Allan Pickering didn’t set his sights on archery when he retired to the South Cariboo in 2008, but it wasn’t long before he was head of the club.
The 108 Mile Ranch resident has been president of the Bighorn Archery Club for the past seven years - and doesn’t plan on stepping down soon.
“I just enjoy the sport and the camaraderie,” said Pickering, 75, who participates in the club with his wife Sandra.
Pickering maintains he was a novice when he joined the club - then called the Bighorn Bowhunters - 14 years ago. These days, he usually spends his vacations travelling to archery shoots, enjoying the social aspect of the sport. Not only is it fun, he said, but it teaches rules and ethics.
“Archery is a great sport for families and in particular youth. It teaches young people that there are rules that have to be followed and to pay attention and yet they can advance at their own speed,” he said. “In some sports, if you’re not very good you end up on the bench watching. With archery, everybody advances at their own rate of skill.”
In a good year, the club has about 65 members, although that number dropped to about half a dozen during the pandemic when it couldn’t hold any shoots. With the lifting of the restrictions, however, Pickering hopes to see renewed interest in the club, which meets at 7 p.m. every Wednesday at the 100 Mile Agriplex. At its first indoor shoot last week, about 20 people showed up.
Prospective members can come out twice to try out the sport before signing up. Although Bighorn Archery doesn’t have certified coaches, everybody shares tips, expertise and equipment.
Besides the weekly indoor shoot, members can practice at an outdoor 3D course at the edge of town on private property.
“I like the instructional part of it,” Pickering said. “You have to learn certain basic aspects of archery and how to stand, making sure arrows are never pointed at anybody, that sort of thing. I’m a real stickler for that.”
Pickering said he is excited to finally be back shooting after a two-year hiatus.
“I’m really getting cabin fever and getting anxious to get things going,” he said. “We haven’t pulled a bow now for two years.”
The club is already planning its traditional “stump” shoot for Woodfrog Lake in Lac La Hache in late April, or whenever the snow melts. The members-only social fundraiser and membership drive offer a 3D hunter’s course, a skeet-style shooting event and a potluck.
“It’s a hoot. it doesn’t matter if you know how to shoot,” he said. “You shoot at stumps - they’re not going to move for you. No one cares if you hit or miss. It’s all just for bragging rights. As soon as we can get up there and use it that’s going to be our first shoot.”
The club also has a traditional shoot - for longbow, recurve or self-bow archers - slated for June 25-26 at the 99 Mile Snowmobile Area. Other events usually held throughout the year include traditional and 3D tournaments with compound and traditional shooters, and a Potluck Christmas dinner.
Giving back to the community is a bonus, Pickering said. In the past, the club has been involved in events such as Santa Claus Parade, Lone Butte Rocks, a local Amazing Race and held instructional days for the Girl Guides or the Canim Lake Band. In 2009, the club also hosted the Longbow Safari outdoor 3D shoot, which drew 350 people from western U.S. and Canada to 100 Mile House.
“We try to be active in the community because we get great support from businesses for prizes for our tournaments,” he said, noting A&W and the Timber Mart have been huge sponsors. “When we host these shoots the various businesses in town we solicit draw prize stuff and raffle items and the whole town is very supportive. It’s amazing how this town has been very benevolent.”
Pickering added the people in the club keep him coming back for more.
“Our group has grown and faded and grown and faded but there’s a nucleus of people there who have been there for a long time, I get self-satisfaction out of that,” he said. “It’s a sport you can continue until you’re physically unable to.”
kelly.sinoski@100milefreepress.net
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