The sky was a deep blue, the blue you get when there is a chill in the air. And the woods had the tint of a dark green with sunlight flickering through the leaves and creating dancing shadows on the grass. In other words, it was a perfect day for hunting for Lonnie Coker and 43 others who gathered in Dallas County for a three-day bow hunting tournament.
I was chatting with Coker when he spotted the buck about 100 yards away, too far for his bow, or most bows for that matter. The deer needs to be within 30-40 yards for the hunter to hit the target. We waited a bit, the bow pulled back and the arrow awaiting release, but the deer never got any closer. Coker decided to dismiss this one.
“Some get close enough. We had 22 teams in this tournament, and we’ve bagged almost 20 deer. I would say it was a success,” Coker said.
The tournament was organized by Jimmy King, on the property of Bojie Beers in Dallas County. 44 sportsmen gathered and scoped their spots for the three-day event.
“I’ve been doing this for almost 40 years, and I still love it as much as I did back then. Mathews Inc. always gives us a nice bow to give away as a prize,” King said.
Money raised from the tournament will be given to a school that teaches bow hunting. Some of the winners in the past were Munford and Fayetteville High Schools in Talladega County, and Jamison Elementary in Chilton County.
“We would love to support our Dallas County schools, so if any teaches bow hunting, we would like to know about them,” King said. “The NASP, National Archery School Program, leads this effort and tries to spread awareness of this great sport.”
Most of the deer meat harvested during this tournament will go to the Feed the Hungry program in Selma and Dallas County.
“Hunting keeps our deer numbers in balance. Without hunting, we would have way too many deer and farmers would have a hard time with their crops, and the deer would have nothing to eat. We have to do it,” King said. “Hunting is also a great way to keep our young folks off the streets.”
To find out about upcoming hunting tournaments, visit www.alariver.com
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