An Iberia Middle School student is doing more than just hoping to punch his ticket to state competition when he competes in the Louisiana 4-H Shooting Sports regional archery tournament March 18-19 in Port Allen.

Bentley Vining, aka Poppa Stoppa, picks up a bow and arrow and zeroes in on targets to practice every chance he gets ever since taking the first step with a second-place showing Feb. 22 in the Flight 2: Junior Senior Compound division of the 2024-2025 Iberia 4-H Shooting Sports Archery Match.

The Iberia Middle School student, the son of Glenn and Tiffany Vining, stands out as one of the most active young hunters and fishermen across the Teche Area. His fishing skills are showcased each summer when he fishes the Iberia Rod & Gun Club Saltwater Fishing Rodeo with family, including maternal grandfather, Brian Romero, and uncle, Drew Romero, both veteran charter boat captains who work in and around Vermilion Bay, and hunts deer during the season near Emerson, Arkansas, where he shot a 7-point buck and a 4-point buck in 2024-25.

His proud mother agreed and said, “We fish. We do all that.”

Vining said his interest in competitive archery stems from a desire to possibly hunt with a bow and arrow this coming season. He’s pleasantly surprised and pumped up by his success to date, including a third-place finish last year in Iberia Parish competition as a Caneview Elementary School student/athlete who qualified for archery regionals in Port Allen.

A few weeks ago the young Lydia outdoorsman finished second behind first-place winner from the HOTT Club, Joseph Mitchell.

Joining Mitchell as winners in the recent Iberia Parish tournament were Peyton Crochet of NISH, Flight 1: Senior Compound; Michael Pevey with Homeschool Elementary, Flight 3: Junior Compound; Landen Fontenot, Belle Place Middle School, Flight 4, Junior Genesis; Peyton Couvillier, Assembly Christian School, Flight 4, Junior Recurve; Carter Thibodeaux, Catholic High School, Flight 4: Senior Genesis, and Greyson Freyou, HOTT Club, Flight 4: Senior Recurve.

Iberia 4-H Shooting Sports schools and clubs fielding teams at the recent shoot included New Iberia Senior High, Catholic High School, Loreauville High School and Loreauville Elementary School, Assembly Christian School, Highland Baptist Christian School, HOTT Club, Belle Place Middle School, Anderson Middle School, Caneview Elementary, Coteau Elementary, Daspit Elementary, Delcambre Elementary, Magnolia Elementary, JIRS, OSA and Homeschool Elementary.

All of Iberia Parish 4-H Shooting Sports regional qualifiers will converge on Port Allen for Bullseye competition Tuesday the 18th and the 3D shoot on Wednesday the 19th.

Shooting Sports, 4-H’s fastest growing program, assists boys and girls 8-18 in acquiring knowledge, developing life skills and practicing environmental stewardship. 4-Hers can compete in air pistol, air rifle, archery, BB gun, hunting skills, muzzleloading, shotgun, smallbore pistol and smallbore rifle, with each of the disciplines modeled after the National 4-H Shooting Sports Program.

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With the arrival of March last Saturday, it’s time to at least start thinking about or, even, getting ready for the third major bass fishing contest of the year in Acadiana.

The Jackie Savoy Memorial Big Bass Classic director recently scheduled the annual fundraiser for Lydia Cancer Association, among other charitable causes, to be held March 29 at Lake Fausse Pointe. The Classic site remains the same as always as the Teche Area’s many bass anglers will launch from and return to Marsh Field Landing.

There’s sure to be a crowd on hand to watch the bass anglers weigh their biggest bass each of the eight hours starting at 7 a.m. The visitors have the opportunity to sample food cooked on site by teams vying for top awards in a rice and gravy cookoff.

Tee Roy Savoy of Coteau Holmes and his crew of volunteers have been preparing for the event the past several months. The big-hearted men and women will be there in the predawn darkness registering teams competing for hourly prizes as well as the newer five-bass limit pot, then helping cooking teams set up the site.

“Fired up? Oh, yeah, like I said, it gets easier and easier to put on. That’s why we added a cookoff. It’s just the tournament runs itself, so we added the cookoff,” Savoy said last month when he announced the date of the event.

The Classic entry fee is $150 per boat. For more information call Savoy at (337) 519-3107.

DON SHOOPMAN is outdoors editor of The Daily Iberian.