NEWSLETTER • March/April, 2009

UPCOMING EVENTS
March 8th, Sunday - Heartworm Clinic 10am-2pm
April 4th, Saturday - 100 NSCA Registered Sporting Clays Shoot
April 5th, Sunday - Last Day for Birds Under Contract
April 8th, Wednesday - Sporting clays range open
April 12th, Sunday - Easter- Club Closed
April 18-19, “Last Chance” Weekend - Hunting Closes for Season

PARTRIDGE SPECIALS
10 HUNGARIAN PARTRIDGE - $125
10 CHUKAR PARTRIDGE - $125
While they last ... get a chance at a prize for each bird shot!

50 BIRD SPECIAL
Only $600 ($12 per bird)
Members Only – Weekdays or Weekends
(Can be split 25am/25pm or two fields side-by-side for up to 8 guns Tues.-Thurs.!)

SPECIAL NOTICE
Due to the unprecedented numbers of pheasants for sale by gamebird producers as a result of bad weather over the entire Midwest, wholesale pheasant prices are at all-time lows. Many producers are in the crisis mode and are unloading birds on the market at below cost. To help our fellow producer(s), the Club is offering a “50-bird special” for only $600 plus tax. Get your buddies, your dogs, your guns and your blaze orange and get going!

There are over 5,000 birds “under contract” the Club is still holding for members, so the Club can not offer multiple fields or split time slots on the 50-bird special on weekends and some Fridays that are already filling up. Also, we will be reducing the price of additional birds to $18/bird for the remainder of the season.

In The Field
You know its winter in Wisconsin when the thermometer hits 32 degrees and people get excited. Between the snow in December and the cold in January, there hasn’t been a lot for hunters to cheer about. At one point in January, the Club was empty due to the cold for 3 straight days. Fortunately, the weather took a much needed turn for the better in February. The Club has received a lot of compliments about its hunting cover, which is still in fair to very good condition considering all the weather. There are plenty of fields still available on weekdays and some weekends. The Club is hoping to burn up a few more birds with an additional Last Chance Weekend of hunting being added in April on the 18th and 19th.

Not even the doom and gloom of the economy can match the urge to shake off the mind-numbing effects of cabin fever. There are many members with a good number of their birds still unused, so the Club is extending the deadline for getting those birds used up one week. Keep in mind, the Wern Valley version of March Madness is fast approaching. Birds under contract must be used up by April 6th - so its shoot’em or lose’em from here on out.

Hunter safety is always the first priority when it comes to firearms and hunting. Sure-as-shoot ‘in, accidents can and will happen. Please remember to observe Club Rules and warn guests of any potential for trouble in the field. When it comes to guns, little reminders in the beginning can set the tone for the entire hunt and even save a life! Be careful out there and don’t forget to rest and water down the dogs often on those warmer spring days!

Looking Ahead on Membership & Beating the Drum
“Uncharted waters” is the term being used to describe the current agricultural outlook by a lot of folks these days. Bad weather, record breaking feed/fuel prices, and a generally lousy economy has hunting preserves and gamebird producers wondering- what’s next? Some may choose to get out of the business; others are going to try to tough it out.

The bottom line is the Club is in good shape because it has been very pro-active in offering great prices on hunting specials (like 10 roosters for $125 this past fall) year in and year out- and will continue into the future. Membership prices will remain the same for the coming season, and Members can always “partner” with a friend to help reduce cost. As an added incentive the Club is also offering 5 additional birds to any membership paid in full prior to June1st!

Known for its big fields, good cover, quality birds, sporting clays and outstanding special events, the Club continues to be a leader in the industry. Efforts the Club has made on behalf of sportsmen everywhere extend well beyond its boundaries. Smaller minimums on birds released, no charge for over bagging, scratch hunting, bird & dog cleaning facilities, a well kept lodge, reasonable prices and friendly service are all important aspects of what the Club has to offer. No matter how you cut it- Wern Valley is a great value.

The fact that the Club does all this in such close proximity to so many people is remarkable in and of itself. Non-hunters often think of hunting preserves as a place for “rich guys and over-bred dogs.” What they fail to realize is they spend as much or more on their own hobbies, travels, and so on. It’s simply a matter of choice. Hunting is not politically correct, fairly visible and not without some risks. In other words- it’s FUN.

If all this sounds a little bit like the Club beating its own drum, you’re right. Once in a while it should!

Operation Pheasant Hunt
There were some great tower shoots held during the rough weather. Club and privately held shoots are scheduled almost every weekend from now to the end of the season. Tower shoots offer plenty of fast-paced action and are ideal for older and less mobile hunters.

On Friday, April 24th, the Club is proud to host a tower shoot for Veterans of the Iraqi/Afghan Wars. Numerous groups including Safari Club and The Waukesha County Conservation Alliance are sponsoring the event, which is sure to bring a smile to everyone involved. About 20 shooters are expected to participate, with 100% of the cost picked up by the sponsors. If you or your business would like to get involved in any way, please contact the Club. Normally, the Club does not hold birds beyond April 15th so this is going to be a very special event indeed!

Learn To Hunt Turkey Program
One of the best opportunities for youth to get involved in hunting is the Learn to Hunt Turkey Program. In co-operation with the WDNR, numerous clubs from around the state are now participating. Wern Valley was one of the first to get involved, and the program has been expanded to include more clubs in Waukesha County. About 500 kids have been through the program at Wern Valley. Many hundreds more have received their Hunter Safety Education Certificates at the Club as well.

Youth as young as 10 years of age can participate in the Learn to Hunt Turkey program with no previous Hunter Education required. Mentors provide one-on-one coaching from start to finish. A mandatory classroom will be held on Wednesday, April 1st from 7-9pm with the hunt being held April 11-12th, same as the statewide youth hunt.

The nicest part is youth can be introduced to the sport of hunting without having to go through a full blown Hunter’s Safety Education Program. Most are mentored by their parents, but there are a limited number of openings for kids whose parents don’t hunt. This is a really fun program, with the entire group meeting up at noon on Saturday for a group photo, lunch and to swap stories. Sign up by calling the Club.

Bad News On McMiller
A recommendation to close the sporting clays range at McMiller Sports Center has been proposed by Paul Sandgren, WDNR-Superintendent of the Southern Unit of The Kettle Moraine Forest. This is the same person who proposed closure of parts of the forest to deer hunting this past fall.

The contract (lease) with Wern Valley to operate McMiller for the DNR is due to expire (after 15 years) on March 31st. There is no contract up for bid as yet. The Department has asked the lease with Wern Valley be extended on a month to month basis while it makes up its mind what it wants to do. As surely as the sun will rise- the fallout from trying to close the range is only going to prolong the process and create yet another political debate.

Sandgren’s argument for closure is based primarily on the damage being done to trees and the environment. Never mind there are over 700 acres dedicated to ski trails that were created by cutting thousands of trees out of the 20,000 acres of the Southern Unit of the Forest. The McMiller sporting clays footprint takes up .0004% of that same forest!

There are serious implications for all sportsmen in this. Some sportsmen believe this is part of an agenda to get rid of McMiller all together. The bottom line is, once again a shooting facility is coming under attack, only this time it’s coming from the very place sportsmen could hardly have expected it to come from just 15 years ago. Call it a sign of the times.

To be sure, every major hook and bullet group in the State is joining to go to bat on this. The word is out and spreading like wildfire, and Gloria McCutcheon, DNR Superintendent here in the Southeast Region has promised an opportunity for the public to comment at some point. And so it goes. Unfortunately, there is no way of knowing for sure who will be the operator of the range in the future or under what terms. Now would be a good time to think about contacting the DNR, your legislator, your organizations and fellow shooters to get the word out. Our kids are going to need a place to shoot some day, where zoning laws and development can’t get in the way. McMiller was supposed to be that place, so get going!

Local Deer Under Stress
Most hunters would find it hard to believe many Waukesha County deer were already shedding their antlers in December. The Club registered 18 deer during the “Holiday” gun season that ran from Dec. 24th- Jan 3rd. Six of those deer were antlerless bucks that had in fact shed their antlers. There was even a nubby buck fawn that had dropped his “nubs.” Numerous other antlerless bucks were registered at other registration stations as well.

Heavy hunting pressure, record snow depths, and the fact that deer were already “yarded up” by the time the holiday gun season arrived contributed to much higher stress levels in the local herd than normal. Stressed deer are always more susceptible to disease, so it is rather ironic that the DNR’s desire to reduce the deer herd because of CWD may in fact be a contributing to the problem. There were 7 different seasons for hunting deer this past year.

Sporting Clays
Sporting clays season is coming quickly, the first 100-bird NSCA Registered Shoot at Wern Valley is on Saturday, April 4th. Hunters voiced no complaints last fall when shooting took place during hunting activity and should not be a problem when they overlap again this spring. The Club will be open for practice shooting on Wednesday, April 8th and will continue on almost all Wednesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays until October.

The 15-week summer league starts the first week of May. If you had a team last year and you want to shoot again, or if you’d like to start a new team this year, give us a call or stop in. As a reminder, the sponsor fee is $160 per team of 4-7 people and $20 per shooter for each league score ($18 for a round of 50 birds plus a $2 weekly fee that goes towards the league party). This year’s sponsor fee has been reduced $20 as a result of cheaper clay target prices, and shot shell prices have come down considerably! Special “bulk” prices on Fiocchi ammo are also available as Wern Valley is the biggest buyer Fiocchi ammo in the area. After a long cold winter, the Club is looking forward to starting “sporties” once again.