Contact Tom Olah for more inormation call Leave message
Gainesville Daily Register
March 26, 2012
Archery range on target for family fun
By DELANIA TRIGG, Assistant Editor
Gainesville Daily Register
Bulcher — A local couple have turned an old town site into a competitive archery range. Wildcat Archery owner J’Lynn Hare runs the range with her boyfriend, Tom Olah. Olah — a California nati
ve who has been a bow hunter for 30 years — designed the challenging course on 87 acres north of Muenster. The range is on the original site of Bulcher in an area of rolling hills and abundant vegetation. Hare said she’s been shooting for about a year and hopes the new range will draw both serious archers and those who are looking to take up the sport. Thirty-five shooters were on the range Saturday morning taking part in a bow tournament sponsored by Traditional Bow Hunters of Texas (TBOT) and Predator Longbows. Olah said he and Hare expected more traditional bow competitors to arrive for the event which wrapped up Sunday. Participants were eligible for awards and door prizes. Competitors faced hunting conditions designed to reflect real life conditions, Olah said.
“All the targets are based on hunting scenarios with life-sized animals,” he said. Target animals included black bears, deer, wolves, wild turkeys and feral hogs. Participants and their score keepers navigated the course in small groups. The sport is a bit like golf, Olah said, adding competitors shoot from designated areas — similar to golf tee boxes — and face challenging course conditions. Bobby Lutkenhaus donated all the animal targets — foam-core replicas marked with concentric circles to indicate kill zones. Shots which enter the kill zone center are high scoring. Arrows landing outside the zone snag lower scores. Hare said many of Saturday’s contestants are skilled hunters who hone their craft and often travel to tournaments and exhibitions.
“You have to practice,” Hare said. “You can’t just not shoot for months and months and expect to retain your skills.”
She said she plans to open the course at least once a month. Archers at Saturday’s Wildcat Archery event seemed to revel in the clear, warm weather and the sprawling course peppered with natural obstacles.
“This course is very challenging,” The Colony resident Martha Hundt said. “It’s been a lot of fun. This is beautiful country, great terrain.”
Hundt was on the course with about 11 other members of Denton County Archers. For those looking to learn archery, Wildcat Archery has a limited number of bows on site for children 12 and younger. All types of bows are welcome with the use of field tips only. For more information visit http://www.facebook.com/pages/Wildcat-Archery or email [email protected]
