Saluda River Archery Club Tournament

Primitive craft display and demonstrations by L. Woodrow Ross

Jeff Stewart, Inman, SC, bowyer prepares to shoot through chronograph to check arrow speed.

PSE archery team (far left is pro staffer Robert Horton, far right on back is regional rep. Tony Valentine and to his immediate right is Saluda River Archery Club owner Russell Cooper)

Photos by: L. Ross

Saturday, June 25, was a fun day for local archers. About one hundred archers gathered at Saluda River Archery Club at 521 McNeely Road, Piedmont, SC 29673 for a great day of competition. There were no losers, as it was a day of fun and camaderie.

Most of the archers shot compound bows, but there was a good representation of traditional bows with most being recurves.

Jeff Stewart of Inman, SC, was there to demonstrate his recurve bows. They reached more than 200 mph through the chronograph, which is pretty fast for a traditional bow. My longbow only clocked 156 mph.

Gene Cunningham and I had a primitive craft display of flint knapping, hand make bows and arrows, natural fiber hand-made cordage, atlatls and darts, and demonstrations of fire starting with bow drill and flint and steel.

Local shooters interested in shooting at Saluda River Archery Club should contact Russell Cooper at (864) 230-8744 for information.

Saluda River Rallly

Kayakers having fun at Saluda River Rally on June 4th and 5th


Anderson Parks and Rec. Dept. booth and archers Danielle Worthen and Robert Horton

Danielle Worthen shooting at deer target

The above photos by L. Ross are only a few scenes of the fun time for attendees at the Saluda River Rally at Dolly Cooper Park, sponsored by Grady's Great Outdoors of Anderson and the Anderson Parks and Recreation Department. The event featured river kayaking, float tubes, archery with Saluda River Archery Club and PSE Archery represented. Russell Cooper owner of Saluda River Archery Club and Robert Horton, PSE Pro Staffer were there to help novice archers learn more about the sport.

There were a great number of exhibitors and the fun included bluegrass music and on Sunday, at the culmination of the float to Piedmont, SC, free BBQ was provided by the Saluda River Grill.

The Anderson Parks and Recreation Department has been working with local businesses and outdoor enthusiasts to establish a kayak/canoe trail on the Saluda River and provide easy access and egress points at strategic places along the river. The river is a natural resource that has been underused and many people do not realize the natural beauty along the river and the opportunities that it provides.

Sharon Nicometo, Project Coordinator for the Parks and Recreation Department told of a young man in a wheelchair that came and took his first kayak ride. He was thrilled with the experience and the sense of freedom that he felt on the water. This was truly an inspirational story.

Danielle Worthen, the young lady in the archery photos above, is only 11-years-old and she is an example of getting involved in outdoor sports early. She began to call turkeys when she was only 3 and won her first contest when she was 4. She is currently the North Carolina state champion. She is also the only female from South Carolina to compete in Bassmasters. Way to go Danielle!

It was a great couple of days and many people had their first exposure to the river that is so close to much of the upstate population.

Belfast WMA opens new gun range

Photos by L. Ross

On May 6, Emily Cope, DNR Special Projects Co-ordinator introduced John Frampton, Director of SCDNR, who was the first in a series of speakers having a vital part in making the Belfast Project and the new gun range a reality.

Frampton thanked a large group of people who had invested a lot of time and money in the project. Among them, he gave special thanks to Cope, who had a hand in all the negotiations and details of securing the 4,664 acre property for South Carolina sportsmen.

The rifle range is a state-of-the-art facility and in the near future, it will be supplemented with a nearby pistol range. The range is just off highway 56 on #560 and only a short distance from the plantation house.

Work is already underway to establish an archery range on the property immediately surrounding the house. I will feature 3-D and regular targets and plans are in the works to have an elevated platform to simulate shooting from a treestand.

This is a welcome addition to sportsmen in the surrounding area and DNR is dedicated to maintaining the property and making it available to a wide range of the public.

Facilities such as this are vital to stimulate recruitment into the shooting sports and hunting.