The Outdoor Buddies annual raffle is now live, and tickets are available for purchase! We have some great prizes that you can win this year, and the proceeds of this fundraiser raffle enable Outdoor Buddies to continue to fulfill its mission of getting mobility impaired hunters the opportunity to go on outdoor adventures. As an all-volunteer non-profit organization, Outdoor Buddies relies on folks like you to support our programs and make the dreams of mobility impaired outdoorsmen come true.

Please have a look at the fabulous prizes below, and get your raffle tickets soon! Don't forget to share this email with your friends!

All prizes will be drawn at the annual Clay Shoot fundraiser, which will take place on August 5th, 2023. Do not need to be present to win.

Call for Tickets:

Terry Gleason

303-868-2579



Please bring your family and friends to enjoy the day with Outdoor Buddies! Bring your sons and daughters, grandsons and granddaughters to make memories and build relationships.

There will be catch and release fishing, archery, and BB gun shooting available. Pending the availability of ammunition, trap shooting may be available as well. Swift Ponds has handicap-accessible fishing docks for those on wheels.

There will be equipment available for each of the activities, but please feel free to bring your own fishing equipment.

Nordy's BBQ will be served for lunch.

We will have on hand the Outdoor Buddies shuttle bus, track chairs, Bad Boy Buggy, Arctic Cat UTV, and ATV with go-getter to help those who need assistance in getting to the different activities.

Come and have a fun filled day with your family and friends!

Directions to Swift Ponds: Take Interstate 25 north to Windsor Exit 262, turn right onto Highway 392. Take Highway 392 east to County Rd. 5, turn left onto County Rd. 5. Take County Rd. 5 north to County Rd. 36 (Ketchter Road). Turn Left onto County Rd. 36, the Swift Ponds gate will be on your left.

For more information, please contact Larry Sanford at (970) 218-5356 popslarrys@gmail.com

Don't forget to buy your raffle tickets! Tickets will be sold at the event.

If you would like to help out with this event, please contact Steve Medberry at stevemedberry@gmail.com or (720) 255-9453 to volunteer.

May 3, 2023 was a nice day to go to Green Mill Shooting Range to get my rifle sighted in for hunting this year. I'm very appreciative of Green Mill Shooting Range for allowing the Outdoor Buddies Hunting Organization to bring in hunters to get sighted in for the upcoming hunting season. Larry Sanford, Bill Gowdy, Earl, Kyle, Adam, and Aaron and all of the other volunteers at Green Mill Shooting Range, were all very helpful on working with me and my husband to try and get my rifle sighted in for the hunting season. They have the patience to work with you, teach you, and help you in any way they can. They are all a bunch of nice guys, and it's very nice they volunteer their time to help you.

Unfortunately my rifle is not sighted in, since there's a problem with it. I need to take in to a gunsmith to get it fixed, before I can try and get it sighted in for the hunting season.

When I got told we're done shooting, I was confused and at first upset. I didn't know what was going on, and I thought I had done something wrong. When Adam came up to me, after looking through the scope at the target I shot at, he told me what was wrong, and I would need to take my rifle to a gunsmith to get it fixed, before I would be able to shoot anymore. My rifle is shooting Key Holes, instead of Standard Holes. There's also some other things that need to be checked before I can shoot it and get it sighted in for the hunting season. Adam was kind enough to write down everything for me, and give me names of gunsmith places, where I can take my rifle to get it fixed. I was relieved when I found out I didn't do anything wrong, but I was a little upset when I found out my rifle needed to be fixed.

I was thinking " How am I going to get sighted in for the hunting season, when May 13, 2023 was the day to go and get sighted in. " Luckily enough, the guys told me, once my rifle is fixed, to let Bill Gowdy know, and have him get ahold of them, and they will be more than happy to meet me and my husband again at Green Mill Shooting Range to get me sighted in for the hunting season. I was relieved when they told me, they were willing to meet me and my husband again to get me sighted in for the hunting season.

I really think it's a good idea to go to the sight in at Green Mill Shootig Range, if you can. For me it's very helpful to go to the sight in, to get practice shooting my rifle, and get it sighted in. I only use my rifle for hunting, so having this opportunity to go to Green Mill Shooting Range, is very helpful. lf I hadn’t gone, l wouldn't have known my rifle had an issue.

Thank You to Green Mill Shooting Range, Outdoor Buddies Oganization, Larry Sanford, Bill Gowdy, Earl, Kyle, Adam, Aaron, and all of the other volunteers for taking time out of your Saturday to get hunters like me sighted in for the upcoming hunting season. I'm very appreciative for all of you and I think you're all a good bunch of people.

-Brenda Harrison



Thanks to everyone who came to this year's sight in!



Win Brandon generously supported Outdoor Buddies and won a turkey hunting experience! Thank you for your support, Brandon!

My name is Win Brandon and at the 2022 Outdoor Buddies sporting clays shoot this past July, I bid on a turkey hunt, and I won the hunt! 

Since I had never hunted turkeys before, I asked Outdoor Buddies for assistance and Chris Nowak, director/treasurer for Outdoor Buddies and an experienced turkey hunter, agreed to be my guide. Joining us on the hunt was my buddy Terry Gleason, who also is a director and someone with whom I have hunted for years. 

On May 2, we headed out early for the hunt site at the Peaceful Valley Scout Ranch just south of Elbert, CO. On the way, we saw several groups of elk but no turkeys. When we arrived at the ranch, we loaded up in one vehicle and made our way thru the property. We stopped every so often and got out of the truck so Chris could use his box call to locate turkeys. On the 4th stop, a turkey answered the call and we immediately started moving to get set up. As we were getting our gear ready, we spotted 5 birds about 75 yards away in a pine thicket. They caught us a bit off-guard (sound familiar to anyone?) and were already walking toward us, so all we could do was try to be very still. I slowly reached thru the truck and grabbed my shotgun and loaded some special turkey rounds, aligning my sightline in the direction they were moving.  

The turkeys, for whatever reason, were not spooked and continued toward us. When they were about 30 yards away, Chris said “shoot” and I did. Fortunately, the lead jake dropped when I shot. Needless to say, we were shocked at how fast everything happened; after all, it wasn’t yet 8:00 am! After several pictures, we loaded the truck then spent the rest of the morning scouting (driving, stopping, and calling) around the property for other turkeys for a hunt that Chris will guide later for a hunter that won a turkey tag in the 2022 Outdoor Buddies raffle.  

We saw several other turkeys, including a couple of large toms, some jakes and a hen, but the wind was blowing hard which seemed to keep the turkeys very wary. In addition, we saw squirrels, rabbits and a few groups of elk which is always exciting.  

My first turkey hunt was a rousing success, thanks to Chris and Terry and Outdoor Buddies. Later that day, Terry and I learned how to process a turkey and collect the fan and spurs for a memorable souvenir.  

I have always enjoyed my association with Outdoor Buddies whether through fund raising, raffle ticket sales, banquet attendance, sight-ins, or the summer sporting clay shoots. It is rewarding to work with such a fine organization that supports mobility impaired buddies and youth hunters with outdoor experiences they will always cherish. If you are able, I encourage you to get involved with Outdoor Buddies, both as a volunteer and by supporting the fund-raising activities, including the annual raffle and the clay shoot, both of which are advertised in this newsletter, to help create great memories for others. 

-Win Brandon

Prized beyond all other fish in much of Europe, carp is a common sight on tables across the continent. And in countries like Germany, Poland, and the Czech Republic, it’s the traditional Christmas meal in millions of homes!

Though carp has yet to generate much traction on the table in North America, you might want to consider serving this gentle giant. 

Much of the reason Americans don’t eat carp is tradition: we simply don’t! This prejudice is based on nothing more than habit and doesn’t reflect the suitability of this fish for the table.

Keep in mind that carp are omnivorous, eating a variety of water grasses, mollusks, crustaceans, and insects. Their flavor, much like catfish, depends a lot on their specific diet and the water quality.

As you’d expect, better diets and better water yield tastier carp!

Ingredients

• 2 ½ pounds of carp, scored and cut into large pieces
• Zatarain’s or Louisiana Fish Fry (1/2 cup of seasoning mix per 1 lb. of fish)
• Canola oil
• Paper bag or plastic food storage box with a tight-sealing lid
• Frying thermometer

Directions

1. Pour one inch of canola oil into the bottom of a deep skillet or pot, and place over medium heat. As the oil heats to 350 degrees, pour slightly more than ½ cup of Zatarain’s or Louisiana Fish Fry into a medium paper bag or Tupperware-style plastic storage bin with a secure lid. Add a few pieces of carp at a time, tossing gently to coat them well with the fish fry.
2. You want to get the fish fry down into the scoring marks of the fish.
3. When the oil has reached the measured cooking temperature, carefully add a few pieces at a time, avoiding crowding the pan. Continue to monitor the oil temperature during cooking--it will drop as you add the fish but come back up to temp soon.
4. Cook until golden brown, turning fish once. Remove the finished carp, and cool on an oven rack over a cookie sheet.
5. Serve with lemon wedges, tartar sauce, cocktail sauce, or ketchup.

Outdoor Buddies Sporting Clays Event at Colorado Clays Shooting Park

*Raffle Drawing*

All day sporting clays shoot and fundraiser event at Colorado Clays LLC 13600 Lanewood Street Brighton, Colorado.

Aug 5

Larry Sanford

(970) 218-5356

popslarrys@gmail.com

Larry Sanford

President

970-218-5356

popslarrys@gmail.com

Nate Lucht

Vice President

(970) 219-8817

nate.lucht@hotmail.com

Christopher Nowak

Treasurer

303-717-7159

christopher_m_nowak@yahoo.com

Terry Gleason

Secretary

303-868-2579

terryjgleason@gmail.com

Kevin Kassner

Director

(303) 946-2502

kevin@asktechnolink.com 

Matt Camilleri

Director

860-930-2389

mcamilleri7@gmail.com

Tony Hodges

Director

303-523-0583

thodgesre21@aol.com

Nicholas Filler

Director

719.359.3641

nicholas.filler@outdoorbuddies.org

Steve Medberry

Director

720-255-9453

stevemedberry@gmail.com

Edgar Munoz

Director

720-261-1857

edgar4jec1268@gmail.com

Jim Piper

Director

303-514-8944

geopros@q.com

Frederick Solheim

Director-Warriors on Cataract

303-818-7600

WarriorsOnCataract@gmail.com 

Non-board members are welcome. Please RSVP in advance.

Meetings are held from 6:30pm-8:30pm at the locations and dates below.

June 13 - Cabela's (Thornton)

July 11 - Cabela's (Lone Tree)

August 1 - Cabela's (Thornton)

September 12 - Cabela's (Lone Tree)

October (no meeting)

November 14 - Sportsman's Warehouse (Thornton)

December 12 - Sportsman's Warehouse (Thornton)