ORANCO BOWMEN MONTHLY NEWSLETTER - DECEMBER - 2025

 
 
ORANCO BOWMEN ARCHERY CLUB

Club President   


By: Al Wiscovitch - Club President


Hello everyone,


Happy Holiday,


As we have just finished our last event of the year, our Christmas toy drive. It was so nice to see so many members and outside shooters show up to support this very special event and bring so many toys to help so many needy kids so they too can have a nice Christmas as well. A big thank you to our club volunteers for giving so much of their time and support to get this done again!


As I sit here and reflect on our yearlong here at Oranco Bowmen with all the great things we have accomplished with our shooters winning so many tournaments our hunter filing there tags improving our range are losses and blessings we are second to none in my Humble opinion and looking forward to a great new year 2026 We will be hosting the State Brodhead again and will be hosting the NAFAC next year as well as the State Filed and 900 so stay tuned!


I would also like to share that I have been talking with some of our past Oranco Bowmen Presidents and will be sharing some of their stories from our early days. Do any of you know who was responsible for signing our first lease here at Oranco? well if you said Bruce Kiply, you were right. Bruce served as Our President from 1981 1982 and 1983 and is still a very active member here at Oranco Bowmen and has been a great advisor to me and our board members as well. My hope is to share our history with you all till we reach our 73rd annual banquet. It is my goal to reach out to our past presidents and members to try and preserve our history.


So, from my family to your family happy holidays and New Year!


Al Wiscovitch

alwisco@msn.com

(909) 322-3869

Club Vice President


By: Pete Whitworth - Club Vice President


Hi everyone. I am Pete, the Vice President and as such it is my responsibility to run our club invitational shoots. I also help our President Al Wiscovitch deal with the day to day running of the club in general, interfacing with the Parks Department, Corp of Engineers, Fire Department and most importantly we handle any complaints or issues that any of you have. Naturally you are always free to voice any issues at our club meetings held on the second Tuesday of every month at 7:00 PM in the clubhouse, however; Al and I are here to keep things running smoothly on a daily basis. So, when problems arise, you should always feel free to contact either of us for immediate help.


The Charity Shoot was yesterday the 9th and it went fantastic. This year we had 184 shooters which is a bit more than last year which was 166. More people brought gifts this time rather than just paying for the shoot, and that is a big help in making sure the gifts get directly into the system rather than having the charity organizations go out to buy things this close to Christmas. ORANCO increased our cash donation to the Chino Neighborhood House this year by 50%, plus a few people donated cash yesterday at the shoot that was added to the check that we sent them today. They will use that to buy any gifts that they may be short on, and the rest will help fund their food bank, which is a major help to the community. The Chino Neighborhood House is a small organization, and everything that they do is for the local community.


As far as operation of the shoot went, recent wet weather allowed us to utilize some areas that we can’t always use, due to the ground being softer, preventing arrows from skipping over the hills. We took advantage of that to set up a slightly different layout without using some of the standard pits. This also helped us get more targets into the valley which allowed us to lessen the distance people had to walk. According to Al, we got a lot of good feedback as he was driving around talking to people, so apparently most everyone liked what we did.


Today, we did the target pickup in excellent time. Steve and Harold pulled all the numbered stakes and brought them to the Connex area where we loaded them on the trailer, bucket brigade style which really cut the time for that part of the job. The entire job was done and the Connex’s locked up by 10:15. That’s about an all time record.


The next shoot will be the Stump and Varmint shoot on January 18th. Setup will be on the 17th, but it’s a paper shoot, so the setup is minimal. Also we do not do a separate take down on Monday either. If you have not tried that shoot, it is a lot of fun.


As always, if you have any Oranco issues, feel free to call or text me. If you call, leave a message, because I do not answer numbers that are not already in my phone.


That’s all for now folks.


Pete Whitworth

ob.vicepres@outlook.com

(909) 223-5822

Club Secretary

By: Amanda Duchardt - Club Secretary

Nothing to report.

Amanda Duchardt
Treasurer

By: Louie Lopez - ob.treasurer@outlook.com

Nothing to report.

Louie Lopez
(714) 538-7202

Hunt Chairman


By: Jim Teel - Range Captain  


Seasons Greetings to our entire Oranco Family!

I hope everyone enjoys the festive season with their friends and loved ones. 


The state of the range is very good. Big shout out to everyone with lane and range assignments. Every member of every crew is taking care of their responsibilities with the sort of commitment that makes Oranco the pride of California's archery community. Big thanks to every one of you. I will be adding a couple of new roles to ensure that loose ends are being taken care of from one season to the next. I would like to bring another person onto our tractor crew. If you have experience as a heavy equipment operator (or you'd like to learn) then please contact me. I also want someone to take over servicing the barn owl nesting boxes for me. If you'd like to discuss what those roles entail, call or email me and we'll discuss it. 


As many of you probably already know, there are usually multiple projects taking place at once in different areas of the club. From extending and improving the education range to felling dead trees and bucking them for firewood - there's always a new project awaiting the completion of the one before it. We invest the time that we do into these projects because they're improvements to the club that we love. Rarely are any of these projects completed in a single day, and so the job is handled in stages. Regarding the project of turning dead branches and dead trees into usable firewood, we were using the area beside the vehicle bridge as a sort of staging area. Trees and branches that were bucked but still too big for anyone's fireplace or fire pit had to get split into smaller, more useable sizes. The large sections that needed to be split were consolidated and tidied up so they wouldn't be in anyone's way - or any vehicle's way. 


It has come to my attention that a few people were seen splitting some of that wood to take with them. To be clear, that's 100% ok. We split that wood so that people will take it once we put it outside the front gate. But when they were finished splitting and loading up what they wanted, they left that area in far worse shape than it was before they arrived. Wood was strewn about in the road and even left in front of the vehicle bridge. This sort of carelessness doesn't belong here. This is OUR club and we need to take care of it together. That means ensuring that any area you're spending any amount of time in is properly policed of any trash once you leave - and making sure that the fruits of someone else's labor isn't disrespected by leaving it in worse shape than when you arrived. I don't need to know who it was; I just want to remind everyone that we all share in the responsibility of maintaining our range. This club is like a second home to many of us. Let's treat it that way.



Thank you. 


Jim Teel

ob.rangecaptain@outlook.com

(818) 317-9110

Hunt Chairman

By: Chriss Bowles - Club Hunt Chairman  

Nothing to report.

Chriss Bowles
(951) 757-4571

Range Secretary


By: Vacant - Club Range Secretary


Nothing to report.


Vacant

Tournament Chairman


By: David Bacon. - Tournament Chairman


Nothing to report.


David Bacon

ob.tournament@outlook.com

(909) 217-4441

Membership Chairmen 

 

By: Steven Baker - Club Membership


Oranco Members,

 

First off, a huge thank you to all of our amazing volunteers! Your help makes everything we do possible, and we couldn’t do it without you.

 

The chili cook-off was a blast — we had two delicious entries, and that’s a win in our book. Congratulations to our 1st place champion, Biranna Miller, who edged out Steve Baker by just one point. Well done to both of you!

 

We’re excited to share that we’ll be hosting another chili cook-off at next year’s Charity 3-D Shoot and Toy Drive. This time, there will be cash prizes for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place. More details will be coming throughout the year, so get ready, Biranna — the competition is heating up! 🌶️

It was also heartwarming to see all the toys and games donated by our shooters. Thank you to everyone who participated and helped bring joy to kids in need.

 

As we wrap up the year, we wish all Oranco Bowmen members and guests a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year filled with joy, laughter, and plenty of arrows hitting the bullseye. 🎄🏹

 

Best regards,



Steven Baker

ob.membership@outlook.com

(951) 285-1550

League Chairman


By: Brad Belvedere - League Chairman


I would like to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and hope you will be able to spend it with Family and friends. 


The Winter league shoot will be going into its 4th weekend this coming Saturday 12/13/2025. 

I would like to remind everyone that our final weekend will be 12/20/2025. This will also be the Toughman (person) shoot. 


WE WILL NOT BE DOING a potluck this time since we are so close to the holiday season. 

I will need crew to help with both set ups. This will be done on Friday before the shoot. 

I would also like to thank everyone who gave their best wishes to me this past Sunday at the charity shoot. 



I'm on the mend, but have a longer road to heal this time. I will do my best to be there this coming weekend -this of course is if the lady warden lets me out. 


Brad Belvedere

ob.leagues@outlook.com

(951) 545-9462

Two Year Board Member

By: Bill Waltz - Two Year Board Member

Nothing to report.

Bill Waltz

If you are looking for photos of previous shoots, check out Tony Nguyen's fantastic photography in the link below! He has an amazing gallery organized by shoots and dates he's participated in:


tcnguyen-Oranco


Oranco Bowmen Archery Range

Occupying about 45 acres, Oranco Bowmen Archery Club is a NFAA certified 5-star range. This is the highest certification given by NFAA. We are the only range in Southern California with practice butts from 10-80 yards in 5-yard increments. If you need a place to "dial in" your bow, this is it! 

Oranco also has two NFAA roving courses: Our Valley Course is a level 28-target course, consisting of 14 animal and 14 hunter paper targets. For those who desire a bit more of a physical challenge, our Mountain Course is a hilly 28-target course offering 14 Field targets and another set of 14 animal paper targets. The Layout changes occasionally.
Oranco Bowmen Archery Club - Range Map 
Oranco is not responsible for lost or stolen belongings.

Please remember to lock your vehicles when you are not present and always take your equipment home with you. We have received reports about stolen equipment, and want everyone to understand that you alone are responsible for your belongings. We advise you to put your identification information on your belongings and try not to leave anything unattended.

Remember: We are open to the public on Sundays and during shoots. During these events it is much more difficult to track who is on range property, especially if people do not sign in at the office.

Be safe and responsible everyone.
 Announcements 

Range Beautification Party: We would greatly appreciate your help and support to the upcoming Work Parties. Keep an eye out for the email blast. All Club Members and their families are invited. Per Al Wiscovitch, Club President there will be an “ALL YOU CAN EAT LUNCH” served for ALL of our Volunteers who come out and help.

Your assistance ensures that the Oranco Bowmen Archery Club remains the best in Southern California. There is a reason why people travel from all over California to shoot at our Archery Club. Get involved and help us out.  
 
Cook Shack Workers Needed: Positions are still available for volunteers to help out during the upcoming shoots.

Please contact Steve Baker in order to reserve your spot at: Cell# (951) 285-1550. First Come, First Served.  

Target Camping: This is NOT Allowed...Period. Your Membership will be terminated for doing this! The Practice Butts are for sighting in, improving your archery skills, and honing your accuracy. The Roving Range is just that, Roving. Shoot 4 arrows, Score them, then move on to the next target. 

You have been warned. Don't do it. It is not worth it. 

“Now or Never” and Other Stupid Mind Games Hunters Play


Every hunter knows the mental battle that unfolds in the woods. The adrenaline kicks in, your heart pounds like a drum, and before you know it, you’re caught in a tug-of-war between patience and impulse. 



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 NEWSLETTER GOAL 
Mission Statement:
My Goal as Newsletter Editor is to help Members stay informed with the Operations and Activities that are going on in and around the Oranco Bowmen Archery Club. Your suggestions are welcome and appreciated. Check out our Club Website: Oranco Bowmen Archery Club Website
 
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