Alabama

Compared to other parts of the country, we are dry and the temperatures are just right for shooting. I hope everyone is getting out and shooting to support your local clubs or competing in a bucket list shoot.

As of this date, the ATA Southern Zone Shoot will be held July 15-18 in Bostic, NC, the Silver Dollar and Berea, KY.

Joke of the month: “Why didn’t you report the theft of your credit card before this?” asked the police officer to the fellow who had come into the station. The reply: “Because the thief was spending less than my wife.”

Word of the month (Southern style): Ahmoan: An expression of intent. “Ahmoan have a little drink. You want one?”

Please keep our troops in your thoughts and prayers. Without the men and women of our armed forces protecting this country, we would not be able to enjoy this great sport. When you see a soldier, thank them for their service.

If you need my help or have news to report, contact me at [email protected].

Wayne Sartwell

ATA Delegate

Kentucky

The first state shoot I have attended was early this month at the Georgia State Shoot. It was attended by 14 Kentucky trapshooters. Kevin (Tank) Polson placed in Events 1, 3, 6 and 7. Melissa Tracy Marr placed in Events 5, 8 and 9 plus the HOA and HAA. Michael Castle earned trophies in Events 5 and 9. Martha Humphrey placed in Events 8 and 10 plus the HAA. Trey Wilburn won in Event 4 and Raymond Kidd in Event 2. Kenny Wyatt placed in Event 6 and Troy Crass in Event 10. Clayborn Hunter claimed an award in 8. Vernon Anderson placed in Events 4, 9, 10 and the HAA.

A week later South Carolina’s state shoot was attended by 11 Kentucky trapshooters, with Melissa Tracy Marr placing in Events 9, 10 and the HOA. Martha Humphrey won in several early events as well as championship events 9, 10, 11 and the HOA. Robert Dyer earned prizes in several early events and in Events 9, 11 and HOA. Donald Isham placed in several early events plus Events 11 and the HOA. Polson, Wilburn and Gerald Shockley placed in several early events as well as one of the championship events.

For the past 10 days, the Missouri State Shoot has been going on at Linn Creek, MO. There were 13 Kentucky trapshooters who attended, and Richard Wilson, along with his sons Eli and Samuel, did extremely well in all the early events. Jack Futch, Polson and our own All-American team captain Keith Ditto did very well in the HOA, which means they did very well the whole shoot. Again, at the Missouri State Shoot for at least the past several years, Ditto has been high man in HOA and was high in Class AAA of the all-around this year. Congratulations to one and all.

It appears that 12 high school teams competed this year in the Kentucky High School Clay Target League. The league held their state tournament at the Central Kentucky GC at Berea June 12. Not a bad comeback from the year of the pandemic. I have really enjoyed the athletes on our team this year, and it appears that we will have much larger numbers next year.

The Kentucky Trap League met April 10 to finalize details and plans for the Kentucky State Shoot. It will begin on Tuesday with the AIM shoot, with the state shoot beginning on Wednesday and continuing through Sunday, July 4. The Kentucky High School Challenge will again be held in conjunction with the championship singles on Saturday. I hope everyone who can will come and party and shoot with us. It would be appropriate to thank President Kerr and all the others who make the state shoot possible. Give a big shout-out and thank you when possible.

The officers and board of directors of the KTL decided at the April 10 meeting that there will be three inductees into KTL’s prestigious Hall of Fame this year: Donnie Sherrard (posthumously), Lance Ogles and Vernon Anderson. All had been nominated earlier in the year. I can’t speak for the others, but for myself, it will be one of the greatest honors of my life. To be a part of such a prestigious and awesome Hall of Fame is a very special event. Hope to see everyone at the induction ceremony on Friday.

I hope to see our trapshooting friends at the Grand American Aug. 4-14. It is back at Sparta, IL, and promises to be bigger and better than ever.

Please, if you have trapshooting issues or information that you wish to share, e-mail me at [email protected] or call 270-227-2262. I hope to see everyone on the line soon.

Vernon R. Anderson

KTL Board Member

South Carolina

We are full bore into trap season. We had 19 South Carolina shooters in Georgia for their state shoot. Weather was great, but the wind was blowing every day. If you drew the top fields, it was really sporty. As always, the Georgia folks put on a great program. It was fun to see people who COVID-19 prevented from shooting last year.

Our state shoot started with a dud. Wednesday was cold—48º, rainy and windy. If it weren’t my state shoot, I wouldn’t have shot. The remainder of the week had great weather, from the 70s to the low 80s and very little wind. We had shooters from 19 states; thank y’all for attending.

After some difficulties, we were able to continue our free fish dinner. I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did. The fish dinner has been a hallmark of our shoot, and our board of directors plan to keep it that way.

Jim Ivey II has achieved 25,000 handicap targets. Congrats, Jim.

Our state directors have changed. Retiring are Gary Ferguson and Doug Stenback. Their replacements are Scott Pace and George Powell. Thanks to Gary and Doug; welcome aboard, Scott and George. All the other officers were reelected.

Many thanks to all officers and volunteers who made our shoot a success.

I’m looking forward to the North Carolina State Shoot and the Zone shoot. I hope to see you there.

Jim Faber

ATA Delegate

Tennessee

The last three state shoots in the Southern Zone will be in July: Kentucky, June 30-July 4, Central Kentucky GC, Berea; Virginia, June 30-July 4, VA Homegrounds-Winchester GC, Stephenson; West Virginia, July 7-11, VA Homegrounds-Winchester GC, Stephenson.

The ATA Southern Zone Shoot is July 15-18, held in Berea, KY; Bostic, NC; and the Silver Dollar in Odessa, FL. AIM National Championships will be July 30-Aug. 3, and the 122nd Grand American World Championships take place Aug. 4-14, both at WSRC, Sparta, IL.

Seventeen Tennessee shooters recently attended the Georgia State Shoot. Those winning trophies were Jonah Wyatt, Lucas Davis, Joe Trujillo, Riley Bellomy, Tyler Honnold, Emma Mathews, Tyler Lance, Trevor Lance, Colton Phillips and Wally Lowery.

A few days later 20 Tennessee shooters attended the South Carolina State Shoot. Those winning trophies were Honnold, Phillips, Greg Yocum, George Reese, Davis, Richie Bolin, Frank Perry and Bellomy.

The next week on May 21 at the Missouri State Shoot, Emma Grace Mathews broke 96 from the 26.5, earning a first-time move to the 27.

On May 23 at the Memphis SSA, Joseph Simmons III broke 100 straight from 20.5 to win the handicap at the Mid-South Open. The Memphis GC has been open since the 1870s, and that’s the first time anyone has broken 100 straight in handicap there. Congratulations to all the above.

Read the new Rulebook, please. If you don’t have a copy, get on the ATA website and print one.

For more info, check out our website shootatatn.com. You can reach me at [email protected].

Billy Cook

ATA Southern Zone Vice President

Arkansas

By the time you read this, our state shoot will be in the books. I would like to thank everyone who participated and hope that you had a good time.

Our local gun clubs have been busy. Our Arkansas youth have been tearing it up around the state and out of state. There has been so much going on that it has been hard to keep up with everyone! If you have the opportunity, please join us at the Jacksonville (AR) G&FF SSC for the ATA Southwestern Zone Shoot. I hope to see you there.

1 Peter 3:12 KJV—For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers, but the face of the Lord is against them that do evil.

Robby Pennock

ATA Delegate

Missouri

Another Missouri State Shoot is in the books. If you were not there, hopefully you can make it next year. Looking at the crowd and the entry numbers, one would not notice that there was an ammo shortage or any lasting effects of the COVID fears. Even with the less-than-favorable weather, this year’s attendance was up nearly 20% over last year’s and just slightly over 2019. Thanks to everyone who attended our shoot this year! Thanks to the MTA management, staff and board for putting this together and making it work. Several board members and staff pitched in scoring and even helping to load traps with the labor shortage. Recently MTA turned ammo sales over to Graf & Sons. Thanks to them for having ammo available for the shoot. Thanks to all who helped!

As promised, MTA made some improvements to control the dust on the heavier-traveled areas on the grounds. The week preceding the shoot, a coat of chip and seal was laid on those areas. With the rain, it was not really noticed how much difference the seal coat made but was certainly appreciated by many of the shooters in attendance. On behalf of the MTA Board of Directors, I would like to thank Tom Endres for his generous contribution that aided in getting this project funded, I would also like to thank Bobby Chambers of Wenig Custom Gunstocks and David Hart of Hart Systems Advanced Machining & Automation for their contributions to the all-around and HOA Lewis class purses. During this year’s shoot, three shooters were inducted into the MTA Hall of Fame. Due to COVID restrictions, last year’s inductee Dempsey Gottschalk was not inducted until the shoot this year, along with Bobby Chambers and Dennis Alkire. Congratulations to all three!

Once again the younger shooters made their mark, showing us experienced shooters that young eyes and reflexes can get it done over experience. On Saturday during the Bob Burg Memorial Singles Championship, junior/lady shooter Shelby Odom broke her first 100 and went on to record the only resident 200 to take the singles championship. In the White Flyer Doubles Championship, junior gold shooter Hunter Spruill had a lone 99 to take the title then went on to earn HOA champ. Last but not least, in the Wenig Handicap Championship, junior Ian Kutilek carded the only resident 100 to claim the crown. Congratulations to all of the Missouri and out-of-state winners at this year’s shoot.

I would be remiss if I did not mention what can happen when you do not provide the proper information in the form of an average card during classification at a shoot. Shooters, please keep your average cards up to date and bring them with you when you classify at a shoot, whether it is a local or state shoot or the Grand American. Most of the time a disqualification can be tracked back to a classification issue. As per the ATA Rulebook (Section II, C, 3 and 4, Page 7), it is the responsibility of the shooter to make sure that he or she is classified properly. Invariably, mistakes are made, and there is a provision in the Rulebook to address that. Somehow there are shooters who have pre-squadded that get through without classifying. While this may be a software problem, that allows it to happen, it is still necessary for all shooters to be classified prior to cashiering and shooting in the first event.

It has been a privilege to be the ATA Delegate for the Missouri Trapshooters Association and to be reelected this year. I will do my best to be the voice for the members of MTA to the ATA. If anyone has any concerns or has anything they would like to have reported, please contact me at [email protected] or 816-863-9003. I would like to leave you with an excerpt from this passage from 1 Peter 5: 5-7 NKJV. “God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble.”

Shoot often, shoot well, and be safe!

Stephen Ricketts

ATA Delegate

New Mexico

Hello from the Land of Enchantment. Well, good news from New Mexico. All COVID-19 restrictions have been lifted. It looks like we can start getting out and enjoying our summer days. As I write this today, we started our 72nd annual New Mexico State Shoot. This year our state shoot is being hosted by the NRA Whittington Center in Raton. Our first day was very nice with little wind and lots of sunlight. This was a preliminary day of shooting. We had about 60 shooters make it for today’s singles and handicap events. Look in T&F for a complete write-up.

May has been a very busy month for us here. We are starting to see a ton of out-of-state folks moving in. It looks like this summer is going to get crazy with building materials skyrocketing and almost every kind of product sold out or almost impossible to receive. Not sure about everyone else in other states, but here in New Mexico, we can’t find anything when it comes to shotgun shells or loading supplies! What is up with this? We all know that shotgun shooting last year was down two-thirds from all other years before. So we should be able to find a few boxes here or there. It sure would be nice to hear from anyone that we can expect this problem to improve and soon.

Look for the following shoots here in New Mexico: Albuquerque, June 5, and Belen, June 12-13.

If you have any news to report or need my help, you may always contact me at 575-538-1016 or at [email protected].

Cory Dalton

ATA Delegate

Oklahoma

Oil Capital GC held a shoot April 24-25. On the 24th there was a tie in the singles, with Jack Murphy and Pete Wedelin breaking 94s. In the handicap Pete was high with 85, and in the doubles Carl Brown was high with 237. In Sunday’s singles there was a tie again, with David Bacon II and Pete breaking 94s. Terry Piguet won the handicap with 94, and Billy Pierce topped the doubles with 88. Woody Barnes won the HOA with 253. There were 18 shooters who braved the windy conditions.

Hennessey GC held a Big 50 shoot on the 25th, and the same windy conditions existed. Rose Shaffer and Kenneth Green tied with 46s in the singles, with Rose winning the flip. In the handicap Charlie Mears, Carl Rich and Nagel tied with 43s, and Nagel won the flip for champion. Tim Mount and Kenneth tied with 44s in the doubles, where Kenneth won the flip.

Shawnee’s May 2 shoot was well attended. Mist and rain started the shoot, and just as it ended, the sun came out. Targets were well set, as the high scores showed. In the singles Ron Bliss and Shelton Shively broke 99s, and Ron won the flip. Bill Dean was next with 98. In the handicap, Logan Davis, Zoe Traylor and Vickie Farmer tied with 93s, with Zoe winning the flip. The doubles was won by Ron Bliss, who ran the second 50 for 96. It was unfortunate that after the shoot was over, a loud shouting match erupted between some shooters. This kind of thing will not be tolerated. Shooters could be written up, with it going on their shooting record.

Tim Mount plans to hold his dad’s Don Mount Memorial at the Shawnee Twin Lakes TR Sept. 5.

OTSA held their 500-bird doubles marathon May 8 but had to cancel the Sunday events due to extreme north winds. Even Saturday was trying due to a 30-mph south wind; however, 18 shooters, including one from Texas and one from Kansas, shot the 500. In the first hundred, Nathan Lemke’s 95 was high, and Ken Isenburg’s 92 was next. In the second, Ken’s 95 was high, and Nathan’s 92 was next. In the third, Nathan’s 94 was high, and Ronald Penner’s 92 was next. In the fourth, Ken’s 94 was high, and Jeff Barker’s 93 was next; he ran the last 50. In the fifth hundred, Nathan’s 94 was high, and Ken’s 92 was next. On the total 500, Nathan’s 463 earned champion, and Ken’s 460 won runnerup. A new shooter came with Ken—Brandon Ogle, who joined the ATA and shot all 500 doubles.

May 7 was the day more than 800 Oklahoma fallen officers were remembered, and 11 more officers and one K-9 were enshrined at the memorial in Oklahoma City. It was reported the Oklahoma Fallen Officers Memorial is the oldest one in the United States.

Oil Capital GC held a two-day shoot May 15-16. On Saturday Justin Cavett’s 97 won the singles, David Bacon II’s 90 topped the handicap, and Benny Holtzclaw paced the doubles with 93. On Sunday Bill Dean headed the singles with 97, Pete Wedelin led the handicap with 93, and Cavett won the doubles with 97. He also won the HOA with 280.

Ray Galli is approaching 50,000 handicap targets and may reach it during the Oklahoma State Shoot.

It looks like Oklahoma had 15 shooters attending the Missouri State Shoot. Robert Rimer broke 100 in a singles event. Kya Funkhouser, Justin Cavett, Clay Laughlin, Klayton McGee and Shelby Skaggs won several awards. The largest groups of category shooters were vets, 47 total; sub-vets, 82; and senior vets, 144.

Red Dirt SC held a shoot May 16 with 18 shooters who shot 100 singles. Scores were very high. There were two 99s, three 98s, one 97 and two 96s. This is a sign of well-set targets. Baylee Pence and Breegan Barnett had the 99s. Hunter Pence, Braden Cook and Blakely Barnett had the 98s. Joel Johnson hit 97. Reece Hightower and Mason Tucker had the 96s. These young shooters are doing better at every shoot.

The spring 4-H Shoot for May 22 was canceled due to weather.

Hennessey GC held their Big 50 shoot May 23, and 12 shooters braved the elements to compete. Dark skies, mist and some rain made it a trying day. Dillon Pospisil won champion in the singles with 50 straight. Bennie Livingston’s 46 was second. Dillon also won champion in the handicap with 45, Bennie was second with 44, and Johnny Wilson was third with 42. Rose Shaffer won the doubles with 46.

As the Oklahoma State Shoot approaches, we will be electing a new Delegate to succeed me. I succeeded Darrell Scott as the Oklahoma ATA Delegate in 1997. I was OTA president in 1995 and 1996 and worked with Darrell as we attended the Grand each year. We met with David Bopp and the ATA Executive Committee to acquire approval to host the Midwestern Grand at El Reno each year. In 1997 Darrell informed us he was retiring as Delegate, and I was asked to run for the job. Darrell assured me he would be there for advice and help if needed. We shot the Grand together and worked our state shoot, the Midwestern Grand and ATA Southwestern Zone Shoots for several years. It has been great working with our Southwestern Zone Delegates as well as all Delegates and everyone in the ATA organization. I also want to thank all the Oklahoma shooters for allowing me to serve as your Delegate for all the years. I am sure the new Delegate will do a good job, and I will be here for advice and help if needed. I ask all clubs and shooters to pass on information, such as singles, handicap and doubles winners as well as 100 straights, 50 straights, new shooters, club improvements, etc., so it can be included in the new Delegate’s monthly news article. Mikie will put the new contact information on our website.

Pray for America!

Tim Deister

ATA Delegate

Texas

I had a great time at the Zone IV shoot in Ft. Worth. Steve Bradbury and the people at Ft. Worth T&SC do a great job running a shoot. Things went very smoothly until the rain came on Sunday. The rain did let up, and all the events were completed.

I will have some of those near-famous “fatman attaboys” to tell you about as soon as the Zone IV scores are posted on the ATA website. I know some of you have told me about your accomplishments, but I always wait until it’s posted online.

I hope you get this issue in time for this reminder to attend the Texas State Shoot at the Amarillo GC June 29-July 4. The board of directors at Amarillo have done a tremendous amount of work to the club getting ready. I hope to see you there with an up-to-date average card. It doesn’t make you famous to get on my list. It may make you mad when you make it for the third time.

We have a constant problem with people receiving 1,000-target review reductions and not taking them. Not taking them is fine, but you must notify the ATA office of your decision to refuse the reduction. If you show up at a shoot and tell the classifier that you are on the 24-yard line, but you received a reduction to the 23 and just ignored it, then technically you are shooting from the incorrect yardage. Please notify the ATA office if you choose not to accept the reduction.

This article is kinda short, but that’s all I know. Just a reminder, I do not do Messenger. I do not do Messenger. Call me, e-mail me, or send snail mail.

If you have any news, please let Princess or me know. I can’t put it in these ramblings if I don’t know about it. You can reach me by phone at 806-679-6889, snail mail to 907 S. Main St., Hereford, TX 79045 or e-mail to [email protected].

Till next time, y’all shoot well, y’all shoot often, and y’all have a great time.

Jerry O’Connor

ATA Delegate

Arizona

Springtime means the Commissioner’s Cup, and 139 SCTP shooters competed at Tucson April 10. A little background: 15 teams from different parts of the state shot in six categories. They were Arizona Christian University, Arizona Outdoor Sports, Ben Avery Clay Crushers, Casa Grande Covey, Central Arizona Target Shooters (the Cats), Mohave Top Guns, Phantom Sure Shots, Prescott Bird Busters, Arizona State University, Tri-State Quick Shots, Tucson Shooting Stars, University of Arizona, White Mountain Clay Busters, XCP Hotshots, and the Yuma Young Guns. What that means is that there are parents and coaches who are willing to spend a fair amount of time and in some cases kick in a few bucks, and in doing so, help ensure the future of our sport. I see them regularly at Prescott and see just how hard they work. Over the years I have also met many, many of our junior shooters, and yes, they are very competitive, but without exception all have been unfailingly polite and have practiced a level of sportsmanship that puts an occasional elder to shame. Now if I may wax poetic for a moment, there is a well-known poem that says, “To you from failing hands we throw the torch to hold it high.” It talks of soldiers in the First World War, but on a less exalted plain, that is exactly what we are doing with our younger shooters, and rightly so.

Who won? Well, just about everyone who shot. The scores ranged from three 100 straights to a few that were considerably lower. The category leaders: collegiate: Isaac Smith (Prescott Bird Busters), Ryan Hyatt (ASU) and Jack Patterson (U of A), all with 100 straights. Senior varsity: Bradley Rowden (Mohave Top Guns) and Latham Fritz (Tri-State Quick Shots), with 98s. Senior/junior varsity: Wyatt Williams (Prescott Bird Busters), 98. Intermediate/advanced: Austin Swayzee (Phantom Sure Shots), 94. Intermediate/entry level: Tommy Carr (Ben Avery Clay Crushers), 94. Rookie: Ryan Swayzee (Ben Avery Clay Crushers), 94.

Around the state: This is the time of year that brings out shorts and sunscreen, and many Arizona stalwarts head for the hills. Pleasant Valley, Prescott and Flagstaff all come into their own. First up in July is Prescott and the Western Zone July 16-18; Pleasant Valley has a three-day shoot July 30-Aug. 1, and Flag goes Aug. 14-15. Rio Salado has a doubles marathon July 15 and a singles marathon Aug. 5. Tucson holds their monthly shoot July 25, and Casa Grande has Big 50s every Monday.

Finally, if you have never been to the Grand American, what are you waiting for? It is the mother of all trapshoots. The dates are Aug. 4-14 at the ATA homegrounds in Sparta, IL. The Grand is one of the largest sporting events in the world in terms of number of competitors. Where else are you going to see a three-and-a-half-mile trapline? There are vendors galore, old friends and probably some new ones, plus 10 days of serious competition with fun times mixed in. There is a rumor going around that they might even have some ammunition. Don’t miss it; next year is a long time away! Any questions, just give me a call or send an e-mail. That information can be found on aztraps.com.

See you on the line.

John Bergman

ATA Delegate

California

According to shoot records, eight California shooters made their way to National SC in San Antonio, TX, for the Southwestern Grand American April 6-11. Seven of those shooters managed to secure at least one trophy, while five of them earned three or more. Colton Tucker was high with seven; Hunter Seymore received five; Vickie Larkin, Cory Walker and Logan Dashner earned three each, while Zack Jensen and Robert Hight brought home one apiece. Colton shot extremely well all week and started his winning streak in Event 2 (R. Boeding Handicap), taking junior gold champion with 94. Colton earned four more handicap trophies, Events 5 (BJ’S Restaurant) and 11 (Caesar Guerini) as junior gold champion (91 and 96) and Event 8 (Fiocchi) as junior gold runnerup (90). He placed fifth in Event 15 (Winchester Handicap Championship) with 93. Colton also won two junior gold champion singles trophies, one in Event 7 (Decot, 98) and the other in Event 10 (Blaser, 99 and carryover). Hunter Seymore won Event 13 (White Flyer Singles Championship) with a 198 and shootoff. Hunter missed two on his first trap and then ran the next seven fields. He went 25-25 in the shootoff over Jacque Snellenberger and Patrick Stacey. Hunter was the junior gold runnerup in Event 10 (99, lost carryover), and he prevailed as junior gold champion in both Events 12 (Browning Class Doubles, 96) and 14 (Federal Doubles Championship, 97). His final trophy was junior gold all-around champion (384).

Vickie Larkin won all three of her trophies in doubles: Event 9 (Remington Doubles) as the Lady II runnerup (92); Lady II runnerup in the class doubles (85 and carryover); and Lady II winner in the championship event (88). Cory Walker was the sub-junior champion in the class doubles (96) and took sub-junior runnerup in the Singles Championship (195). He also took home the 25-26 trophy in the Handicap Championship with 92. Logan Dashner collected his first trophy as the sub-junior champion of Event 2 (90). He was B class runnerup (94) in Event 9 and was sub-junior runnerup in the championship doubles with 95. Newcomer Zack Jensen was junior gold champion in the Handicap Championship with 97. Robert Hight took home the B trophy in Event 9 with 95. Congratulations to all!

The Livermore Pleasanton R&GC hosted the Golden West Grand May 5-9. This shoot was canceled last year due to COVID, and it was great to have it back. Although use of the clubhouse and food service was limited, there was a large enough turnout to qualify the shoot for All-American points. At this writing, I was unable to obtain a copy of the trophy list for each event [see story this issue—Ed.] but did find the high scores for the championship events. Rich Davis was the doubles champion by four birds with 100. As it usually does, the wind blew and the targets were pretty erratic, so Rich’s score was truly exceptional. Tyler Cassara, Audric Scheidel and Steve Smith shot 196s in the Singles Championship, with Smith claiming the top prize after three extra rounds. Sub-junior Travis Mathews was high gun in the Handicap Championship with 99 from 19.5.

Several California shooters recently achieved milestones regarding ATA target attainment. Robert Jeppesen, Robert Hight and Michael Bates all reached 25K handicap targets. Bill Sandborg did the same in doubles, while Wally Merkley and Gary Bonetti surpassed 75K and 100K doubles targets, respectively.

Kingsburg GC is California’s site for the ATA Western Zone Shoot July 16-18. Please come out and give them your support! Shoot well.

Steve Cloyd

ATA Delegate

Nevada

As we move from spring to early summer, folks in Nevada have been out registering targets. On March 3-4, Winnemucca held the Masters 500 Handicap. Thirty-five shooters showed up and enjoyed the good weather, good people, good food and great targets. Gary Bonetti was high for the 500 with 466, and Joe Hanley won the feature handicap with 94 and earned himself a nice payday. Thanks to Tammy Mariluch, Todd Delong and the Winnemucca crew for putting on a fun shoot, and Rich Bullard Jr. and Joe Hanley for the added money and champion’s buckle. If you missed it, put it on your schedule for next year; it is more than worth the drive.

March also saw Fallon, Winnemucca and Las Vegas hold Big 50 events. Despite the challenges of shooting during these times, the Big 50s continue to be well attended.

On April 10 the NSTA held its inaugural doubles marathon at the Clark Co. Shooting Complex (CCSC) in Vegas. The first 300 targets constituted the high-over-all (HOA), with shooters having the option to shoot 200 more registered dubs. Jacob Eval and Russ Roberts tied for the high-over-all, each carding a 275. Eval smoked 50 straight in the back half of Event 4 on his way to a 99. Nice shooting! Shooting 500 twins in one day is a very fun way to dial in your doubles shooting for the rest of the year. If there is enough interest, the NSTA hopes to hold a couple of additional doubles marathons in the near future.

On May 22-23 the NSTA held its Spring Handicap Tournament, with the HOA based on 500 targets. Forty-four shooters from five states showed up to contest the event. Saturday was marked by high winds, making the targets a bit “sporty.” Weather cooperated on Sunday for the final two events. HOA champion honors went to Jon Slinker. Wes Atkin won long-yardage; Joe Loutsenjizer took mid-yardage, and Patrick O’Neill took home the short-yardage buckle. Vet honors went to Mark Johnson. Bob Clausen was the senior vet champ, Isabella Ricci topped all juniors, and Tina Shigemura was the ladies’ champ. This was a super-fun shoot, and kudos to the NSTA for its efforts.

The CCSC will be a host site for the ATA Western Zone to be held July 16-18. Competing against shooters at gun clubs across the West makes this fun and challenging. Vegas will start early to avoid most of the July heat. Plan to attend. Check the NSTA website for details.

Until next time, keep shooting and break ’em all.

Russell Roberts

ATA Delegate

New Zealand

The ATA Singles Cup Shoot took place May 15. This shoot was our annual 200-target Singles Cup with $800 added prize money, courtesy of the New Zealand ATA. We ran three classes, A, B and C

We moved our shoot date from the first Saturday in the month to avoid conflict with the opening of the duck season. We ran only two fields, shooting 50 per trap in two rounds of 25, which worked out well with a number of members still duck hunting.

The weather conditions surprised on the upside, given the forecast earlier in the week. Just a few passing clouds and a light breeze, almost as good as it can get combined with the Thames background and White Flyer targets.

The grounds were in their usual manicured condition, thanks to the Thames crew. Thanks to John Robinson, Greg Godden and Garry Robinson helping with target-setting. Thanks to the competitors who helped with scoring and loading traps as well as cleaning up at the end of the day; much appreciated. And a big thanks to Nola coming in early to open the club and preparing another of her great lunches for those who support the club and the event.

Some good scores were shot, but despite the great conditions, the 100 straight jackpot went unclaimed.

A big thanks to our sponsors: the ATA, New Zealand ATA, Thames CTC, Target Products, Ron Thomassen Logging, Independent Transport Parts suppliers of the Inox & Lanox fine cleaners and lubricants www.newzealandhuntingadventures.com, and White Flyer Targets.

Good shooting.

Paul Basten

ATA Delegate

Utah

Sadly we have lost another one of our admired shooters. Don Harwell passed on May 8 while undergoing heart surgery. He was 75. Don and his wife Jerri were regular fixtures at all of the trap clubs around Utah and were both state team members several times. The Salt Lake Tribune printed a front page article about Don, which was quite a tribute to him. It is worth Googling and reading about his past and his contributions to society. Don was a very well-rounded individual in many sports. He also served in the military during the Vietnam War.

Don’s obituary can be found at the Broomhead Mortuary website www.broomheadfuneralhome.com/obituary/donald-harwell. It is also worth a read.

During his trapshooting tenure, Don amassed 12,275 singles, 11,100 handicap and 6,900 doubles targets.What I remember most about Don is his smile. Posting good or bad scores, acting as cheerleader for Jerri, or talking to others, he always had a smile on his face. Rest in peace, Don.

Now on to trapshooting. The season is in full swing. The bad news is the wind has been in full swing as well. I have forgotten what it is like to shoot in nice warm, sunny and calm weather. Hopefully those types of days are just around the corner.

This year I am seeing an increase in the number of beginning shooters and their families enjoying trapshooting together. I can think of at least five families venturing to ATA shoots around the state.

I highlighted the Cook family last month: Daxton Cook, his parents and sister at the Ogden GC, where Daxton shot first rate. Now it seems that his dad Tye is doing well also. Tye earned yardage at Nephi GC, and both Tye and Daxton earned yardage at Helper GC.

Another family that is shooting together is the Hall family from Vernal.

Charlie Hall told me that there are five generations of trapshooters in his family. His grandpa Dallas Thacker, who was president of the Provo GC in the 1960s and 1970s; his father David Hall; then himself, daughter Natasha and her son Trace.

During the April shoot at Spanish Fork GC, Charlie and son-in-law Brenden both broke their first 25 straights. Daughter Natasha did one better; she broke her first perfect 25 then turned it into 50 in a row.

Cindy Pierce also scored a first in her young career while shooting at Spanish Fork. In late April she broke her first 25 straight. Cindy is the mother of Jordan Pierce, a very accomplished junior shooter. After losing his shooting buddy Dalton Van last year due to a traffic accident, Jordan has been taking time off from the sport. Hopefully he will return soon.

I want to thank all shooters who support our great sport but also send a shout-out to the family groups who can put together a squad themselves. Quite a feat in this day and age.

Lastly I want to discuss the Western Zone Big 50s being shot at Spanish Fork eight times beginning May 18 and continuing every other Tuesday until late August. The Western Zone Big 50 is the same as any other Big 50, except there are Zone Lewis purses (optional) and a Zone fee. At the close of the eight events, those who have entered at least four times will have their best four scores added up, and the high score will win a very nice belt buckle provided by Joe Hanley of Nevada. If you just want to shoot Big 50s, you can, but to be eligible for the buckle, you must shoot the Western Zone Big 50s.

Ed Wehking

ATA Western Zone Vice President

Washington

I hope you have all had a good spring and that you have been able to get out and enjoy some trapshooting fun. Shells seem to be a bit scarce on store shelves still, but I hope the reason is that many of you have purchased them to shoot ATA targets in Washington.

The Inland Empire shoot wrapped up a week before this writing at the Spokane GC. It was pretty well attended, even with only half of the grounds available for use. It was a bittersweet affair as we shared stories about our experiences over the years at SGC. A few faces we haven’t seen for some time came out for the last shoot to be held on the present grounds. Ken Evans dominated the handicap events with scores of 98 on Friday and Sunday, while young Bruce Bradley of Orofino, ID, continued to be a force to reckon with as he blasted a 199 in the feature singles and claimed top honors after a shootoff with Jim Arrhenius of St. Maries, ID. A lot of photos were taken at the end for sentimental sake, and I saved the last spent hull to help remind me of the good times and people I’ve met while shooting in Greenacres, WA. Now we look forward to what the Spokane GC will have to offer when the new facility is up and running.

As you read this, we will be packing up and getting ready for the journey to Walla Walla for the state shoot. Your program should have arrived by now, but if not, there is a link on shootwsta.com. A link for RV reservations is there also, so you may still be able to grab yourself a spot. There is plenty of lodging in Walla Walla also, and it is all within a few minutes of the club. I’m excited about some of the items in this year’s silent auction. I think you’ll be impressed by local artist Teri Garrett’s creation for this auction. Teri has been busy in the shop and has really made some unique pieces, not only for the WSTA but also to raise funds for the junior shooting program at the Endicott GC.

Colton, Othello and Odessa clubs hosted shoots in June, so we all had plenty of opportunity to tune up for the state shoot. July will bring the Western Zone, with Colton hosting once again. Malden-Pine City will close out July then we will have a little lull in registered shooting here in Washington until fall. It has been nice to see so many folks so far this year who were missed with so many shoots not happening in 2020. Let’s hope we are on the road to normalcy and getting the shooting community back together more often.

We were saddened this week to hear about the passing of WSTA Hall of Fame member Bob Alley, better known as B. J. He was a top-notch shot for many years in the Northwest and was a household name in shooting circles. He, his black cowboy hat, boots, shirt and jeans will always be remembered as his trademark, and the trophies hauled off are too many to count. As a fairly new shooter taking part at the Labor Day weekend shoot in Lewiston, I happened to have B. J.’s squad following mine. I was relaxing in the clubhouse after scoring an 89 in a handicap event, when B. J. sat down across the table from me. He asked, “You know why you didn’t break those 11 targets?” I thought I was going to get some secrets from one of the masters, when he stated, “Because you didn’t put any lead on ’em!” Getting more shot in contact with the elusive clays has been a goal for all of us.

Lastly, please remember to support the sponsors who help put our shoot programs together. A lot of businesses advertise by contributing to our efforts, and most of them provide goods or services that we all may need someday. See you on the line and in a clubhouse soon! Shoot straight and keep your powder dry.

Sean Lewis

ATA Alternate Delegate

Wyoming

The trapshooting season is in full swing. Lusk, Farson, Gillette, Cheyenne, Sheridan and Wheatland all had shoots in May, followed by Casper’s first shoot. I along with seven other shooters attended Farson’s shoot. It was windy and cold, but club management still put on a good shoot. Gillette’s shoot had five in attendance; Dana Ideen won the singles and handicap events, and Kimberly Ideen won doubles.

I want to congratulate the young shooters who graduated from high school this spring. Good luck in your future endeavors, and hopefully I will see some of you shooting this summer. I have some exciting news to share from Lyman. They have started a high school trap team and are working hard and getting better every day.

The Overthrust GC extends its sincerest sympathy to the family of Noel Sippel. Noel was a lifetime member of the Overthrust GC and the ATA. He has hauled hundreds of thousands of targets to our club over the years. He was a great friend and competitor and will be deeply missed.

Nico Elardi

WSTA Director

Illinois

I am writing this in May, and trapshoots are popping up like mushrooms in Illinois. COVID restrictions are finally being lifted, and we are getting out to shoot. The only flies in the ointment are the shell shortage and unusually cold and windy weather. Let’s hope both these situations work themselves out quickly.

Three Illinois shooters have reached milestones in their careers. Thomas Bates has shot 50,000 handicap targets, Frank Bentley III 100,000 singles, and William Reardon 100,000 combined targets. Dedication to our sport is always impressive.

I want to take a moment to mention a story about Frank. Several years ago he won the Illinois doubles championship. This happened right at Father’s Day. Frank dedicated this win to his father, who is also a trapshooter. I don’t think Frank II could have been any more happy and proud after Frank III did this for his dad. Stories like this make our sport so great!

I could not make it to the Missouri State Shoot, but I have been following the scores, and Illinois shooters have showed up. We have won many categories, classes and yardage groups. See the shoot report for who has won what.

I am happy to report that we are collecting money for the new Hall of Fame, as more and more people are buying bricks to line the entrance of the new building. Please check out the link on the ISTA webpage to buy your own brick and be a part of Illinois trapshooting history.

It’s time for me to go shooting, so I will see you next month. Shoot well and stay safe.

Bill Duncan

ATA Delegate

Indiana

Greetings, Indiana shooters! There is a good chance when you’re reading this article it will be during the 2021 Indiana State Shoot being held July 6-11 at the ITA Homegrounds, Indiana GC. I hope my crystal ball is working, as I foresee a big crowd of shooters, great scores, fantastic targets and absolutely perfect weather.

In addition to the Indiana State Shoot and all of the registered ATA shoots happening across the state (which can be found at indianatrap.com), Evansville GC will again be a host site for the ATA Central Zone Shoot July 30-Aug. 1. This is always one of my favorite shoots of the year, and I look forward to seeing many of you there.

I want to take a moment to thank everyone involved at Vincennes GC, Fall Creek Valley CC and St. Joe Valley CC for all their efforts hosting our 2021 Indiana zone shoots. I will have the winners in next month’s article.

Don’t hesitate to let me know if you need anything or would like to have anything included in this article for Indiana. My e-mail is [email protected].

Jason Barnett

ATA Delegate

Michigan

The 2021 Spring Team Shoot is in the books, and with the weather we had early in the shoot, we are all glad it’s behind us. On Thursday, with temperatures in the 30s and very low 40s, the driving rain kept most of the shooters in their RVs. As I was out there trying, it seemed to me that they were much smarter than this Delegate.

A cautionary note about trying to drive to Mason is in order. The Michigan DOT is rebuilding the 127N to I-94 intersection. At various times through September (at least), there will be road closures, ramp closures and just plain confusion. Detours are posted but are time-consuming and cumbersome. My friends at MDOT suggest that there is some possibility this work won’t finish until mid 2022. If coming to Mason, taking I-96 only adds a few minutes to your drive, it would likely be worth it until this massive project is complete.

Congratulations are in order to Carl Chadwell. He shot at and broke his 100,000th doubles target at Birmingham GC. Carl now has 100,000 in each singles, handicap and doubles. His father Norris has 100,000 singles and handicap. For the father and son, all five of the 100,000 milestone targets were reached when they were squadded together.

I hope to see you at the great shooting events at the local gun clubs and at Mason now that Michigan has reopened.

1. B. Lewis

ATA Delegate

Minnesota

Greetings from the North Star State! As I said in last month’s column, we are in the three best months of the shooting season in Minnesota, and with June behind us, we have two to go. As you read this, hopefully you are packed and ready to go to Alexandria for the state shoot. After a one-year hiatus due to the pandemic, we are looking forward to seeing many of our old friends who we missed last year. Tom Townsend and his crew at the Shooting Park are ready go for the six-day run July 6-11. You can get tickets for the raffle that was supposed to be held last year from any of the MTA board members when you arrive in Alex. Tickets are $20 each. Jim Walkowiak is this year’s Hall of Fame inductee and will be honored at the banquet on Friday night.

Minnesotans shot very well at the Missouri State Shoot held May 17-23 in Linn Creek. Weather was typical for the Missouri shoot, with plenty of rain and mud. Among the trophy winners and a few highlights were Jim Noben; Bill Van Nieuwenhuyzen; Scott Messenger (Scott won two coin flips from Bill on Sunday for senior vet awards, including the HOA. I know how well that went over with Bill!); Randy Cook, non-resident vet winner in the HOA plus other awards; Gunnar Gens, who broke back-to-back 100s in doubles; Scott Gens, tied in the HOA, winning the sub-vet title as well as the sub-vet all-around and had the lone 100 in the Doubles Championship; Dean Neumann; Bernie Merchlewitz; Mike Michaelis, HAA in Class A for non-residents; Eric Munson (had a 99 in Thursday’s handicap); and Jack Knaus. My apologies to anyone who I omitted.

By the time you read this, hopefully you have been able to shoot some and are ready for big scores at the state shoot. The shell situation seems to be slowly improving, and as we get closer to the Grand, I believe that shells will be more readily available.

I hope to see many of you at the state shoot!

I can be reached at 507-456-2000 or at [email protected].

Paul T. Cyr

for ATA Delegate Randall Jones

Ohio

Seventeen-year-old Madyson Flower with the Fairfield Leadslingers shot her first 75 straight and 100 straight May 15 on the second hundred singles in the southwest zone shoot at Middletown. Congratulations to Madyson and everyone who qualified for the southwest zone teams.

Mike Blair

ATA Delegate

Wisconsin

With a nine-hour drive ahead of me from the Missouri State Shoot to home, I was at the seven-hour mark when this ambulance in front of me had its lights on and going about 70. Of course I did the same thing, 70. Well, let’s just say do not follow an ambulance in the dark going his direction and speed. All of a sudden the patrol lights came on behind me. I pulled over, and the officer said to me, “Um, do you realize you are doing the same speed as the ambulance, and the driver radioed you in?” I said I was seven hours into my drive and had two more to go. The officer did chuckle. He ran my license and came back and told me to slow down. What I am trying to get across to you is to take caution driving home from a shoot. Sure, we want to get home fast, but getting home is more important. Also, don’t follow an ambulance!

I attended a shoot recently, and a firearm accident happened to the toes of a shooter. Please, please be careful and think about what you are doing. If your gun acts up or a shells does not go off, think safety, safety, safety. We all know those words, yes, I know, but that is why it is called an accident, and they don’t have to happen.

Bryan Fenning called to let me know he made it from the 26-yard line to the 27 with a 95 at the homegrounds. Brian sounded so happy. Congratulations, and proud of you.

Oh boy, what a wet and muddy Missouri State Shoot we had to shoot in! But attendance was good and the shoot well run by the staff and volunteers. Thank you for hosting this shoot for us. The new seal chip they put on the roads was one of the best things they could have done. I would like to congratulate all of the Wisconsin shooters who took home some nice coins, trophies and shooting event vouchers for the next shoot. Sandra Jo Jack won in seven events to include one 100 and the non-resident Lady II trophy, George Hass rocked the leader board with five 100s in singles to claim the AAA Singles Championship with 200 and 100 in handicap and AAA HOA, Marvin Pete Rustad was not far behind with some awesome scores of three 100s to win the AAA sub-veteran Singles Championship with a 200 (his first), and he won A in a doubles event. Larry Arentz took home a senior vet trophy in singles.

The Wisconsin State Shoot is about here. Make the most of your shooting by working hard at it during the day and visiting with friends and family at night. Thank you to all of the volunteers who are putting on this shoot. Speaking of volunteers, they laid a continuation of pavers to the original cart path to the west at the grounds. Lots of hard physical work and much appreciated.

Keep smiling (I am), and help out if you can. See you at the state shoot soon. E-mail me or call me with news at [email protected].

Sandra Jo Jack

for ATA Delegate Kevin Doerring