Nice article! ... by Clint Buck, published Sep 2003 in
"The Virginia Sportsman"

When a former member of both the US Archery team and the All American archery team was offered a quiet place to hunt, this true sportsman quickly became a charter member of the Bundoran Hunt Club in southwestern Albemarle County.

Joel Lecker - involved with archery for over 40 years and shown here with his 2003 trophy - noted that he “...likes the Bundoran Hunt Club rules that allow no permanent tree stands so as to maintain the natural setting to hunt among the hardwoods and apple trees.

Safety and solitude are both assured by the structured sign-in process by hunters” which assigns a specific “It’s my section today” sub-area for each archer.

Lecker’s friend Greg Summers from Lynchburg, the owner of TRU Ball - the leading manufacturer of mechanical releases for the archery industry - agrees: “As the President & owner of three separate businesses, I rarely have time to seek out game prior to and during hunting season... but at the Bundoran Hunt Club - Wow!... a private opportunity to hunt deer, where the smallest allowable buck is a 16 inch antler spread.”

Typical of that goal is this November 2003 23" spread 12 point trophy taken - nearby, by gun - by our youngest Archery Club member, Jimmy Wynne, son of our Club Manager.

“This is a place where deer, turkey and a few bear abound, from rock cliffs and rhododendron thickets, to acres of white oak forests, apple orchards and sprawling fields.” Summers continues “Where the terrain and land cover includes apple orchards interspersed with fingers of hardwoods, creating inside corners intertwined with well-traveled animal trails from bedding to feeding areas. This magnificent property insures multiple prime stand locations and points of observation. The Club requires daily sign-in by each hunter and this insures both privacy & opportunity, without intrusion from unwanted human encounters which can spoil a good hunt.”

TRU Ball’s sales manager, Randy Summers, adds: “I have scouted the land. On our first time out (at noon) we saw deer in the apple orchards. We saw turkeys running through the woods and a fox. The land is set in the beautiful Blue Ridge mountains of Virginia on a 2000 acre farm that is kept in perfect condition. The archery-only section is surrounded by other farm land to help keep out unwanted trespassers, and this archery-only land is up high above the apple orchards - perfect for the person that loves the bow hunt! The club is managed by some of the best names in the sporting goods business, and Jim Wynne has an exceptional reputation for building great hunting clubs. No bucks can be taken with less than 16 inch antler spread which will assure MONSTERS for all of us in the club! I think I am going to love this place.”

Charter member John Hull related his experience with a “big bucks only” rule: “I hunt in Pennsylvania and suggested that our group there start letting the small bucks walk on. After discussion that included comments to the effect that ‘... if we don't take them someone else will...’ we agreed to try it. For nine years thereafter, our adult hunters have refrained from taking any small bucks and it has been amazing at the increase in antler size. Albeit, we went from taking 10-15 bucks a year to 3-4 bucks a year, but the "Buck Pool" winner - no money involved, just bragging rights at the cabin! - has taken a larger buck each year, and now we really have to get out the measuring tape to decide the winner."

For a fascinating discussion of deer over-population and scientific game management, please see an Audubon Magazine article by Ted Williams. (Sorry. The Audubon archivist tossed this one)

Lecker added: “I really like the Bundoran Hunt Club’s cooperation with the Virginia Game Commission as it develops a game management program. We like to play by the rules. Professional game management coupled with a good gene pool for mature bucks and bear makes for an excellent hunting opportunity for the true sportsman.”

Wayne Thacker, an administrator at the Survey and Evaluation Research Laboratory at Virginia Commonwealth University was interviewed as he was heading off to New Mexico for an archery elk hunt. Thacker adds: “I appreciate very much getting in on this opportunity. My main expectations include a dog-free environment; being associated with quality sportsmen as members; quality game management. Solitude in quiet forests while hunting gives me a realistic expectation of taking home some game.” Thacker is an equine devotee and curious about the Bundoran Farm Draft Horse schools. He and his wife are hoping to ride their horses on the mountain trails as they scout the club land for his preferred hunting locations.

John Hull is an Examiner with the Essex Insurance Co and a competitive archer, too. He notes: ”It isn't easy to find an area that offers bowhunting only and the 600 acres in the middle of - and buffered by - this large surrounding property is a great opportunity. As I am familiar with five of the charter members through tournament archery and have hunted with John Gilbert and Wayne Thacker, I'm sure that we will have a great time at Bundoran.

"John and I took a whirlwind tour of the farm with Jim Wynne - the club manager - and it is beautiful. Since the weather was cooperative we took a hike from the lake to the mountain top and across the ridge, then along the property line and back down to the small orchard. We had an opportunity to see two small bucks and eight or nine does and fawns. Not bad for just a casual walk in the summertime for an hour and a half. I am excited about the goal of proper management of the deer population and believe the “large bucks only” antler restriction will allow the Bundoran Hunt Club to become a true trophy hunter's dream.”

Editor’s Note: A wait list is maintained for the Bundoran Hunt Club. For information see or contact Jim Wynne by telephone at (434) 981-2428 or by email at jim_wynne@comcast.net Jim is shown on the right with Jason and his magnificent 2003 trophy.

Clint Buck is a nationally published writer and hunter who lives in Albemarle.

Where to stay? Many of the finest bed and breakfast establishments around here are members of our Guesthouses network, with direct web access. See our hotel listing.