Program introduces Roscommon students to archery, hunting

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

April 24, 2014

 

Contact: Brian Piccolo, 989-275-5151, ext. 2030 or Katie Keen, 231-775-9727

 

 

Roscommon students introduced to archery, hunting
with help from DNR and partners

 

Students from Roscommon Elementary School are learning archery skills after school during an eight-week program presented by the Department of Natural Resources and partners as part of the Recreational Archery Program.

 

“We’ve had great interest by both boys and girls,” said DNR wildlife biologist Brian Piccolo. “Learning archery isn’t about just hitting the target – students are also learning about mental concentration, focus and self-improvement.”

 

Piccolo, who works out of the DNR's Roscommon Operations Service Center, has been actively involved in getting this event rolling for students in third through fifth grades. He and nine other USA Archery-trained instructors – including DNR wildlife biologists, a Michigan state trooper, area school teachers and Centershot instructors from Roscommon Baptist Church – are teaching the course. Most of the instructors are members of the Roscommon Archery Club, formed this year by hunters who want to promote archery and recruit area youth into the sport of hunting.

 

The program required many instructors, but securing funding was also a hurdle, Piccolo said. Several partners, who jumped at this chance to get youth involved in hunting, allowed this program to get off the ground. Safari Club International’s Mid-Michigan Chapter, the Roscommon Area Youth Booster Club, Whitetails Unlimited, the Quality Deer Management Association’s (QDMA) Northern Jack Pine Branch and the DNR donated funds to pay for the equipment needed for this program.

 

“Instructors are teaching the use of both compound bows and crossbows,” said Piccolo. “We needed to have a lot of equipment to make this event work, and donors are stepping up to help.”

 

Over 25 bows and crossbows were needed, as well as 12 archery targets, 10 dozen arrows, Kevlar arrow curtains and racks to hang bows – all funded by partners who found value in starting this program.

 

“I belong to Safari Club International to promote hunting in Michigan, and working with kids like this is the best way to do it,” said Mid-Michigan Chapter board member Tim Schafer.

 

After the students have completed the eight-week course, they will be linked with a hunter safety course in the region. In the fall, mentors from the Roscommon Archery Club and local QDMA members will assist students, along with a parent or guardian, on a guided archery deer hunt.

 

“We really hope to turn this into more than just an after-school program,” said Piccolo. ”We want to continue to mentor these kids in the sport of archery and, hopefully, recruit new hunters because of this program.”

 

The program now will be offered annually to Roscommon Elementary School students.

 

The Recreational Archery Program is designed to provide archery education and bow-hunting education opportunities for recreation leaders in schools, municipal parks and recreation programs, nature and outdoor education programs, and nonprofit, youth-serving organizations such as YMCA, Boy and Girl Scouts, 4-H and many more. Program participants learn how to implement beginner to more advanced archery programs and receive guidance on how to utilize existing indoor and outdoor facilities to safely conduct a variety of archery programs and events for all age and skill levels. To learn more, visit www.michigan.gov/recarchery.

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/Note to editors: Accompanying photos are available for download below. Captions follow.

 

Roscommon-archery-group.jpg: Students from Roscommon Elementary learn archery skills in an eight-week, after-school program.

 

Roscommon-archery-lineup.jpg: A group of Roscommon Elementary School students takes aim on the shooting line./