4/19/02

As noted in the minutes of the 4/4/02 North Austin Chapter Meeting and the 10/11/02 - 4/5/02 Treasurer's Report, there are three proposed budgets for FY02.  At the 4/4/02 North Austin Chapter Meeting Proposal 3 received the majority votes.  The South Austin Chapter will vote on these proposals at their meeting in May 2002.  It is my hope that the South Austin Chapter will cast their votes for Proposal 1.  If this proposal passed both chapters we would not have to change our brochure, Adult and Youth Membership Applications, and bylaws to delete the newsletters as a membership benefit.  Presently we have the following membership benefits: 

• Club decal
• Quarterly newsletter
• The right to make proposals for changes or additions to the Club bylaws, statement of faith, or calendar
• The right to participate in Club votes
• The right to check out (borrow) items from the Club tape and book library and camping equipment.
• The right to purchase additional Club Paraphernalia (currently T-shirts and caps) for their and their immediate family's use only (members may not give Club paraphernalia to non-members as gifts)

Each fiscal year goes from 9/1 through 8/31.  For example FY91 goes from 9/1/91 through 8/31/92.  FY01 reflects only from 9/1/01 to 4/5/02.  None of the years reflect the purchase of T-shirts or caps as these were rare events that were reimbursed by purchases.  The increase in costs over the past two years are due to the fact that we no longer photocopy newsletters for free at Great Hills Baptist Church (when my wife terminated her employment).  We also had extra expenses over the past two years for the wooden stakes for the Dove Retreats, our full color display, and our new brochures.  If the South Austin Chapter votes for a different proposal we will have to resolve this issue at a joint meeting of the officers from both chapters in accordance with our bylaws.  The compromised proposal will be presented to both chapters for another vote.  If we cannot reach a compromise then the majority vote of the entire Club membership carries.

We had three men sign up for a Redfish/Speckled Trout Bay Fishing Trip scheduled for Sunday, 11/11/02 at the 4/4/02 North Austin Chapter.  This will take place one day after our Annual 2002 Duck/Goose hunt.  We have room for one more.  Contact me if you are interested.  The first man to contact me will get the spot.  The cost is about $90.00 for a full day of fishing.

The Fall North or Central Zone Dove Retreat that I discussed in the 1/5/02 Word for the Webmaster has been updated to an Opening Day Central Zone Dove Hunt (9/1/02) at a property near Mason.  David Chalmers, Warren Hoke, and several other South Austin Chapter members have hunted at this property for years with great results.  The hunt will probably cost $50.00 for the day.  The North Zone option near Stamford did not pan out.

Hog hunting options for 2003 include:

• The Arrowhead Ranch is located near Zapata, which is 284 miles from Austin.  This ranch has three major advantages: 1. They have a guaranteed kill (this is not a canned hunt, the hogs are in a 450 acre pen), 2. They charge $20.00 less than Texas Wild ($180.00/two days), and 3. They also have Ram hunts (Corsican, Hawaiian Black, Texas Dahl, Mouflon, Catalina, New Zealand Mountain Billies, Painted Desert, Four Horned, Merino, Aoudad, and Black Buck Antelope).  The Ram hunts also have a guaranteed kill and cost $225.00/two days.  FCS has not had a sheep hunt since 1990.  Many of us who have fond memories of the Appletree Ranch hunts will find this option very attractive.  I also find the guaranteed kill very attractive, having hunted for five years in a row (and spending $625.00) without taking a hog.  Their disadvantages are: 1. They charge $75.00 for each additional hog and 2. They are the farthest away from Austin of these four choices.  

• The Reed Ranch is located near Corsicana, which is 172 miles from Austin.  This ranch, although $60.00 more than Texas Wild has two major advantages: 1. They have trophy hogs and 2. Hunters can also fish the Trinity River (they have lots of Alligator gars) and fish their lakes.  Their disadvantages are: 1. Hunters will be assigned a specific zone to hunt and 2. Their cost is the highest of these four choices.

• We have hunted with Texas Wild over the past two years.  The first year we had a 33% success rate (66% if you count Javelina) and the next year we had a 44% success rate (55% if you count Javelina).  Their primary ranch, the El Portillo, is near Pleasanton, 110 miles from Austin,  You are allowed two hogs for your $200.00.  Their major advantages are: 1. They assign us to the majority of the ranch, 2. They allow us to hunt any way that we please, and 3. They are the closest of these four choices.  Their major disadvantage is their hog population is not very large.

I listed the ranches in my order of interest.  I believe that the Arrowhead Ranch offers us the most bang for our buck.  Sure it will take longer to get there and back, but we'll forget all about that when everyone brings back a hog or sheep.  The Reed Ranch comes in second on my list because of their cost and restrictions.

If you don't know by now, I love statistics.  The following chart reflects attendance at FCS meetings and events.

As you can see we grew steadily each year and peaked in 1996.  We then began to decline steadily with rebounds in 1999 and 2001.  2000 was our worst year ever because we had to cancel the Fall Dove Retreat.  The data shows that July - September is our best quarter (due to good turnouts at the Fall Dove Retreats), January - March is our second best quarter (due to, until recently, good turnouts at the Winter Dove Retreats), and October - December is our worst quarter (as we usually only schedule two events during that time of the year - the Annual Duck/Goose Hunt and a Quarterly Sporting Clays Shoot).