Gamedinner and Backyard Bow Pro

We may be between seasons right now but team Backyard Bow Pro is still as busy as ever! We've been having live Webinar Presentations (www.anymeeting.com/backyardbowpro1) to try and fill everyone in and keep yall up to date.

Lots of things have changed and progressed since the last time I wrote and we now have teams in 11 different states!! With new sponsors such as ScentLok, Lumenok, MDP (Maximum Draw Products), justfordoes.com, and more I expect that we'll continue to grow at an exponential rate! Recently we've been aquiring land left and right. We actually are looking for more members and team leaders, and with the cost of membership CRAZY low at just under $150 (most of that going to the background check) I wouldn't think it would be hard for people to see the value.

One of my favorite things has been traveling around (and sometimes sticking as close as the backyard) with our HitcHiker. If someone would fling targets from it for me I would stand out there with a recurve and shoot ALL day long. We even started selling them and have yet to meet someone who didn't have a blast shootin' with them!

This past weekend I went with a few of the guys (Joe, Billy, and Adam) to Mississippi where Kenneth Lancaster and Van's Deer Processing and Sporting Goods hosted a fund-raiser bow shoot for Shane Smith, a good friend of mine and awesome sportsman. Shane had lost his home and almost everything he owned in a house fire recently. While I knew how many friends and fans he had I would've never dreamed the event would be as successful as it was. I learned that the special minority of us that consider ourselves hunters really is a brotherhood. People who had never even met him came together to raise money for a brother in need and I have never been more moved. All too often in this world do people get caught up in pleasing themselves and never stopping to help those who need it...but WE are different! We use what God gives us and likewise give to others.

Now let's not get confused here...this past weekend wasn't JUST an emotional experience. We found time to work, cut up, goof off, laugh, play, and more. We drove down from good ol' NC with HitcHiker in tow! Everyone down there LOVED it! Here's a picture of new friend and Hoyt Pro-Shooter Brett Morgan shootin' the HitcHiker with his BITE TAB! Over 70 lbs of drawback...talk about some serious shootin'!   And he smoked it!

After the shoot that was held for Shane there was an auction with TONS of stuff donated by people just trying to do their part for him. This auction raised close to $44,000 for Shane's new house!! After the auction some of us hung around and talked about how special the entire day was and how great every single person is that contributed. Here's a picture of us with, Antler Insanity, and Bone Collector who all showed up to support a sincerely great guy.  (L to R:  Billy Stewart - BYBP; Travis "T-Bone" Turner- Bone Collector;  Randy Buckner - Antler Insanity; Shane Smith and John Young - Antler Insanity; Me; Nick Mundt - Bone Collector; Kenneth Lancaster - Antler Insanity/Bone Collector)

I thank God every day that I was brought up in a place that has allowed me to grow to appreciate the the benefits as well as the thrill that comes from hunting, harvesting, and laying the smack down on just about anything I have an opportunity to. I am SO looking forward to the cool air of fall and the sight of a sunset coming over the mountains in my tree stand! GAH it's good to be in this minority, isn't it???  :)

Webster's definition of integrity....firm adherence to a code of especially moral or artistic values.

Being a BackYard Bow Pro means more to me every day.  When i was first asked what it meant I guess I gave a standard answer, we practice in the back yard to score more in the back woods.  But it means so much more.  Being a CRBYBP you are not only a person with integrity but also high character, honesty, crime free and a belief that your word means more than anything. 

I want to practice as much as I can so when the moment of truth comes I can be prepared to complete the task at hand.  What I want more than that, Is for every landowner, farmer, community that I am associated with to know beyond a shadow of a doubt that I am a man of integrity and honesty and that our TEAM BACKYARD BOW PRO is made up of women and men that will uphold a higher standard of ethics than anyone else in the woods. 

Team BackYard Bow Pro is here to change the way a large portion of the public views hunting and hunters.  Most of the time we are made out to be "BONE" crazy rednecks, that will cross any line to get what we want.  We want to change that perception to be, Team BYBP is a team that is professional and proficient and will do EXACTLY what they say they will do and accomplish the goal of helping landowners and communities take back their flower beds and their property and restore the woods to its proper balance.

With fewer and fewer places to hunt we as hunters need to understand that hunting is a great privilege and we must keep a high standard of ethics to be able to continue to hunt for years to come.  One of my favorite quotes about Integrity...."Integrity is who you are when no one is looking". 

Lets, as a hunting community, uphold that higher standard of ethics and protect and preserve our hunters heritage AND a place to hunt for our children and our children's children.

So, what it means to be a CRBYBP....be proficient! be professional! be men and women that uphold a higher standard of ethics, being women and men of INTEGRITY and consistently doing what we say we're gonna do!! If we do this we will be able to PROtect our hunting heritage, preserve our hunting heritage and PROvide for our family, friends and those less fortunate in our communities!!

If you are up for the challenge...........go to www.backyardbowpro.com......Join Team BYBP today...Become a Certified Registered BackYard Bow Pro, and lets get in the woods!!!

God Bless!!

Billy Stewart

Team Leader/Field Producer for Team BackYard Bow PRO

Questions......email me at   This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Ok ok ok, so it may no longer be hunting season here in the mountains, but team BYBP is as busy as EVER! With so many new things going on I don't see how we have time to breath, but I wouldn't have it any other way. One of the newest things we have been doing is having an archery shoot once a month to raise money for the Firefighters Burned Childrens Fund. As of now we have only had one of these shoots so far, but it was a HUGE success. We had 57 shooters with lots of other people who came to watch, hang out, and eat. We have door prizes, concessions, and a 50/50 dot shot with the winner walking away with half of the money generated from the dot shot. We have 15 targets with three groups of 5 shooting at a time. Here's a picture from the last shoot for those who weren't able to make it but will hopefully be joining us in the future!

Also, as some of you may know, my brother Jared Gudger is also on the team, so OF COURSE we had to have some sibling rivalry going on. He may have moved my sight around, but go ahead and ask him who shot his fletching off and pinned it to the polar bear ;)

Not only that, but the next day when I was shootin around at school, I was splittin arrows like it was my job! All I have to say now is Jared, you better watch out cause lil sis is out to get you!!!!

Aside from our first bow shoot, we also held our first ever IBEP (International Bowhunter's Education Program) Advanced Archery Class. This free certification is required to hunt big game in many states and is one of the qualifications of our Certified Backyard Bow Pro program. It is taught by a NC Wildlife Resources Commission Approved Instructor and includes 10 hours of class and a shooting proficiency test. As for our Certified Backyard Bow Pro program, if you wish to know more about that we have an entire page on our website dedicated to informing others about it. It is designed to bring qualified hunters to places that have an over population of wild game in order to do some damage control. If you missed out on our first class, no worries! There will be another one coming up soon!

Also, look for us at the Dixie Deer Classic in Raleigh the first week of March! I am SO excited to be a part of this show and can't wait to see what all it will bring to the table for us! If you have any questions or comments (good ones I hope :-P ) feel free to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or any of the other wonderful people on the BYBP team! Thanks!!! <3

The hunting industry is amazing and we get to watch the “Bone Collectors”, “The Crush with Lee and Tiffany”, “Dream Season with the Drury’s”, to just name a few, each week take Monster Bucks’.  I love to watch these shows and many others because they bring us these great adventures on giant bucks week after week.  I am thankful for these folks because I know myself how hard it is to score on a “Big One” on a regular basis, which these guys do. 

Sometimes though I think we all have put pressure on ourselves to score on the Big One and it takes us into the wrong mind set.  Although, I love to take those “Big Bucks”, I think we really need to look at what we as individuals have to prove.  It is nice to come out of the woods dragging the buck of your dreams but in the whole scope of life what does it mean?  We have folks in our communities that go to bed each night hungry and we have an abundant renewable resource that could help in that fight against hunger.

I am not saying shoot every deer in the woods but I do believe we need to look at how we manage our resources, and how those resources could help those less fortunate in our communities. 

Team Backyard Bow Pro are deer hunters and we aim to live that.  We want to be real and realistic on our videos and be role models for our youth.  Although, we are chasing those “ginormous” bucks like Tiffany Lakosky we  know that we need to be real with ourselves and make sure to take a mature deer weather it’s a doe or buck.  What we have to keep in mind is we need to be teaching our younger generation that it’s not always about us and not always about taking a huge deer.  We need to help folks understand that we can make an impact on the lives of many people with things that most hunters take for granted.  One deer can feed 200 meals.  Now that’s HUGE….

If each of us would think more about our neighbor and less about ourselves then we would have a lot less problems and less folks going to bed hungry!!

Make sure to check out our videos and see how you can join our team! Most of all see where you can donate a deer to Farmers and Hunters Feeding the Hungry (FHFH), click the FHFH link on our website or go to www.fhfh.org

Shoot to Grill!!!

Billy Stewart

Team Leader BYBP

email.......   This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Man, what a fantastic 2010 deer season here in North Carolina.  Our Team and and friends were so blessed with AWESOME hunts.  Joe Jr. really had a banner year taking more deer with a bow than his old man, and it was his first year bow hunting!   In the mdst of tthe season, we launched our NEW GameDinner.com and Team Backyard Bow Pro web sites.  These are proving to be fantastic tools to help spread our message of preserving and protecting our Hunter Heritage as food providers.  

All the while, we've stayed focus on our mission, which is to not only bring harvest back to our families and friends, but to those less fortunate.  Our Chapter of Farmers and Hunters Feeding the Hungry was able to donate over 10,000 meals of lean, healthy, hunter harvested venison through Manna Food Bank, Churches, Shelters and Soup Kitchens in NC in 2010 alone, which puts us about 85,000 meals since we started in 2007.   We could not do that without the support of our landowners, our hunters, our meat processors, our volunteers, our GameDinner.com Fundraising Events, and YOU.

If you would like to become involved with FHFH, there are several ways to show support.   Attend an upcoming GameDinner.com Sponsored Event; Volunteer your time (email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it to find out more); maybe you're a beef farmer...donate beef through your local, state inspected meat processor; or simply make a financial contribution at www.fhfh.org.

I can' t tell you what a blessing it has been for me and my family to be involved with this organization and we'll continue to support it through our GameDiner.com Events and as we grow Team Backyard Bow Pro.   Being involved with FHFH has helped me keep the focus on why we hunt, and, as a father raising children to be passionate about our outdoor lifestyle, it's made leading by example much easier!

until next time....SHOOT TO GRILL!

Hey everyone. I just wanted to check in and wish everyone a happy New Year.  Its hard to believe that we've already made it through a whole decade in the 21st century.  It seems like only yesterday everyone was scurrying around trying to fill their shelters with canned goods and flashlights, panicked over the whole Y2K. So, here we are, the beginning of a brand new year.  I'm not one that typically make tons of new year resolutions, but I wanted to set a couple of goals for this year.  First and foremost, I'm gonna try and get closer in my walk with God.  Second, I will have to say, be the best husband I can be.  If I can take care of these, everything else will fall right into place.  As for my hunting goals, I definitely aim to take a trophy class buck.   That sorta goes without saying, right?  So here are mine, would you like to share some of your goals or resolutions you've made for the new year? 

If you want to find out more about being a backyard bow pro, or have specific questions you would like to ask the pro staff, please feel free to email me  at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . 

XXL 

The most common size for me this Christmas Holiday.   Of course, that's inspired me to move into the new year with a new diet plan....it's called, "eat less, move more".....hopefully it will work.  I guess...I've been blessed with plenty of fine, hot meals.....sadly, fine hot meals are becoming a luxury for many Americans. 

Team Backyard Bow Pro and GameDinner.com are committed to preserving our hunter heritage as food providers.  Through GameDinner.com sponsored events, we raise money for our Chapter of Farmers and Hunters Feeding the Hungry.   Our field team (the Backyard Bow Pros) then works with landowners to assist with deer damage problems during the regular season and through depredation hunting in the summer months.  Most of the deer harvested by our team are donated to feed those less fortunate in our communities through our chapter of FHFH.   So far, we've been able to feed over 75,000 meals of lean, healthy, hunter harvested venison through Manna food bank, soup kitchens, churches and more.   On Christmas Day, some of our WNC BYBP team were volunteering at the Veterans Restoration Quarters serving the men living there a hot dinner of venison spaghetti.

We couldn't make the impact that we've made as a Team without the help of many folks.  In this short video clip, we recognize Mr. Henderson of Henderson's Meat Processing in Hendersonville NC.   He's a fantastic friend and has been instrumental in helping us help others.   Please take a moment to view the video.   To find out how you can become involved, visit the FHFH Page of our Backyard Bow Pro website.  

Man, I had a great time with my Dad this past week.  It was the last week of the Central NC Deer Season.  Although I was tagged out in Western NC, I did have one more doe tag for Central NC.   I got a new Mathews Drennalin for Christmas, all tricked out with red dampeners and more and was dieing to try it out.  Thanks to Backyard Billy, we were able to go down to one of our Backyard Bow Pro Communities to try to take out a "broke leg" doe that the property owners and neighbors had been seeing.  She was pitiful....and nobody likes seeing that.

We got to the property around 2:30, spoke to the home owners, then got in the tree.  By 3:30, we'd already seen a nice  buck and a few does.  Then,  we saw the one we were after.  She was with three other deer.  They made their way below us about 100 yards and out into a field and began feeding.   It wasn't long after that and there were at least 10 deer feeding close to us at one of our feeders.   In NC, it's legal to use, and hunt over, corn feeders.  We use them quite a bit in our Backyard Communities.  These folks have enlisted us to do a job, which is to take out as many does as we can quickly and efficiently.  Feeders make that job just a bit easier.

All the deer milling around the corn feeder must have attracted the broken leg doe and her friends because they came right in on a string.  I was able to make a great shot on her.  When the G5 broadhead hit, it sounded like a whip cracking.  In fact, it was so loud, my Dad (who was filming) thought that I might have missed and hit a rock or a tree.   The doe didn't go 60 yards and piled up!

Needless to say, my Mathews did the trick!   Dad and I were both pretty fired up.  We had time to switch and I took the camera.  Nothing came in the rest of the evening....I think it had a lot to do with the lady walking her dog through the woods about 75 yards from us! 

Taking out this broken legged doe was a big win for everyone involved.  Of course, she's much better off....turns out, it was probably a car collision that injured her.  Our property owners and their neighbors don't have to watch her struggle everyday just to survive, so that makes them happy.  I got to score with my new bow!   And, this makes 27 does we took out of that community, which equates to about 5,400 meals of lean, healthy, hunter harvested venison donated through our chapter of Farmers and Hunters Feeding the Hungry!  WIN - WIN - WIN - WIN!

If you'd like to find out more about our Team Backyard Bow Pro and how you can get involved, just fill out the contact form on the Certified Backyard Bow Pro Page of this website.  One of our Team Members will contact you ASAP. 

Here's a short video clip of the hunt!  Hope you enjoy.....Rock On!

- Joe

Four years ago I had the opportunity to meet founder of Gamedinner.com, Joe Lasher.  He was looking for a non-profit organization to donate the proceeds of his Lasher Family Game Dinner and he wanted it to be a local organization. Just maybe a month earlier I had started our local chapter of Farmer’s and Hunter’s Feeding the Hungry (FHFH), at the time called Buncombe County FHFH.  For me that first game dinner was truly amazing, not only the food, but also the generous hearts of those in attendance, and they have done nothing but get better over the years!!!  That first night we raised just over $3500.00 for our chapter of FHFH and that really got us off on the right foot.  I believe at that time, Joe and I both knew we were both a part of something very special.

That first year FHFH donated approximately 2500 meals of hunter harvested venison to our less fortunate brothers and sisters in the community through Manna Food Bank.  Our up to date totals reach beyond 75000 meals since our inception four years ago; since we cross so many county lines, we changed our name to Crossfire FHFH.  What an awesome opportunity for us all to get back to our heritage as food providers with donating one of our God given natural resources that so many of us love to hunt!! 

Team Backyard Bow Pro (BYBP)….what an awesome concept!!!  Getting like minded individuals together to PROmote our heritage as hunters, PROvide food and so much more to our friends, families and to those less fortunate in our community and to Preserve our heritage as hunters for our younger generation  has been an amazing experience.    We aim to teach our younger generation and the non hunting public what it means to be an ethical hunter, and to understand the hunter’s role as a food provider.

 It has been a dream of mine to be a part of a team/organization that promotes hunting and our heritage for many years.  Being able to practice, be in the woods and just spend more time with family and friends in the outdoors means so much to me.  Being able to capture these adventures on video and share these hunts just makes the experience that much more exciting. I mean, having one of your best friends over your shoulder filming you just truly adds so much to the hunt!!

I am excited to see what the future holds for Gamedinner.com, Team BYBP, and FHFH.  I look forward to more Amazing Adventures in the woods; making new friends and seeing a new generation understand our hunter’s heritage more!!

If you haven’t already, make sure you sign up for our premium membership and you too can promote, provide, preserve and protect our heritage!!

Thanks, God Bless and remember....SHOOT TO GRILL!!!

Billy Stewart

Well, as hard as it is to believe, another whitetail season has come and gone.  Unless you're fortunate enough to have property in an area that offers an extended season, you're probably reflecting back on the many memories and missed opportunities experienced this season.  As many hunters are throwing their gear in storage, now is the time i find myself preparing for next season.   So many factors account for making yourself a more successful archer and hunter.  Two factors I find myself focusing on this time of year are practicing and communicating with land owners so that I know where I have permission to hunt next season.  Once you have your land locked up, there are so many things you can do to increase your odds at harvesting that trophy whitetail. 

check out some of the awesome bybp videos of the 2010 season and let us know what you think.  If you have any questions or comments, please contact me at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

From our family to yours......

Thanks for visiting BackYardBow Pro.com!    Please friend us on FACEBOOK and stay connected!

What a great group of folks that make up Team Backyard Bow Pro!!!  Just had our Christmas party and what a way to kick off this brand new adventure!!!

Stay tuned for alot of special things happening in 2011!!!

Merry Christmas!!!

Billy

Man, i'm really excited to be a part of Team Backyard Bow Pro.  I'm one of two Junior Pro-Staffers on the team.   I've had an awesome year in the woods.  Here in Western North Carolina, we're allowed two bucks and 3 does....I'm happy to have filled ALL my tags!   What's really cool is that all the hunts were caught on video and will be featured in our "shoot to grill" video series.   Here's one that you might like called "Smoke Pole Smack Down".  

Me and my dad went to the woods on the last day of the WNC Black Powder Season to harvest a big doe.  I ended up taking my first buck with a black powder gun.  I was so jacked up, I could hardly talk after it was all done.   I guess that's why we love it so much.  

Here's a picture of the buck.  He was a very heavy and older deer with a smaller 6 point rack.  I'm proud of him and dude....did he taste GREAT.   We fried his heart and ate it that night.

Thanks for checking out my blog and find me on FACEBOOK!    Remember...SHOOT TO GRILL!

Welcome to gamedinner.com!!! I hope each and everyone of you are as excited about it as we are! This entire thing started with an awesome idea and some seriously dedicated people. To be able to say that I am apart of this team means more to me than I'm sure most people realize. What initially brought me to join was the fact that Joe Lasher wanted to make sure we got things done while still getting to have a good time! We get to hunt, kill, grill, and give! Can't ask for much more than that. 

It's actually kind of hard being separated from my Backyard Bow Pro family this week; but I have definitely been making sure they're keeping me up to date with all the new and exciting things going on up in frigid NC while I run around down here in FL in weather that's double theirs :) And yes, of course since I have that luxury, I HAVE been shootin' around a little bit in the backyard of course. 

I mean backyard bow pros can always find time to do a little shooting around, even when they're on vacation! And with as much as I practiced today I should've been splitting arrows, but this wasn't too shabby! Besides, a bad day at the range is better than a good day at work in my opinion!!

For everyone out there who took the time to tune in for a little bit, if you share the same passion for hunting, fishing, great food, friends, and fun come on and join our team! We've got a lot of exciting things coming up and would love for ya'll to be apart of it! Check us all out on facebook, and remember! SHOOT TO GRILL!!!!

For quite some town now, my friends and I have been practicing quality deer management on our Western North Carolina Farm.   We (the "grown ups") have always practiced "let 'em go, let 'em grow".    Here is a short clip with the same title. 

However.....we're ALSO GROWING HUNTERS.   In most cases, young people start and QUITdeer hunting in Western North Carolina, a region not well known for it's Whitetail Poplulations.    In this next video, you'll see Joe Jr. take his very first buck with a black powder gun.  It's the very same deer that I let walk with a bow.  

So...... "Let 'em go, let 'em grow" has two very different, yet equally important applications.   For the deer, it's good QDM, but for our youth, it means: "LET 'EM GO..." = get kids in the woods and let them be successful!   "LET 'EM GROW....." = let them grow as proficient and ethical hunters that will grow into mature men and women who will ultimately take our places as promoters and  protectors of our Hunter Heritage.   

Take a kid to the woods and LET THEM SHOOT and SCORE!   It will do WAY more good for the future of our sport.

Thanks for listening.....  Joe Sr.