Purpose of the WVBA

 

The West Virginia Bowhunters Association is a nonprofit organization whose purpose is to represent and serve the bowhunting sportsmen of West Virginia by promoting and protecting the sport of bow hunting.

Goals of the WVBA

 

We want the WVBA to be the voice of the 140,000 bowhunters of the Mountain State; to protect bowhunting in West Virginia against anti-hunting groups; to have a constant voice in hunting legislation through cooperative exchange with the West Virginia Department of Natural Resources; to promote ethical bowhunting and the education of bowhunters in safety, hunting skills and techniques; and furthermore, to educate the non-hunting public so that they have a better understanding of bowhunting and its principles.

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Our History

The WVBA was founded October 19, 1980 by a group of 23 bowhunters. Today, the association has members in every county of the state.   The initial goal of the WVBA, one that is still central to the association, was to represent the growing number of bowhunters in our state in political matters.   This representation has proven to be the best way to protect the sportsmen’s rights we currently have, and to better the sport for all the bowhunters of West Virginia.

Our Administration

The WVBA is an independent, non-profit organization whose officers are elected by the membership every two years. It is led by an 8 member board of directors, 4 officers and a large slate of regional representatives from throughout the state.

• In 2005 WVBA worked with WV Chapter of NWTF and fought back an early muzzleloader season proposed in the legislature that would have ended fall turkey season and required bowhunter to wear blaze orange in the pre-rut.  This season would have allowed gun hunters to kill bucks prior to breeding impacting the population for future years.
• In 2005 WVBA worked with many other sporting groups to keep Deer Penn regulations under control of the Division of Natural Resources.
• Since 2004 WVBA members instructed over 5,000 youth in shooting archery equipment
• In 2004 WVBA kept it’s membership informed about developments of   House Bill 3106 and Senate Bill 186
• In 2004 WVBA sponsored the third annual WV High School Archery Tournament, at Cedar Lakes.
• In 2004 WVBA helped organize and kick off the ARCHERY IN THE SCHOOLS PROGRAM in conjunction with the West Virginia Department of Natural Resources.  There are 18 schools participating in the Pilot Program.  WVBA donated the archery kit (bows, arrows, targets, etc.) to be used for the state-wide teacher trainings by the DNR.
• In 2004 WVBA continues to support the Becoming an Outdoor Program  by providing materials, equipment,  and instructors for the
  Archery and Bowhunting courses;   
• In 2003 WVBA sponsored the second annual WV High School Archery Tournament, at Cedar Lakes.
• In 2003 WVBA members assisted with a Wheel’n Sportsman's event just east of Parkersburg, WV, at Mountwood Park.
• In 2003 WVBA and many of it's members donated money to purchase several Genesis bows to be used in the  Youth and BOW archery and bow hunting classes;
• In 2003 WVBA sponsored and or co-sponsored many Youth Archery and Bowhunting Jamborees across the state;
• In 2003 WVBA members have continued to help with Kamp No-Koma (a camp for diabetic children) by providing the children with an archery class;
• In 2003 WVBA continues to support the Becoming an Outdoor Program  by providing materials, equipment, and instructors for the
  Archery and Bowhunting courses, in the Spring of  2000, WVBA  sponsored the first WVBA all women team to teach the  two classes;
• In 2003 WVBA informed it’s membership of House Bill 2666 which would have allowed for the commercial sale of the meat from wildlife taken.   This could have wiped out wildlife as we know it today in WV.
• In 2003 WVBA was instrumental in keeping the deer on deer farms under the control of the Department of Natural Resources and away from the Department of Agriculture due to the threat of Chronic Wasting Disease.    This was done by informing the membership of House Bill 2396 and Senate Bill 130.
• In 2002 WVBA members organized and assisted in the first WV High School Archery Tournament.
• In 2002 WVBA informed it's membership of  House Bill 4142 which would have stopped Sunday Hunting altogether until voted on by each county;
• In 2001 WVBA  kept it's membership informed regarding the status of House Bill 2146, which would make it legal to hunt on Sunday (It was passed);
• In 2000 WVBA also voiced their dismay at the suggestion that crossbows be used in the reduction of the deer herd on Blennerhassett Island as suggested by an attachment to House Bill 4581;
• In 2000 WVBA played an important part in putting a stop to House Bill 4378, which would have taken the control of the buck/gun season out of the hands of trained professional game biologists and put it into the hands of legislators.  This might have set a precedence for them to take control of other seasons.    Not to mention that it would have stopped many family members, from out of state, from joining us for a traditional first day of buck/gun season;
• In 2000 WVBA also spoke out against House Bill 4030, which allowed crossbows into the hunting seasons in WV;
• In 1999 WVBA assisted in stopping House Bill 2630 which would have led to the widespread abuse of crossbows by people that were not legitimately handicapped;
• In 1998 WVBA assisted in the defeat of House Bill 4053,  which would have reduced the  deer  herd all over  WV to 30 deer per square mile;
• In 1997 WVBA began working with the DNR on their first "Becoming an Outdoors-Woman" workshop to introduce women to archery and bowhunting and continue to do so.  In the Spring of 2000, WVBA  sponsored the first all WVBA women team to teach the  two classes;
• Saved hunting and fishing license money by helping to prevent the WV Legislature from rolling these designated funds into the general fund (1990, 1992), and successfully supported the passage of Constitutional Amendment #1 in the 1996 election to permanently keep these funds where they belong;
• Began a continuing series of free "Future Bowhunter Jamborees" in 1995 to introduce teenagers from non-bowhunting families to the sport;
• Provided financial support in 1993 & 1994 for the Minnesota DNR/WVU joint research project on deer wounding;
• The WVBA and its affiliated clubs have been major financial contributors to the DNR's "Hunters Helping the Hungry" program since 1992;
• Provided financial support for Wildlife Legislative Fund of America efforts to battle anti-hunting in the USA since 1991;
• Convinced DNR to allow bowhunters to use Class R license to take either-sex deer in `extra doe' counties in 1991;
• Convinced DNR to allow bowhunters to use Class R license in Logan, Mingo, McDowell, and Wyoming counties in 1990;
• Assisted House Natural Resources Committee in blocking blaze orange posting bills since 1988;
• Instrumental in implementing statewide use of class R bow license in 1987;
• WVBA is directly responsible for the DNR Trophy Review Committee which was formed in 1985 to clean up WV deer records;
• Conducted informational campaign to cause defeat of all crossbow bills introduced in the WV Legislature since 1983;
• Introduced and helped structure the present R-Type License (second archery deer tag) in 1981;
• Assisted in wild boar research capture program by providing transmitter for implantation;
• Provided financial support for WV Wildlife Federation's Sportsmen Alliance Fund since its inception;
• Have attended and taken part in ALL WV Game Commission meetings and DNR Sectional meetings since 1981.

	Affiliations

West Virginia Wildlife Federation
Professional Bowhunters Society
U.S. Sportsmen's Alliance
International Bowhunting Organization (IBO)

Other Wildlife Related Sites:

WV Chapter of NWTF