In the early 1950's, a group of friends would gather on Sundays in Huntington Beach, which is located in Orange County, in Southern California. They met to shoot their bows and enjoy good company.  To promote the sport of archery and bowhunting, this group formed Oranco Bowmen, and incorporated in 1952.  Their great hope was to obtain an archery field range of their own, and around 1955, they made it.  Through the years, on different ranges, and with many new friends, the sportsmanship and spirit of Oranco has continued to grow.  Oranco Bowmen has settled into it's current home location, where it has resided for more than twenty years.  

TODAY...

Oranco's members have met great success on both tournament and hunting trails.  Members have won national and state championships, and Oranco's master bowhunters include internationally recognized hunters.  Members have also contributed to archery by holding regional, state, or national office, and some with professional careers in the archery industry.

A few of the services Oranco has provided to the community include:

• archery demonstrations at local schools, scout troops, and cub packs

• providing volunteers for the Special Olympics.

• contributing to the NFAA Scholarship Fund.

• presenting beginning archery seminars, Hunter Education classes (required for a hunting license), and International Bowhunter Education Program (IBEP) classes.

• A Christmas Charity Shoot, with toy donations to needy children in the community.

• Assisting in a wild turkey repopulation program in conjunction with two other clubs and the Department of Fish & Game.

AFFILIATIONS

Oranco is chartered by the National Field Archery Association (NFAA) and California Bowmen Hunters-State Archery Association (CBH-SAA).  We are also members of our regional organization, Orange Belt Field Archers (OBFA).  The range property is leased through the San Bernardino County Regional Parks Department.

CLUB ACTIVITIES

Regular Club Shoot - These shoots are held on the first and third Sunday of each month.  Official field or hunter round scores are entered on handicap cards and used to establish an archer's tournament classification.

Invitational Shoots (open to all archers) are tournaments using novelty targets, special scoring, or hunting simulations instead of the standard paper target rounds.  These include the Scalps & Skins mini 3-D's, Midnight Madness Shoots, Easter Egg Shoots, Club Champ Shoot, five major 3-D tournaments, and two marked yardage major paper shoots each year.

Our 3-D tournaments consist of 42 life-sized animal targets (mainly Rhinehart & McKenzie), set at unmarked distances, with one arrow per target.  Judging proper distance is not the only skill needed to score well.  Arrow placement is also a valuable asset to the shot.  Regardless of skill level, these shoots are fun for all ages.

Tournament Archery Program - We have a club points system that recognizes and encourages participation in tournament archery. Awards are presented annually.

Big and Small Game Program - We have a points system for recognizing and encouraging Oranco's hunters in both big and small game categories.  Awards are presented annually.

Annual Banquet - Once a year, Oranco members get together for a special evening of companionship, good food, and lots of laughs.  Everyone has a story to share of archery hits and "reasons" for misses, triumphs and follies, tall accomplishments or maybe just a "tall tale."  But always with good humor and recognition for the year's activities.  we recognize our outstanding hunters, tournament archers, and members who have made exceptional efforts for the club.  We greet new board officers and Oranco starts the new year.

COME AND VISIT US!

If you are an experienced archer, shoot a round on the range, or fine-tune your equipment and sharpen your skills at the practice targets.  You'll feel right at home among our members.

If you are a beginning archer, or someone interested in learning more about our sport, give us a call or come out to the range on a Public Sunday, and talk to some of the archers.  They'll be glad to share information.  We look forward to meeting you.  We mean it when we say, "The only strangers to us are friends we haven't met."