Hi Folks, This post is a spin-off from the "Who Does This" post. I am curious about who volunteers to maintain an archery range or picks up trash from public lands as opposed to who leaves trash. I expect responses to have a positive attitude. Each of you has my respect and thanks.

I try to do what is needed to keep our archery range in good condition. Indoors I sweep the floor, clean windows and screens, take out trash, replace light bulbs, wash tabletops, set up the dehumidifier, clean the bathroom, and pick up after other archers. Outside I cut the lawn areas, trim brush, chainsaw downed trees, and keep the shooting lanes clear of debris and poison ivy.

What do you do?

"What do you do?"

Not as much as I used to.

Turned 70 this year, had a go around with colon cancer 3 years ago, have arthritis and some other miseries. Can't do heavy lifts and sometimes the best thing for me to do is just say out of the way.

Things I still can do, and do;

- Weed whipping 3D Trail/Lanes and the Practice Range - Trim branches on the 3D Trail - Make number signs for the 3D Trail Lanes - Remove fallen trees off the 3D rail, if within my abilities - Help at work parties as much as I can - Minor repairs - Report stuff I can't handle to the executive - Pickup trash - Mentor and encourage new trad members

I was an active member of Bearstate Bowhunters in San Diego for 35 years+ . I believe the only thing I didn’t do was run the website. I wanted a place to shoot so I did what was necessary from cleaning up to filling out state and federal income tax forms. I am glad to see you have the same attitude. So many just want to shoot and go home. The success of a club is not how many members there are but how many work to make the club successful. Thank you.

I am the acting historian for the San Diego Archers. I volunteered much more before I retired three years ago....go figure. I still do but far less often.

One of the other guys here - I won’t call him out ;) - is our range captain, and he puts in a lot of hours just keeping the rest of us knuckleheads organized as we run weed- whackers, lawn mowers, leaf blowers, chain saws, log splitter and maintain the backstops, replace cores in 3Ds, and drag in the big hunks of old tires that seem to sprout out of the soil on a regular basis.

MCGroundstalker also puts in Crazy Time organizing our Trad Shoots, rigging up novelty shots, knockablock targets, installing “Trad” stakes in ridiculous spots and so forth.

I make sure to hold up my end on work parties, and one great thing about a relatively high capacity back quiver is that I always have a place to put all of the lost & busted arrows that I come across. I guess we’re lucky that we don’t run across a lot of garbage. Now if we could just track down and throw out the moron(s) who shoot broadheads on the 3D targets and NFAA backstops. You would think that the 3 big Blob targets which we have SPECIFICALLY for BH practice and tuning, but OF COURSE there are always a coupla jerks who don’t think the rules apply to them….

I maintain Legend's Range, out in the driveway. Shot there tonight.

Joe

I help maintain a 28 target field range, building maintenance and general maid.

Yesterday cleared Russian Olive trees blocking one of our elevated platforms. Today I'll shoot the course at the shoot.

I don't have a nearby range anymore, but in my younger days I attended many a work party and even started an archery club...along with a couple friends of course. Helped to maintain archery ranges for a few decades until most just faded away as 3D ate up field archery and target cost skyrocketed.

As for being a caretaker of the land, I always have a small garbage back in my fanny pack. Something I've done for quite a number of years now. Anymore, mylar balloons are about the worst thing, they show up everywhere like neon signs.

I'm not part of any range, and don't go to public shoots, but even at my own place I seem to have to clean-up constantly. The balloons George speaks of will be hung up in places, and randomly old cups or water bottles show up. Most have been chewed on so I suppose a stray dog or coyote was playing and left me a surprise. I have only a couple primary lanes I shoot down so keeping the thicket beat back is no big deal. NOW.. In camp with the crew I get to hunt with, I am continually cleaning up all sorts of trash left in deer blinds, or around the deer hanger. It's always easy to tell who was there before you by what was left.

-Bones

The only ranges I maintain is my yard and my 20-yard range in my basement. I used to belong to a couple sportsman clubs near me, but they didn't have a lot for archery and bowhunting.

I maintain a target butt and envy basements.

I set up a traditional 30 target 3D range at John A. Logan college in S.ILL a few years ago. Everyone else had to work. One of the areas I bow hunt called Cedar Bluff has a waterfall that people visit. Whenever the guys that used to work the parks there would see I signed in to hunt, they would give me a plastic bag to clean up the garbage, because they knew I would.

I keep the club 3-D range trimmed clear - trails and shooting lanes. Plan the target sets, add new trails, 'supervise' the set-up, keep track of yardages, handle registration. (I have 'muscle' for actually lugging and setting targets ;-) ) It's great when you can add a new shot to the course and it turns out well.

I frequently picked up whatever trash was left at the outdoor city public archery range I shot at back in the '90s. I made and hung bow racks there as well. In fact they are still there.

I was shooting there one day back in the '90s and long ago and heard scuffling flapping noise in the gable end building soffit at the back of the range. I realized there was a bird trapped in there.

I went home got some tools and a ladder. I pulled loose the soffit and out flew a starling, and out dropped many dozens of dead starlings that got trapped and mummified in there. Repaired the loose soffit at the top so no more birds could get in. Yup all kinda fun it was. I quit shooting there in 2000 when I built our house and started shooting on our place.

Legends Range.......jeesh. And I thought I was the only one!

Funny thing, I was asked to help a local club prepare for their annual 2 day 3 D shoot.

They thought they would not have enough members show up. I was a member five

years ago. I showed up and worked the morning before the shoot. The funny thing was

I was treated better than when I was a member and thanked for my help.

At our archery club, 10% of us do all the range maintenance and target setup and takedown. The rest just shoot and look good !

I only maintain my range. I had a 20 target range about 15 years ago and some maggots stole all the targets one night.

I do on my own place

I got a call Friday, club was going to cancel the monthly 3d today because of "lack of vollenteers" I said "ok well I'm going to set it up anyways." Guess what didn't get cancelled. Even had 8 others show up to set.

Mostly I pick up trash, clear trails, fix targets, and tell ppl they are going the wrong way.

The one club I shoot 3 D's has a weekly shoot ( 20 ) targets only got 10 shooters out per

week this year, mostly all compound shooters. What is happening (?).

The one club I shoot 3 D's has a weekly shoot ( 20 ) targets only got 10 shooters out per

week this year, mostly all compound shooters. What is happening (?).

I still belong To Wills Mt Archers it is about 9 miles south of Manns Choice along rt 96 .I help there and go to the shoots .We are having a shoot sept 25 th I posted on the Bowsite .

Our Club is maintained by us during the year.

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