About Us

About Walnut Creek Archery:

From Left: Vern (Dad), Grandpa Bill, and Bill (me) - Sportman's Products in the late 60'sThis is the place that I get to tell you how proud I am of our accomplishments and give you a little insight into the background of Walnut Creek Archery. The Norton family, men and women, have been providing outdoor products and service to sportsmen since the early 1950’s. Way back then, the late W.E. (Bill) Norton and his son, Vern, invented the first plastic fishing worm lure. Some of you old timers may remember Sportsman’s Products and the famous “Catch-Em-Quick” lures. Me with my first buck in 1965 Grandpa and dad sold millions of those plastic worm lures from a shop in Marion, Indiana. I literally grew up in the fishing lure business waiting on fishermen and in the 1960’s when dad opened Norton’s Sport Center, we started providing services and products for all sportsmen. Dad started teaching me how to shoot a bow when I was four years old and I harvested my first rabbit at age 6. In 1965 at age 16, I harvested my first whitetail buck, a fine 10 pointer. I naturally took an interest in working with archers and bowhunters that came into the shop. In the mid-70’s, my Granddad retired and dad eventually closed the businesses and went into another line of work. I joined the Sheriff’s Department in 1975 and retired after 30 years of service to work with sportsman full time.
My love of archery has never dwindled even though it has been put on the back burner a few times. In 1992, I decided to open a 3-D range on the 75-acre farm that my wife and I own. The course is laid out through rolling hills and creek bottoms with well groomed trails through wooded terrain and grassy fields. The distances are deceiving with several shots across creeks and down hills. IBO rules and yardages are followed and only a few perfect scores have been shot on this course in 18 years. We have gone from a clubhouse by our lake to a large building that contains an indoor range and a full service archery retail shop. My son, Jim, has been involved since the beginning with the business and with his Jim with his 1999 Trophy - 153 B&Ccomputer expertise and web design company, we not only sell to sportsmen in central Indiana but all over the world through several of our on-line stores. There is always a hunting video playing in the lounge and of course my dad, Vern, is in there telling just a few hunting stories. If you haven’t heard about the wild boar he shot at the Double "D" Ranch in McArthur, Ohio, he will show you the well-worn video and bend your ear for a while.
I am a firm believer in the slogan “Take a child hunting, so you won’t have to hunt for your child". In my years on the Sheriff’s Dept, I’ve seen our youth involved in things that would make your skin crawl. For that reason parents can bring their kids 8 years old and under here to shoot for free. Dads and Mom’s it’s either pay now or pay later.
Please visit us and enjoy our family atmosphere and share some of your hunting adventures while letting us help you with your archery and bowhunting needs.
Straight Shootin’,
Bill Norton, C.E.O. & President, Walnut Creek Archery, Inc.
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