. After a while the trout started to cooperate and a few spots around the pond got hot!. I had to leave early but had seen a dozen or so trout landed prior to my departure.
Thank you to all the members that volunteered their time to make the event a huge success as usual. And a special thanks to Mike and Betty Poulin for hosting the event at their home. Without their support the event wouldn't happen.
DUCK RACE! JULY 11th AT NOON
Our newest fund raiser, we have 400 ducks left that need to be sold! Sell them to your friends, sell them to your families, sell them to your co-workers. Its going to be awesome "500" rubber duckies bobbing down the brook in Williamstown from the Sunapee Bank to Seaver Field. $750 dollars to the owner of the fastest duck! Ducks are $5.00 a piece please help sell some ducks, contact me for tickets. We need to sell them all to make this a success!
Building committee chairman Steve Gray is gather prices for the remaining windows and siding to cover the exterior of the building. We hope to have these supplies by the end of the month and will be scheduling some time to complete the work. Stay tuned and we will pass along the schedule. As the old saying goes, "many hands make little work"!
See you all at the next meeting.
Boonie Club President
Mark McCarthy
May 2015
Hello All,
Hope this newsletter finds you all well and enjoying the spring weather that has finally arrived. With May comes turkey season for both youths and adults and I hope everyone has had a chance to get out and listen to some birds gobble!
April was a busy month with a lot of activity for the Boonie Club. First we held our annual Big Game Raffle the evening of April 18th at the American Legion in Barre. Thank you to Dave Wilder for chairing another very successful fundraiser. Thank you to Tony Hedges and Denny Barney for putting on a great meal again this year! Thank you to Jim Hepsely and his "Vanna" Matt Shangraw for doing a super job MC'ing the event. Thanks to all those businesses and individuals that donated prizes for all to enjoy. And congratulations to Cameron Torres for winning the Grand Prize of a one-on-one guided elk and deer hunt with Northwest Montana Outfitters!
We also drew the winner of our Spring Gun Raffle. Thanks to Chris Wilder for chairing that successful fundraiser and congratulations to Ron Brassard and his win of a Ruger American rifle in .270 caliber.
Other dates to mark on your calendars are June 6th for our Joey Gingras Memorial "Let's-go-Fishing Day" to be held at the Mike Poulin residence on Rood Pond Road in Williamstown. Activities will commence at 8:00 AM are open to children from 5-12 years of age. Contact Mark McCarthy for more information.
Our first annual Boonie Club "Duck Race" fundraiser will be held July 11th at high noon in Williamstown. The race will commence at the Sunapee Bank and end at the bridge adjacent to the Seaver ball field. Price per duck is $5.00 each with $750 going to the first place finisher! Contact Mark McCarthy for more info and to purchase ducks.
Hunter education courses will be held at the Club house grounds August 15th for firearms and August 16th for archery. Contact Marion Gray for more information.
Steve Gray and his building committee have been hard at work getting estimates to get the Club House finished to a point that we can hold our Annual Meeting there January of 2016. It has been discussed at the past couple of meetings to borrow an amount of money to complete these projects. As soon as we have a firm number we will be putting it out to the entire membership for a vote and approval. We hope to have a complete list of materials and services needed to complete this project in the next week or so. When this list is completed we will be looking for any donations of materials and services to help complete the work required.
Member, members, members! We need more members if every current member could sign up 2-3 new members that we help out tremendously with our expenses. Jim Hepsley is our membership chairman this year contact him for cards and any other questions.
Boonie Club Web Site. Our new site has been launched! We are still working on content and the flow but once it is complete it is going to be much more user friendly for both members as well as the individuals maintaining the site. We are planning on having many more photos from events and a members "gallery" to show case successful hunts and fishing trips. We will soon have the bugs worked out of the program to allow us to accept payments for raffle tickets, club house shares and most importantly "memberships" We will keep you posted.
Hope to see you all at the May meeting Wednesday May 13th at 7:00 PM Boonie Club House.
Boonie Club President
Mark McCarthy
Hello All,
Hope this newsletter finds you all well and enjoying the spring weather that has finally arrived. With May comes turkey season for both youths and adults and I hope everyone has had a chance to get out and listen to some birds gobble!
April was a busy month with a lot of activity for the Boonie Club. First we held our annual Big Game Raffle the evening of April 18th at the American Legion in Barre. Thank you to Dave Wilder for chairing another very successful fundraiser. Thank you to Tony Hedges and Denny Barney for putting on a great meal again this year! Thank you to Jim Hepsely and his "Vanna" Matt Shangraw for doing a super job MC'ing the event. Thanks to all those businesses and individuals that donated prizes for all to enjoy. And congratulations to Cameron Torres for winning the Grand Prize of a one-on-one guided elk and deer hunt with Northwest Montana Outfitters!
We also drew the winner of our Spring Gun Raffle. Thanks to Chris Wilder for chairing that successful fundraiser and congratulations to Ron Brassard and his win of a Ruger American rifle in .270 caliber.
Other dates to mark on your calendars are June 6th for our Joey Gingras Memorial "Let's-go-Fishing Day" to be held at the Mike Poulin residence on Rood Pond Road in Williamstown. Activities will commence at 8:00 AM are open to children from 5-12 years of age. Contact Mark McCarthy for more information.
Our first annual Boonie Club "Duck Race" fundraiser will be held July 11th at high noon in Williamstown. The race will commence at the Sunapee Bank and end at the bridge adjacent to the Seaver ball field. Price per duck is $5.00 each with $750 going to the first place finisher! Contact Mark McCarthy for more info and to purchase ducks.
Hunter education courses will be held at the Club house grounds August 15th for firearms and August 16th for archery. Contact Marion Gray for more information.
Steve Gray and his building committee have been hard at work getting estimates to get the Club House finished to a point that we can hold our Annual Meeting there January of 2016. It has been discussed at the past couple of meetings to borrow an amount of money to complete these projects. As soon as we have a firm number we will be putting it out to the entire membership for a vote and approval. We hope to have a complete list of materials and services needed to complete this project in the next week or so. When this list is completed we will be looking for any donations of materials and services to help complete the work required.
Member, members, members! We need more members if every current member could sign up 2-3 new members that we help out tremendously with our expenses. Jim Hepsley is our membership chairman this year contact him for cards and any other questions.
Boonie Club Web Site. Our new site has been launched! We are still working on content and the flow but once it is complete it is going to be much more user friendly for both members as well as the individuals maintaining the site. We are planning on having many more photos from events and a members "gallery" to show case successful hunts and fishing trips. We will soon have the bugs worked out of the program to allow us to accept payments for raffle tickets, club house shares and most importantly "memberships" We will keep you posted.
Hope to see you all at the May meeting Wednesday May 13th at 7:00 PM Boonie Club House.
Boonie Club President
Mark McCarthy
August 2014
There will be a workbee held at our clubhouse on Grand View Road, Williamstown on August 2nd, starting at 8:00am, to finish closing in clubhouse, framing, window installation etc. Please bring your own tools and a chair. Lunch will be provided.
Help is needed to set up for Hunter Education Safety Courses on August 22nd late afternoon for classes to be held the following 2 days, August 23 and 24th field exercise courses and tables and chairs, audio/visual testing etc. Contact Marion GraY AT 456-8862 TO VOLUNTEER.
Our next meeting will be held August 13th at the Clubhouse, come and see the progress made on closing in the clubhouse and discuss upcoming Jamie Gray Memorial Filed Day, tentatively set for September 13th. There will be three challenges, archery (3D targets), fishing(casting) and muzzleloader (targets in the past have been 5 playing cards with highest hand winning if shot through.). Teams are made up of 3 members and each must compete in two of the three challenges, with no more that two team members in each challenge. We have lots of fun, gets us warmed up for hunting seasons, and spend time with other club members. At least one member of each team must be a Boonie Club member, and up to two guest team members are allowed. Bring your own equipment to participate. Be sure to bring your own chairs. A fine "hunter's lunch will be served". More info at the meeting.
** Memberships are now due for 2015 calendar year. Click here to renew.
There will be a workbee held at our clubhouse on Grand View Road, Williamstown on August 2nd, starting at 8:00am, to finish closing in clubhouse, framing, window installation etc. Please bring your own tools and a chair. Lunch will be provided.
Help is needed to set up for Hunter Education Safety Courses on August 22nd late afternoon for classes to be held the following 2 days, August 23 and 24th field exercise courses and tables and chairs, audio/visual testing etc. Contact Marion GraY AT 456-8862 TO VOLUNTEER.
Our next meeting will be held August 13th at the Clubhouse, come and see the progress made on closing in the clubhouse and discuss upcoming Jamie Gray Memorial Filed Day, tentatively set for September 13th. There will be three challenges, archery (3D targets), fishing(casting) and muzzleloader (targets in the past have been 5 playing cards with highest hand winning if shot through.). Teams are made up of 3 members and each must compete in two of the three challenges, with no more that two team members in each challenge. We have lots of fun, gets us warmed up for hunting seasons, and spend time with other club members. At least one member of each team must be a Boonie Club member, and up to two guest team members are allowed. Bring your own equipment to participate. Be sure to bring your own chairs. A fine "hunter's lunch will be served". More info at the meeting.
** Memberships are now due for 2015 calendar year. Click here to renew.