Missourians establish 'Archery for Kids' program

Submitted photo Some of the boys in the archery for kids program practice shooting with their bows. Missourians Lyle Shaulis, and Ethan Gotheer of Fair play, have worked over the years to establish an Archery program for area youth.

Nevada Daily Mail

When the archery deer and turkey season opened on Sept. 15, thousands of Missouri bow hunters took to the woods in pursuit of a trophy whitetail or a big turkey. Archers have a long season and all of the state to hunt.

Two successful bow-hunters were Lyle Shaulis and Ethan Gotheer, of Fair Play. Shaulis is the pastor of Harvest Assembly in Fair Play and Gotheer is the assistant pastor, both are veteran archers.

Shaulis moved to Missouri from Iowa more than 20 years ago. He has found Southwest Missouri a great place to bow-hunt.

He said, "When I came to Missouri I started hunting with a bow and loved it." Gotheer started bow hunting 10 years ago and has taken many deer and turkey with his bow. He recently returned from Maine where he shot his first black bear with his bow.

Archery for Kids

Both archers have established an Archery for Kids program. Shailis said, "I have never met a boy or girl that, I have asked if they had ever shot a bow, their answer is 'no.' But when I ask if they would like to, their answer is always 'yes.'

"We have some 3-D targets because they like to shoot them instead of paper targets. Some of the kids are naturals, though many of them have never shot a bow before. You don't have to teach them until they start doubting themselves.

"Its amazing how they just start out by hitting the target. A lot of kids that don't do well in other sports, they take right into archery. Every time they hit the target, it's a way to affirm them, and they just seem to love it. We do our best to set them up for success with the right equipment. We supply everything from compound bows to traditional long bows and recurved bows."

The veteran archer went on to say, "We sponsor a youth deer hunt and a youth turkey hunt. The youngsters are very successful. We have a ministry we call 'Outdoor Connections.'

"That is where we take kids outdoors connecting them with the Creator. We also have Kingdom Archery, where we teach bow building, shooting form and some shooting. The program isn't just for church members, it's for all of the youngsters in the community. I was certified by the National Archery School Program, so we follow strict safety guidelines and then the fun comes later."

On opening day of the 2014 archery deer and turkey season, Shalis set up a ground blind in Polk County and a short time later, he shot a gobbler about 10 yards in front of the blind. He also shot a doe whitetail the same day. Gotheer bagged a hen with a long shot from his bow.

It's safe to say both the pastor and assistant pastor practice what they preach.

A lot of bow hunters used to hunt with a gun, but changed over for several reasons. Jim Nelson, a former gun hunter, once said, "When you have three months to get a deer compared to just a few days, its easy to switch,.Besides, its more of a challenge to get your deer with a bow."

Nelson had hunted with a bow years ago, but things have changed a lot over recent years in archery deer hunting. He said, "When I started hunting with a bow, a friend from Carrollton made my bow, it was a recurved made from Osage Orange. Also, he made arrows. Now I use a compound bow and fiberglass arrows. I had to practice for months before I could be consistent in hitting a hay bale at 30 yards. It's a different world out there today.

It comes as no great surprise that archery deer and turkey hunting in the state is one of the fastest growing sports."

Tom Martin, a bow hunter from Sedalia, has hunted with a bow for all kinds of game around the country.

He said, "You have a real challenge when hunting with a bow. You have a big handicap over gun hunters. By the same token, you can enjoy the hunt more. You have a long season, you get to learn more about the deer and turkeys habits and become a better hunter in the process.

The 2014 deer and turkey archery season in Missouri will continue through Jan. 15, with the exception of being closed during the gun season Nov 15- 26.

Season limits are: Two turkeys of either sex may be taken on the same day. Two deer of either sex, but only one antlered deer may be taken.

Legal bows include longbow, compound and recurve of any draw or weight.

With a season of more than 100 days, bow hunters have plenty of time to hunt. If the weather is bad, you can wait and go another day.

Last year the archery deer harvest was 50,507 which was the second highest harvest total on record. The top figure came during the 2012-13 season when 51,008 whitetails were taken. Last years fall archery turkey harvest was 2,546 birds.