First Indoor Practice

Our friends at Pioneer Sportsman Club in Dunbarton NH are helping us prep for Texas again this year.  This past Friday the students loaded onro a mini-bus for to take advantage of the Club's Indoor Range

Bows are in the process of getting sighted in with new arrows.  Still shooting field points now.  Final adjustments with broadheads will happen when we're on the ground in Texas.

Lucas is excited

Find your target.  Behind the foreleg, quartering away. Release.  Shots like this will help fill the coolers we will bring back to New Hampshire.  Last year what we turned over to the cafeteria was enough as an entree choice for 4 or 5 dinners.

A good night at the range.  Thanks to all the members at Pioneer for the use of your facility!

Unseasonably Mild - Part 2

More pictures from our last day of outdoor practice on November 9.  The weather has since changed dramatically in New Hampshire.  Today (Nov 30) we're rocking 13 degrees at 11:15am.

In the foreground Nick makes a few adjustments to his sight.  Nick was waiting for his ride to the woods to hunt white tails.  Meanwhile, Oliver continues practice with the 3D Boar as his target.  

Not sure who owns the pink arrow.  Oliver managed a good group.

Linnea joined us after her afternoon activity ended.  Linnea is signed up for the trip in March.

I hope I can replicate this shot in Texas!

Unseasonably Mild

On Saturday, November 9 we were treated to some unseasonably mild weather in New Hampshire.  Coach Dave sent an e-mail to the team that the Range was open for practice after afternoon sports and activity commitments.

Carl on the left, Coach Dave on the right.  Good guess is nobody is more excited than Dave about the upcoming trip to Texas, at least based on his sweatshirt choice for the day. 

Dave continues to discuss form and technique.

Carl is a new archer who will be heading to Cactus Creek Ranch in March.

Oliver demonstrates his skills to his dad who was visiting campus.  Dad got to try a compound bow for the first time a few minutes before I arrived.  I asked Dave for the pictures.  He hadn't taken any.  Shocker.

Our little storage shed didn't look this good when it was delivered to campus.  A little paint and lots of work by the boys resulted in a terrific team asset.

Saturday Shopping Trip - Post 2

Date:  Saturday, Nov 9.

Location:  Morse Sporting Goods, Hillsboro, NH

Having chosen a bow with Randy and Jim's help, Evan is measured for draw length

Jim and Evan work on final positioning of Evan's peep.

Another happy customer.  Preston is ready for the 3D season.  

Our last post included a prediction that David would be returning to Morse's for a new bow.  Here he is back at Proctor on Wednesday, new bow in hand. Congratulations, David.

After a few days of cold, albeit sunny weather, the temperature is rising again.  Maybe the Proctor Academy range will be open this Saturday for the boys to get their new purchases sighted in?  A 50 degree day in November in New Hampshire shouldn't go by without some shooting of the foam.    

Saturday Shopping Trip - Post 1

At 4pm Saturday a Proctor Academy minibus departed campus, destination - Morse Sporting Goods in Hillsboro, NH.  Morse's -- along with G-Macs Archery in Canterbury, NH -- has been tremendously supportive of the Proctor archery program since it was started a few years ago. 

The objective of trip was to start outfitting some of the students who will be heading to Texas in March.  Bows, Releases, Quivers - lots of equipment on the list.

 Carl scored a new rig. 

Morse's archery tech Randy setting up a new bow for one of the boys.  Randy always takes great care of us.

David has his eye on a new bow for the trip. But no purchase this trip; first he has to figure out what to keep and what to sell from his current outfit.  Expect him back at the shop soon.

UPS makes a delivery

Texas broadheads have arrived.  Nothing more need be said on this post.

Note the change to our blog header - Planning is underway!

Our blog is now titled Texas Hunt 2014!

After our highly successful trip last year Dave was given permission to schedule a hunt for 2014.  Following the old adage 'don't mess with success', the timing and venue are the same.  We fly out on Saturday, March 1 - destination Nixon, Texas.  We are heading back to the Cactus Creek Ranch with students, dads, Dave and Charlie.  There are a few repeat customers, but most of the participants will be hunting pig for their first time.  Big news this year is there is one female student signed up and hopefully we can add at least one more.

Dave is working with one of last year's sponsors/partners -Wac'Em Broadheads - to get us geared up.  A few of us have already ordered some sweet gear from a new partner, Dead Center Archery.  URLs for Wac'Em and Dead Center are provided below.  Their support is greatly appreciated!

 http://www.wacemarchery.com/

 http://www.deadcenterarchery.com/main/index.php

Planning is starting to accelerate - flights to book, trucks to rent, menus to plan.  Please check in occasionally as the blog will be updated with our progress. Pictures of Dave telephoning rental car companies won't wow! anyone (sorry Dave) but there is a practice day for the archers coming soon and we'll post pictures from that.

 

IBO World Championships

Short update on recent activities of some of the Texas Hunt participants.  The picture and post below were copied from the Proctor Academy website.



3D Archery coach Dave Kenney and rising sophomore Henry Johnstone (Hopkinton, NH) finished 20th and 24th in their age groups at the IBO World Championships last week. Read more! 

Andover resident and Proctor faculty member Dave Kenney began Proctor's 3D archery program four years ago, and has built the afternoon activity into an incredibly successful activity offered each spring. After all ten members of the team qualified in April for the International Bow Hunting Championships held August 7th-10th in Seven Springs, Pennsylvania, the team continued their success this spring by sweeping the podium at the first ever New Hampshire High School 3D Archery Championship held at the Proctor Ski Area. 

 

While not all of the qualifiers were able to compete at the IBO World Championships, Kenney and rising sophomore Henry Johnstone (Hopkinton, NH) made the trip to Pennsylvania to represent Proctor amongst the world's best archers. Both Kenney and Johnstone not only competed, but shot incredibly well as Kenney placed 20th in his age group and Johnstone shot a nearly perfect first round before finishing 24th in his age group. 

 

Congratulations to both Dave and Henry on their accomplishments this summer! 

Guiding Principles

We were very fortunate to have Mark Ballard as our Guide for our hunt.  Mark did a terrific job for us.  In his welcome and farewell remarks Mark reminded us of the the Hunter's Ethic, emphasizing our responsibility to the environment and to the animal being hunted. His farewell remarks included his observations on the changes he'd seen in us, as a group and as individuals, encouraging us to use the lessons we learned and the our experience in Texas to continue to enrich our lives back in Andover, NH and as we return to Proctor Academy for the spring semester.

We learned a bit about Mark during our stay.  We learned he is retired military, he is proud of Texas and he enjoys sharing his love of the outdoors and hunting with his clients.  Mark is the (I believe) co-founder of Freedom Isn't Free Veteran Hunt program..  The link to the organization's website is provided below.  I highly recommend a visit!

Freedom isn't Free Veterans Hunts

Much thanks and appreciation to Mark.  You helped make our Texas Hunt 2013 an experience we'll all remember for the rest of our lives.  

The Man with the Plan

Dave Kenney

How far we've come in four years!  Proctor Academy's Field & Stream activity began in 2009 with just a few students and some Genesis bows.  A good start, but those who know Dave know if he is in, he is all the way in.  Dave's passion for the outdoors and archery in particular--along with the endorsements of the students-- helped the program grow quickly.  He worked with local archery shops to outfit the students with their own equipment and began amassing an impressive collection of 3D targets for an on-campus range.

As the students became more skilled Dave signed them up for local 3D competitions.  In the summer of 2010 PA Field & Stream participated in the International Bowhunting Organization World Championships in Ellicottville, NY.  In the summer of 2011 the team traveled to Ellicottville for a second time.  A third IBO visit was not possible, but Dave did participate in the 2012 Vermont Triple Crown with an alum, a current student and a prospective PA student.

 At  the 2011 IBO World Championships the team discusses aquisitions for the campus range. 

We got the Gator!

In addition to the archery component, Field & Stream has participated in a number of service activities in the last four years, including helping the the spring trout stocking of local streams and assisting local Fish & Game Clubs with spring clean-ups.  Future plans include a focus on New Hampshire's Barry Conservation Camp.

Congratulations for a successful trip!  Thanks for all you do for the students of Proctor Academy.

Great Trip! - Richard

The trip was great.  A few of my sits didn't provide any opportunities, but by the end of the hunt I bagged a big one.  The pork was unreal, and I'm looking forward to some old fashioned Texas B-B-Q while I'm home on break, and the game dinner in the cafeteria when we return to school.
- Richard

Thanks for all the support!

Dave K. posted this as a comment to our first post.  I'm reprinting it here to reinforce how much we appreciate the sponsors and contributors that made this trip a possibility, and in the end a tremendous success.  Thanks again!

9 students, 3 Alumni, 3 dads, and me are headed to Texas for most, their very first bow hunt. With 16 people total this is a big trip, and I am thankful for all the support and help I have had from so many. Our sponsors for this trip include G-mac Archery, Morse Sporting Goods, Andover Fish and Game, Elkins Fish and Game, Pioneer Sportsman Club, Yeti coolers, Wac-em Broadheads, Proctor Academy and many more individuals who have given time or money to allow us to go. This is an incredible trip, and I am so pumped to be part of it!!

I'll add our thanks and appreciation to Bob and Vicki at the Cactus Creek Bowhunting Ranch in Nixon, TX, and to our guide, Mark Ballard.

Thanks for a great trip.

We're back home in NH.  Dave and the student-archers are enjoying the remainder of their break before Spring Term.  The dads and Charlie are, well, back to work.  I traveled back to Boston with Jay and Jake Hubbard, Kyle Corda, and Connor talking about what a great trip we'd had the whole way to the airport.  It was clear we returned from Texas with memories that will last a lifetime.  I can't say enough about the young men I shared the experience with. Thank you so much for your attitudes and your cooperation.  Helping to chaperon 10 high school students on a five day trip to Texas?  Is that how you want to spend a vacation was often the question asked before the trip.  Answer then, and even more confidently now -Yes, and  I can't wait to do it again.  

Thanks to Jay Hubbard, John Braley, and Dave Nolan.  It was a privilege to spend five days with you, and getting to watch what a powerful influence good men can be to their sons, and to their son's friends.  Thank you Charlie for all your help at the ranch.  It was great to see you again.  Same good man compliment certainly applies here.  Thanks to Mark Ballard who was our guide for our adventure.  What an awesome job you did for us, as a group and as individuals.

Dave K. took this photo on Monday evening when they came to get us after our last sit of the hunt.  This and our team photo are my favorite pictures from the trip.  I wasn't really sure how much I'd enjoy sitting in a hard plastic chair on a metal stand 10 feet in the air for three hours hoping a pig will come close enough for me to take a shot.  Turns out I enjoyed it a lot.  My final thanks is to Dave Kenney.  It was through his hard work I have an answer to that question.  And I know there are 10 young men back from Texas who now know a lot more about themselves too.

George Saunders

Last Day - Ready to leave

An amazing experience is nearing its end.  We had a bout of strong Texas wind as another memory to carry back to Procor.  The boys were awesome, the camp terrific, weather couldn't have been better.  We were fortunate to have Mark Ballard as our guide.  Two final pictures from Texas as we head to the airport.  More posts will follow from NH after we get home.

Many thanks to our host for our hunt!

Thanks to Mark (standing on Dave's right), the dads and to Charlie.  The boys have been in good hands!

Last Day

I got my first hog today.  I have been having a lot of fun this trip and have seen many different animals.  Today we tried a "spot and stalk" method and a few guys had some luck.  The first hog I jumped was laying in a cactus and I didn't see him until I was a few short feet away from him.  Later on I got the hang of the new way of hunting these hogs opposed to a tripod and by the end of the day I had harvested my first animal with a bow.
Henry

Getting on some Black Buck

WOW!  It's hard to share with everyone just how fantastic this trip and experience was.  Sorry for not writing on the Blog sooner, we were out hunting... a lot!

It was a hunting trip of so many "firsts" for so many fine young men (and us Dad's...).  Of coarse it was incredible hunting bow with my son for the first time, taking our first trophy(s) together, sitting in the blinds, tree stands,  stalking, etc. (I'm sure David appreciated my having to be totally silent so I couldn't give him any life lessons!).  It was equally as fantastic having an opportunity to see all the Proctor guys achieving significant firsts all over the place and approaching every opportunity with incredible zeal.  I was more excited seeing these guys hit their very first game than any of my own wonderful individual experiences. Each one of these guys made big progress in developing their individual skills sets.  Much of the on site success of the trip was made even better by our guide, Mark.  He was absolutely incredible, knowledgeable (and willing to share it), patient and most likely one of the hardest working guides I have ever had the pleasure of working with!  

And we have all of these memories because of Dave K and our wonderful sponsors.  Dave's love for the sport is infectious as is his sense of humor and ability to put other's needs ahead of his own (even his hunting!).  THANKS DAVE and thank you to our sponsors for belief in Dave's plan and thank you to Bob at the Ranch for taking such good care of us.

Alex

It was defiantly a great day to be in the woods. There was plenty of action all day long.  I can't what until I get the chance to come do it again.

Almost

Today I spot and stalked nearly all day. I was a quiet as possible but the boars were so timid from being hunted all weekend. I had a shot in this picture, but the boar vanished into the brush right before the shot. Tonight around 11:00 pm I am going out to get my boar or dear with the guide. I am really excited but nervous due to the fact it will be pitch black except for the spot light. I really hope I get one. Overall this trip has been incredible. I have never hunted before and I had a really great time. Thank you Dave Kenney and all of the people that made this trip possible. It has been an unforgettable experiance. 

By Kyle Corda

Day 3

Today was the last night. We got up very early and went to our hunting spots. It was the hottest day of the week. At first I not see any boars and had to head back. We then walked out in the woods to see if we could track and shoot any boars. I saw a big boar but when I went to shoot a gun shot went off when I was aiming.  Near the end the of the day we went back to our hunting spots one last time. After a few hours of  waiting I saw a huge herd of boar. I shot at one and just shot under it. I shot again and shot over it. I was then all out of arrows and the boars then left. At the end of the night we sat around a fire and talked. 

Lucas

Final Hunts

My Dad and I hunted from the tree stand all morning, and only saw a few small pigs.  After one group went out for a spot and stalk session, it was finally my turn to hit the ground and look for some pigs.  Jake Hubbard, Kyle Corda, and I all set out into the woods.  We stumbled upon a pig, and I finally got the shot I'd been waiting for. After returning that one to the cooler,  I set out again, this time a stalked a hog along the edge of the pond, and missed just over its back.  It was an awesome trip, and I hope to return next year.  I want to thank everyone who made this adventure possible.  Especially David Kenney, my parents, Mark, our guide, and all our sponsors.
Connor

The Proctor Archers

Lucas

Kyle

Eli

David

Alex

Tim

Jake

Connor

Richard

Henry

Last day, feeling blessed.

The kids,alumni and dads have been amazing. This trip was a dream a year ago and now that we are nearing the end I can't believe we did it. Great place and guide have made this hunting trip the best ever. I will remember this trip for the rest of my life. Thank you to all the supporters and sponsors this would of never happened with out you. One hunt left this afternoon and we are living the dream!
Dave Kenney

Group Photo!

Back from the morning sit.  Good day?  See below for your answer.

Time well spent

Jake and I sat on stand last night. We had some goats around us all evening. They were cool. They were standing on their hind legs and pushing down trees. They looked like guys in goat suits standing up in the brush. Just before dark we had a group of pigs come in. I told Jake to take a shot but he said, "Dad I haven't practiced at this range and I am not going to take a shot I have not practiced,". I was very proud. He is an ethical hunter. It was a great night. It is a great time and the time he is under my roof is dwindling.
Jay

Day 2 - Afternoon Hunt

It is very early on Monday morning.  We are getting out to our stands about one hour sooner today.  Last day of the trip and everyone is excited to swap spots and get a shot at a pig.  Below are a few photos from my afternoon sit.  No pigs, but there were ten rams in my area for about an hour.  I'm not hunting rams, so I didn't shoot, but it was way cool to watch the animals feed for about 40-45 minutes without them knowing I was there.

The view from my stand, which is a chair on a platform about 10-12 feet high

The view to the West.  In this stand it really feels like you are in the trees.

View to the South

Art Shot.  Me and my shadow.  Nine years of  reading Chuck's Corner taught me something!

George

P.S.  It is actually 5:45am in TX.  I think the posts are posting with Pacific Time.