FCS
Hunting for God, Fishing for Souls
Serving Texas Sportsmen Since 1988
Welcome to The Fellowship of Christian Sportsmen (FCS) website! We hope that you’ll find we’re what you’re hunting for!
Events (Includes Event Policies and the 2026 and 2027 Events Calendars)
Information on Frequently-hosted FCS Events
How to Join FCS / How to Renew Your FCS Membership
FCS is a non-denominational, non-political, family-friendly hunting (primarily bird hunting), fishing, clays sports shooting, and related activities club, established in Austin, Texas in 1988. FCS serves sportsmen by offering quality and affordable fellowship opportunities for people to experience hunting, fishing, sports shooting, and similar pursuits in the beauty of God’s creation across primarily Central Texas year-round.
FCS encourages people to:
- establish and maintain a personal relationship with Jesus Christ;
- serve God and others; and
- fellowship in a local body of Christians that teaches the Bible is the inspired word of God to man.
FCS is the nation’s longest-running Christian-based sportsmen’s club that offers hunting, fishing, and clays sports shooting events, that we’re aware of. We have 397 members (including 75 supporting members – current with their dues, as of 10/23/26). We’re non-profit but aren’t an IRS Section 501(c)(3) religious organization (we haven’t applied for tax-exempt status because our gross receipts don’t exceed $5,000 annually). We remain based in the Austin area. We don’t have a brick and mortar location (for meetings, we meet in members’ homes). Our mailing address is our president’s address.
FCS membership, church membership, and being a Christian aren’t required to participate in FCS events; however, FCS members and guests must uphold the FCS Rules of Conduct while on FCS events and being a Christian is a membership requirement. For events where we limit the number of people we can take, we have an Event Hierarchy (pecking order) – supporting members (current in their dues) are given top priority. Of course, we appreciate it when people join FCS, as that helps us meet our expenses, including our $1,000,000 liability insurance policy and our website hosting.
All adult members and guests who participate in potentially dangerous FCS events must sign a lifetime FCS Members and Guests Release of Liability Waiver. The parent, guardian, or conservator of a youth who does not have a parent, guardian, or conservator who is an FCS member must sign a one-time FCS Members and Guests Release of Liability Waiver prior to the youth participating in potentially dangerous FCS activities. The Release of Liability Waiver is valid until the youth turns 18 years old.
FCS Events
Our 2026 events include:
- A Family Celebration Banquet
- A Guided Upland Bird (Pheasant and Quail) Hunt
- A Self-guided Prairie Dog Shoot (Hunt)
- Chartered Catfish, Crappie, and Hybrid/Striped Bass Fishing Trips
- FCS Meetings/Dinners
- FCS Sporting Clays Shoots
- Guided Duck, Sandhill Crane, and Teal Hunts
- Ministry Events (Dinners)
- NSCA Sporting Clays Tournaments
- Self-chartered Bay Fishing Trips (boat and kayak)
- Self-chartered Freshwater Fishing Trips (boat, kayak, and bank)
- Self-guided Duck and Teal Hunts
- Semi-guided Dove Hunts
Meetings/dinners, Banquets, and Sporting Clays Shoots last around 2 1/2 hours, and hunting and fishing trips last from a half-day to four days.
We work hard to succeed, but don’t offer a guaranteed harvest for our hunts and fishing trips.
We try to balance expensive and inexpensive events. From many years of experience, we have found that inexpensive guided hunting and chartered fishing trips often result in poor harvests (as the saying goes, you get what you pay for) and in frustrated participants who don’t return; therefore, we offer events at standard landowner, outfitter, or guide rates for a better chance of success.
We also offer self-guided and self-chartered trips, but we probably won’t be as successful on those trips as we are on guided and chartered trips with full-time guides.
Some of our events require an RSVP and some require a deposit. If you RSVP for an event, and then change your mind, please let the event coordinator know. Not fulfilling our promises is a sure way to lose landowners, outfitters, and guides!
Additional expenses often include tips, game cleaning fees (for those who wish to have their game cleaned by the guide), shared boat launch or state or county park entrance fees, shared gas (both vehicle and boat), shared toll road fees, shared lodging expenses, shared bait expenses, and food.
We know that not everyone can afford guided/chartered and semi-guided events; therefore, we offer self-guided/chartered events (without guide fees and tips and game cleaning fees; although we still share boat launch or park entrance fees, gas (both vehicle and boat), toll road fees, lodging expenses, and bait expenses and everyone pays for their food).
Of course, for our self-guided/chartered events, we usually don’t do as well as we do on our guided or chartered events, as guides are on the water up to 262 days a year (if they’re off on weekends), and we’re not on the water more than 24 days a year, generally speaking. Our equipment is also not as good as the typical guide’s, as their equipment is top of the line and more than most of us can afford.
FCS Email Distribution List
We distribute a weekly E-newsletter and regular emails on imminent FCS events, and sportsmen’s topics (e.g., TPWD communications, DU and CCA banquets, charity sporting clays shoots, sportsmen’s gear sales, etc.). To be added to our ‘Future Members’ Google Group (distribution list), contact Randy Rowley, FCS president. Being in a Google Group (we also have Supporting Members and Future Supporting Members Google Groups) is the best way to find out about imminent events. There is no charge to be in a Google Group, and unsubscribing is easy by simply responding to one of FCS president Randy Rowley’s emails with “Unsubscribe.” Please do not follow Google’s instructions to unsubscribe as the email that it generates will be sent to everyone in that Google Group.
Website Policies
- FCS has the following website policies:
- Apps, Website Enhancements (a New Website, Bug Fixes, Enhancements, Website Redesign, etc.), Promotions, Website Optimization Campaigns (SEO), Marketing, etc. Policy
- Becoming a Registered User Policy
- Buying Email Lists Policy
- Guests’ Articles and Links Submission Policy
Emphasized Information
Additional Information and Questions
See our “About Us” web page or contact Randy Rowley, FCS president.
FCS and Sportsmen’s News
- Notification of Data Security Incident at the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department – see https://tpwd.texas.gov/
about/notification-of-data- security-incident (if you bought a hunting or fishing license this could affect you) - A screwworm infection of a cow has been found in South Texas. See https://www.kxan.com/news/usda-announces-possible-new-world-screwworm-infection-in-south-texas/. Wildlife also has the potential to be infected.
The Staccato Ranch near Florence is offering all-you-can-shoot sporting clays on Thursdays from 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM for $50 (includes clays but doesn’t include ammo – bring your own or buy from them). Their web page includes how to book. These shoots are open to the public and include sporting clays and 5-stand. Buy or bring your own ammo. Their price is cheaper than what we paid on 5/9/26 at Capitol City Clays for 100 targets. There is no posted expiration date on their web page. Bruce Crockett proposes doing this in the fall when it’s cooler, starting at 9:00 AM and “shooting until we get our money’s worth.“ He also noted that their sporting clays course is around 1/2 mile from their clubhouse, so carts will probably need to be rented. If we can get more than one commitment, I’ll put it on our Calendar. If you’re interested in doing one of these shoots, contact Bruce. - 11/16/24 – Bad news – the ramps at Lake Decker are closed until at least 2027 while the City of Austin repairs the dam! See their web page. However, you can still launch kayaks, canoes, and small boats from shore.
- FCS president Randy Rowley encourages FCS members and guests to support the fishing guides that we employ – Seth Hobbs, Bob Maindelle, and Marty Medford, by hiring them and buying from their stores. Seth’s store is Chasing Stripers, Bob’s store is on his website, and Marty has a physical store – Marty’s Landing/Mama’s Kitchen in Port O’Connor. Also, Ingram Bait and Tackle, between Burnet and Lake Buchanan, sell Seth’s lures. I also recommend hiring two other freshwater fishing guides who we employ who don’t have stores – FCS member Kevin McConnell and Tommy Tidwell and a hunting guide who we employ who doesn’t have a store – Mike Schumann (for upland birds).
- FCS president Randy Rowley is offering his book, ‘Pursuing God’s Way: Meeting God In His Creation’ at a discount to FCS members and guests. Signed books are $10 (that’s 33% off of the Amazon price). The book contains 40 stories/devotionals, many from FCS hunting, fishing, and sports shooting events, including many of our most successful events. The book is a great means to learn what FCS is all about. If you want a book mailed to you, the cost is $4 (for one or two books). Or you can mail a check to him. He can also bring books to FCS meetings and other events so members can avoid the mailing fee, with sufficient notice. Contact Randy for his address, his Venmo, PayPal (please select ‘Friends and Family’ or he’ll have to pay the PayPal fees), and Cash App usernames, or if you have any questions. Randy asks FCS members who buy his book on Amazon to please write an Amazon review after reading it. As of 1/1/25, signed books are offered to new FCS members as a membership benefit at no cost.
11/16/24 – Bad news – the ramps at Lake Decker are closed until at least 2027 while the City of Austin repairs the dam! See 