Please be aware that Outdoor Buddies will be following all state and local guidelines for our events. If you have a fever or other flu-like symptoms, have traveled out of state in the past 2 weeks, or have been in close contact with anyone testing positive for COVID-19, please do not attend these events. Furthermore, if you are in a high-risk category, carefully consider your risk before attending.

We will be continuing to update our events and precautions as the situation develops. Thank you for your patience, optimism, and understanding. Hope all is well with you and yours!

Welcome to the 2021 Outdoor Buddies Raffle. These past months have been a big challenge for all of us. Outdoor Buddies had to cancel both the 2020 and 2021 banquets due to the pandemic. The banquet which provides a chance to connect with lots of folks is also a major fundraiser so the loss of that revenue really impacted our operating budgets!

Improve the quality of life by providing opportunities through an all-volunteer organization for those who have been deprived of enjoying outdoor experiences. These opportunities are available to all with no additional costs (other than personal expenses) and no discrimination due to race, creed, religion, sex or family status.

Outdoor Buddies is a nonprofit 501c3 organization that was founded in 1984 by representatives of Craig Rehabilitation Hospital and Colorado Parks and Wildlife. Originally focused on spinal cord disabilities, Outdoor Buddies programs now assist those disabled from a wide variety of causes. In addition, we also have robust youth, novice hunter and disabled veterans programs.

By purchasing raffle tickets, you not only get a chance at some super prizes, but your donations also allow us to conduct more outdoor adventures for an ever-expanding group of disabled participants! Be assured that as an all-volunteer organization your donations will be used only for program support. We are proud of our ability to deliver memorable outdoor adventures without any compensation to those that so generously provide their time.

"Fishing event at Family Day is an opportunity for members to enjoy time in the outdoors with friends and family. For some, it may be the first time they experience fishing and the thrill of reeling in their fish. In addition to this they can learn about setting up a rod and reel, the use of bait or lures. And of course learn some of the biology of fish and their habitat.

None of this is possible without the necessary equipment and volunteers that serve the program. As such, Outdoor Buddies would like to express their gratitude to Adrian Jasso, and Eagle Claw Fishing and Tackle for the contribution of Rods, Reels and tackle for our Family Day Fishing event. Adrian Jasso is an avid fisherman, outdoorsman and supports the mission of Outdoor Buddies."

Green Mill Sportsman’s Club is hosting an Outdoor Buddies sight-in at their facility to honor the memory of Richard (Rich) Cori who passed away on July 28, 2015. Rich was a staunch supporter of Outdoor Buddies and served on its Board of Directors for several years.

The event will be held on Saturday, July 24th and is intended to help our mobility-impaired hunters prepare for the upcoming hunting season. Please bring the rifle and ammo you will be hunting with, as well as any adaptive equipment you plan to use.

Participants will be limited at this event so make your reservations soon. To reserve your spot at the sight-in please contact Bill Gowdy at (303) 489-9411 or billgowdy@msn.com.

Masks will be required at the event. Shooters are asked to bring their own mask. Shooters should also bring their own eye and ear protection. Hand sanitizer will be available for participants.

We are scheduled to use three ranges: Big Bore, Law Enforcement (LE) long range and Pistol. We will only use every-other shooting bench to keep separation enforced.

There is no charge for the event & light refreshments will be served. Accessible restrooms are available.

Location – Go three miles west of I-25 (Exit 232) to Bonanza, take first left at Green Mill Road (dirt road) and continue for ¾ mile to the facility.

Eligibility – Outdoor Buddies Mobility-Impaired Members and their Helpers. Youth (under age 18) who possess a hunter safety card are welcome, but must be accompanied by an adult relative or guardian. Outdoor Buddies mobility-impaired members will be given an opportunity to shoot first, before others. If you are hunting with Outdoor Buddies this year, make sure to bring the rifle and ammo you plan on using for your hunt.

Registration – Registration will begin at approximately 8:00 AM and shooting will start at approximately 9:00 AM. A valid driver’s license, passport, or other photo identification is required and a liability waiver must be completed by all attendees.

Ranges – Rifle ranges with 25, 50, 100, and 200 yard targets are available. A pistol range is also available for use upon request. Range qualified personnel will provide assistance. Targets, spotting scopes, shooting benches, and sandbags are provided.

Eye and ear protection are required! Keep in mind that in an effort to keep equipment clean, borrowed eyes/ears may be limited depending on health guidelines on the date of the event. Sporting rifles, handguns, and black powders guns are okay.

No fully automatic weapons will be allowed.

For the seventh consecutive year, Outdoor Buddies is honored to hold the annual Sporting Clays Tournament at Colorado Clays Shooting Park. Whether you have a disability or are able bodied, we need your support to make the clay shoot a success.

Volunteers will help run the stations and guide participants through the course. Please contact our volunteer coordinator at stevemedberry@gmail.com to sign up as a volunteer.

Conveniently located just 30 minutes northeast of Denver, only 6 miles from Denver International Airport, an easy drive from the entire Colorado “Front Range”, Colorado Clays Shooting Park offers the region’s most complete shooting range experience.

Please Come Join Us at Colorado Clays! We would love for you to join us for this fun-filled day in the outdoors. Please go to the Outdoor Buddies website and register now! Click the button below to register.

We are very grateful for our generous sponsors.

I know, I know. What is bobotie? It’s a venison casserole. I am not normally a fan of casseroles, but this one’s different. This is bobotie, one of the national dishes of South Africa. It’s shockingly easy to make, as spicy as you want it to be. Meaty, a touch sweet. Rich. Comforting. I’m a believer.

Bobotie, pronounced boh-BOH-tee, is — amazingly — a dish with ancestry 2000 years old. The Roman gourmand Apicius described a dish very much like bobotie in his “De Re Coquinaria” called Patinam ex lacte, which consisted of meat, pine nuts, some dried fruit and herbs, baked until done, then topped with a mix of milk and eggs, which was allowed to set. That’s pretty much what bobotie is, two millennia later. Variations on this dish remained popular in Europe all the way into the 1600s. And, as it happened, that’s when the Dutch began carving out a trading empire. And part of that empire included the Cape of Good Hope, where South Africa’s Capetown is today.

What’s up with the funky name? Also look to the old Dutch empire. Most think it has something to do with Indonesia or Malaya in Southeast Asia, where variations on the word refer to curry spices. Both places were Dutch territories back in the 1600s, and it is believed they carried this dish to Capetown when it was founded in 1652. Southeast Asia definitely has an influence on this casserole. It needs curry powder (hot or mild), and one other sweet-sour thing, typically Major Grey’s or some other mango chutney, or tamarind paste. I’ve seen recipes with apricot or peach jam, too.

Mutton, beef or pork are typically the meat of choice, but I like it better with venison—any kind will do. You want it relatively lean, as the final topping of the whipped up eggs and cream adds quite a bit of richness.

Serve this with rice or bread, and either a salad or some pickles. Enjoy!

•3 slices white bread

•2 cups milk

•2 large onions, chopped (about 3 cups)

•3 tablespoons butter

•2 garlic cloves, chopped

•2 pounds ground venison

•Salt

•2 tablespoons mild curry powder

•2 teaspoons garam masala, or ½ teaspoon ground clove and 1 1/2 teaspoons ground allspice

•1/3 cup chopped cilantro or parsley, loosely packed

•Cayenne pepper to taste (I use 1 teaspoon)

•2 tablespoons tamarind paste, mango chutney or peach jam

•3 tablespoons golden raisins (optional)

•3 citrus leaves or bay leaves

•Juice of a lemon or lime

•1 cup heavy cream

•2 large eggs

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 325°F. Soak the bread in 2 cups of milk.

2. Cook the onions in the butter over medium heat until they’re soft, about 6 to 8 minutes. Sprinkle some salt over them as they cook. Add the garlic and the venison and brown well. Salt this as it cooks, too. Break apart the ground venison as it cooks so it looks like taco meat.

3. When it’s pretty much browned, add the curry powder, tamarind and all the remaining spices and herbs, and the raisins if using. Cover the pan, add the lemon or lime juice, and let this cook for a few minutes.

4. Squeeze out the milk from the bread and mash it into the mixture. Turn off the heat. Move the mix into a casserole dish and press it down well.

5. Beat the eggs and cream together and pour over the casserole. Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until the egg mixture is set and turning golden.

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Cookbooks: Buck, Buck, Moose. Hunt, Gather, Cook: Finding the Forgotten Feast.

Duck, Duck, Goose. Pheasant, Quail, Cottontail.

Meetings are held from 6:30pm-8:30pm at the locations and dates below.