1/1/10 – State of the Club

We had a setback for the October – December quarter of 2009.  Our attendance was 105 people, which was our fifth best for this quarter, and was far behind last year’s attendance of 160 for this quarter.  However, we still blew away what was our average for this quarter (61).

We had 12 events, which was our third best for this quarter.

We had two men join the Club, 13 members renew their memberships, and six first time guests.

We had one supporting members vote, two officers’ votes, and one poll.

Yearly Attendance Grid

Yearly Events Grid

* = Record

# = Includes Drott and/or Sullivan season dove lease hunts

2009 was a good, but not great year for the Club.  We had 449 attendees for the year, which was out fourth best year to date.  We hosted 51 events, which was also our fourth best year to date.

As was noted on the 2009 Statistics page, we set three attendance records for event categories in 2009: duck hunts (21; the old mark was 18), deer and hog hunts (12; the old mark was 8), and deer hunts (11, this is the first year that we have had deer only hunts).  We also tied the attendance record for Club Meetings in 2009 (113).

We also set six event attendance records in 2009, including: a Club meeting (28), a ‘Hunters and Shooters Night’ at the Dell Diamond (19), a coastal non-guided/non-chartered blast and cast (13), a deer and hog hunt (12), a deer hunt (5), and a guided teal hunt (4).  We also tied one event attendance record in 2009 – a Shrimp Boil (16).

We canceled a chartered Bay Fishing Trip and a non-chartered Coastal Fishing Trip and were not able to put together a Concealed Handgun License Class.

Our average number of attendees per event was up from 8.47 in 2008 to 8.80 in 2009.

We ended the year with our highest number of membership renewals (49; the record was 48), our second highest number of active members (60; the record is 81), tying our third highest number of first time guests (38; the record is 50), and tying our seventh highest number of new members (11, the record is 32).

During Fiscal Year 2009 (9/1/08 – 8/31/09) we took in $1,791.87, which was our best to date (the old record was $1,690.96).

For the first time, we did not meet any of my annual goals, including:

1. Gain 20 new members.  We gained 11.
2. End the year with 65 active members.  We ended the year with 60.
3. Have 550 participants.  We had 449 participants.
4. Implement 70 events.  We implemented 51 events.
5. Implement a Father/Child Sporting Clays and Skeet Shoot.  We postponed this event.
6. Implement a Sporting Clays and Skeet Shoot with a church youth group.  We postponed this event.

The primary reason that we did not achieve the first four goals is the resignation of the Buda chapter officers due to other commitments.  The Buda chapter hosted five events and had 19 participants, and I had projected them to repeat what they did last year (hosting 24 events and having 210 participants).  If they had implemented 24 events again we would have met my goal of 70 events.  If they had had 210 participants again we would have shattered my goal of 550 participants (we would have had 640).  If the Buda chapter had functioned as it had last year we also probably would have gained 10 more members, which would have exceeded my goal of 20 new members, and probably would have easily exceeded my goal of 65 active members.

I also stopped counting the FCS members and guests attendance at the Drott Dove Lease near Buda and the Sullivan Dove Lease near Woodson, as the hunts at these leases are not truly FCS hunts (they are hunts comprised of dove lease members, some of whom are also FCS members, and their guests).  Last year, for example, we had 25 FCS participants at Drott lease hunts and 11 FCS participants at Sullivan lease hunts (a total of 36 FCS participants).  If I had counted the attendance from the 2009 Drott and Sullivan lease hunts our attendance would have been up around another 36 people.

We postponed the 11/14/09 Father/Child and Youth Five Stand and Skeet Shoot because of scheduling conflicts with Capitol City Trap & Skeet Club.  We have scheduled it again for 6/19/10 (Father’s Day weekend).

For 2010 I have five goals:

1. Gain 12 new members.
2. End the year with 66 active members.
3. Have 494 participants.
4. Implement 49 events.
5. Implement a Father/Child and Youth Five Stand and Skeet Shoot.

Also, I have had conversations with two FCS members who are interested in starting Del Rio and Hays County FCS chapters.  Hopefully, we’ll get those going in 2010.

The next quarter promises to be an exciting one for FCS members and guests.  We have 15 events planned, including:

• Friday, 1/1/10, 9:30 AM – 3:30 PM – “Bring in the New Year” Shooting Range Shoot at the Eagle Peak Shooting Range near Jonestown.
• Friday, 1/1/10 through Sunday, 1/3/10 – Winter Dove Hunt at Lee Ewald’s ranches near Dilley.
• Saturday, 1/9/10 (tentative), 9:00 – 11:30 AM – Sporting Clays Shoot at the Capitol City Trap & Skeet Club (8707 Lindell Lane, 512-272-4707).
• Monday, 1/18/10 (tentative), 6:30 – 8:30 PM – Officers Meeting at the Iron Cactus Mexican Grill (10001 Stonelake Blvd., Austin, 512-794-8778).
• Friday, 1/22/10 through Sunday, 1/24/10 – Coastal Non-Guided/Non-Chartered Blast and Cast (Duck Hunt and Bay Fishing Trip) near Corpus Christi.
• Friday, 1/29/10 through Sunday, 1/31/10 (tentative) – Non-Guided Hog Hunt at the CzC Ranch near Mercury.
• Monday, 2/1/10, 7:00 – 9:00 PM – Club Meeting at Ron Denison’s home (1009 Ambrose Cove, Pflugerville, 512-670-7717 – Home and Work, 512-217-4677 – Cell).
• Saturday, 2/6/10 (tentative) – Guided Upland Bird Hunt with Joe Schram (tentative) at a location to be announced.
• Saturday, 2/13/10 (tentative) 9:00 – 11:30 AM – Sporting Clays Shoot at the Capitol City Trap & Skeet Club (8707 Lindell Lane, 512-272-4707).
• Thursday, 2/25/10 (tentative) – Catfish Fry at Great Hills Baptist Church (10500 Jollyville Road, 512-343-7763).
• Friday, 2/26/10 through Sunday, 2/28/10 (tentative) – Non-Guided Hog Hunt at the CzC Ranch near Mercury.
• Saturday, 3/6/10 (tentative) 9:00 – 11:30 AM – Sporting Clays and Skeet Shoot at the Capitol City Trap & Skeet Club (8707 Lindell Lane, 512-272-4707).
• Friday, 3/12/10 through Sunday, 3/14/10 (tentative) – Non-Chartered Coastal Fishing Trip near Port Aransas/Aransas Pass.
• Saturday, 3/20/10 (tentative) – White Bass Fishing Trip at Reimer’s Ranch on the Pedernales River.
• Friday, 3/26/10 through Sunday, 3/28/10 (tentative) – Non-Guided Hog Hunt at the CzC Ranch near Mercury.

Our new Polo shirts are in!  See the FCS Gear webpage for details.

I hope to see you at an FCS event soon and hope that our Lord blesses you and yours richly throughout this New Year and decade.

Following His trail,

Randy Rowley

FCS President