KBH Archers in the News
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Chad Gillespie | Fishing & Hunting KBH Range Worth A Visit
Located on the
Old Belfair Highway, just a stones throw from any Kitsap location,
is one of the premier archery ranges in Washington and home to the
organization that calls itself KBH Archers.
This isn't just
the standard archery range where a target or two might be stacked
against some moldy hay bails. Nope, KBH Archers — also known as
Kitsap Bow Hunters — is one of the best courses to test your aim and
endurance with a bow.
Years ago,
while fishing Mission and Tiger lakes, we would drive past KBH
Archers and I always wondered what the heck went on at that place. I
would ask my dad what exactly it consisted of, and he would say it
was an archery range.
I thought to
myself, 'OK, that makes sense,' and didn't think much more about
it. We weren't into archery or bow hunting at the time and didn't
have much reason to explore the club.
Years later, I
have found myself dedicated to making the drive to KBH as frequently
as possible. It's a drive I look forward to taking all of the time.
Are you new to
archery shooting or want to get into bow hunting? Once you
borrow or purchase a new bow, this is the place to start shooting.
They have a
standard range set up outside beginning at 20 yards and ending at 80
yards. Each target has hay bails stacked on top of each other
sheltered by a small roof to prevent the bails from rotting.
The archery
shooter has to be way off to lose arrows on these targets. It's a
great spot to warm up, or as a beginner, build confidence.
Inside the club
house, there's a 25-yard range and a perfect spot for those nasty
winter days. Club meetings and banquets are held inside the club
house, and if you become a member you receive a personal key pad
code to enter at any time of the day.
The best part
of this course is the outdoor walk-through stations. Located
throughout the 30 acres that KBH owns are 28 walk-through stations
that simulate what hunters might come across while bow hunting.
At some
stations you are shooting up hill and others downhill, but each
represents its own uniqueness.
It tests your
ability to judge distances, including inclines and declines where
you might have to aim high or low. Some targets include actual
pictures of elk, deer or turkeys.
KBH Archers is
located at 3680 Old Belfair Hwy. Merlin Dahlke is the man to contact
for information. His number is (360) 769-2601 and his email is
mdahlke@wavecable.com.
A membership
for a year is $80, which isn't much once you see the beauty of this
course. Drive out and give it a try.
Chad
Gillespie's column on hunting and fishing appears every Tuesday in
the Kitsap Sun's Outdoors page. You can contact Gillespie at
gillespc21@netzero.com.
The previous story was written by Chad Gillespie and appeared in the Kitsap Sun
