Everyone should be back from Comptons by now, any thoughts/comments on the event?
definetely alot less people as well as vendors. It is still a great event and room for lots of stories around the campfire with friends and family. That is what I really enjoy and had the opportunity to have a campfire dinner with Big Jim and his wonderful wife Saturday night. What a guy and his wife keeps him in check.
I express a great deal in the campfire as you will meet new friends for life and the stories to keep forever.
Great time less people and maybe some issues may be out there that need attention but hopefully that shouldn't stop us from gathering.
Smiley purchased one of your blowies with the walnut handle that sure is cool. It's always good to get Smiley to spend his money
It was a great time as always. Lots of people were talking about the attendance and the vendors being down. I had the privilege to shoot a round of 3D with one of the board members and he told me that they expected attendance to be down some. Mainly because of the two southern shoots Compton sponsored this spring as well as the Big Game Classic that was held in March.
On a positive note I did notice this year that there seems to be more and more families coming to this event. Seems like every year I notice more wives and kids in the campground.
Had a great time. Yes attendance was down. That could have been the economy and maybe other issues. But all that said it was great to see some old friends. And I still managed to take home a couple neww to me bows. Wayne from Miss. and Bobby from Tenn. had supper with us Friday night. Got to spend some time with Jim and Barb at their tent. The weather turned out great. Thank you all for a great time. MIKE
I agree on the attendance comments. I had a great time there Thursday-Sat. My son outshot his ol'man on the ranges. We cooked all our meals on my new tripod grill,met a bunch of new friends. Caught up with some old ones. Laughed a lot,lost a couple arrows,and even picked up a new Northern Mist Superior that is just a sweetheart. Great event. rat'
QuoteSmiley purchased one of your bowies with the walnut handle that sure is cool. It's always good to get Smiley to spend his money
He had trouble getting those Ben Franklin's out of his wallet. The mold on the bills made em stick to the leather... :biglaugh:
yeah mold :laughing:
I watched him pull those bills out. They just about fell apart from dry rot.
I have been going since 1999. Always good. Our weather was better. Yep, I noticed a few less vendors. I figured economy etc. Had a great time with friends from all over. It is the true spirit of a rendezvous.
I had a nice talk with Dick Mauch and bought a Dick Lattimer book that Mr. Mauch signed for me. When I told him my name was Bill Wright and I was a big Fred Bear fan he had a bit of a grin. I told him I was not related to the Bill Wright that he and Fred knew.
I mentioned to Dick that a few years ago during our winter indoor 3d traditional league that I held a Fred Bear night where I set up targets that represented some of Fred's hunts. He seemed to like that and said we need to keep teaching the next generation of archers about what a good guy Fred was and what he gave the sport.
Dick is a kind gentleman and I was glad for the time I got to spend with him. I will have a fond memory of this Compton like the other Compton's when I used to talk to Glenn St Charles.
Compton gives us access to many of bowhuntings early contributors. We should appreciate that and I do.
Bill
Even though numbers were down it is still a very good event. The courses are still quite good and the people excellent, think my neck got sore from returning good morning nods to people I didn't know, kind of like being at a family reunion. One thing I never realized about the Compton event was what a great program they have there for the kids. My 8 year old daughter took part and I went to the stations at the kids shoot with her and her new friend Neveah, I was impressed with the attention these children get and many have never shot a bow before. The prizes that every child attendee gets at the end of the event were quite nice and everyone got a t shirt and Frisbee, awesome job by the kids and the adult group leaders alike, I wish some of my past adult students were as well behaved. I had some very cool neighbors who were tradgang members on both sides of me, Tim Fishell, who has excellent taste in recurves on the left and Todd Greenweld on the right, both very cordial and just plain good people, had an excellent time conversing with both, these are the kind of people that give one hope for mankind. I shot a 56" Big Jim thunderchild that defies physics as to how smooth and how far these things can be drawn and it really rips, I didn't buy it but it impressed me so much that this 62" recurve guy is gonna get one of these shorty longbows. I don't know of anywhere one could be with so many people of diverse backgrounds and feel more among a bunch of friends. Thanks to all,good job Compton membership.
I will second the kids programs. My grand kids benifitted from them plenty over the years. I also did a 3 year Compton renewal.
I should also mention I met Jack Paluh my favorite outdoor artist. I did not buy the big painting I liked but I did pick up a couple of the small ones.
By the way, I had seen pictures of Ron LaClair's Pick up on the internet when he posted them and it looked cool but in person that thing is a beast... Very nice ride Ron.
Bill
I had to miss out this year. The first in 7 years I think. It was Father's Day weekend and my kids were great with all the attention, but I sure was pining. Hopefully there'll be some pics posted.
QuoteBy the way, I had seen pictures of Ron LaClair's Pick up on the internet when he posted them and it looked cool but in person that thing is a beast... Very nice ride Ron.
I wanted one of those neat wooden stools that Dave Roose donated for the Auction but I missed out on the bidding. They were just the right size to help me get up into my truck.... :biglaugh:
I also noticed less people, but that just gave us a better campsite selection !
I was going to say it left more chili for me but that line was still pretty long, I was also gonna say less people at the blanket swap but I still got claustrophobic from the crowd that was there looking for deals. There were a few less vendors but I still found everything I was looking for as the vendors that were there had a very good selection. Left me with some extra money to finally get my fire pit cooking setup I had been looking at for years there.
I think the crowd was a touch smaller at the 3D shoots but there defiantly was more families shooting.
Dan
Surely y'all have some pictures to share with the non-attendees!
I normally make the drive, but could not this year since I had to attend a buddy's wedding. The shoot would have been alot more fun and less expensive! Oh well, I'll make it next year.
I think the price of gas has more to do with the lower attendance than anything else. If you're gonna drive 500 to 600 miles - it makes a difference - especially for vendors that are towing a trailer.
If anyone took a look at the new take-down recurve cases from the Asbell's, what did you think of them?