National Capital Chapter
Safari Club International
Chapter News
Fishing Tournament Success by Mike
Kaczor
May 3, 2009 was a big success with the members
who signed on.  Everybody – got fish, got to meet
new new friends, got to swap hunting stories, got
to learn about Bay fishing, and got to have fun
while doing it all!  Read complete story and more
photos
April Striper Fishing Trip
Gene (below was ecstatic with her
catch, Gene (below right) was pleased
with the total catch..
Ashly Palles Lion
Ashly Palles Lady Hunter
Click on the picture for the story
and more photos.
***The 2012 Banquet will be Held on March Third at Landsdowne Resort***
Click Photo for Albert
Starkus's  great hunting story
FORT VALLEY RANCH FAMILY EVENT
By Howard Isenberg

Like the Saying goes, "You should have seen the one that got away!!" In my opinion this is what happened when my family and
friends visited Fort Valley Ranch in Fort Valley VA. Originally planned as an SCI NCC sponsored event, this trip became an outing
for family and friends.

Fort Valley Ranch, run by Bill and Laura Schumacher, is a first rate Horseback Riding, Trail Riding and Family gathering spot.   One
feature is a big stocked pond and just prior to our arrival one of the ranch hands landed a 10# Bass from the pond.  Located a few
minutes East of Edinburg VA off 81, a little more than an hour ride from the DC Beltway it is nestled against the George
Washington Forest!

We arrived on Saturday, the 17th of July around lunchtime.  We checked into our 6 person bunkhouse with full kitchen including
appliances, dining area, living room with TV and view of our Cowboy style "bunk-beds"! For those who like to cook outdoors each
cabin is equipped with grills. While getting settled a little girl staying next to us "warned" us not to put food out at night, because
there was a BEAR visiting the campsite! DANG but NO luck on that happening, no matter how much food I spilled around camp!

We got dressed and immediately headed out to the trail with our team of beautiful horses and mules. The 90 minute ride through
the GW Park Boundaries, hillsides, valleys, and fields was awesome. The beasts of burden were in excellent physical condition
and well behaved. My girlfriend and one of my daughter’s 17 year old friends were on horses for the first time. With the help of
extra ranch hands riding nearby, they looked like real Cowgirls on their steeds!

After the ride and lots of picture taking we headed back to the bunkhouse for Ribs and Smoked Sausages. With a table full of
pasta and potato salads and lots of desserts we had our bellies full.  It was now time for MORE fun! The ranch hands had set up an
Archery Range for us. The girls got a chance to shoot some Flu-Flu Arrows into targets! Then we hit the 3 Stocked Bass/Bluegill
Ponds! We had a blast catching hand size bluegills on fly-rods and bass up to 4+ pounds! As night fell, we were ready to gather
around the fire-pit talking about our days’ adventures well into the night.

The next morning after a huge breakfast, we headed out for another trail ride before heading home. Sunday’s ride included
seeing a beautiful 8 point buck in full velvet less than 25 yards from the trail. Upon arriving back at the stables, more pictures
were taken and we visited the well stocked gift shop. We then said our good bys and headed home, relaxed and refreshed from
our weekend at Fort Valley Ranch hoping to visit again next year.
Pintail Point Sporting Clays and
Upland Bird Hunt
By
Leonard White
Photos by Gene Banks

The Pintail Point event was a roaring success!  The day was a bright, warm, and sunny fall day.  Eleven people showed
up to hunt upland birds and shoot sporting clays.  Wayne Graham brought his chocolate Labrador retriever and Gene
Banks brought Tory a Lewellen setter.  Both dogs were outstanding in the field.  Tory, not only excelled in the field, but
also made more new friends than the rest of us combined!  It was amazing to see the way that she drew strangers to
her.  The sporting clays started with easy shots and became more challenging as we progressed through the course.  
The last few stations humbled some of the best shooters but did not dampen the camaraderie and good spirits.

The bird hunt included pheasants, chukars, and quail; 20 turkey hens visited the fields that we were hunting as well.  
The picture of Gene Banks with his dog Tory on point was typical of the bird hunt.  What was not typical was the fact
that the turkeys knew that it was not turkey season.  Approximately twenty turkeys wander by while we were hunting.

Scheduling was problem with this event last year; the event was cancelled twice; the first time due to snowmageddon
and second time because of rain and high winds.  Even this year I scheduled the event on opening day of the deer rifle
season in Virginia; someone else should pick the next date for this great event!

The people in the group photo are from left to right:  Len White, Wayne Graham, Dave Wabeke, Jonathan Wabeke, Gene
Banks with his Lewellen Setter Victoria, Robert Tinker, Tom Laughlin, Kevin Del’Oro, and Norm Ashby.  Albert Starkus
hunted in the morning with Wayne Graham but had to go to work before the entire group arrived.

It was a great event!

Turkey Hunting Seminar Co-Sponsored by SCI-NCC and the NRA
with assistance from the NWTF

The pursuit of turkeys is as much an art as it is a sport, and who better to introduce three dozen
novice hunters than a fantastic team-up of experts from the Safari Club International (SCI) and the
National Wild Turkey Federation (NWTF) Saturday, April 2 brought a rare treat to D.C.-area hunters: a
turkey-hunting seminar sponsored by the National Capital Chapter of SCI and the National Rifle
Association.

Over three dozen eager students of all ages—from 12 to “I’m not telling”—gathered at NRA
Headquarters in Fairfax, Va., to receive both beginner and intermediate-level instruction in the fine
points of how to bag a wild tom. Topics included how to scout ahead of time, what to do if you can’t
scout, how to set up, what gear to bring, turkey calls and calling techniques, and other “insider” tips
and tricks to bring a bird in to your gun. The all-volunteer group of turkey-hunting fanatics split the
students up into beginner and intermediate levels to focus on basic and advanced calling
techniques. Once everyone got back together, Tim Martin of Martin’s Taxidermy Studio
demonstrated how to prepare a turkey for mounting—using a recently taken Merriam’s gobbler!

The seminar, which was free of charge, also included gratis course materials, a turkey call and a hot
lunch. It didn’t end there, either: The sponsors raffled off a youth turkey hunt and half-price turkey
mount. Seminar attendee Patrick Corkren won the raffle, but in a heartwarming display of generosity,
he donated his win to 12-year-old Rachel Melton, the youngest student. This will be her first turkey
hunt. “This seminar was awesome and educational,” she enthused. “I learned a lot!”

Special thanks to Blue Ridge Outfitters (blueridgeoutfitters.net)
and Martin's Taxidermy ( Martinstaxidermy.homestead.com ) for their generous donations.

To learn more about other interesting SCI-led activities in the D.C. Metro area, visit www.
scicapitalchapter.org; to catch up on the NWTF, visit www.nwtf.org; and to stay on top of the latest
news from the NRA, come right back to NRAblog!
Rachel Melton happy winner
of the youth Turkey Hunt and
Taxidermy Prize at the Turkey
Seminar
Fund Raiser Raffle Results
The drawing for a 1911 Citadel WWP, supplied by LSI,  was held at the
2011  Chapter Christmas party. The winning  ticket
was number 454.