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antlers & anglers event An inside look at outdoors fun
By Sean Barron
BOARDMAN
A straight shooter often refers to someone who relishes telling it like it is, but for Emily Fultz, that attribute sometimes means hitting it where it is.
“I hit one deer that was lying down,” the Jackson-Milton Elementary School third-grader said after experiencing success with a bow and arrow.
The North Jackson girl was rather excited after having struck one of the dozen three-dimensional foam targets while practicing archery, one of many activities that made up Saturday’s third annual Antlers & Anglers event in and near Boardman Park’s Lariccia Family Community Center.
The free six-hour family-oriented celebration of the outdoors featured a simulated duck hunt, fishing and archery, along with a variety of exhibits and demonstrations.
The gathering also was courtesy of a partnership between the park and Armstrong Utilities, noted Krista White, Armstrong’s marketing coordinator. Main sponsors were Boardman Subaru and Imports, Ellsworth Sportsmen’s Club and Fish & Field Report.
Proceeds are to go to Second Harvest Food Bank of the Mahoning Valley.
Emily, who visited a petting zoo after her archery success, said she occasionally practices with a bow and arrow at home during the fall, and added that she enjoys playing softball.
Accompanying Emily were her 11-year-old sister, Megan, and her parents, Mike and Pam Fultz, all of whom also planned to attend a cooking demonstration as part of the Antlers & Anglers activities.
Overseeing the archery was Steve Scott, director of Canfield-based On Target Outfitters, a nonprofit hunting and shooting sports ministry for youngsters. On Target’s goal also is to mentor to and instill confidence and ethics in young people, Scott noted.
Other children and adults took a different kind of aim, as they cast their lines in a makeshift rectangular fishing pond to try to catch bluegill. Participants had only five minutes to hook the freshwater fish.
Some attendees milled around a table that displayed elk, caribou, mountain lion, black-bear and other taxidermy animal mounts, set up to educate people about the variety of wildlife locally and across the country, explained Mark Dickerhoof, the Ellsworth Sportsmen’s Club’s public-relations director.
“We’re here to promote the sportsman’s lifestyle and show what Mother Nature has to offer,” he said.
In addition, the effort was to attract younger members to the 24-year-old club off Palmyra Road in Ellsworth Township, noted Gary Dickerhoof, president.
Gary Dickerhoof, who’s Mark’s father, added that the hunting club is offering free memberships to those under age 18.
Other such mounts, as well as a few live animals, were on view, thanks to the Beaver Creek Wildlife Education Center of East Liverpool.
Five-year-old Douglas Stoudt Jr. of Poland didn’t seem to mind touching a large black rat snake after the center’s curator, Jim Kerr, gave a short discussion and demonstration while holding the animal.
“It’s smooth,” Douglas replied when his mother, Mary Ann Stoudt, asked him to describe the snake’s texture.
More reluctant to meet the snake up close was Douglas’ brother, Aidan Stoudt, 3, who preferred to stay closer to the boys’ father, Doug Stoudt.
Also on hand for educational purposes were four types of owls that Heather Merritt brought.
Merritt is executive director of Howland-based Birds in Flight Sanctuary Inc., a nonprofit organization that rehabilitates then releases injured and orphaned birds. Birds in Flight, which relies solely on donations, is working with about 400 such birds as well as squirrels, rabbits and a few other types of animals, Merritt said.
Those who had questions pertaining to gun ownership, laws and safety sought out Brian “Gunny” Zins of Girard, who retired from the Marines after having served 20 years.
Zins, a 12-time national pistol champion who came in second place on the History Channel’s “Top Shot” Season 2 program, teaches courses on proper marksmanship and firearms safety. That includes requirements to obtain a concealed-carry permit as well as a primer on Ohio laws and regulations, he said.
For example, people who get pulled over must declare to the police officer that they have a firearm and a license to carry it, Zins noted.
Music was from WNCD-FM 93.3’s “Fast Freddie,” and providing additional entertainment was the Red Dust Mountain Boys of Kinsman, a five-member bluegrass group that formed 10 years ago. Also part of the mix was a cooking demonstration courtesy of B.J. Sulka, a chef with the Springfield Grille in Boardman.
Armstrong’s White said that she’s grateful to see the annual family-friendly event continue to grow.
“Our community [also] has supported Armstrong for the last 35 years, so this is our way of saying, ‘Thank you,’” she added.