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3:02 pm
Life Member
October 24, 2012
Offline
My name is Larry McAfee. I am Lifetime member of Bowhunters of Alabama #32. I am probably, or was, the oldest active member of BHA. I joined in 1966. I was Editor for many years beginning in 1999.
I have seen good times and bad for this organization. We almost threw in the towel in 2000….but we survived and grew…slowly. We remained true to the founding members and the creed that was adopted.
That creed is still printed on the membership cards of old and you can still find it on this website.
Several years ago, the members decided to change the classes to the Archery Shooters Association format. There were multiple reasons for this, the main one to attract more archers and thereby “save BHA” and gain more revenue .
In adopting this change, BHA went from a small number if Classes to a multitude of classes (ASA Class format). (If you notice, there are no “bowhunter” classes in the present ASA, BHA class format. Point being, we have strayed from our original creed and have become a part of the ASA format. In doing this, in my opinion, bowhunting is no longer our main concern and BHA has become more of a target archery organization.
Many of the BHA membership are ASA members and use BHA as a “Qualifier” to shoot competitive in the ASA Competition. It is understandable that this is a draw for competitive archers. Unfortunately, the “bowhunters” are not the main focus in what was Bowhunters of Alabama, Inc.
As I stated earlier, BHA has had many changes and the changes came as motions and voting by the membership in accordance of our Constitution and Bylaws. Without having procedures and strict attention and accordance to these rules and outlines, the organization will not be viable or governed.
Trying to “fix” a mistake that violated a bylaw by now addressing it with a motion, after the fact, is like closing the barn door after the horse got out… Such a motion is slated to be voted on at the next BHA board meeting.
As an original member of BHA, it pains me to see this change . Some will say it was needed…
PLEASE…before you vote- read the bylaws and constitution of BHA. Be informed and vote wisely. YOU are BHA!
The Chilton County Bowhunters will no longer be a BHA Chapter. The reasons are stated above. The Chilton County Bowhunters voted to adhere to the original BHA creed and uphold the principles and ideals of the founders.
Our new organization will be Bama Bowhunter. We will continue to have archery 3-D shoots at the Chilton County range. Limited classes will be the outline. A separate branch will include a bowhunting only club. Fun and education of archery and bowhunting will be our goal. All archers are invited and we will welcome and embrace our BHA friends. There is no friend like an archery buddy that enjoys the sport of archery and the challenge of bowhunting. We emphasize that ALL archers are welcomed including the traditional shooters. Joining BHA and serving and helping it grow has been my passion and all the members of BHA will always be cherished for their love of archery.
BHA was established for bowhunters and for archers that loved the comradery and sport. We can bring it back.
There will be other information upcoming.
God bless you all…and shoot straight.
9:08 am
Vice President
Webmaster
February 3, 2013
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I have thought about this for a while now and guess I should respond, so here goes:
I feel like the core issue here is that certain members of the Chilton County Bowhunters chapter were upset that a current member of your club decided that he would start another chapter in the same county. When asked why Chester responded, “We don’t want to lose Puddin (James Smith) because he does most of the work at the club.” I suppose that’s a valid reason not to want him to leave but it goes against what BHA has always stood for which is growth.
Secondly, it was said that having another club in the same county would hurt your attendance. This is absolutely not true and I can give you an example.
I have participated in BHA since 1992 when I shot my first tournament at Vulcan Archery. For those unfamiliar with the Vulcan Archery Club, it was the oldest established club in America until its demise around the early 2000’s. How could a well-established club such as that just disappear you ask? Was it because shooters stopped coming? No, people still wanted to shoot there. Was it because there was another club in Shelby County? Absolutely not, both clubs existed and everyone shot at both. The reason for their closure was participation and membership fell drastically. We would have work days and 2 people would show up. The participation in meetings all but stopped. Too much work for 2 to 3 guys to maintain a 3D course and a Field range.
I can give you some insight into why your club has fewer and fewer shooters participating:
*Most compound shooters don’t want to shoot Rhinehart targets, especially center twelves.
*Most compound shooters do not enjoy standing in a field shooting into woods with extreme shadows.
I don’t know how traditional shooters feel about this because I’ve not had the opportunity to speak with them.
I’ve heard you say that ASA will be the downfall of BHA (paraphrasing here) but I disagree. Before the adopting ASA rules and guidelines the BHA meetings were all but chaos. Now they are more organized and member-friendly. Things get done and handled in a more business-like manner. BHA will need to continue to grow and change in the future or else it will cease to exist and so far this change has proven to be a good one.
I want to address something else as well. “BHA is a hunting organization, not a tournament organization.” I have heard this phrase many times from the older members of BHA. We are a hunting organization BUT tournaments pay the bills. Everyone receives a financial report at the board meetings and you can clearly see that there are quite a few expenses that are required for this organization to continue to exist.
My views here are solely mine and I will add this also. Change is necessary for growth. I don’t like change but it happens. I try to embrace it and think positively.
I truly wish you and your club the best in the future.
“It is impossible to progress without change, and those who do not change their minds cannot change anything.” — George Bernard Shaw
The following users say thank you to Shane Bates for this useful post:
James Hornbuckle9:11 pm
Member
April 1, 2013
Offline
I agree Shane. 10% of the people do 100% of the work.
We need more members at the board meetings and to get involved with the activities of the BHA. I am looking forward to a great year in 2024 for BHA. James and the rest of the board has done a good job of leading us in the right direction. BHA has ended the year in the best shape financially ever and we will do the drawdown fundraiser again next year so we need everyone to get on board and help with it so we can continue to be prosperous!! Good luck to all for the upcoming hunting season!
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