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Beginning Saturday October 1, 2011, Bear Creek Lake State Park will offer the VA Department of Game and Inland Fisheries Outdoor Education program Explore Bowhunting.  All equipment will be provided. Five sessions will be held on Saturdays at 10:00 a.m. from October 1 through October 29, 2011. A $10.00 per person fee applies, payable upon registration, for the five session course. Space is limited, so sign up today!

In the 1930s, Bear Creek Lake State Park was originally designed simply as a recreation area within what is now the Cumberland State Forest. The American conservation movement of the day knew that when re-foresting the depleted soils of the central piedmont, Virginia citizens could benefit as well by having an outlet for their outdoor activities. Hunting, fishing, and boating were the mainstays of the Lake and the State Forest. Camping came later, when the area became a full-fledged State Park in 1962. The Park has remained a focal point for local residents and those visiting the heartland of Virginia in order to pursue those same outdoor interests.

Historical photo taken at Bear Creek Lake in 1940.

Over the past year, the Park, with much help from the Virginia State Parks Youth Conservation Corps and the Friends of Bear Creek Lake State Park, has remodeled and improved its Archery Range. For the past decade or so, BCLSP has been the only Virginia State Park to offer such an amenity.

Historical photo taken at Bear Creek Lake in 1940.

Since ancient times, the bow and arrow has been one of human beings’ most important tools for survival and recreation. Beginning Saturday October 1, 2011, Bear Creek Lake State Park will offer the VA Department of Game and Inland Fisheries Outdoor Education program Explore Bowhunting.

The curriculum was developed by the Archery Trade Association, but this program is much more than archery alone. There will be five consecutive sessions, each with a different class focus. In these sessions, participants will learn valuable wilderness skills, such as animal tracking, shelter making and the secrets of camouflage.  They will develop an understanding of animal communication done by grunts, purrs, or snorts. There will be hi-tech tools, too, such as range finders and motion detecting cameras. The archery component will include basic instruction in compound, recurve bows and crossbows. This instruction will cover safety and maintenance as well as technique. Each two- hour session will be split between archery and outdoor education.

One on one instruction is offered during the Archery program.

All equipment will be provided. Five sessions will be held on Saturdays at 10:00 a.m. from October 1 through October 29, 2011.

A maximum of twelve participants may register for the course. This program has been developed for student age participants, but even older adults may find the activity rewarding. The program has a minimum age for participants of ten years old. A $10.00 per person fee applies, payable upon registration, for the five session course.

One of many archery programs offered at Bear Creek Lake State Park

For more information, click here. To register, call the park office, at 804-492-4410, or contact Park Ranger Tom Kneipp by email.

Click here to learn more about Bear Creek Lake State Park.

Click here for a Google map. Latitude, 37.531773. Longitude, -78.271589.

Drive Time: Northern Va., three hours; Richmond, one hour; Roanoke, two hours; Tidewater/Norfolk/Virginia Beach, three hours

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If you have read the article and have a question, please email nancy.heltman@dcr.virginia.gov.

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