“Keep on target” is a phrase that countless United Youth Camp attendees will never forget. They have been encouraged to apply that principle in archery class and in all areas of life by their archery instructor. “Keep on target” was made famous by Mike Hunicke, who has served at 15 youth camps during the last 13 years. He has taught the archery program at all the Northwest Camp camps in Oregon since 1999: Oakhurst, McKenzie, Davidson, Canby and Magruder. He also taught most of those years at Hye Sierra in California. His wife, Helen, joined him for several years at camp to serve on the arts and crafts staff.

Rex Sexton, current director of the Northwest Camp, said of Mr. Hunicke: “Mike Hunicke has an incredible ability to connect with the campers. He teaches Christian and Bible principles along with how to shoot arrows from bows. His personal example, sincerity and genuine concern for the campers have been an example for all of the staff. Every year the campers have rated Mr. Hunicke as one of the staff members who most influenced them to follow God and live the right kind of life.”

Every year Mr. Hunicke arrived at camp with a pickup truck loaded with homemade bows and arrows. The campers marveled at his bows, which are made of various kinds of wood. Some are works of art. His archery area was replete with all types of targets, including stuffed birds that moved on cables over the range. He always had nice awards on hand to present to the campers who excelled at archery.

His archery program has been very successful, but at the end of last summer Mr. Hunicke has chosen to start transitioning out of the archery program for the youth camps and into “retirement” in order to spend more time taking care of the homestead and less time separated from his wife.

All the campers agree that Mr. Hunicke has been much more than just an archery instructor. He has been a very influential role model for campers and staff members throughout the years he served, and everyone who has had the pleasure of being instructed by him will never forget his gentle, caring, encouraging teaching style and the life lessons he introduced through the example of archery.

Mr. Hunicke became a member of the faith and the Church in approximately 1967, the year he met his beautiful and loving wife Helen. After living in the Anchorage, Alaska, area for 19 years, including a few years living completely “off the grid,” the family decided to move to Oregon. It was when they settled in Grants Pass, Oregon, in 1986, that he first became interested in learning archery. Though he was his own teacher, Oregon provided a number of opportunities for him to shoot with groups of skilled individuals such as traditional archery clubs. He competed in archery tournaments primarily in the northwest and in California as well. When Mr. Hunicke became the lead of the archery program at the northwest United Youth Camp at Oakhurst, it was through one of these clubs that archery supplies were donated to the Church. In fact, there were several occasions in which God provided the needs of the camps for archery equipment such as bows, arrows, and shafts, after several church members prayed urgently about the needs. Fascinatingly, God chose to do this through the hands of strangers. In one memorable example, Mr. Hunicke was working as a bus driver for an elementary school at a time when the local newspaper had written an article about him building bows. A custodian of the school he worked for read the article, asked Mr. Hunicke about it, and after learning about the archery program for the United Youth Camps, dropped off one hundred arrows, new bow strings, 15 Olympic-regulation shooting targets, arm guards, and shooting bows to Mr. Hunicke’s doorstep.

Even now Mr. Hunicke still talks in wonder on how apparent God’s hand was in occurrences like the one above. Glen White, a co-leader with Mr. Hunicke for the Northwest archery program since 2006, enthusiastically commented on how the Church has had to pay minimal costs for very expensive archery equipment due to the personal time Mr. Hunicke has taken to make bows, arrows, and targets (many of us remember shooting at “the Flying Turkey”), especially for the youth programs. Through him, God has provided multiple thousands of dollars of equipment in the interest of our youth. Mr. White had said that “it is through [Mr. Hunicke’s] being blessed that the archery program in the northwest and also in California…and his working in repairing and building all the time…that we have one of the best archery programs throughout the camps. It is a testimony that speaks for itself.”

The camp program will never be able to find another Mr. Hunicke, but those who follow will have a great example. His legacy has been inherited by his family and held in high regard by his assistants and apprentices. His son, August Hunicke, has been the program leader for archery at the northwest preteen camp for several years now and has built his own moving targets. Among those not in his immediate family who share in his passion for archery and will continue in his successful footsteps are Glen White and his future apprentice, Ray Emehiser. It is being planned that Mr. Emehiser will be trained by Mr. Hunicke during the period of transition. He has a promising future for becoming the next program leader.

The times of being reminded to keep our eyes on the goal and always pull back the bowstring fully to our anchor have not only affected how well campers succeed in the archery range, but also how campers succeed in the aspects of life. When asked what has been the most enjoyable or worthwhile experience in teaching archery at camp, Mr. Hunicke stated that it was “having a camper there who [didn’t] know a thing about it, [didn’t] have a clue how to do it, and them being successful in it.” He also learned new perspectives about his own teachings by asking how the campers would apply the daily Christian living themes to the activity at hand and to life. He could see God’s guidance and direction through the campers’ answers to these questions. Over the years, especially when he was hospitalized for heart surgery in 2012, Mr. Hunicke received many letters and cards from appreciative campers who wrote that Mr. Hunicke’s example and teaching encouraged them to be mindful of the goal of the Kingdom and commit to living a Christian life.

We wish Mike and Helen wonderful blessings during their retirement years. Their contribution has been treasured by those in the youth camp programs. Though they will be greatly missed at camp, their contributions will never be forgotten. Mike and Helen Hunicke, thank you for your care and love, and many blessings to you from all your campers.