United Bowhunters Of Pennsylvania
Disabled Hunters Program

News & Updates

2007 DHP Committee Update
by Ernie Kramer, DHP Chairman
October 2007

As I write this PA bowhunters are enjoying the best of times. We have finally gotten 2 weeks to hunt antlerless deer in September in a few WMUs. With several years of antler restrictions there are more trophy buck running around the Penn’s woods than ever. Plus we will be able to enjoy our second archery black bear season. As good as things are for PA bowhunters, I can report that the UBP Disabled Hunter Program is also prospering due to the hard work of some very dedicated committee members.

As this is being written we have already sent 2 hunters to Smokey Ridge Outfitters in KY. Three more hunters are on their way to Buffalo Creek Guide Service. And two more hunters are preparing for their hunt with Triangle Outfitters in OH. We also sponsored several hunters with a financial donation to the Physically Challenged Bowhunters of America, Hunt of a Lifetime and Buckmasters Disabled Hunter Services.

Another exciting piece of information is that we have just launched the DHP’s very own website! With the increased use of the internet it created a lot of work for UBP webmaster George Tague. So after much discussion it was agreed that it would be best for the UBP and the DHP if the DHP had its own website and webmaster. With that decision being made Todd Gehringer, the DHP’s IT Manager agreed to accept the challenge and is now Chairman of the DHP IT Committee. Todd and his committee did an awesome job! Check it out at www.UBPDHP.org.

All of these accomplishments are because of the very successful banquet we had in April. We again set all records with another sellout crowd! As I write this the banquet committee has already started work on our 2008 banquet that will be held Saturday April 5th at Hummel’s Restaurant in Lenhartsville. So mark your calendar and get your tickets early if you plan to attend.

As you can see the DHP is enjoying great success. I’ve said it many times before that I am blessed to have the best committee members anyone could ask for. With their dedication and your continued support we will continue to move forward. Nothing is more inspiring that talking to our hunt recipients. The challenges they face and take in stride just to enjoy the outdoors that we take for granted is amazing. With your support we are turning dreams into reality!

Ernie Kramer
Chairman
Disabled Hunter Program

2007 DHP Committee Update
by Gary Wessner, DHP Vice Chairman
July 2007

I am very happy to announce that we held a very successful DHP Banquet which took place on April 21, 2007 at CJ Hummel's Restaurant in Lenhartsville, PA. The committee started meeting in November 2006 to prepare for this banquet, setting goals and working on raffle and auction items! Moving the date this year due to Easter gave us some concerns, but we had a great turn out! Over 300 people attended which helped us achieve record setting fund raising this year as in the past. It is great to see old friends come out every year and meet new ones, who all help to make this program the success that it is. One of the things people like is meeting some of the folks they have helped to get out and hunt due to their support. This year we had two hunt recipients attend the banquet, Victor Fauliker and Josh Hess, who both offered their sincere thanks and were excited to tell their stories! A young hunter by the name of Chad Scanlon, who we sent on a hunt in NC, was going to attend the banquet with his parents and sister, but became too ill. He is in Children’s Hospital in Philadelphia and was remembered with prayers for his recovery during the invocation. I.T. manager Todd Gehringer put together a video devotion about Chad that was shown during the banquet. It was very emotional, leaving a lot of teary eyes! As expected, Todd put together another great video presentation of all our auction items that were shown throughout the event. This really helps in raising funds so we can send six hunters this year, and also make donations to HOAL, PCBA and Buckmasters Disabled Hunter Services. During the evening, UBP President Wes Waldron spoke about politics affecting game management, extended hunting hours and other related news. UBP V.P. Buck Appel presented the DHP with a contribution check for $500 from the Souderton-Harleysville Fish, Game and Forestry Association. This was very much appreciated. Thank You! I would like to say thank you to all the businesses that donate items to this program; we could not do it without you! Also, thank you to all the people who attend the banquet, we look forward to seeing you next year! Next year we will be back to the first Saturday in April. Watch PA Bowhunting for updates! I want to especially thank a dedicated group of volunteers that really enjoy the challenge and satisfaction of making this whole program work: Ernie Kramer, Carolyn Kramer, Brian Heffner, Todd Gehringer, Michelle Gehringer, David Firek, Jamie Lovins, Jr., Dave Bausch, Lee Kitson, Dawn Bryant, Luke Miller, Eddie Schlegel III, Jolene Schlegel, Betty Adam, Tim Racine, Marcy Racine, Brian Fidler, Cindy Fidler, Debbie Wessner, Briana Wessner, Dan Safranek and Tara Lane!

Thanks Everyone, have a great year!

DHP Committee Update
by Ernie Kramer, DHP Chairman
July, 2006
5th Annual Disabled Hunter Program Banquet A Sellout!

As Chairman, I enjoy reporting about our Disabled Hunter Program, and fortunately I seem to be able to report most of the same things to you. For instance, I am writing this time about our fifth annual fundraising banquet that was held in April, and I’m happy to report that we were once again able to set records in attendance and funds raised. This year we actually sold out this event with 300 people buying tickets. If you plan on attending next year’s banquet be sure to get your tickets early, as by all the positive comments we have received, I am confident we will sell out even earlier next year. We were honored to have Tina Pattison, founder of Hunt of a Lifetime, as our special guest. We had lots of great raffles, a vendor area, and more than 60 items on the silent and live auctions, including nine hunts. All in all it was a great night of food, fun, and fellowship. The DHP committee did a great job as usual putting this entire event together (we started planning the banquet in November of 2005) with the highlight being IT Manager, Todd Gehringer’s video clips that he put together and showed during the event. Thank you to everyone who donated items, attended the banquet, or supports the DHP in anyway. With your support we are looking towards expanding the program to help even more disabled hunters. As you can see, with your help we are turning dreams into reality!

We would like to thank the following businesses and individuals for their support:

• Bugle Basin Outfitters
• Double G Outfitting
• Open Country Adventures
• Tangle Ridge Outfitters and Guides
• Bryson Lake Lodge
• Triple T Whitetails
• Oakview Outfitters LLC
• Pine Grove Lodge
• Simmons
• East Penn Manufacturing
• Deka Batteries
• Jen Sager
• The Gun Exchange
• Jerry Zimmerman Memorial Chapter of NWTF
• Whitetail Institute
• Jack Paluh Art Gallery
• Dan Christ Wildlife Artist
• Jamie C. Lovins Jr., Professional Auctioneer
• Pennsylvania Game Commission
• Great Day Outdoors
• Evolved Habitats Geraldine Gehringer
• Amy Klinedinst, Tupperware Manager
• Kantner’s Tire Service
• H&G Marketing Jeff Liskowacki
• Kinsey’s Archery
• Catherine Harakal of Catherine’s Hearts Desire
• Mente Auto
• Albright’s Feed Mill
• Heffner Lawn Care
• Weaknecht Archery
• Berks Western Telco
• Micro Age
• HHA Sports
• Rinehart Targets
• Amanda and Eric Thompson
• Buck Bomb
• Superior Image Lawn Care
• High Point Products
• Rusty Youst Hunting Solutions, Inc.
• Hunter Keystone Peterbuilt, LP
• Valvoline Instant Oil Change of the Lehigh Valley

DHP Committee Update
by Ernie Kramer, DHP Chairman
January, 2006

As I write this the 2005 archery season has just ended. I hope all of you had a great season and got to spend time outdoors with family and friends. We managed to send four hunters on some great guided hunts this year. Look for details from our hunters in a future issue. We sent two hunters to North Carolina on a whitetail hunt with Buffalo Creek Guide Service. We also sent two hunters to Kentucky on a whitetail hunt with Smokey Ridge Outfitters. As in years past, we also sent monetary donations to Hunt of a Lifetime, Physically Challenged Bowhunters of America, and Buckmasters Disabled Hunter Services. All of these donations allowed us to help touch the lives of even more hunters indirectly. The purpose of this article is to give you this little wrap-up of our seventh year and to ask for your support as the DHP moves into the eighth year! We have begun planning for our fifth annual fundraising banquet. This banquet is our single fundraising event and takes six months of planning to put together. I am blessed with some of the best committee members anyone could ask for, but without your support this program would not be the success it is. The way to support the DHP is by attending the banquet and or donating to the banquet. We are always looking for auction items, raffle items or door prizes. We also expanded our event program to include advertising so businesses could support the DHP by advertising. If you are interested in attending this year’s banquet be sure to purchase your tickets early. We will only sell 300 tickets and last year’s attendance was 292! Be sure to check out the ad in this issue for more details or email me directly if you have any questions about the DHP. Thank you for your continued support. Ernie Kramer, ubpdhp@yahoo.com