Baltimore Bowman Traditional Classic Bow Shoot and Some Natural Trout Fishing

 

This past four-day weekend was an active one for me and I am feeling my age this morning.  Several cups of coffee are helping to recall the events so here goes.

Thursday and Friday had me driving the hour and a half to Baltimore morning and night to attend the shoot.  I started out on Thursday shooting 2 courses solo with my 60 plus pound Sagittarius bow before I started to get very sore.  I am just not used to shooting so much with the heavy.  I did well and was hitting them super especially the couple elk targets that I really focused on in preparation for my upcoming Idah hunt.  I was enjoying the "no crowds" part and was launching arrows constantly.

 

I had planned on fishing the nearby lower gunpowder river but ended up not bringing my fly gear as even the small mountain streams near my home were at major flood stage from all the recent rains and storms.  I took a lunch break and explored the river and was shocked to find it low and clear as the upstream damn had controlled the runoff.

I chatted with an older gentleman toting a fly rod and pipe, and he told me that there was mainly just sunfish he caught.  I could see no sign of trout that were apparently stocked months ago.  Oh well.

The next day had hot and humid conditions but fellow elk chaser Dave as well as my brother with his pooch Levon, and fellow Sunset Hill shooter Evan attended the shoot.  I shot 3 more courses doing very well with my lighter draw weight Northern Mist longbow.  The weather and mud kept the crowds down and we had a blast shooting hundreds of arrows.  Calling head shots on turkey targets and challenging each other.  Was a blast.

 

Everyone had so much fun the next day (Saturday) found the group (except for Evan) back again, as well as Chris’s wife who was along for the hike, my son Garrett (whom I dragged), and Dave’s dog Lilly (who got along marvelously with Levon).

Garrett started out not being thrilled as he had not shot the bow in a few years, having no interest.  I had the lefty geared up with a 35-pound old Bear dual shelf static 53-inch fiberglass kids bow with proper arrows, my old converted LH Howard Hill quiver, and new arm guard and softer kangaroo crossover glove.  He didn’t want to listen to any of my “advice”, so I just let him shoot.  He struggled at first but then started nailing some surprising shots.  I kept telling him to slow down, but he was doing well despite not anchoring at all.  Later he told me, “I don’t aim.”  I think he only lost 2 arrows the entire day!  His form looked pretty good for no instructions except for the not anchoring part.

 

 In this photo you can see a big boar with Garrett’s “kid” arrow in the heart!.  The smaller pig also has one just a bit high.  He was doing great.

Here are a few pictures of the whole gang and the Ragan brothers collecting some arrows.

 

The shoot was hot and exhausting, but I think even Garrett had fun.  He would never say so though.  I know he was proud of his shooting on a bunch of those targets.

I decided to forgo the Sunday shoot to head to Thurmont in order to fly fish a local catch and return stream that held naturally reproducing trout.  The little stream was running high, but clarity was good enough.  Caught all fish on the point fly deep and ended with a dozen landed, including a 12-inch chunk brown and a 14-inch rainbow.  Some of the fish were so small they went through the larger holes on my landing net. 

I tied a few more weighted soft hackles to replace what I donated to the trees and a rock.

 

 

 Felt good to fool the "native" fish on a popular C&A stream as well.