GRAND VALLEY CAP N BALLERS™

SMOKEPOLE SEPTEMBER 2017

JEFF’S JOURNAL

As the days get shorter this time of year so

does our schedule of events for 2017. As I

look at the calendar I see we have only the

Meat Shoot remaining and that event is

early this year being on September 30 and

October the 1st. That statement of one

event is only true of the Rifle Range the

shotgunners still have a couple of Sporting

Clay events to go before the season ends.

One will be this month and the second will

be shot the weekend after the Meat Shoot.

OOPS! I’m getting ahead of myself I’ll get

back to the Meat Shoot later. Let’s

backtrack to August since we had two

successful events after Frontier Shoot I’d

like to respond to. The First was the State

Shotgun Championships, I must admit I

don’t have very much information or results

on this because I was not shooting. I did

find time to go back to the shotgun range to

visit a couple of hours on Saturday

afternoon. I noticed there seemed to be a

good number of shooters and campers

participating. I didn’t hear of any issues

happening so that’s a good thing for sure.

Maybe Paul or Ron will have more specific

info. to share elsewhere in the newsletter.

The other event I can easily respond to

since I was the Chairman of that event, that

event was called the “ Fun Tyme at the

Range for women only. The keyword in that

name is FUN and it really was more fun

than I could have imagined. The shoot

began with a safety presentation by our

R.O. Mike Kowalski and a short

marksmanship class by yours truly. Then it

was on to Range to get the program going,

the Saturday A.M. portion of the program

was the most serious of the entire day. That

was shooting (4) traditional muzzle loading

targets at 25 and 50 yards. The person who

had the highest total aggregate of those (4)

matches won a nice gift card in addition to

those who won the individual matches.

After a delicious lunch of pulled pork

sandwiches, sides and homemade cookies

we again gathered at range for the fun part

of the program. I decided it would be more

fun to have everyone posting the same

target for each relay to see how their

competitors were doing. All of the

afternoon targets were shot this way and

Wow! What fun! The laughter and giggling

was contagious on every target but

especially on the team target. That went

like this an experienced shooter was paired

with a novice shooter firing at the same

target for a total score. This match in

particular (among others) allowed others to

be competitive and to place in those

matches. We will for sure do that team

thing again next year with perhaps a little

twist, just for more fun. After the shooting

stuff was done just about everyone joined

in the games in the games of yesteryear

again with just a little twist to be different.

The games finished just in time to sit down

to dinner of hamburgers potato salad and

chips etc. with Oreo cupcakes for dessert.

By the time dinner was over the sun was

below the tree line and it was getting cold

in a hurry so we headed for our tipis and

settled in for the night. Sunday Morning we

awoke to another cool but beautiful day.

The only scheduled shooting for today was

the Long Hunter Range which we did from 9

to 11 am, that finished early so with

everything being accomplished for the

weekend I moved up the timetable for

awards to 11;30. Most of the time the

awards ceremony can be a little boring, but

not when you have that many women it

won’t, there were a few surprises here and

there and more laughter. Things went so

well I think I enjoyed doing the awards as

much as anything. I had a great time

planning and hosting this event and I’m

already looking forward to next year. Every

event requires a lot of help and I certainly

did have that they were Ron Fernwalt

(financials and range) Mike Kowalski (range)

John and Cheryl Snyder (meals) Dick Miller

and Eric Hodgkinson (scoring) and Neal

Armstrong and Scott Silverman (games)

Thank you so much for your help. Extra

special thanks to Pam Adams for the

cookies and cupcakes they were a real

treat.

Now back to the Meat Shoot you know the

dates (please see the flyer for details) club

members you can shoot at this event too. I

hope you do. On September 30th at 6 pm

we will have our annual Octoberfest Party.

The club will furnish the meat and we ask

you to bring a dish to pass. Please do plan

on joining us to help celebrate another

successful year at G.V.C.n.B. and thank you,

for all you do to make it so.

See you

there;

P.s.

Jeff

Anyone dressing in traditional costume will

be entered into a drawing for a nice prize at

the Octoberfest Party.

OCTOBERFEST

Don’t forget Octoberfest Saturday Night

September 30th. It will be a potluck with

GVCNB supplying the meat starting at 6:00

pm. There will be a silent auction following

the meal. Also any one wearing their

primitive costume will be judged and a prize

will be awarded.

MEAT SHOOT

Don’t forget the Meat Shoot September 30th

and October 1. Both Rifle and Shotgun

Trap. See flyer at end of the newsletter.

Lunch will be available both Saturday and

Sunday at the club house.

50/50 WINNER

The winner of the 50/50 was Bill Spence.

SPONSORS

Larry Horrigan requested that the rule of

sponsoring a match be rescinded------it

didn’t work as he expected. Thank you

Larry.

Jackie Armstrong makin smoke at the Lady’s

Fun Tyme at the range

RANGE OFFICER

The Ranger Officer on the line for November

will be our honorable Neal Armstrong.

JEFF’S 50/50 ON THE LINE

Jeff’s 50/50 on the line was a V target and

who had the best group would win. The

winner was Cal Meabom which had a very

tight group and him being the winner

donated it back to the club. Thank you Cal,

it was much appreciated.

Secretary’s Chat – Dawn Thurkettle

Happy September. It was a beautiful

September Sunday on the 3rd, the day of

our club meeting. It was very nice to see

familiar faces again, as it is every month.

There were a few missing, more than a

few, for the number of members that we

have at our club, but I understand, it was

the holiday weekend. Kind of everyone’s

last hurrah of summer before we start

thinking about hot cocoa, raking leaves,

and shut my mouth, that four letter word,

snow. Now comes October. What is

happening at Grand Valley Cap n Ballers

you ask??? It’s Octoberfest, it’s a potluck

on Saturday, some great shooting on

Sunday, and elections. Where will you

be? Will you be sitting home saying

things like, I don’t know what to make

(buy some brownies), Mr. or Mrs. So and

So shoot better than me (shoot more so

you can beat Mr. or Mrs. So and So), or

the same people win the election

(nominate someone, put your name on

the ballot. Call Ron a week or so before

the meeting and put your name in the

mix). I’m pretty happy with being

Secretary, but if someone wants to

nominate someone else, or put their

name in the mix, that’s ok. Win or lose, I

know that I contributed and will continue

to do so. We are club of members, a

team. One hundred plus on that team.

There are so many fantastic people that I

have met in my time at Grand Valley. We

all don’t always agree on how things go,

and that’s ok. The important part is that

we continue to contribute and work as a

team. The club can’t grow if only the few

participate and/or make decisions. You

have a voice, you have an opinion. I

could do more, so could almost everyone

reading this article. I’m proud to say that

I belong to the Grand Valley Cap n

Ballers. Be positive, be proud to a Grand

Valley Cap n Baller member.

Dawn Thurkettle

Two happy ladies won the team shoot,

Jackie Armstrong and Ashley Bruekens

Volley for Tex Woods

Paullette Maxson competing in the bean

bag toss at Fun Tyme at the range

WHO WAS PA KEELER

I have had a lot of younger people ask who

was Pa Keeler. The MSMLA started a Keeler

Society and one person is inducted into the

Keeler Society each year. This marks the

100th Anniversary of Pa. We have 4 present

and past members from Grand Valley that is

in the Society. They are Harry Hauch,

Bernard Trantham, Clyde Carr and Ron

Fernwalt. The two pictures of pa and Pa

and Ma Keeler were purchased by Ron

Fernwalt and will be hung in the club house

along with the GVCNB Society members and

the write ups about them. Here is the first

page of the Keeler Society Book which is

also found on the web at www.msmla.org

The man this award is intended to honor.

Roy “Pa” Keeler

To those of us that were privileged

enough to have known him there is the

responsibility of keeping his spirit alive.

In doing this we may pass on to others

what we received from Roy and to impart,

in some small measure, what it truly means

to be a friend.

Man of history: Roy Keeler of Eaton Rapids

was an authority on Michigan’s outdoor

history. He is also instrumental in starting

the black powder hunting season. Roy

passed away February 5, 1998 at age 80

Roy “Pa” Keeler

To his friends and even those who

knew him from afar, Keeler was a living

history book of Michigan’s outdoor heritage.

From trapping to furs to traditional

black powder rifles, Keeler was the source of

historical outdoor information.

Pa was a historian, a walking

encyclopedia. He was always there to help

in any way, whether it was beginners or

young kids. He was more than happy to

share his knowledge.

Pa’s passion was old time firearms.

He hunted all kinds of game with black

powder guns and was the person most

responsible for convincing the state to add a

black powder deer season in December.

When the first black powder hunt was held

in 1975 about 8500 hunters joined in the

hunt Keeler created.

Pa was extremely respected for his

shooting skills and few blackpowder shoots

happened without him.

He was a lifetime member of many

shooting and gun-history groups including

the Ohio Gun Collectors Association, the

Michigan Antique Arms Association, the

Eaton Rapids Conservation Club and the 3

Fires Muzzle Loaders Club. He also

belonged to the Chief Okemos Sportsman

Club, Michigan Schutzen Society, National

Muzzleloading Rifle Association, Michigan

State Muzzleloading Association and the

American Single Shot Rifle Association.

He made a big impression on anyone

that met him. If you met “Pa” once the next

time you met him he would treat you like a

long lost friend. Roy was always more

interested in what you had to say than he

was in trying to tell you anything about

himself. He had a wealth of information and

a willingness to share everything he had.

He was a tough old mountain man

that was born 100 years later than he

should have been. However this was

fortunate for the rest of us because he was

able to teach so many so much, not only

about black powder shooting but about life

in general.

Pa Keeler set a standard for the rest

of us to try and live up to, and in doing so,

made the world a better place to live.

Editors note: While hunting in the UP

with my friend Dick Wadsworth and his

family we ran into a younger fellow and

visiting with him that Pa Keeler that wrote

for Michigan Out of Doors magazine

camped in the same campground (about

100 ft from where we camped) and he was

telling how Pa and his group hunted with

smoke poles and didn’t want any help in

dragging their deer out. We told him that

we knew Pa personally and the Society that

was in his honor. Small world.

SHOTGUN SCORES

On Saturday Bob Hill ran the 10 Yard line with a perfect score of 10, followed by Ed Henson placing 2nd with his trade gun. The 16 yard was won by Bob Hill with 8 and Ron Fernwalt with 7 and Ed Henson taking 3rd. Ron and Bob shot the 20 yard line and Ron placed 1st with a 7 with longest string and Bob with a 7 taking 2nd.

On Sunday we had a couple of new shooters which was John Roe and his son Trent. Ben Kerkstra took 1st and Trent Roe placed 2nd with only 1 bird behind Ben. Good shooting Trent, you did very well for the first time out. Guys and gals, watch out for this kid, he’s gonna be good.

The 16 Yard match 1st place was John Snyder with 8, 2nd place went to Bob Hill and 3rd place went to Ron Fernwalt. Fernwalt should have gone to the Casino and maybe he would have rolled all 7’s and got into the big money.

ARCHERY SCORES

Hunters class

Joe German------------210 Bill Lovette-------------182

Primitive

Neal Armstrong-------------106 Mary Povense---------------53 Russ Povense----------------46

LINE MATCHES

Women 25 Yard Trap

Bonnie Fernwalt-----------32X Jackie Armstrong-----------32 Lee Patterson--------------15

Women 25 Yard Pie

Bonnie Fernwalt------------37 Lee Patterson---------------35 Jackie Armstrong------------18

Women 50 Yard

Bonnie Fernwalt------------46 Jackie Armstrong-----------20 Lee Patterson---------------19

Trade Gun 25 Yard

Larry Horrigan--------------46 Louis----------45 Ed Henson------------------40

Trade Gun 50 Yard

Ed Henson---------------------38 Larry Horrigan---------------26 Bill Spence---------------------

Men 50 Yard

Doug Rose------------------50X Ed Henson------------------40 Cal Meabon---------------33

2 Bull 25 Yard

Doug Rose------------------43 Ed Henson-----------------40 Cal Meabon--------------31

Rabbit

Ed Henson-----------------42 Cal Meabon---------------39 Dennis Priddy------------30X

Squirrell

Ed Henson---------------41 Mike Kowalski---------38 Dennis Priddy---------36

Congratulations to Doug Rose in shooting a 50 and receiving his 50 pin.

Not sure about these two, Lee Patterson and Leann Pierce, looks like they are having

a lot of fun

VENISON RIBS

So many people trash the ribs of

their Venison. I am here to

inform you that you are making

a HUGE mistake and not only

because you're wasting part of

the game you took, but because

it is absolutely to die for! No pun

intended....So here is my slow

cooker recipe for...

Venison BBQ Ribs

What you'll need:

-Venison Ribs cut into 3 bone

sections

-Sweet Baby Rays Barbeque

Sauce

-1/2 Cup of Brown Sugar

-1/4 Cup Honey

-1 Cup of Worcestershire Sauce

-1 tbsp Garlic Powder

-1 tbsp Salt

-1 tbsp Pepper

-1 tbps Thyme

-1 tbsp Chili Powder

Directions: Bring water to a boil

in a large pot and insert cuts for

25 minutes to cook off any

remaining membrane and fat.

The ribs will be completely

cooked at this point. Afterwards,

insert into a slow cooker and

apply dry seasoning mixed

together generously on both

sides first. Next, drizzle Honey

and Worcestershire sauce back

and forth over the ribs. Last, add

entire contents of a large bottle

of BBQ sauce. I prefer Sweet

Baby Rays but you can use as

much or as little of your favorite

BBQ sauce.

Place on High for 3 1/2 hours in

Slow Cooker and be prepared to

taste what you've been wasting

or missing out on!

Guess who took first place in the knife and tomahawk at the Lady’s Fun Tyme

at the range

MSMLA SHOTGUN CHAMPIONSHIPS

The Michigan State Muzzle Loading

Association Shotgun Championships is

now history. The shoot was held at the

Grand Valley Cap N Ballers Muzzle

Loading Gun Club. We had a total of

36 competitors attending the

championship. They were from

Michigan, Canada, Indiana and Texas.

There were 34 competitors that shot for

the Keeler Centennial Patch.

The winner of the Michigan State Trap

Championship was Larry Trantham, 2nd

went to Ken Hobday and 3rd went to

David McMurray. The Junior State

Championship went to Johnathon

Wadsworth breaking 13 out of 15, 2nd

went to Drake Buell. The Lady State

Championship was won by Bonnie

Fernwalt, 2nd went to Louise Mercer and

3rd went to Cathleen Taylor. The

Percussion Championship was won by

Ken Hobday, 2nd went to David Taylor

and 3rd went to Ardith Knop. The Flint

Championship was won by Missi Taylor

and 2nd went to Nick Melnyk. The

Flint/Percussion Championship was won

by Missi Taylor and 2nd went to Nick

Melnyk. The State Novice

Championship was won by Johnathon

Wadsworth, 2nd went to Lyle McGregor

and 3rd went to Brian Hooyer. There

were several Re-entry matches for all to

compete in from the 10 yard, 16 Yard,

18 yard, 20 Yard and 27 Yard.

Components for 1st, 2nd and 3rd were

given out at the awards ceromoney.

Betty Carr and Tim Carr attended on

Saturday for the Volley for Clyde Carr

and Mike Watson.

A big thank you goes to Bonnie Fernwalt

and Daughter Julie Averill of M & J

Water wells for the beautiful quilt that

was raffled off. A thank you to all that

bought tickets was very much

appreciated by the association.

NEW ROOF

A new medal roof was put on the

pavilion back in the primitive area this

past week end. Head of the crew was

Larry Horrigan and his helpers were

Louis Lorenze, Jeff Terrell, John

Snyder, Tim Kilmartin, Bob Hill and Ron

Fernwalt. Bob had to fill in for Fernwalt

as he went back to eat and fell asleep in

his easy chair. Oh Well????????

GRAND VALLEY CAP n BALLERS MUZZLE

LOADING GUN CLUB™

REGISTRATION $5.00 (+ MATCH COST)

Camping $5.00

SHOTGUN TRAP

Prizes will be paid after each shotgun

match

Shoot time for both shotgun and rifle

9 – 4 Saturday, 9 – 1:30 Sunday

RIFLE MATCHES

$5.00 FOR EACH 20 SHOT MATCH

20 SHOTS AT SILHOUETTES

20 SHOTS – WOODS WALK

20 SHOTS NOVELTY ANIMAL

20 SHOT LADY’S MATCH

TRADITIONAL ARCHERY

15 SHOT TRADE GUN ON SUNDAY

PRIZES PAID EACH DAY

DON’T FORGET SILENT AUCTION AT THE OCTOBERFEST

DON’T FORGET ELECTIONS IN

OCTOBER. GET YOUR NAME ON THE BALLET BY CALLING JEFF @616-366-3404,

E-MAIL

cubsterbear@hotmail.com

OR CALL RON @616-836-5760 OR E-MAIL

rbfern@triton.net

NOTES OF INTEREST FOUND HERE AND

THERE

Grand Valley Cap N Ballers Muzzle

Loading Gun Club is a tax exempt

organization. Donations to Grand

Valley Cap N Ballers Muzzle Loading

Gun Club are not tax deductible. This

organization has been in operation for

52 years, which makes it significantly

older than other nonprofits in the state.

Grand Valley Cap N Ballers Muzzle

Loading Gun Club has significantly

larger assets when compared to other

nonprofits in Michigan.

Editors’ Note: The above information was

found on the internet. Not sure if the

number of years are correct.

Hi folks, on September I am going to be

pretty hard to find. Ya think I’m nutty cuz of

all the acorns I pick up, but I know hunting

season is upon ya’s and I’s gonna be hidin

from ya all.

I found deze dogs dat needed a new home

and da guy sez dey vill hunt. I ask him if he

would keep em until da middle of da month

until I get dem named. I wanna have a

surprise fer my hubby. He sez dey will hunt

wabbits, quirrells, big birdies. So if ya has

names fer deze guys giv me a call.

Bonnie Fernwalt

GVCNB

THE SMOKE POLE

16808 PEACH RIDGE

KENT CITY, MI. 49330