Dec
11
2012 – FCS Meetings Reports
By12/10/12 FCS Meeting
Five officers, five members, three guests (including one first time guest) and two sons (15 total participants) had a great time at the 12/10/12 FCS meeting at Wayne Weilnau’s home. The meal included chips and salsa, summer deer sausage and crackers, a smoked hog ham, red stag sausage links, and bacon wrapped goose (all supplied by Wayne), turkey, ham, dressing, two types of potatoes, corn casserole, salad, pie, and brownies (forgive me if I forgot something). Thanks to Wayne for sharing his home and his wild game! Thanks to Bret Mercer, Ken Miller, Daryl Shipper, and Elisabeth Lauren for bringing side dishes (forgive me if I forgot anyone)! We watched A Day with Knight & Hale (Spiritual Outdoor Adventures DVD). The following upcoming events were discussed:
Sporting Clays Shoots
- Saturday, 12/15/12, 9:00 – 11:30 AM
- Saturday, 1/19/13, 9:00 – 11:30 AM
Sporting Clays Tournament
- Sunday, 12/30/12, 12:45 – 3:45 PM – ‘Year End Finale’
Self-guided Deer and Hog Hunt
- Friday, 1/11/13 through Sunday, 1/13/13 on Frank Hamilton’s ranch near Trickham (the date is tentative)
Dove Retreat
- Friday, 1/4/13 through Sunday, 1/6/13 on Mrs. Ewald’s ranches near Dilley
Guided Saltwater Blast and Cast (Duck Hunt and Bay Fishing Trip)
- Friday, 1/18/13 through Saturday, 1/19/13 with Shallow Minded Guide Services near Corpus Christi
Self-guided Saltwater Duck Hunt
- Friday, 1/25/13 through Sunday, 1/27/13 near Corpus Christi
Guided Upland Bird Hunt
- Saturday, 2/9/13 with the Schmann Brothers Outdoors near Dime Box
Meeting
- Monday, 2/11/13, 7:00 – 9:30 PM – Chili Cookoff at Charlie Batts’ home
10/11/12 FCS Meeting
Six officers, four members, and two sons (12 total participants) had a great time at the 10/11/12 FCS meeting at Charles Cutchen’s home. The meal was a shrimp boil (jumbo shrimp, sausage, corn-on-the-cob, red potatoes, and jalepenos). Thanks to Charles for sharing his home and for cooking a great meal! The following upcoming events were discussed:
Clay Target Shoots and Tournaments
- Saturday, 10/20/12, 9:00 AM – 11:30 AM – Sporting Clays and Skeet Shoot at the Capitol City Trap & Skeet Club (8707 Lindell Lane, Austin, 512-272-4707).
- Saturday, 10/20/12, 11:30 AM – 2:30 PM – ‘Bob White Open’ Sporting Clays Tournament at the Capitol City Trap & Skeet Club.
- Saturday, 11/17/12, 9:00 AM – 11:30 AM – Sporting Clays and Skeet Shoot at the Capitol City Trap & Skeet Club (8707 Lindell Lane, Austin, 512-272-4707).
- Sunday, 11/18/12, 12:45 – 3:45 PM – ‘Givem the Bird’ Sporting Clays Tournament at the Capitol City Trap & Skeet Club (8707 Lindell Lane, Austin, 512-272-4707).
Ministry Event
- Thursday, 12/6/12, 6:30 – 8:00 PM – Shrimp Boil (Ministry Event) at Great Hills Baptist Church (10500 Jollyville Road, Austin, 512-343-7763).
Meeting
- Monday, 12/10/12, 7:00 – 9:30 PM – FCS Meeting and Turkey Dinner at Wayne Weilnau’s home (16100 Fritsch Cove, Austin, 512-388-3340 – Home, 512-589-4120 – Cell).
Guided Duck Hunt
- We’re working on this. It will probably be held in January. Details will be announced.
8/16/12 FCS Meeting
Six officers and three members (nine total participants) had a great time at the 8/16/12 FCS Meeting at Mike Coppedge’s home. The meal consisted of T-bone steaks, corn-on-the-cob, new potatoes, and Texas garlic toast. Thanks to Mike for sharing his home. We watched the Spiritual Outdoors Adventures DVD C’Mere Deer Whitetail Camp, which included three separate stories/short devotionals (we watched two of them). The following upcoming events were discussed:
Clay Target Shoots and Tournaments
- Saturday, 8/18/12, 9:00 AM – 11:45 AM – ‘Dove Tune-Up’ Sporting Clays and Skeet Shoot at the Capitol City Trap & Skeet Club
- Wednesday, 8/22/12 and Friday, 8/24/12, 6:00 AM – 6:30 PM (both days) – Student Instructor/Student Sporting Clays Shoot at the National Shooting Complex
- Saturday, 9/22/12, 9:00 AM – 11:45 PM – ‘Dog Days of Summer’ Sporting Clays and Skeet Shoot at the Capitol City Trap & Skeet Club
- Sunday, 9/30/12, 12:45 – 3:45 PM – ‘Bill Hughes Open’ Sporting Clays Tournament at the Capitol City Trap & Skeet Club
- Saturday, 10/6/12, time TBD – ‘FlingFest’ Sporting Clays Tournament at the Gun Smoke Shooting Range (in Snook, near College Station).
Saltwater Fishing Trip
- Friday, 8/31/12 through Sunday, 9/2/12 – Saltwater Fishing Trip near Port Aransas or Port O’Connor
Dove Hunts and Retreat
- Saturday, 9/8/12 – Blast and Cast (Dove Hunt and Bass Fishing Trip – Central Zone) on Joel Kirby’s land near Lometa
- Friday, 9/14/12 through Sunday 9/16/12 – Dove Retreat (Central Zone) on Frank Hamilton’s ranch near Trickham
- Thursday, 9/20/12 through Sunday, 9/23/12 – Dove Hunt (South Zone) on Lee Ewald’s ranches near Dilley
Promotion
- 8/25/12 Promotion at the Outdoor Sportsman’s Expo at Fellowship Church in Liberty Hill
Meeting
- Monday, 10/8/12, 7:00 – 9:30 PM – FCS Meeting and Shrimp Boil at Charles Cutchens’ home
7/31/12 FCS Officers Meeting
Six officers attended the 7/31/12 Officers Meeting at Rudy’s. Ken Miller led us in prayer. The following issues were discussed:
- Events Attendance Report. Daryl Shipper conveyed that we are doing well in all event categories. We are down on our average attendance for duck hunts and freshwater fishing trips. That is due to the fact that Randy Rowley can only fit three duck hunters or three fishermen (counting him) on his boat. See the statistics page for more details.
- Treasurer’s Report (by Kevin Wall). Randy Rowley conveyed that we are doing well in all categories. See the finances page and the statistics page for more details.
- Membership Report. Richard Corbin conveyed that we are doing well in all categories with the exception of new members. We have had two so far this year, which is slightly below our average. However, the officers are not concerned about numbers of members, guests, renewals, and new members unless we are not meeting our financial obligations. See the statistics page for more details.
- Website Report. Bruce Crockett conveyed that a search bar and a knot tying widgit have been added to the website. In four months we have had 106,000 hits on the website, which is almost 1,000 per day! See the main page to view these changes.
- 2013 Ministry Event(s). Randy Rowley noted that we spent $506.81 on ministry events (the Wild Game Dinner and the Youth 5-stand and Skeet Shoot) in 2012 and presently have $345.70 in our ministry account. This account is entirely funded by donations, therefore, we cannot project if we will receive more donaitons for the remainder of 2012 or for 2013. The officers agreed that if we can afford to only host one event in 2013 it will be the Wild Game Dinner, as we minister to more people through that event than we do through the Youth Shoot or Father/Child Shoot.
- 8/25/12 Promotion at Fellowship Chuch in Liberty Hill. Logistics were discussed. So far we have two commitments, but welcome more. We need people to help set up, man our booth, and break things down at their Expo from 3:30 – 6:30 PM. The Expo is free. However, if you wish to stay for the dinner afterwards it is $20.
- Results on the 7/12/12 poll regarding which night of the week we should have our meetings on. Nine people responded to the poll (seven responded with specific days of the week), including:
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- Five members preferred meeting on Thursday nights
- Four members preferred meeting on Monday nights
- Two members preferred meeting on Tuesday nights
- One member preferred meeting on Wednesday nights
- No one preferred meeting on Friday nights
Based on the results of the poll, the officers agreed that we will have three of our six meetings each year on Thursday nights and have the other three on Monday nights.
6/11/12 FCS Meeting
Five officers and seven members (12 total participants) had a great time at the 6/11/12 FCS Meeting at Larry Dowden’s home. The meal consisted of beef and chicken breast fajitas, peppers, onions, rice, beans, queso, chips, ice cream, and homemade cookies. Thanks to Laverne for the cookies and to the Dowden’s for sharing their home. We watched the Spiritual Outdoors Adventures DVD The Brahma Buck, which included three separate stories and three short devotionals. The following upcoming events were discussed:
Saltwater Fishing Trip
Clay Target Shoots and Tournaments
- Saturday, 6/16/12, 9:00 AM – 2:00 PM – ‘Welcome Summer’ Sporting Clays and Skeet Shoot at the Capitol City Trap & Skeet Club.
- Sunday, 6/24/12, 12:45 – 3:45 PM – ‘June Buggin’ Sporting Clays Tournament at the Capitol City Trap & Skeet Club.
- Sunday, 7/8/12, 12:45 – 3:45 PM – ‘Hotter n Hell’ Sporting Clays Tournament at the Capitol City Trap & Skeet Club.
- Saturday, 7/21/12, 9:00 AM – 11:45 AM – Youth Skeet and 5-stand Shoot with Kids Outdoor Zone followed by an FCS Sporting Clays Shoot at the Capitol City Trap & Skeet Club.
- Saturday, 8/4/12, 7:00 AM – 1:00 PM – ‘Margarita Shoot I’ Sporting Clays Tournament at the WB Ranch near Whitney.
- Saturday, 8/4/12, 7:00 PM – dark – Clay Target Shoot with Legacy Outfitters at a ranch near Georgetown.
- Thursday, 8/9/12 and Friday, 8/10/12, 6:00 AM – 6:30 PM (both days) – Student Instructor/Student Sporting Clays Shoot at the National Shooting Complex in San Antonio.
Dinner
- Monday, 7/16/12, 6:30 – 8:30 PM – FCS Dinner at Texas Land and Cattle.
Shooting Range Shoot
- Saturday, 7/28/12, 8:00 AM – 12:00 PM – Shooting Range Shoot at the Eagle Peak Shoot Range.
Meeting
- Monday, 8/13/12, 7:00 – 9:30 PM – FCS Meeting and Steak Dinner at Mike Coppedge’s home.
Wild Game Dinner
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Next spring FCS will partner with several churches and organizations to host a Wild Game Dinner on a ranch on Volente Road. We’re in the early planning phase but are considering several exciting possibilities including asking the Duck Commander to be our keynote speaker. I have volunteered FCS to cook and help supply wild game meat. The most people that we have ever fed was 56 in 2011 (with a lot of left overs) and we’re looking at feeding many times that for this event. As our mainstream hunting seasons are near, I encourage you to harvest extra game and set it aside for the dinner (bag limits and other game laws should be followed, of course). If you don’t have room to store it let me know and we’ll find a freezer. We also might have funds available to pay/reimburse for basic game processing. Dove and quail breasts are fine whole. We would prefer for duck and goose breast meat to be cut off of the rib bones, as those take up a lot of room in the freezer when they’re whole. For deer and hogs we would prefer steak cuts. We can use some deerburger for chili but probably no more than 15 pounds. We would prefer fish to be filleted and de-boned. We’ll take any type of sausage links (not pan sausage). We’ll start collecting meat in the late winter/early spring, recruiting volunteers, and conveying more details. The main take-away point is we’re going to need a quantity of wild game like we’ve never needed before.
4/23/12 FCS Meeting
Four officers, six members, one guest, and two sons (13 total participants) had a great time at the 4/23/12 FCS Meeting at Ron Denison’s home. The meal consisted of fried catfish, onion rings, french fries, hush puppies, and homemade pie/cake and for sharing their home. Thanks to Ron and Sue Denison for the homemade pie/cake. We watched the Spiritual Outdoors Adventures DVD Bravehearts, which included three separate stories and three short devotionals. The following upcoming events were discussed:
- Tuesday, 5/8/12, 6:30 – 8:00 PM Wild Game Dinner at St. George’s Court (1443 Coronado Hills Drive)
- Saturday, 5/12/12, 9:00 AM – 1:00 PM ‘McBride’s Open’ Sporting Clays Tournament at the Capitol City Trap & Skeet Club
- Saturday, 5/19/12, 9:00 AM – 3:00 PM ‘FCS Open’ (Two Rounds of Sporting Clays) at the Capitol City Trap & Skeet Club and the 290 Café in Manor
- Monday, 5/21/12, 3:30 – 9:00 PM Chartered Hybrid Bass Fishing Trip with Jay Garrett on Lake Belton
- Friday, 6/1/12 through Sunday, 6/3/12 – Self-Chartered Bay Fishing Trip near Port Aransas
- Monday, 6/11/12, 7:00 – 9:30 PM – FCS Meeting and Fajita Dinner at Larry Dowden’s home (905 Cashew Lane, Cedar Park)
2/13/12 FCS Meeting
Six officers, six members, one guest, and two sons (15 total participants) had a great time at the 2/13/12 FCS Meeting at Charlie Batts home. The meeting featured our Annual Chili Cook-off. Thanks to John Murray who brought his Lake of Fire Chili and cornbread, Ken Miller who brought his Mystery Meat Chili, and me, Randy Rowley, for bringing my Randy’s Radioactive Road Kill Chili. Thanks also to Charlie Batts for the IBC Root Beer and iced tea and Joan Batts for the homemade chocolate cake. We watched the Spiritual Outdoors Adventures DVD A Look at Life from a Deer Stand. The following events were discussed:
Hunt
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Saturday, 2/18/12 – Guided Quail Hunt with Schumann Brothers Outdoors near Dime Box
Clay Target Shoots and Tournaments
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Sunday, 2/19/12, 12:45 – 3:45 PM – Red Apple Open Sporting Clays Tournament
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Saturday, 3/3/12, 9:00 AM – 11:45 AM – Spring “Break the Targets” Sporting Clays and Skeet Shoot
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Sunday, 4/1/12, 12:45 – 3:45 PM – South by Southwest Open Sporting Clays Tournament
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Saturday, 4/7/12, 9:00 AM – 3:00 PM – “April Showers of Broken Clay Targets” Sporting Clays and Skeet Shoot
Ministry Event
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Thursday, 3/29/12, 6:30 – 8:30 PM – Wild Game Dinner at St. George’s Court
Fishing Trip
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Saturday, 3/31/12 – Self-Chartered White Bass Fishing Trip at the Colorado Bend State Park
Meeting
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Monday, 4/9/12, 7:00 – 9:30 PM – FCS Meeting and Catfish Fry
2/2/12 Officers Meeting Minutes
Six officers attended the 2/2/12 Officers Meeting at Mighty Fine Burgers. I, Randy Rowley, led us in prayer. The following issues were discussed:
1. Statistics for the past year. The short version is 2011 was a very good year for the club.
1. Statistics for the past year. The short version is 2011 was a very good year for the club.
2011 Facts
We had 465 attendees for the year, which was out fourth best. We had 37 more attendees than last year.
We hosted 52 events, which was also our fourth best. We had five more events than last year.
Our average number of attendees per event was our 18th best. It declined slightly from 9.11 in 2010 to 8.94 in 2011.
We set five event categories attendance records for 2011, including:
• sporting clays and skeet shoots (152);
• sporting clays tournaments (44);
• ministry events (30);
• student instructor/student sporting clays shoots (17); and
• deer and hog hunts (14).
• sporting clays and skeet shoots (152);
• sporting clays tournaments (44);
• ministry events (30);
• student instructor/student sporting clays shoots (17); and
• deer and hog hunts (14).
We tied the attendance record for duck hunts (21).
We also set two event attendance records in 2011; including:
• a parent/child deer and hog hunt (14); and
• a student instructor/student sporting clays shoot (14).
• a parent/child deer and hog hunt (14); and
• a student instructor/student sporting clays shoot (14).
We ended the year with:
• our second highest number of first time guests (43);
• our fifth highest number of membership renewals (36);
• our ninth highest number of active members (46); and
• tying our tenth highest number of new members (7).
• our second highest number of first time guests (43);
• our fifth highest number of membership renewals (36);
• our ninth highest number of active members (46); and
• tying our tenth highest number of new members (7).
During Fiscal Year 2011 (9/1/10 – 8/31/11) we took in $ 1,454.50, which was our fifth best. We spent $889.32, which was our eighth highest amount spent.
My only concern is the fact that our membership renewals were down from 52 in 2010 to 36 in 2011 (down 16 members). This was offset by a donation of $260 from a Mr. A. Nony Moose on 5/8/11. We have enough money in the bank to run the club for another two years, even if no one renews. The officers discussed the following ideas to offset lost revenue from having fewer members:
A. Give shirts as membership benefits. This idea was rejected because most members have a closet full of shirts and we tried it and it proved to not be a factor in increasing memberships.
B. Charge a higher due for non-members. This idea was rejected because we tried this and it resulted in fewer new members. Everyone paying the same due is the easiest to manage.
C. Charge a due or fee for events we control (dove retreats, parent/child deer and hog hunts, self-guided hog hunts, and self-guided duck hunts). This idea was rejected because we tried this and very few of those who were forced to join the club at dove retreats ever renewed.
D. Have a membership box at events (where new members can drop their membership due in and a much abbreviated application). The officers agreed that this was a good idea and to implement it as soon as possible.
2. Review of difficulties with the new website. I noted that a couple weeks ago Bruce Crockett went to add pictures to our duck hunt pictures page and all of the pictures were gone (WordPress has some glitches). Unlike FrontPage, which allows the webmaster to save pages to his hard drive/jump drive, WordPress does not have a user back up feature. However, SiteGround (our hosting site) can back up our website for $2.50/month. The officers voted unanimously to purchase this protection.
3. Thursday, 3/29/12 Wild Game Dinner at St. George’s Court apartments (which house people who are elderly and/or disabled and have low incomes). I noted that it would cost approximately $230 to feed 75 people. We have $775.39 in our ministry fund so this will not break the bank. We will not charge a fee to the diners. As we will not have the same facilities that we had last year (at Great Hills Baptist Church) we will need to arrive earlier to prepare the food.
4. Saturday, 6/23/12 Skeet and 5-stand Shoot for Operation Orphans or another Youth Organization. I noted that, as Operation Orphans is based near Llano, they will have difficulty getting their kids to Austin to shoot. We also would not have nearly as many volunteers if we went to Llano. We discussed extending an invitation to Kids Outdoor Zone (KOZ) instead, as they are based in the Austin area. I will extend an invitation.
A. Give shirts as membership benefits. This idea was rejected because most members have a closet full of shirts and we tried it and it proved to not be a factor in increasing memberships.
B. Charge a higher due for non-members. This idea was rejected because we tried this and it resulted in fewer new members. Everyone paying the same due is the easiest to manage.
C. Charge a due or fee for events we control (dove retreats, parent/child deer and hog hunts, self-guided hog hunts, and self-guided duck hunts). This idea was rejected because we tried this and very few of those who were forced to join the club at dove retreats ever renewed.
D. Have a membership box at events (where new members can drop their membership due in and a much abbreviated application). The officers agreed that this was a good idea and to implement it as soon as possible.
2. Review of difficulties with the new website. I noted that a couple weeks ago Bruce Crockett went to add pictures to our duck hunt pictures page and all of the pictures were gone (WordPress has some glitches). Unlike FrontPage, which allows the webmaster to save pages to his hard drive/jump drive, WordPress does not have a user back up feature. However, SiteGround (our hosting site) can back up our website for $2.50/month. The officers voted unanimously to purchase this protection.
3. Thursday, 3/29/12 Wild Game Dinner at St. George’s Court apartments (which house people who are elderly and/or disabled and have low incomes). I noted that it would cost approximately $230 to feed 75 people. We have $775.39 in our ministry fund so this will not break the bank. We will not charge a fee to the diners. As we will not have the same facilities that we had last year (at Great Hills Baptist Church) we will need to arrive earlier to prepare the food.
4. Saturday, 6/23/12 Skeet and 5-stand Shoot for Operation Orphans or another Youth Organization. I noted that, as Operation Orphans is based near Llano, they will have difficulty getting their kids to Austin to shoot. We also would not have nearly as many volunteers if we went to Llano. We discussed extending an invitation to Kids Outdoor Zone (KOZ) instead, as they are based in the Austin area. I will extend an invitation.
