Sandpoint Archers hosting winter league
SANDPOINT — It may be winter in north Idaho and bow hunting season is just a distant memory, but for area archers or wannabe archers, it’s not time yet to put away your bow.
Instead, why not continue to hone your archery skills by joining the Sandpoint Archers’ Winter League, which starts on Friday, Jan. 8, at 7 p.m. at the Leo Hadley Indoor Range (across from Sandpoint City Hall on Pine St.).
Members of the winter league shoot on both Friday and Saturday evenings at 7 p.m. for six weeks. According to Bil Sams, club president and certified instructor, there are usually more than 50 archers participating.
Cost to join the league is $15, and archers must be a member of the Leo Hadley Indoor Range, which has an annual fee of $45 per family, $25 for adults, $10 for kids ages 13-18, and just $5 for kids under 12.
The indoor range is open to the public from 6-8 p.m. on Wednesdays, and noon to 2 p.m. on Saturdays. There is no cost on the first visit for anyone interested in stopping by and checking out the range. Also, there are a total of nine certified archery instructors in the club that are available to provide introductory archery lessons for beginners, which are free.
The range has both adult and youth archery equipment (traditional recurve bows and target bows) available for use. Range managers use several different kinds of targets, including one and three spot Vegas targets for league scoring. The maximum indoor distance to targets is 17 yards.
If you decide to join and pay the Sandpoint Archers’ fee, you’ll also become a member of the Bonner County Sportsman Association, which allows access to the Baldy Mountain Outdoor Shooting Range.
On open and league nights you’ll hear Preston Ramey, range master and certified instructor, call out “clear” — meaning the range is clear of people and it’s safe to begin firing at targets — and a line of archers will commence shooting arrows.
During league play, members fire 12 rounds of five arrows each. At the end of each round the signal is yelled out to “pull arrows.” At this signal, no arrows can be notched and bows are hung safely on overhead hangers. Archers then walk forward to gather and pull their own arrows and mark down their scores. A perfect score would be 300 points.
Beginning the second week in February, a six-week animal league gets underway where archers aim at various game animal targets. Also, a five-week Sandpoint Archers Youth League starts at the end of January.
Sandpoint Archers’ instructors also conduct Bow Hunter Education classes (two classes per month from February to June) at the Bonner County Fairgrounds.
For more information, visit “www.sandpointarchers.org,” or contact Bil Sams at 263-9944, or Preston Ramey at 304-6127.