Bow hunters aim to teach

Recreation, relaxation, concentration, and life values such as patience, discipline and persistence — words that members of the Portales Bow Hunters use to describe their sport of archery, and they’ll have a chance to teach the sport they love to members of the Portales and Clovis community this weekend in a free one-day clinic at the Portales Recreation Center, Saturday afternoon.

“Archery is a life sport,” Portales Bow Hunters President Vance Dewbre said. “It’s something you can continue well throughout your whole life, I think it teaches the values of patience, discipline, persistence, and its also a great way to practice for hunting.”

Dewbre also pointed out the lifetime benefits gained by participants.

“I went to a shoot last year in Colorado and one of the oldest men there, out-shot everyone in the competition,” Dewbre said. “He out-shot some of the young hot-shots, it was pretty amazing how he competed with the rest of the people there.”

The Portales Bow Hunters Secretary, Charles Brooks, explains how he was introduced to the sport.

“I shot a bow when I was a kid, we had fiberglass stick bows as a kid, and I enjoyed shooting those,” Brooks said.

He also highlighted some of the challenges of picking up the hobby.

“A person can shoot a bow the first day, but they can spend the rest of their life trying to approach perfection,” Brooks said. “It never happens, but it’s a chance to test one’s self, it takes concentration, and yet you have to be somewhat relaxed too, so it’s a combination of things.”

According to the group’s president, last year the club had about 50 paid members, and he’s hoping that this free one-day clinic will help bring more members into the sport.

“We’re about getting members out, and making our club stronger,” Dewbre said. “It’s all about people, and people helping people and that’s what’s growing our club.”

A family membership to the group is $35 per year, plus $5 per person to use the Portales Recreation Center. In addition to 24-hour access to the building, the group also has a new outdoor range on N.M. 202 (Cacahuate Road). Dewbre said those local facilities are among the best in the state.

“We’re probably at envy from some of the other organizations in the state — they’re pretty envious of some of our facilities, (like our) indoor range, it’s lit, and heated.”

The one-day free archery clinic will be Saturday morning at the Portales Recreation Center and will run from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Children and adults are welcome, and bows will be provided, but if you have your own you are asked to bring it.