Club President   

By: Al Wiscovitch - Club President

Hello Oranco members,

Hope you're all enjoying this nice warm weather we've been having last week and 1/2 it's a little much for me but it is needed. Few things I want to cover in this newsletter first we are gearing up for our annual banquet this will be our 73rd celebration. I would like to thank Donna Belvedere for putting together all the envelopes and getting them out. You should be receiving them this week please get them in as soon as possible as our banquet has been selling out every year looking forward to seeing anyone and everyone that wants to be there I can always add a few more tables if needed but we try to be at about a hundred 110 members and this year should be just as good as any of the past banquets lots of awards great food big raffle so please get your RSVP's in as soon as possible.

A few weekends ago, we attended our annual California Bow hunter association state meeting. This is when we get together and discuss our changes or need for changes or elect new second VP's our committees and all the things that need to be done in order for our organization to continue to operate in a very professional and efficient way big thank you to Chriss Bowles as our CBH president Amanda duchardt our legislative leader they were a big help With the Catalina island dear management problem and we were able to make a nice donation coming from CBH our legislative program Oranco Bowman and Orange Belt Archers region 59 three agencies came together and donated 5100 dollars to help pay for attorney fees to stop the slaughter of these wonderful deer on the island of Catalina more to come as this battle continues I will keep you updated if you have any questions or like to be part of this fight or make a contributions all that can be arranged just let me know.

This past weekend we were able to get the racks back in to place at the educational range we were able to purchase an auger and boy did this thing meet our expectations this thing can drill through that ground like butter we had to dig out forty holes in order to get these racks back in place we got them concreted in there shouldn't be any more problems in the future with wet weather that caused them to sag and move. A big thank you to all those who came out and helped us on Saturday I would like to name everyone who helped but I would miss somebody and that would be unfair to them so please just understand that all that participated was very appreciated we'll get the bails in today and hopefully this new range will be very effective and efficient we actually would be able to shoot out to 70 yards with this new range which makes this perfect for the JOADs.

We will also be using this new range for our flint-round leagues that we do during the week I hope to see some dates soon!

Ok, time for some history of Oranco Bowmen.

How many of you know about our Big Game Club? Well, that is part of CBH and is ran by Brett Scott Yes, he is a long time Member of Oranco Bowmen and owner of Willow Creek Archery and Our 2nd VP of Big Game Club also responsible for our big game score keeping and measurers guide.

Now this is where our history story starts. Back in 1970 A archer by the name of Bob Jensen yes, the last of the charter members who started Oranco Bowmen back in the 50’s He took his own money and did all the research and with the permission to use Pope and Young measuring system. They, Pope and Young came up with a measuring system to record big game animals that were taken by bow and arrow this scoring system is what Bob Jensen used to start CBH/SAA first Measurers Guide and record keeping guide. Yes, another first by an Oranco member. Our club has so much history that we can be so proud of. Below is a photo of the first guide ever published.

Thank you for reading this newsletter.

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.

Well, it’s March 8th today, and our annual Champ Shoot had to be postponed from yesterday the 7th to Saturday the 21st due to terrible wind conditions at the range. Brad Belvedere was out at the range on Friday to do the setup, and it was obvious that shooting the next day would have been a disaster. So let me take this opportunity to promote the ORANCO CHAMP SHOOT. This shoot is for our members (although you can bring a guest), and it has historically been our means of declaring who the top shooters in the club are each year. It’s a Field, Hunter, and Animal round with 14 targets in each round (Half of the targets used in a standard NFAA Field Round). The awards (for members only) are given out at our Annual Banquet which is on May 16th this year at 5:30, at our range. You shouldn’t miss out on the banquet either. We bring in a large tent, the food is great, we have one of the best raffles of the year, and if you place in the Champ Shoot, everyone will know that you are one of our best shooters.

None of my Invitational shoots fall in March, so my next shoot will be the Big Game shoot on April 5th. Setup will be on the 4th at 8:30AM, and we will be doing the take down on Monday the 6th also at 8:30. The Big Game shoot is (as the name implies), the shoot where we bring out all of our Big Game animals. In general, the animals are larger, the distances are longer, and the Elk doesn’t taste any better than it did last year. That said, it’s always a fun shoot, and you are welcome to come out on Saturday to camp for the weekend. Actually, we should be camping there on Friday night so call me if you want to come then and lets make it happen.

Note: At the Rendezvous shoot, I did lose sight of the animal size compared to the distance for Youth and Longbow / ROTS shooters. Now that has been brought to my attention, I will work on making those distances more suitable for the smaller animals.

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

Range Captian

By: Jim Teel - Range Captain  

The range is in good shape right now thanks to everyone with lane and range assignments. There are two upcoming work parties that I would like to get RSVPs for - this Thursday night (6PM to 9PM) there will be a target gluing work party by the tool connex. 

I need 10 volunteers.

I will also need 4 to 6 volunteers this upcoming Saturday to assist with the seasonal clean up of the barn owl nesting boxes. Starting time will be 8:30 AM. We may finish before 12:30 if there are enough volunteers. 

Text me your RSVP for either work party at 818-317-9110. Include your full name and membership status, please.

If you are interested in taking over a lane or range assignment should one become available, email me to be put on the waiting list. (ob.rangecaptain@outlook.com) Members do need to step aside from their roles from time to time for health and/or personal reasons. First on the waiting list gets first choice of available assignments. 

See you on the range!

Jim Teel

ob.rangecaptain@outlook.com

(818) 317-9110

Range Secretary

By: Brad Belvedere - Club Range Secretary

Well Mother Nature showed her ugly side this past weekend, which led me to cancel the Champ Shoot. We have moved it to March 21st. The wind would have made for a very nasty day. By moving it 2 weeks out, everyone can shoot the Cherry Valley shoot this coming weekend. Good luck to those that will be there. 

Now since the Champ shoot is on the 21^st, I will need help doing set up on Friday March 20th.

 Also, if you need work party credit, reach out to Melinda for cookshack help. 

Let's hope Mother Nature is in a good mood for the next shoot. 

Brad Belvedere

ob.rangesec@outlook.com

(951) 545-9462

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

Dear Oranco Members,

We are officially two months away from the start of the 2026–2027 membership year. Renewal invoices will be sent out automatically on May 1st, 2026, and must be paid no later than May 31st, 2026.

NFAA / CBH Membership Cards

To help us prepare, please begin sending in your updated NFAA membership cards. If you have a grandfathered CBH membership, please send that as well so we can update your records.

Please remember: We cannot issue your new membership card or gate code without a current NFAA or CBH card on file.

Family Membership Reminder

To all our Family Membership holders, please keep an eye on your email. I will be sending out a message shortly asking how many membership cards you will need for the upcoming renewal cycle. Providing this information early helps ensure your cards are printed correctly and ready to go when renewals are processed.

Work Party Credits

· March 31st is the final day to earn work party credits for the 2025–2026 membership year.

· New credits for the 2026–2027 year will begin accruing on April 1st, 2026.

Gate Security Issue

When I arrived at the range on Sunday the 8th, the front gate was wide open, and the padlock had been left unlocked.

This is a serious safety and security concern.

Please remember:

· You must close and lock the gate behind you every time you enter or leave.

· If someone asks you to “hold the gate,” you need to ask how long and they as about 15 minutes, say I’m sorry but I need to lock the gate.

· Leaving the gate open invites unauthorized access, puts our range at risk, and violates club rules.

We all share responsibility for keeping the range safe and secure. Thank you to everyone who continues to follow the rules and help protect our club.

Steven Baker

ob.membership@outlook.com

(951) 285-1550

League Chairman

By: Mark Van Patten - League Chairman

Hi Oranco members,

Get your calendars out and be sure to mark the following dates for some great league shoots and fun club competition.

Our first league shoot will be the Summer League starting in June on the following dates:

June 6th, 13th, 27th, July 11th, and finishing on July 18th.

In between our Summer and Winter league shoots I plan on having a fun night shoot. Join us for “Poacher’s Night Out” on August 29th. Bring your flashlights. You will need them!

Between our Summer and Winter league shoots I will run a Flint League on Thursday nights in September on the following dates; 9/3, 9/10, 9/17, and finishing up on 9/24.

Our Winter League Begins in October on the following dates:

October 24th, 31st, November 7th, 14th and finishing on the 21st.

Both the Summer and Winter Leagues are 5 weeks on Saturday mornings and as usual all league events are subject to change or postponement due to inclement weather or range conditions but I’ll keep you updated to any changes.

I look forward to seeing you all out there on the range.

Shoot straight and have fun!

Mark Van Patten

ob.leagues@outlook.com
(909) 833-6450

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

Check out the Oranco Bowmen Youtube Channel