Challenge The Outdoors, Inc

 WELCOME TO CHALLENGE THE OUTDOORS, INC.

JULY 2021 NEWSLETTER

www.ctoforme.org

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE – Carl Gierke

Well, the bad news is we haven’t had a chance to get together much over the past year or so, but the good news is we’re transitioning to a post-Covid world and events are scheduled again and already taking place. Recently we had our Lake Michigan and Shawano Lake fishing events and it was great to see everyone and get outside. There’s hardly a better way to get over a pandemic than to get together to fish, see some good friends, share some good food and swap a few stories. Hopefully you can join us and get outside soon too. Check out the event calendar and see what event(s) you might want to attend this year and contact the event coordinator to get signed up ASAP, as some events have limited space. There are plenty of opportunities to get involved and participate in CTO, have some fun and meet some new friends. One of the biggest is our annual Sporting Clays Shoot / Fundraiser. This event is usually held in early April, but was postponed due to Covid and will be held on July 31st this year. The shoot funds most of our events for the year and is even more important now with the planning of our facility in Angelica in the works. Although the fundraiser isn’t technically a recreational event for our members, it’s a great chance to get involved in the organization and get to know a bunch of people. Over the past year or so, events were put on hold or cancelled, so membership fees were put on hold as well. Since events are being held and scheduled again, we are asking you to please renew your membership. Of course, if you have a life membership, that won’t be necessary. If you’re attending the annual banquet on July 18th, you’re welcome to bring payment along or you can simply mail a check with your personal information (name, address, phone number, email address) to the office address in Green Bay. Remember that we’d prefer to mail you the newsletter via email to minimize expenses. Many of you will be getting a renewal reminder in the mail, if you haven’t already. As we gradually put Covid behind us, I’d like to express condolences on behalf of CTO to the many people who have been affected by this disease. Our thoughts go out to those of you who have lost loved ones, suffered from the many symptoms, or may have been a caregiver. The silver lining is that getting through something that difficult should help us appreciate what we have, and in CTO tradition, help us celebrate and focus on our abilities, rather than disabilities. Hopefully see you soon!

19TH ANNUAL MEMBERSHIP AND AWARDS BANQUET- Sharon LeFevre

CTO’s annual banquet will be held Sunday, July 18th, 3PM at Stadium View located at 1963 Holmgren Way, Green Bay Wisconsin. At this event we recognize donors, thank volunteers, present awards, and have our yearly election for the Board of Directors. This is a wonderful time to thank the individuals who donate time and resources to our organization, meet new members and reconnect with old! You must make a reservation by contacting Sharon no later than July 11th, so we know how many to expect. To make a reservation, submit any applications for awards, or if you have questions, please contact Sharon at bookmom53@gmail.com or you may call or text Sharon at 920-615-2356.

Just a reminder that we will be holding our annual election for CTO’s Board of Directors at the banquet. The following members are running for a position. Randy Swille, Barb Kaun, Dave Paul, Fred Kaun, Deb Pheifer and Keith Hartjes. Hope to see you at the CTO Annual Banquet at Stadium View in Green Bay on July 18th!

SPORTING CLAYS SHOOT / FUNDRAISER – Carl Gierke

CTO’s annual fundraiser will be held on July 31st at J&H Game Farm west of Navarino. This is a great opportunity for you to pitch in to help CTO grow and fund the events you take part in throughout the year. There are so many ways to help. You can sell raffle tickets, collect donations for raffle prizes, put up posters in your favorite hang-out, shooting club or business to advertise the event, spread the word among your friends and family to come out and shoot, or help with the many tasks the day of the event. If you’d like to sell tickets or help with any aspect of the fundraiser, please contact anyone on the Fundraiser Committee (Barb and Fred Kaun, Keith Hartjes, Steve Harvey, Sharon LeFevre, Carl Gierke). Tickets are also available from Jim Adamovich (Neenah/Fox Valley area) and Keith Pamperin (Green Bay area). Thanks to everyone on the Fundraiser Committee for the time and effort they put in on behalf of CTO and to everyone that contributes to making this a fun and successful event every year. This is our major fundraiser for the year, so come out on July 31st to help out, shoot, have some food and a good time, and see some old friends and make some new ones.

CTO SPORTING CLAY SHOOT (FORMERLY TUESDAY SHOOT) - Randy Swille Come join us for an old and new event. We are calling it the CTO Sporting Clay Shoot. It was previously called the Tuesday Shoot that Jim Adamovich was chairman of for many years. Our new event is being held on the last Sunday in May, June and July of this year, which we hope will provide for more opportunities for our members who could not make it on Tuesdays.

The next CTO Sporting Clay Shoot will be scheduled Sunday, July 25th. Each person will be able to shoot two boxes of shells / one round of sporting clays, all paid for by CTO just like before. If any of you have any extra boxes of shotgun shells that you could donate, we sure could use them. Please contact Randy Swille. The event will start at 9:00 am and last till 11:00am. Then we will all join together as a group and have a nice lunch at J & H, again all paid for by CTO. This should be a very fun time of shooting and sharing a friendly meal with some of our members. Space is limited for each event and we will try to have each event made up of different members and probably some of the same, giving as many members as possible a chance to shoot. Thank you and hope to see you at this new event. Randy Swille Chairman (920-373-8081), Steve Harvey Co-Chair (920-494-3143).

Special note: We’ll be evaluating the success of this event after the July event, so If anyone would rather have our Sporting Clay Shoot on a different day/time, or have suggestions on improving the event, please call and leave a message with Randy Swille.

WISCONSIN TIMBER RATTLERS BASEBALL GAME – Carl Gierke

On Saturday, August 14h we will get together at Fox Cities Stadium, 2400 N. Casaloma Dr. in Appleton for our annual Timber Rattlers game. We’ll meet in the parking lot near the southwest corner of the stadium at 4:45 when tickets will be distributed. Gates open at 5:00 and dinner will be served from 5 to 6:30 and the game will start at 6:35. Admission includes your game ticket and an all-you-can-eat dinner (brats and burgers), along with two beverages. This event is open to all members and tickets and dinner are courtesy of CTO, however the $5 parking fee is your responsibility. Guests are welcome but will be responsible for buying their own tickets. After the game, kids can run the bases and there will also be fireworks. There is limited space, so please reserve your tickets ASAP by contacting Carl Gierke by phone (920- 986-3272) or e-mail (cgierke1@outlook.com).

CHASING RAINBOWS – Randy Swille, Steve Harvey

Just a reminder about our Chasing Rainbows event coming up August 28th from 9:00am to 11:00am. at Wilderness Springs Trout Farm, N4923 Lange Drive, New London, WI. You can bring your own pole, use one of CTOs, or you can use one of theirs. CTO will pay for two fish for each member and mentor/helper. Bait, cleaning, and packaging on ice will be provided, as well as lunch. If you wish to bring any food, we prefer it be store-purchased and please make sure it is kept cold and sealed. We are still doing our best to make sure everything is as safe as possible. If you are interested in attending, please call me so I can sign you up. Randy Swille 920-373-8081, Steve Harvey 920-494-3143

SHOOT OF YOUR CHOICE – Steve Harvey

This is a new event that basically replaces the Shoot Till You Drop event and is scheduled for Sunday, August 29th. You will have one choice of the following for this event. Sporting Clays, Skeet, 5-Stand, Rabbit Flurry, Wobble Flurry You will be able to participate in one of these shoots for a limit of 2 boxes of shells per person covered by CTO and a lunch is provided. This event runs from 9:00 am to 11:30 am with lunch served at 12:00 noon. To sign up for this event, please contact Steve Harvey (920-615-2356) by August 22, 2021 or co-chair Randy Swille (920-373-8081).

YOUTH AND LADIES DAY - SEPTEMBER 11TH

J&H will be hosting its Annual Youth & Ladies Day of Outdoor Instruction on Saturday, September 11th. Registration will be from 9AM – 3PM and activities will run until 4PM. This is a free event for all ladies and all kids up to age 18. Activities will include shotgun, .22 rifle and BB gun shooting stations, archery, fly casting, and the trout fishing will again be sponsored by Challenge the Outdoors. There will be displays by the DNR, Al Meier’s Taxidermy and the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation Ladies Group. Food is also furnished along with a door prize for each participant. For more information about the activities or if you wish to make any donations, please contact Diane at J&H at 715-758-8134 or e-mail at jhclub@tds.net. CTO is always looking for helpers at the Trout Pond. If you would like to help the youth and ladies catch fish or join those who clean the trout after they are caught, please contact Keith Hartjes (920-540-3416).

ARCHERY DEER HUNT- Keith Hartjes

This event will be held September 17– 19, 2021. Those members that haven’t previously attended will be given priority. Overnight accommodations will be at Christus Church Camp, N11605 Boy Scout Lane, Clintonville WI 54929. Main meal will be provided by myself and CTO. Blinds will be placed and mentors will be provided. Transportation will be provided to your hunting blind. One deer per person and archery license is required. It’s recommended that you provide your own weapon for this event. CTO has two crossbows available, but if you need to borrow one, please obtain it well before the hunt so you can practice with it. Contact Keith Hartjes 920-540-3416 after August 1st, 2021.

CTO END OF SUMMER OUTING AT OUTAGAMIE CONSERVATION CLUB, SEPT.26 The event is scheduled for Sunday, September 26th and will start at 10 AM until 3:30PM. We will have trap shooting with CTO picking up the cost of a round or two for those taking part. If you do not have a shotgun, OCC has a few that will be available to borrow. You are welcome to bring your own shells, or you can purchase 12 or 20 gauge shells there. CTO will pick up the cost of one box of shells purchased at OCC for use at the outing, and/or we may have our own shells to give out. We hope some of our members who have wanted to try trap shooting take advantage of this great opportunity, as there will be plenty of time and instruction if needed. Please contact Chris Savka if you are available to help. The pistol range will also be available. You are responsible for bringing your own pistol and ammunition. Targets will be supplied, but you may bring your own if you wish. There will be fishing at the stocked pond that will be catch and release only, unless the fish is deep hooked and won’t survive. Bring your favorite rod and tackle. We will provide live bait and you may bring your own as well. We hope to have a fly-fisher or two to demonstrate fly fishing for anyone interested in learning a new skill. The pond is stocked with trout, pan fish and largemouth bass. The terrain is very flat around the pond and the entire OCC grounds, so getting around will be fairly easy, but you may want to bring a power scooter as the activities are spread out. There is a clubhouse at OCC, so this is a rain or shine event, and there is an open bar to purchase beverages. CTO will be providing water and the food. OCC is a great place to enjoy many different activities and it gives our members a chance to learn a new skill or two. Please contact Barb Kaun at 920-720-9689 if you are planning on attending. You can see what OCC has to offer throughout the year by checking out their website: http://www.wiocc.com

OCTOBER SPECIAL DISABLED DEER HUNT- David Paul

This year’s hunt will begin on Saturday, October 2nd and ends on October 10th. Sign up for the deer hunt starts on July 1st and ends on August 31st. Hunters must provide a legal weapon, ammunition, chair, Disabled Hunting Permit, transportation to the breakfast and hunting land and most importantly a helper that can sit with you while hunting, if you need assistance. CTO will provide land, a hunting blind, opening weekend breakfast, a sack lunch, and someone who will help retrieve and clean your deer. CTO has made arrangements with a local butcher who will process, (debone, cut up steaks and roasts) your deer for around $60. You must contact David Paul at 920-740-2775 to sign up. I would like to thank Joe Palmer for securing two farms in the Manitowoc area for the October Deer Hunt. We will be able to place seven hunters on this land. Great Job Joe! If you know of someone who is willing to allow CTO to use their land for our deer hunt, please get in contact with me (920-740-2775).

FALL PHEASANT HUNT- Keith Hartjes

The hunt will take place Sunday, October 24th starting at 8 AM until noon at J&H Game Farm, W5810 J&H Road, just West of Navarino off of HWY 156. We have arranged for birds in the field, dogs and handlers, machine operator, back-up shooters, cleaners and baggers, great food and just a great day to share stories and get to know other CTO members. Shooters will be in two shifts, 8:30 until 9:30 and 9:45 until 10:45. Each disabled hunter will be allowed two pheasants. If you don’t have your own gun, there will be guns available at J&H for you to use. Shotgun shells, (12 gauge and 20 gauge) will be provided. You need to wear orange. Each hunter is welcome to bring family members or a friend to assist them, but pheasants are put out only for the disabled CTO members. Lunch is courtesy of CTO and is made by the folks at J&H. Don’t forget to sign up by October 15th if you are going to be part of this hunt. If you have any questions, please contact Keith Hartjes.

TURKEY HUNT RECAP- Tommy Narmore

On May 21st -23rd, Challenge the Outdoors was able to put together a spring turkey hunt and was able to partner with some of the past mentors and landowners. It was a small group of hunters that included Tom Narmore, Keith Hartjes, Jim Adamovich and first-year hunter Russ Longrie. The weather this year was pretty hot. Everyone saw a lot of hens and deer. Congratulations to Keith Hartjes for harvesting his first Tom Turkey at 20 yards. It was 19 3/4 pounds with a 10" beard and 7/8 spurs. On behalf of all participants and volunteers, I would like to thank Keith Hartjes for helping with the food and coming up with some great ideas. Secondly, on behalf of all participants I would like to thank Tom and Ashley Lehman for helping contact mentors and landowners and making this hunt happen. Overall, I would say this year’s hunt was a success and we even had some visitors from the organization that some of us haven't seen in quite a while. Next year’s hunt will be May 20th22nd. If you would like to participate in next year’s spring turkey hunt please contact Tom Narmore (920) 410-4436, or email narmore1988@yahoo.com. Sign up will begin January 15th, 2022 and end on March 15th, 2022. Your cooperation is needed with this timeline in order to plan for mentors and secure land. Space is limited to 10 hunters. First-time hunters get priority and then hunters that have never harvested a turkey before. If there are still available spots, any disabled member of CTO that signed up is eligible.

CTO SPORTING CLAYS EVENT RECAP - Randy Swille, Steve Harvey

On Sunday May 30th, nine members came together to enjoy the wonderful weather and beautiful outdoors. The members that participated were: Randy Swille, Steve Harvey, Roger Urmanski, Gerald Schick, Sharon LeFevre, Jim Trader, Darwin Swille , Jeff Pagels, and Gary Forehand. We all enjoyed a round of 50 Clay targets from ten different stations. They were launched from different angles, directions, speeds, and even bouncing off the ground. After we were done with our shoot we all sat down together and shared a lunch and good conversation. We all had a good time sharing stories and discussing how we can possibly make this event better. Hope to see all of you out there for our other upcoming shooting events as well, remember to call to reserve a spot.

LAKE MICHIGAN SALMON FISHING RECAP – Keith Hartjes June 1st turned out to be a great day for fishing, nice calm winds, not too cold, just perfect weather. We had 19 members take to the waters of Lake Michigan at 4 A.M. onboard five great charter boats out of Algoma WI. There were 40 fish caught including lake trout, rainbow trout and king salmon and who wouldn’t have a great time with that kind of action. Jimmy John's donated two boxes of subs and CTO bought two more boxes and provided water and soda. Next year’s outing is already planned and we have boats reserved for June 1st, 2022.

SHAWANO LAKE FISHING RECAP – Carl Gierke On June 5th CTO hosted its annual fishing event on Shawano Lake, which is held the first Saturday in June to coincide with Wisconsin’s free fishing weekend (no license required). A tent was set up Friday night and the shade came in handy as the temperature got into the 90s. The heat didn’t deter the fishermen though as we had over 30 people show up to fish or help out. Fishermen headed out about 9am on five pontoon boats and fishing continued to noon when we took a break for lunch. Fish were caught on every boat and several boats had nice catches of panfish. After a fantastic lunch our expert cleaners filleted fish for the anglers to take home. Most fishermen were happy just fishing in the morning, but the old diehard Shannon Nighbor wouldn’t give up and kept fishing through the afternoon, with help from his guide Wes Hartlaben. Shawano Lake is always a fun event and is a great example of CTO folks working together to make it happen. Many thanks to Bill Mayville for lining up the pontoon boats, which were graciously provided by Mike Shulze, Jerry Rogalski, Chouse Hartlaben, Doug Hoppe and Bill Mayville. Thanks to Keith Pennings who again donated the use of a tent, which was a lifesaver, and to Dave Paul, Bill Mayville, Chouse Hartlaben and Mike Shulze for setting up the tent on Friday. Chris Savka did her usual great job of providing and preparing food with help from Deb Pfeifer, Barb Kaun, Mary Lou Mayville, Sharon LeFevre and others and Bill Baehr again demonstrated his masterful skills on the grill. In addition to the core CTO folks we also had many new attendees, young and old, so thanks to everyone that showed up to help out and make it a fun day!

MENTORS & DRIVERS NEEDED- Randy Swille & Steve Harvey The Event Committee is looking for any members or volunteers that would be willing to transport and mentor some of our members that cannot drive. Please call us if you would be willing to transport and mentor. Randy Swille 920-373-8081, Steve Harvey 920-494-3143

AHOY MATE- David Paul We are looking for members who would like to Captain our pontoon boat this summer on Shawano Lake. We are in need of experienced captains who would be willing to take out some of our members for a day on the water this summer. If this is something that would be of interest to you or you have questions, please contact David Paul (920-740-2775) and we will get you on the schedule.

CTO PONTOON BOAT – David Paul Challenge the Outdoors is again keeping its pontoon boat on Shawano Lake at the park docks in Cecil (southeast corner of the lake). The boat is available to any CTO member to use from roughly May 15th through midSeptember. All you need to do is call David Paul, (920-740-2775) to reserve the boat for a half or full day. You’ll need to bring your own fishing equipment. If you’ve never used the pontoon boat, you’ll also need to take a short orientation course from Dave. CTO Pontoon Boat Guidelines: Failure to follow these guidelines may terminate your use of the pontoon up to one year from date of infraction per CTO Policy.

A) Keys and signup sheet are at the BP gas station located at HWY 117 &22 in Cecil. You must request the use of the pontoon before using it from David Paul, 920-740-2775. Report any issues or damage immediately to David.

B) First time users are REQUIRED to receive training on operation of the pontoon and the lake topography.

C) You must follow the Wisconsin DNR boating regulations and you are responsible for knowing these regulations. Failure to do so can lead to legal ramifications that you are solely responsible for.

D) Prior to leaving dock:

1) Make sure you have at least one working cell phone with you on the boat that gets adequate reception.

2) Retrieve personal flotation devices (PFDs or life jackets) from storage and make sure one is accessible for each person. Individuals under the age of 13 are required to wear them. Make sure one throwable flotation device is accessible in case of emergency.

3) Tilt motor down into water, but not hitting bottom. Trim down further when in deeper water.

4) Turn on running lights in dark or foggy conditions.

5) Make sure you have untied the pontoon from the dock.

E) When returning to dock.

1) Remove any garbage, worms, fishing gear, food, etc. from the boat.

2) Bimini Top (canopy) should be lowered and please reattach the cover to the Bimini unless it is wet.

3) Make sure all running lights are off.

4) Make sure pontoon boat is secured at all points to the dock and close and latch all doors.

5) Return life jackets and other equipment to storage area it came from.

6) Return keys to BP gas station and call or text David Paul when you are done for the day. 920-740-2775

CTO ONGOING PROGRAMS - CTO has several programs designed to supplement the cost of outdoor activities and encourage disabled members to get out and have some fun. To be eligible for these programs, you must be a member for at least one year (except awards). See the website for further additional information and application forms. Otherwise, please contact the chairperson if you have questions. These include:

1) Shooting Policy – Designed to encourage participation in shooting sports, allows up to $50.00 per year toward membership in sporting/gun club(s). Original receipts must be submitted for reimbursement. Contact – Jim Adamovich

2) Adaptive Equipment – Supplements the cost of disability-related equipment necessary for a disabled member to take part in a hunting or fishing activity. Original receipts must be submitted for reimbursement, which is half the cost of the item up to a maximum of $100 annually. Contact – Pat Nieuwenhuis.

3) Field Grants – Supplements the cost of guided or otherwise expensive hunting or fishing trips up to a maximum of $200 per year, with a maximum of three in a lifetime. Applications should be submitted two months before the event and receipts for reimbursement are required. Contact – Pat Nieuwenhuis

4) Awards Program - Each year at its annual banquet in July, CTO awards prizes for the biggest deer, turkey and fish of different species that are harvested at, or outside of, CTO events. These and other awards hopefully encourage members to get out and hunt and fish whenever they have a chance.

If you’d like to register an animal for consideration in the awards program, please contact CTO’s awards coordinator, Sharon LeFevre at 920-615-2356 or email at bookmom53@gmail.com The awards will be given out at the 2021 Annual Banquet on July 18th. Time frame to submit an entry for an award is from July 1, 2020 thru June 30, 2021.

MEMBER PARTICIPATION/CANCELLATION POLICY (implemented JUNE 2011)

An event chairperson(s) may bar a CTO member for one (1) year from participating in the same event, if the member signs up for an event and fails to attend the event without giving prior notice given to the event chairperson(s) that she/he will not be attending. There shall be exceptions given for sickness, injury, equipment failure, or a death. The event chairperson(s) will have final authority to say if a one (1) year ban from the following year’s event is warranted depending on the circumstances surrounding the absence and impact on the event. This policy was implemented because occasionally, people unable to attend events did not notify CTO or event chairpersons, causing spaces to go unfilled. Please notify the chairperson as far in advance as possible if you can’t attend an event you’ve signed up for. We just want to ensure that as many people as possible can attend events. Thanks!

TECHNOLOGY INFORMATION- Sharon LeFevre

*CTO’s Website address: www.ctoforme.org

*Facebook is: CTO - Challenge The Outdoors (this is a public group). Please note that you need to access this Facebook group page through Facebook and search for our name.

*Facebook group page for CTO is https://www.facebook.com/groups/challengetheoutdoors/ -If you have questions regarding any of the above, you can contact Sharon at 920-615-2356 or www.bookmom53@gmail.com

NEW MEMBERS - Please welcome the following new members to CTO: Mia Haberl and Joseph Lee Helmuth

MEMBERSHIP EXPIRED? - You are responsible for making sure your membership is up to date. If you have a Life Membership you never have to renew.

NEWSLETTER - David Paul The Challenge the Outdoors Newsletter is published every two months at the beginning of January, March, May, July, September and November to keep you updated on the status of events.

If you know of a member that is not receiving the newsletter, please contact David Paul at 920-740-2775 or dcp7576@gmail.com.