Thanks to some amazing and kind people we have 3 young men now shooting fully loaded, awesome bows and 3 new bowhunters hitting the woods this fall. The real heroes in the 5th year of this giveaway, as always, are the mentors who nominated these kids and volunteer their time to teach, lead by example and take them hunting. Our world needs more men like this and more kids enjoying God’s Great Outdoors and learning to be the ambassadors and protectors of our great sport. In addition to the mentors I had some wonderful people who wanted to help these kids out and give them something they needed as they prepare to hit the woods. To all of you, thanks from the bottom of my heart and God bless! Nine new bowhunters since I kicked off this idea and if the good Lord’s willing we’ll do it again next year! Here are the winners, their mentors and the gifts they received……(I’ve read where people have written that the Bowsite is the best and after another year of 90% of the mentors and participants coming from here I have to agree!) _________________________________ # 1 - Gaven, 12 years old from Minnesota ~ Gaven’s Dad tragically passed away unexpectedly at 43 years old. Gaven had always wanted to go hunting and did have a bow, but it was too small for him and he was left with no one to take him hunting. That’s where family friend Scott Engel (Scoot) comes in. Scott is super excited about taking Gaven deer hunting and has already taken him turkey hunting. A Bowsiter who wants to remain anonymous (Mr. X), sent Gaven a beautiful Elite Ember bow with all the accessories! Carl Abrams (Smarba) gave Gaven a Sitka hoody. Peter Crane (LBShooter) gave him a Mora skinning knife. Randy Steverson (Chief 419) sent 2 dozen Full Metal Jacket arrows. Scott Engel also bought him $100 worth of gear. Roy Canterbury of Archery Talk 101 has donated video archery lessons. Have fun Gaven! _________________________________ #2 - Brandon, 21, Pennsylvania ~ Brandon is a hard working young man who is employed full time at a tree farm but is struggling to make ends meet. He has a passion for becoming a bow hunter but was struggling with a hand me down bow that didn’t fit him. There are no bow hunters in his family. Family friend Perry Hartmann (Rut Nut) is excited about mentoring Brandon and taking him under his wing. Now that Brandon is equipped, he and Perry will be shooting and hitting the woods together this fall! Another Bowsiter who wants to remain anonymous (Mr.J), gave Brandon a fully equipped and super sweet Bear Legend XR and a bow case! Perry bought him a dozen arrows and I sent him a True Fire release and some Wolverine boots. Go get em Brandon! _________________________________ #3 - Baron, 16, Kansas ~ Baron got hit with the bow hunting bug a couple of years ago but didn’t have much for resources and no one to take him. Baron’s grandparents asked family friend Shane Bitler (Labxtreme1) to take him hunting and Baron went along without a bow while Shane taught him the basics of deer hunting. Later that season Baron killed his first deer with a rifle and Shane walked him and his granddad through the field dressing process over the phone! They’ll be bowhunting together this fall. (Shane told me that he felt even more compelled to help as years ago some Bowsiters gave him a bow setup and personal instruction after a friend of Shane’s was killed by a poacher) My son Andrew (Astanley96) volunteered his old bow for the giveaway and we sent Baron a sweet shooting Elite 32 with all the accessories, a Trufire release and some Muzzy broadheads. Friend Steve Ross donated $100 “In memory of our dear friend Scott Riner” and I used it to buy Baron a Block target. Two more Bowsiters who wish to remain anonymous sent 2 dozens arrows and a super nice 3 in 1 hunting parka and pants. Shane gave Baron a $50 gift card from Sportsman’s Warehouse. Enjoy and have a great season Baron! ________________________________
Thank you, thank you, thank you to all involved!
God Bless! SF
Baron was at a loss for words when I called to let him know that he'd be receiving a bow and gear! The young man is a go getter and quickly got the itch to hunt anything and everything once starting. He's been a joy to watch and teach, definitely looking forward to watching him become an accomplished bow hunter. Amazing to see all the good this website does for helping the next generation get outdoors!
This is Bowsite at it’s finest! I am grateful to John and his “helpers” who have provided the resources for these young men to pursue their dreams!
I was ecstatic when I learned Brandon won one of the bows! I gave him an old right handed bow I had, just to start shooting and getting used to archery, but it was not really adequate for hunting. And since I am left handed I couldn’t give him any of my old bows.
I really felt fortunate to be involved with this and it is inspiring to see how much passion and generosity the donors have! I can’t thank you gentlemen enough!
John is a true Godsend who spent countless hours texting and e-mailing us making arrangements for the “goodies” to be delivered! I’m not sure how he kept everything straight to be honest.
He put me in touch with Mr. J who is a very kind and generous man with a passion for Bowhunting. He offered to meet me in NJ and drove probably an hour out of his way to drop off the bow. We met at a local restaurant and although he only had a short time to spend before flying home, we had a great time getting to know a little bit about each other and sharing a few hunting stories. I was very glad to get the opportunity to meet such a fine and caring individual (in person! )
I can’t wait to start shooting with Brandon at his Uncle’s property where we will be Bowhunting this Fall!
I can’t thank everyone enough and it has inspired me to help out next year and for years to come and be a part of this great event! : )
GOD BLESS EVERYONE INVOLVED!
I gave Brandon a target a couple weeks ago but today was the first chance we had to get together to shoot since we’re almost a 90 min drive apart.
THANKS again to all who made this possible! We’re pretty excited about the upcoming season............. : )
Thank you to all the mentors, you guys are the best!
God Bless!
15-20 yards, no problem on a broadside deer! A sharp broadhead would probably zip right through if no bone is hit! Plenty of guys kill deer with 40lb recurves and longbows! I wouldn't stress about it... accuracy is the key, not power!
Just my 2 cents!
It apparently paid off this summer when I found out Brandon had been shooting, running trail cameras and planning for the fall hunting season. I had hoped to do a lot of mentoring with Brandon, but it seems some 20-something young men would rather try figuring things out on their own! And/or take advice from a 20-something young outdoors woman………………… ;-)
Here is a pic from some pre-season work we did on the property this summer. I was glad Brandon finally caught the archery “bug” even if it was due to his new girlfriend……………….and not me! : )
Thanks for the update and good luck to you and your mentee.
I’m happy to say though that Brandon has been out archery hunting this season. Just hasn’t had a shot yet. Apparently he got close a couple weeks ago but got busted by a buck trying to range him with his rangefinder. Even though I wasn’t there with him, I gave him some advice on ranging objects ahead of time instead of waiting to range the deer when it comes in range…………………
Here he is last week hunting with his Uncle while I was out of town.
This fall he asked if he could rifle hunt with me, of course I jumped at that.
We had a great time setting in my big box blind together. He had a buck and a doe tag, he killed a nice big doe opening day.
During our long set, we talked about bow hunting next year. I showed him the pics of deer coming into my food plot. I told him if he can consistently put 5 arrows in a paper plate at 30 yards, he can come up and hunt with me.
So now he's really fired up to come spend time with me and take a deer with his bow.
This is also a motivator for me. Since my back surgery, I've had a really tough time shooting my bow, so I've been shooting a crossbow. Hopefully I can get back to my Bow and put the crossbow away.
