Youth Involvement

Equipment Available to Help Promote Archery and Bowhunting

Bowhunting is not just a hobby. It is a lifestyle that all those that put endless hours of scouting, practicing and time afield are well aware of. Bowhunting is an art and requires the utmost dedication and responsibility. In order for Bowhunters to pass this legacy on to future generations, we need to act now and instill these values and traditions in today’s youth.

The Colorado Bowhunters Association actively promotes perpetuating the sport of archery and bowhunting in Colorado through various activities throughout the year. Over the years, the CBA has become more and more involved in ensuring that the sport we love so much is taught responsibly and in a manner that those that participate are sure to continue it!

The Colorado Bowhunters Association has the following equipment to help promote archery and bowhunting: Passing the Bow, A Call For Help

Kevlar Curtain Backstop with indoor or outdoor frame
Youth and Adult 3D Targets
Morrell Bag Targets
Compound, recurve and long bows
Arrows of all sizes
Arm guards, finger tabs, etc.

Additionally, the CBA has several NFAA certified instructors as well as Bowhunter and General Hunter Education Instructors.
If you would like the CBA to be a part of your event, please fill out the Colorado Bowhunters Association Youth Event Request Form and send it in to the address provided. For questions, comments or to volunteer, please contact CBA Youth Programs Director, Carol Ashurst at 720-231-5826 or e-mail.

Example of Events the CBA has participated in:

Various Boy Scout & Girl Scout Functions - Youth Range and Instruction
International Sportsman’s Expo - Indoor Youth Range & Instruction, Teaching thousands of youth in a four day event
Lakewood History Fair - Outdoor range and instruction, teaching thousands of youth in a week
Various Colorado Division of Wildlife Outdoor Skills Days - Outdoor youth range and instruction
Bass Pro Shop - Outdoor youth range and instruction
Joseph’s Journey Fishing Derby - Outdoor youth range- teaching terminally ill youth to shoot the bow and arrow
County Fairs and Conventions - both indoor and outdoors

Information on Events We Have Done

Passing the Bow: A Call For Help!!
By Carol L. Ashurst, Sept. 2010

Perhaps the biggest concern for bowhunting enthusiasts and wildlife management agencies throughout the US is the noticeable decline in the amount of youth involved in the sport that we all are so passionate about. For years now, the Colorado Division of Wildlife has been advocating for youth outreach to encourage young people to get involved in hunting and the outdoors. This past winter, Colorado Division of Wildlife Director, Tom Remington, put in place a task force, so to speak, to look at ways to change this alarming trend of declining hunters. As part of this, the CDOW is currently planning and holding Youth Outdoor Skills Days throughout the state. These events allow children to learn various outdoor skills including, fishing, archery, game calling, rifle shooting, etc. The CBA strives to participate in as many of these events as possible.

The Colorado Bowhunters Association has always been active in promoting bowhunting to not only youth, but all that are interested. Promoting archery and bowhunting is the only means to keeping our traditions and interests alive and passed on to future generations. The CBA has held numerous archery events for youth including pop shoots, kid’s ranges, teen scenes and workshops etc. Each year, the CBA puts on events ranging from teaching archery to Boy Scout and Girl Scout troops, to teaching thousands of Jefferson County school District children to teaching children at Bass Pro how to shoot a bow and arrow. Last year alone, the CBA put on over 50 youth archery/bowhunting events!!

However, these events and functions require a lot of coordination, planning and volunteer time.

In January, the CBA hosted an archery range at the ISE in Denver. We taught hundreds of children. The lines that grew out in the aisle assured us that children and their parents are interest in learning to fling an arrow.
In April, Bass Pro Shops invited us to teach archery in the "Field and Stream Challenge." The weather was horrible as rain fell and the April chill kept us in our jackets. The pink panther seemed to be the favorite target that accepted dozens of arrows of all sizes.
May 4-7 we participated in the Lakewood history Fair, where children are bused in from all over the Denver Metro Area. They are taught the history of archery and bowhunting and then they get to shoot a bow and arrow. It was their favorite activity. This was our fifth year of teaching at the Lakewood Heritage Center. We feel very privileged to be invited back each year.
May 8 the CBA partnered with the Colorado Division of Wildlife at Pine Valley Ranch near Bailey for "Outdoor Skills Day." To be able to do this on a Jefferson County Open Space Park was quite an honor. Once again, children would complete their stations and ask to do archery a second or even third time!
June 5 the CBA taught terminally ill children and their families how to shoot the bow and arrow at the Joseph’s Journey Fishing Derby. Joseph Journey does so much for these special children and the CBA works hard to help out this great cause.
June 26 we partnered again with the Colorado Division of Wildlife for an Outdoors Skills Day at Golden Gate State Park. We set up our Kevlar tent and taught archery.
On July 12, we partnered with Pheasants Forever to teach archery for their annual Tune Camp at Calwood.
However, my most challenging undertaking will be the Ted Nugent Kamp for Kids. We will have up to 75 children who are preregistered to learn archery, fishing, air guns, survival, and animal identification, wild meat tasting and tracking. I will need 100 people to help with each activity as the children move from station to station. Hopefully this will be an annual event to be held each Jamboree weekend.
August 7 and 8 at Bass Pro Shop we will host seminars and also teach archery for their Annual hunt Classic Weekend on Bowhunting. And finally, in September we have been asked to partner with the CDOW in Fort Collins to teach archery for the boy scouts.

In December of 2009, the CBA Board of Directors created a Youth Programs Coordinator position. This position, which I currently hold, is responsible for tacking requests from groups, organizations, etc. for youth bowhunting and archery events, coordinating these events, running the events and promoting them. I have always felt that teaching children to shoot a bow and arrow is the best way to keep bowhunting alive. I personally feel it would be selfish of me to not pass on my love of the outdoors.

As most of you know, the CBA has 15 youth targets, bows and arrows, backdrop curtain and frame, etc. to teach archery. The need and interest in archery/bowhunting is there. The equipment and supplies are there. However, we desperately need volunteers! If you have an hour or two available to help teach archery to children, please consider volunteering and helping us out and ensuring that bowhunting and archery are passed on to future generations. I am currently creating a list of volunteers. When an event comes up, I will contact volunteers on the list to see if they are able and interested in helping with that event. I do not expect a volunteer to attend every event—am simply looking for volunteers who can help out when/where they can.

If you are interested in volunteering for CBA Youth Programs and Activities, please e-mail the following information to CBA Youth Programs Director, Carol Ashurst:

Name
Address
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Cell Phone
E-mail Address