Around The ATA – April 2024

Atlantic Provinces

Hello from the Atlantic Provinces.

The menu was baked beans, ham and brown bread at the Petitcodiac Sportsman’s Club for their Feb. 25 winter league shoot. Adding a “light” meal to the club’s winter league days has been well received and is getting shooters out to the club regardless of the weather. Chef Dan Pollock is doing a great job by all reports.

The St. John’s Rod and Gun Club near Holyrood, NL, will be hosting the 2024 Atlantic Provinces ATA Provincial Shoot Aug. 28-Sept. 1. The Sponsor’s Challenge Big 50 on Wednesday, Aug. 28 will kick off the shoot and the 800-target program starts on Aug. 29. Shooters voted at last year’s provincial shoot to continue with a four-day shoot and 200-target preliminary days instead of the traditional 300-target days. The change was made to give visiting shooters extra time to take in the local sites and attractions. Visit www.shootatlantic.com for more shoot details and a shoot program.

The 2024 Canadian Trapshooting Championships will be hosted by the Vancouver Gun Club in Richmond, BC, June 26-30. The club will also be celebrating their 100th anniversary this year, so it’ll be a special occasion for the club. More details and a shoot program are available on www.shootcanada.ca.

For more information on the Atlantic Provinces Trapshooting Association, feel free to contact me at [email protected] or visit shootatlantic.com.

Andrea Bassan

ATA Delegate

Connecticut

Greetings from Connecticut. The CTA, under the new leadership of President Noelle Feucht, is working hard on preparations for this year’s state shoot to be held June 21-23 at the Hartford Gun Club in East Granby. The shoot program book should be hitting mailboxes in March and will also be posted on the Connecticut website www.cttrap.com. The Hartford Gun Club provides a great venue with a fabulous pine tree background. We look forward to hosting our returning participants, as well as those of you who haven’t yet experienced shooting at our tournament. The CTA will be naming Pahquioque Rod & Gun Club this year’s State Shoot Honoree as the club celebrates their 125th Anniversary.

Pahquioque was founded in 1899 in Danbury. A storied history where shooters arrived by horse and buggy, spending the day shooting and picnicking on grassy knolls. Danbury was known as the “Hat Capital of the World” and winning a coveted stylish hat in competition was a big draw. The M. D. Clark/Hat Shoot held in August is the longest consecutive running registered shoot in the United States. It is said that member M. D. Clark was the fastest doubles shooter to stand on the line with a Model 12. Pahquioque hosted many notable shooters over the years with Annie Oakley, John Philip Souza and baseball greats Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Bill Dickey and Christy Mathewson. Remington Arms factory and headquarters in Connecticut were represented by Cliff and son Dick Baldwin, longtime members of Pahquioque. Dick Baldwin served as museum director for the Trapshooting Hall of Fame, located then in Vandalia, OH. He was “the” historian on trap, and his stories from the old days were priceless. His historical writing is captured in his book, “The Road to Yesterday.” Pahquioque will celebrate this June 1-2 with a registered commemorative shoot in honor of the 125th Anniversary.

Warm weather is coming, and I hope to see you on the line!

Cheryll Pittera

ATA Delegate

New Jersey

Well, it’s Feb. 28 as I sit here writing the April contribution to Around the ATA. Weather throughout the country has been an issue, especially out on the West Coast with heavy rains. Now in Texas there’s a wildfire scorching the earth. Primary elections are being held throughout the country as well.

The Silver Dollar held the Winchester-White Flyer Shoot Feb. 23-25 in Odessa FL. Josh Taylor, the White Flyer rep for the area, was on hand to introduce the new Eco-Target. Three shooters from New Jersey attended the shoot, with Charles Lehmann Jr. taking home two trophies.

Butch Saloman let me know that the Howell Trap Club in Farmingdale will be holding a Cancer Awareness Shoot April 20. Proceeds from the shoot will be donated to the American Cancer Society. Please try to attend or donate to this worthy cause. For further information, call 732-681-4994 or e-mail them at [email protected].

The 2024 New Jersey southern zone will take place May 3-5 at the two “host” clubs, Pine Valley and Ground Swipers, and at the telephonic location up in Fairfield at the North Jersey Clay Target Club. If you are a southern zone resident, to be eligible for resident trophies, you must shoot at Pine Valley or Ground Swipers. There will be open trophies on Friday and non-resident trophies for our non-zone, out-of-state folks on Saturday and Sunday, so come on out to kick off NJSTA-sponsored shoots for the year 2024. NJSTA kicked off the 2024 target year back in September with our northern zone shoot up in Fairfield.

Steve Ottrando of the Mallard Trap Club will be holding a registered 100-bird ATA shoot May 11. I’m reporting it in the April issue, since it is close to when the May issue of Trap & Field will be delivered. The shoot is also listed in the Official ATA Shoot Directory in this issue. Steve reports that a two-ounce silver round will go to the champion and a one-ounce silver round to the class winners.

Pine Belt’s State Shoot Warm-Up will be May 19, with the Delaware State Shoot taking place May 24-27. The New Jersey State Shoot is May 30-June 2.

Please check your March issue for additional dates of shoots mentioned in my article at clubs here in New Jersey and at your local club for possible Big 50 shoot dates, and of course in the back of this issue in the Official ATA Shoot Directory.

On a sad note, good friend Robert (Bob) Angen passed away Jan. 23 at the Ocean Medical Center in Brick, following complications from cancer. Bob owned a car detailing business in New Jersey. He enjoyed bird hunting out in the Dakotas and trapshooting. I first met Bob at Saloman’s in Farmingdale. Growing up, his dad or uncle had racing pigeons, and somehow he met my uncle Johnny, who also raced pigeons back in the 1950s and 1960s, so we had a past connection, besides shooting. Bob joined the ATA back in 2001; he registered 25,800 singles, 9,700 handicap and 7,700 doubles targets. He is survived by his wife Jackie; two sons, John and Robert Angen; a brother, John; and a sister, Amy Sciortino.

If you have an idea or just a question, I may be reached at 732-546-7910 or by e-mail at [email protected].

Joe Sissano

ATA Eastern Zone Vice President

New York

Hello from New York State. I hope everyone had an enjoyable Easter holiday. If anyone is traveling home from the sunny south or out west, please travel safely.

I am sorry to say we have lost two more trapshooters from New York State. Joyce M. Cerosaletti has passed away. Joyce started registering targets in 1999. She had shot 1,200 singles targets during her career and was standing on the 19-yard line. The board of directors of the New York State ATA extends our deepest sympathies to her husband Bill and the rest of her family on Joyce’s passing.

Patrick D. McHugh passed away Jan. 11 at the age of 55. Patrick began registering targets in 1978 and was standing on the 25-yard line. During his career, he registered 111,725 singles, 57,600 handicap and 33,750 doubles targets. At one time, Patrick was the ATA Delegate. Our deepest sympathies to Patrick’s family on his passing.

Richburg Rod & Gun Club is having a registered shoot on April 20. The club is purchasing a pallet of green targets for the shoot. Richburg wants to throw the green targets in preparation for the Empire Grand American to be held at the homegrounds in Cicero in May. The New York State ATA will be throwing green targets during the Empire Grand, and in this way, shooters will get a chance to see what they look like at the Richburg shoot. Richburg hopes you all plan to attend.

Congratulations to Don Alderson for shooting his 100,000th registered singles target. Don accomplished this last fall. Congratulations, Don!

Tickets are now available for the Gun Club Raffle for the Kolar Regal Trap Combo. Tickets are $20 per ticket or six for $100 and can be purchased online. Also, ATA Delegates and state secretaries have tickets for sale. The drawing will take place at the 2024 Grand American on Aug. 9.

Please remember that the first shoot at the homegrounds in Cicero will be the 20th annual Empire Grand American. The tournament starts on Wednesday, May 8 and ends on Sunday, May12. Please note that the New York State ATA will be throwing the green White Flyer targets during the shoot. We all hope you plan to attend.

If anyone would like to have something written in one of these articles, please contact me at [email protected] or phone me at 585-519-9543. Please stay healthy, safe and in good spirits. May God bless you all.

Dave Cichelli

ATA Delegate

Ontario

Greetings from Ontario, Canada.

As I write this article in late February, there is no in-province ATA tournaments yet—only league shooting. Some of our Ontario members are traveling or getting ready to travel to major events south of the border, such as the Spring Grand in Tucson and the Southern Grand in Florida. These events should help in getting oneself ready for the intensive ATA tournaments that will be starting in a few short months. As much as winter league shooting helps, in some cases the benefits are questionable. Cold weather, bulky warm clothes, gloves, etc. can impact on gun fit, normal swing, follow-through, sight picture and impact points. Terry Jordan’s Wall Chart Dry Firing System is great for new and seasoned shooters, as it is used indoors and permits a shooter to dress in summer shooting clothing and keep the gun moving. These wall charts are affordable and endorsed by some of the best ATA shooters. If you want one, you can contact Terry toll free at 205-294-7600 or visit www.learntrapshooting.com. With the quality of competition, you can’t afford anymore to take the complete winter off. Be ready to compete from the start of the shooting season.

Paul Shaw

ATA Delegate

Florida

Hello, all, from the most Southern, Northern State!

Florida trapshooting has begun our shooting season, and by the time you read this, it will be in full swing. Please refer to Gun Club Scores in this issue or shootscoreboard.com for club shoot scores. Thank goodness it is finally cooler.

Recently I have been asked, “How can I make it into the Trap & Field Magazine?” Good question. A few ways come to mind, with the first being you or your gun club representative contact me about your outstanding achievement! Another is by ATA recognition. For example, shooting your first straight or making AA, AAA and 27-yard line status!

Here in Florida, we just concluded our annual Hall of Fame Shoot, and it was a great success! I personally want to thank Silver Dollar, Diane Foster and her staff for hosting the shoot. The Hall of Fame Committee did another outstanding job Saturday night putting together the Hall of Fame banquet. The food was fantastic as usual and another big thank you to Mrs. Fourqurean for once again supplying the beautiful ice sculpture. And of course, we have to thank Skipper Wright “again” for being the master of ceremonies. He really is a “master” of ceremonies.” This year the Hall of Fame inducted one of the greatest trapshooters of all time, Kay Ohye. You don’t really fathom the greatness of Mr. Ohye’s accomplishments until you see it in writing. Trap & Field did the extensive research on Kay’s trophy wins. John Farina put together this 64-page (8 1/2×11) in a book listing his “major” accomplishments. (not all just major!) Mr. Ohye is also in the Trapshooting Hall of Fame in Sparta. Looking around the room, I was amazed at the years of dedication to the sport of trapshooting by the folks who attended. It is incredible how these people have put so much dedication, money and energy into a single activity. For example, Barbara Rocheford (Barbara and Tom) who I have seen at every Hall of Fame banquet I’ve attended has been to 55 Grand Americans! I can’t wait until next year. Below are the main results of the Hall of Fame Shoot.

Event 1 singles: AA, John Farina; A, Hector Rangel; B, Michael Capozzi; C, Brent Miller; D, Joshua Platt; junior, Cody Meredith, Event 2 handicap: winner, Meredith, runnerup, Farina; third, Jack Schumpert; fourth, Jake Jacobs; fifth, Justin Tipton. Event 3 Singles Championship: winner, Hector Rangel; runnerup, Farina; A, Doug McKinney; B, Jim Godez; C, Brent Miller; D, Delia Sippel; Lady II, Nancy Patterson; sub-junior, Jordayn Green; junior, Meredith; veteran, Paul Becker; senior vet, Donald Kerce. Event 4 Doubles Championship: winner, Hector Rangel, A, Hildalgo Rangel; B, Jack Schumpert; C, Joshua Platt; D, Daniel Anthony; Lady II, Lorrie Bumsted Valois; junior, Meredith; veteran, Mark Wade; senior vet, Kay Ohye. Event 5 Handicap Championship: winner, Meredith; runnerup, Hidalgo Rangel; third, Ben Schumpert; fourth, James Cummings; fifth, Godez; Lady II, Valois; junior, Anthony; veteran, Wade; senior vet, Ohye. High-all-around: AA, Hector Rangel; A, Meredith; B, Ricky Merriman; C, Shane Platt; D, Joshua Platt.

There you have it.

ATA rule of the month: SECTION VII OFFICIAL SCORING (1 through 7 dealing with targets)

Procedure 1. The official score is the record kept by the referee/scorer on a sheet or electronic device furnished him/her by shoot management. The referee/scorer’s decision on whether a target is dead or lost is final, subject to review only by the shoot committee or other governing body. The score sheet shall show the scores earned in the event or sub-event. The paper scoresheet shall not be smaller than 8.5 inches by 14 inches (for four sub-event score sheets) in any tournament in which ATA trophies are provided. The larger format scoresheet is recommended for all tournaments. During handicap events the first sub-event of each scoresheet shall be annotated with the yardage assignment of each contestant.

2. The referee/scorer shall keep an accurate record of each score of each contestant. If he/she rules “DEAD” or “LOST,” the referee/scorer shall promptly mark / or X for “DEAD” and 0 for “LOST” on the scoresheet. Any target scored other than clearly with /, X or 0, or which appears to be scored, with both an X and 0, shall be “LOST”, unless the word “DEAD” is clearly printed beside it. The scores of the competition shall be official and govern all awards and records of the competition.
3. The referee/scorer shall distinctly announce, “Lost,” when the target is missed and “No Target” when no target is thrown or a target is thrown broken. The referee/scorer shall call the result of all targets, or only the lost targets, as directed by shoot management.
4. When the referee/scorer calls, “No Target” for any contestant, the next contestant shall not shoot until the first shooter has shot and the referee/scorer has ruled “Dead” or “Lost.”
5. Should more targets be fired in a sub-event than the event calls for, then the excess targets of the sub-event will not be scored.
6. A shooter who misses the first post in any event may make up that post only and continue with the squad. Squad members should move off the line during the shoot up function.
7. It is the duty of the referee/scorer to see that the shooters change posts at the proper time; however, any targets shot after failure to move at the proper time shall be scored on the next post.

I will try to keep all of you informed and entertained with what’s going on in Florida. I want to especially recognize shooters and clubs.

My e-mail is [email protected].

Thanks for the opportunity to serve.

Mike Reynolds

ATA Delegate

Georgia

Our BOD has been hard at work over the winter getting organized for the 101st state shoot. Russ Wright is president, Ginger Golden is VP, Phil Graves is secretary, and Henry Birdsong is treasurer. Mike Reed is ex-officio. Sam Lamont is First Alternate Delegate, and Al Kent is Second Alternate. We’ve enjoyed a lot of help and support from our club reps as well. Small clubs are the lifeblood of our sport.

A little change down here in the southeast. The month of April is going to be busy with the South Carolina Hall of Fame the first week, then the North Carolina Hall of Fame/South Carolina State Shoot one week prior to ours. Our 101st state shoot is coming up April 25-28 at South River Gun Club in Covington, GA. Our State Team members have been selected and notified. Trophies have been received, and the program is off to the printers. The scarcity of ammo has eased up a bit. Prices are still high though. Weather down here hasn’t been a major factor this winter. We’ve been able to get out and shoot a couple days a week. Big 50s have really generated lots of interest since COVID. A discussion is underway to put lights on my home club’s trap and skeet fields. This would hopefully lead to a registered trap league shot in the evenings. More on that later as it develops.

I’d like to introduce our State Team members: captain Jamie Preskitt; Ethan Ledford; John Davis; John Rossiter; Stephen Williams; John Kuntz; Shirley Duong, ladies’; Ethan Miles, junior; Ed Wolfe, veteran; Mike Wasielewski, senior vet. Justin Royal is our most improved. Congratulations to all.

Hope to see you all at our state shoot.

Dave Hollingsworth

ATA Delegate

Kentucky

Shooting is in full swing, and good weather is starting early. Be on the lookout for several state shoots in the Southern Zone in April and May.

Kentucky State Shoot pre-squadding will open May 1. It’s looking to be a large shoot again this year, and pre-squadding is highly recommended for anyone planning to attend. The state shoot dates are July 3-7. We are sure there will be squad limits from Friday through Sunday, so please use presquad.com to hold your spot for this shoot. Don’t forget the AIM state shoot starts on Tuesday, July 2.

I hope all is well with everyone, and you are able to get out and shoot.

Dan Ryan

ATA Delegate

Mississippi

Where did the winter go? The latter part of February brought warmer than average temperatures for most of Mississippi. I just hope it wasn’t enough to make my fig trees break dormancy and bloom too early. The same can be said for other fruit trees as well. When our fruit trees break dormancy and bloom early, it sets them up for damage when we get the April frost and/or cool snap. If the adage about “Thunder in February—cold in April” holds true (and it usually does), April has the potential to contain a couple of cold snaps. Man! How many of you happened to mark the days you heard thunder on your February calendar? I may have said this about weather in an article before, but we tend to “live at extremes and talk about averages.”

Hopefully as spring weather returns, shooters will return to our clubs to register targets. Winter weather was a factor in several shoot cancellations around the state, but hopefully weather will cooperate as springtime shooting really picks up. Hopefully bad weather is behind us, and shoots can run smoothly this spring. So get on out there and support your local clubs and build your target counts in the process.

Shooting should be fun, and you should shoot for fun. While doing so, it doesn’t hurt to build target counts to avoid having to shoot penalty class or penalty yardage at larger events, like our state shoot.

As you read this, the 2024 Mississippi State Shoot is active on presquad.com. It is highly recommended that you pre-squad for the shoot, as space may be limited. Pre-squadding ensures that you will have a place in the events.

Here are the target requirements for the 2024 Mississippi State Shoot: Shooters who do not have a total of 1,000 16-yard targets registered with the ATA in the current and previous year shall be placed in Class B or higher at the discretion of the Handicap Committee. Shooters who do not have a total of 500 doubles targets registered with the ATA in the current and previous year shall be placed in Class B or higher at the discretion of the Handicap Committee. Shooters who do not have a total of 1,000 handicap targets registered with the ATA in the current and previous year will be assigned three-yard penalty up to 25 yards max or their regular handicap yardage, whichever is greater. Handicap target requirements will be waived for shooters age 70 and over, making them eligible for trophies and monies. Any participant who fails to meet the minimum handicap target requirements as described will be allowed the choice of shooting “targets only” from their assigned yardage, provided they waive and forfeit all rights to options, purses, added money and trophies, including HOA and HAA trophies.

Upcoming Mississippi shoots: Follow this link https://shootata.com/Shoots-Clubs-States-Zones/stateID/MS to look at upcoming Mississippi shoots. Capitol Gun Club, Coast Rifle & Pistol Club and Starkville Gun Club have monthly shoots set as usual. Let’s all try to get out and support these clubs.

The 2024 Mississippi State Trapshoot will be May 23-26 at the Capitol Gun Club located northwest of Jackson.

Coast Rifle and Pistol Club will again host one of the locations of the 2024 Southern Zone Shoot set for July 19-21. Make plans to attend.

Remember, trapshooting is not rocket science—“it’s just a trapshoot”—don’t over-analyze and overthink it, just enjoy our sport.

Everyone, be safe, and I look forward to seeing you on the trapline.

Will McCarty

           ATA Delegate

South Carolina

This column starts with bad news about Mid Carolina shooters Russ Middleton and his brother Rick. Rodney Raines has submitted the following report.

Though Russ has been a resident of Florida for three years now, South Carolina lost one of their most revered shooters. He and his younger brother Rick, plus his brother’s girlfriend, were killed in a horrific traffic crash in the Ocala, FL, area. A woman who was being arrested by the police jumped in the police car and drove at speeds exceeding 100 mph and hit them head on, killing all involved.

Russ just started shooting regularly again last year and had been shooting (very well) again this year. Though never being on the South Carolina board, he was always seen setting targets and pitching in doing whatever was needed.

He will be missed by all trapshooters he ever met.

Thanks, Rodney, for providing firsthand information.

In the achievement department, Milan Campbell has reached the 25,000 handicap level.

I am sure that level will continue to grow, as Terri will keep him going to shoots.

Our Hall of Fame shoots are in April this year, so get ready for a lot of shooting. Georgia state is the next week after our state shoot, so get a bunch of shells piled up. We moved our Hall of Fame Shoot to April to avoid the hurricane weather we had in the fall, so let’s hope for good weather. We’ve had some really hot weather in May for our state shoot, so hopefully we’ll do good in April.

Good news from the ATA, there is a new contract with the state of Illinois to keep the Grand American shoot where it is for a long time. No news on the sale of the property or any big rule changes. The daily fees went up last year, so there shouldn’t be any changes for some time.

Keep attending your local shoots, so you have enough targets to avoid penalty classifications. The qualifications for our State Team include target requirements.

Keep well and keep shooting; use it or loose it is appropriate for many things.

Jim Faber

ATA Delegate

Tennessee

Well, it is April, so that means that there’s usually a shoot going on just about every weekend.

April 11-14, Hog Heaven at White Pine will be hosting the Mike Seitz Memorial Shoot.

April 17-21, the South Carolina State Shoot will be at the North Carolina Homegrounds in Bostic, NC.

April 25-28, the Georgia State Shoot will be at South River Gun Club, Covington, GA.

If you’re graduating from high school this spring and you’re not sure what to do, the ATA is going to offer two $5,000 scholarships from the Robert L. Burg Memorial Fund.

Proceeds from the investment of the memorial funds will be used to finance the scholarships to the National Aviation Academy.

On a sad note, David L. (Doc) Cunningham, neurosurgeon from Memphis, passed away Feb. 17. The life member was 89 and was active from 1999 to 2018.

He had registered 25,900 singles, 28,500 handicap and 6,800 doubles. My condolences to his family and many, many friends.

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

Billy Cook

ATA President

Louisiana

Red Chute’s Feb. 4 shoot didn’t happen. The threat of rain kept the shooters away, and we didn’t have enough shooters to hold the shoot.

Toby Bancroft Memorial Gun Club, TBMGC, almost had a rainout Feb. 10. But we were able to sneak in a squad of singles and a squad of handicap before the rains got started. Bo Shaw won singles with 94 followed by Dan Booth with 92. Handicap was won by Dan with 89 followed by Bo with 86.

Toby Bancroft Memorial Gun Club, TBMGC, had a beautiful spring day for their Feb. 24 shoot, and a crowd of 28 turned out to enjoy it. The breeze was surely affecting the targets, and it is always interesting how a target can jump around. Ed Gunter and Sean Taylor drove over from Shreveport, and our good friends, Dennis Whitlock from Missouri and Kevin Hutcheson from Camden, were able to join us. Our AIM shooters were in attendance too, and the AIM parents furnished lunch as a fundraiser. Donny Sanders won singles with 95 followed by Danny Batten and Cooper Martin with 93s. Handicap high scores were 88s by Donny Sanders and Landon Johnston, followed by Maddox Schulte with 85. Donny and Landon were both awarded a half-yard punch for their high scores. Donny also won the doubles with 88 followed by Kevin Hutcheson with 85.

Our Louisiana State Shoot, May 2-5, is upon us. I’m hopeful we will be blessed with good attendance, good weather and high scores.

Check out our website, www.latrap.org. There’s information on registered shoots of interest to our shooters, the scores/winners of our Louisiana shoots, and information on all the gun clubs in Louisiana that host registered shoots. Feel free to drop me a note to [email protected] if you have any news or comments you would like highlighted.

Jim Jenkins

ATA Delegate

Missouri

While winter is certainly not over in Missouri, for the most part, we are over the hump. Overall, it’s been a milder than normal winter with plenty of chances to get in some target shooting. I hope everyone has their calendars out and are looking at some upcoming shoots for this year. One that I want to make sure to mention is a shoot formerly known as the Texas-Illinois Challenge Cup, which began as a shoot between two clubs, Waco Trap & Skeet in Texas and Brittany Park in Illinois, which will now be known as the Multi-State Challenge with the addition of Amarillo Gun Club; MTA, Linn Creek, MO; Stockdale Gun Club, Ackley, IA; and KTA, Sedgwick, KS. This shoot will now have six locations shooting for trophies and monies and possibly All-American points, based on the combined entries from all clubs. Each gun club will have their own club trophies, which may vary from location to location. For instance, MTA will also be hosting their All-Zone Shoot the same weekend, April 19-21. This may be a little confusing, but the All-Zone Shoot will run like it did last year. Just come and shoot your best score on each of the events and let us handle the rest. The next shoot you will need to put on the calendar is the 2024 Missouri State Shoot May 20^–26. For updated information, please visit motraps.com and be sure to sign up for e-mail updates.

We have all experienced the loss of someone close, some unexpected and some due to long-term illness; tomorrow is not guaranteed. A close friend of mine who just recently passed had a couple of favorite scriptures. One of them is NKJV, Mark 9: 23, Jesus said to him, “If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes.” 24, Immediately the father of the child cried out and said with tears, “Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!”

If anyone has anything they would like to have reported on or has any concerns, please contact me at [email protected] or 816-863-9003.

Shoot often, shoot well and be safe!

           Stephen Ricketts

           ATA Delegate

Texas

Howdy from Texas!

Well, the season is finally getting started, and I am really looking forward to shooting and seeing everyone again. We are not at full speed yet, but I would like to mention a few things.

The Multi-State Challenge (formerly Texas-Illinois Challenge Cup) will be held this month. Locations will include Waco Skeet & Trap and Amarillo Gun Club (Texas), Brittany Park (Illinois), MTA Gun Club (Missouri), Stockdale Gun Club (Iowa) and KTA (Kansas). I hope everyone can make plans to attend one of the locations. With enough combined attendance, we can qualify for All-American points. Also, Winchester/White Flyer has generously donated added money to the HAA Lewis Class purse. See the program details at the location of your choice for other added monies.

Please visit the Event Calendar on the Texas Trapshooters Association website at shoottta.org for more scheduled shoots. Two shoots that should be noted in May are the Zone IV shoot at Ft. Worth Trap & Skeet and the Bob Roberts Memorial Shoot held at the San Antonio Gun Club.

I guess that’s about all for now. As always, I would like to encourage you to volunteer at your local club and support youth shooters. Should you have any questions or concerns, please reach out to me or one of the current TTA officers. We will be glad to help.

Thanks again for your support, and I will see you at the next one!

Billy Hopson

ATA Delegate

Arizona

Spring is here!

And with that, the Arizona shooting season is in full swing. Many of the smaller clubs in the state are throwing one- and two-day shoots as well as Big 50s. Additionally, there are larger shoots on the calander. One of these shoots was just held at Casa Grande Trap & Skeet Club.

Since 2008, Tiger and Don Volz have hosted the Breast Cancer Awareness Shoot at their club. This shoot has become a “must do” shoot over the years and this year saw 308 shooters over the five days. Shooters from New Zealand, Australia, Canada as well as shooters from all over the U.S. participated, with Grady Evans winning the buckle for the handicap event.

Shooters posted up some respectable scores, and a great steak dinner was served on Saturday night. A fund-raising raffle was held, with Angel Emily winning the raffle quilt.

Shooting for a great cause is just icing on the cake. A total of $10,580.50 was raised during this event to help with breast cancer research.

Special thanks go out to several sponsors that helped to make this happen. These are: Ricky Marshall Jr., Thread Ready Apparel, ClearWay Industries LLC, Kelvin and Jane Roots, The Gun Shop, Cal-Ranch, Linee Pitts, Sharon Campbel, Casa Grande Trap & Skeet and True Flight Springs. Your contributions are very much appreciated.

Next up on the schedule is the Spring Satellite Grand American. This year, the schedule was pushed forward on the calendar by a week in pursuit of much better Arizona weather. With the amount of pre-squad shooters and the implementation of the SOS Clays software, the anticipation is that the shoot will go off without a hitch (fingers crossed).

A state shoot warm-up will be held at Casa Grande, with the Arizona State Shoot being held at the Ben Avery Clay Target Center, following just two weeks behind the conclusion of the Spring Grand. The shoot runs from March 12-17. Looking forward to seeing many of you at either of these shoots.

           Don Williamson

           ATA Delegate

Idaho

Let’s start out with recognizing some great accomplishments by two of our Idaho shooters.

Grant Williams made the 2024 ATA All-American open second team. Bruce Bradley made the sub-junior first team. Scott Abo made the sub-vet second team. Congratulations to all three of these shooters. As mentioned in a previous article, these individuals also made the Idaho State Team. Great accomplishments!

As I write this, the Spring Grand is going on in Arizona, with a large handful of Idaho shooters spending time in the more southerly and warmer latitudes. Around our area, however, the Camas Prairie League is going hot (the word hot is just an expression) and heavy in Idaho, Washington and Oregon. There are more than 700 shooters registering scores for this competitive league! Troy Deary Club had 70 shooters on the day I wrote this article, and the weather was reported as cold and rainy across the northern regions. I’d like to believe that this is pure dedication to the sport, but I’m troubled by a private conversation I overheard recently. An acquaintance was being interviewed by their physician, and when asked if there was any history of mental illness in their family, the patient replied, “Well, I have several family members who are trapshooters!” While the answer may be accurate, I believe the insinuation is somewhat skewed. Yes, there are a lot of shooters out there shooting in Idaho winter weather, but we do it, so we don’t have to play golf!

More news around the state: Take a look at the Idaho State Trapshooting website, http://www.idahotrapshooting.com/Shoot-Dates.html, and you can find the dates of almost all of the shoots for this calendar year. I say almost because there’s some exciting stuff happening out there that’s not on the calendar yet. Cottonwood is working on getting registered for a shoot around April 20. Saint Maries is talking about hosting a shoot as well as Bonner’s Ferry. They’d like to have a shoot in July. Also notice that Coeur d’Alene is hosting two shoots this year! Hurray for them.

Okay, on to some more rule nuances that might be encountered in areas where ATA and PITA targets are thrown. A friend approached me with a rule question. It seems he and a friend were partnered in a “buddy shoot.” It was not a registered shoot, but shoot management was using general “trapshooting” rules. The first shooter had a target inadvertently thrown, and as he was lowering his gun, he had an accidental discharge. He shot the ground in front of the traphouse. The second shooter made no attempt with the back-up shot because he assumed it was a “do over.” Management declared it a lost target. That team was not happy. The friend asked me what the rule was. My response was, “What rules were you playing by?” He asked, “What do you mean? What does the rulebook say?” Once again I asked him, “What rulebook was being used?” After all, it wasn’t a registered event, but I explained it depends on if you are using ATA or PITA rules. ATA, it’s very simple, “If the contestant fires, the result must be scored.” (Official scoring, E.6.) PITA is not quite so strict. It says, “If the contestant shoots while the target is in flight, it shall be assumed to have been fired at the target unless the shot hits the back of the house or the ground between the shooter and the back of the house. This is called a ground shot or accidental firing, and the shooter takes the shot over. However, if there is no evidence of a “ground shot,” the results are scored. 2022-2024 PITA Pg. 42, “no target” 4. Once again some beer drinking discussions.

Leonard Wehking

ATA Delegate

New Zealand

The Ross Card Memorial Shoot is our annual memorial for Ross Card, who got ATA shooting started in New Zealand. Ross passed in February 2007, and we’ve held the memorial every February since 2008.

Ross’ family have been very supportive of the memorial over the years, starting with having a cup engraved that is presented to the winner each year, and their name gets engraved on it. Mary, Ross’ wife, also made a very generous cash donation to the prize pool each year up until she passed. It was always special when Mary and her daughter Merryn were able to attend for the prize presentation.

Well, this year Thames finally let us down with the weather; it was some of the worst experienced at Thames. We needed to take several breaks during the day, while squally horizontal rain and wind somewhat passed. The gusts were strong enough that there was concern by competitors about safety at one stage, that it might blow someone backwards while holding a loaded gun. The weather delays meant the day ran much longer than needed for just 200 singles.

A hats off (literally) to the competitors who kept going. The scores may look low, but not given the conditions. It was very sporting most of the time.

We ran three classes: A, B, C, over two traps.Wayne Merrie won it for the third year in a row.

Class A winners included Merrie, first, 188; Todd Jacobs, runnerup, 173; and Sheryl Anglem, third, 162. B winners were Rob Anderson, first, 166, and Mark Ross, runnerup, 138. Claiming C trophies were Shane Ward, first, 164; Mike Hirtzel, runnerup, 158; and John Robinson, third, 93.

A big thanks again to the Thames crew for the great job giving us the grounds in their usual manicured condition.

Thanks to Todd Jacobs for helping with set-up as well as target-setting; Dale Speedy and John Robinson, also helping with target-setting; Wayne Merrie, running the office; all the members who helped refereeing and scoring as well as keeping the traps loaded and helping with pack-up at the end of the day, including our visitors from the South Island, Todd Jacobs and Sheryl Anglem for their generous help. Much appreciated and a big thanks to all.

The NZ ATA added $700 to the prize pool.

A thank you to our sponsors: NZ ATA, the ATA, Thames Clay Target Club, Target Products/Falcon Ammunition, Reloaders Supplies, ITP Dave Cundy for Lanox & Inox Fine Gun Cleaners and Lubricant, Bidois family, Ron Thomassen Logging, New Zealand Hunting Adventures and White Flyer Targets.

           Paul Basten

           ATA Delegate

Utah

Trapshooting season is just around the corner here in Utah. Purgatory Clay Sports has a shoot in March, and then in April, it all breaks loose!

The latest great news is that Tyler Workman made Rookie of the Year. Congratulations, Tyler. That is quite a feat. Utah has had more than its share of ROYs. Next month, I will try to name past winners.

On a more somber subject, I attended a celebration of life for Mike Leshko in January. George Cook and Byron Nelson joined me as well. If you remember, Mike passed away in November.

I visited with Mike’s three daughters, Misty, Michelle, Mindy, and his grandsons, Chance and Jaiman. I arranged for them to receive a Lifetime Achievement Certificate for Mike from the ATA.

Passing in February was Ken Elliot. Ken was the Utah State Trap Association president in 1988. Ken shot at 27,500 targets.

On Feb. 6, Bruce Allred passed away. Bruce, aka Rooster (he could crow very life-like), has been a fixture at Utah clubs for years. He always had a smile and a friendly word. He was also a champion horseshoe thrower, a member of the Quarter Horse Association, and a rodeo announcer. Bruce amassed 263,450 lifetime ATA targets.

I remember meeting Bruce in the winter of 1987 at Larry Mitchell’s Salt Lake Gun Club. He was gregarious and made friends very fast. I shot with Bruce numerous times throughout my shooting career.

All three of these gentlemen are missed by many Utah shooters.

Next month I will have a report on attendance at the Spring Grand, and I hope to talk about warm weather!

           Ed Wehking

           ATA Past President

Washington

Spring has sprung, or at least we hope it is here to stay. April has been known to give us some snow and cold weather, but we hope for some mild temperatures and sunshine as we delve into the registered shooting season in Washington.

The Camas Prairie Handicap is in the books, and the Walla Walla Gun Club is preparing for the WSTA Championships May 16-19. Between the Camas and state shoots there are some opportunities to record targets on your card. April and May will see shoots hosted at Spangle, Coulee City and Marlin. Soon after we wrap up in Walla Walla, Colton will host a two-day affair in June, then again in July we’ll have the Colton Gun Club as a host site for the Western Zone once again.

There are some gaps between shoots with open weekends in June, July and August. Part of this is due to not having the monthly shoots hosted by the Spokane Gun Club. Once they secure a good site and get back up and running, a lot of these open weekends may be filled. Shoots can be added if your club wishes to throw additional registered events, or if you are involved in a club that would like to hold a tournament, that is highly encouraged also. The Big 50 program is still available if your club would like to use this option to register some targets and work on your averages. Contact the WSTA if you would like to pursue these endeavors. Please log onto shootwsta.com to see the schedule of events. Colton and Spangle will kick off the next target year with September and October target offerings.

Some things I’ve always liked to highlight in my ramblings are personal achievements by our resident Washington shotgunners. If you or a friend has shot their first 25, 50, 75, 100 or 200 straight, reached a target milestone, punch to the back fence, etc., I’d like to hear about it, so I can showcase it here. An e-mail to [email protected], a phone call, a text with a photo or a share on my Facebook page are good ways to get me the information. We will also get your news posted on the Washington State Trapshooter’s Facebook page. In my experience, once a new shooter or youth gets some recognition, they are apt to “catch fire,” become regular mentions in Trap & Field and inspire others to do the same. Such simple, little promotions can go a long way toward building and strengthening our sport.

If you still need to reserve an RV spot for the state shoot, please contact Teresa Kohn at 509-989-0866 (call or text) or e-mail kohndt@gmail .com. In February’s letter I had listed a different e-mail for reservations, but there has been a change of plans, as Teresa has volunteered her time for this chore. She’s had a lot of experience at it and likes to do it. If you’ve sent reservations via the e-mail address I listed earlier, it will be forwarded to Teresa.

Lastly, there may be openings on the WSTA Board of Directors, as some terms are up and some may choose not to run again. We always need folks to pitch in and offer fresh ideas. If you are interested in helping the WSTA, please consider putting your name on the ballot at the state shoot. There are challenges to the position, but the end results are rewarding after seeing a successful target year. We have some directors with a few years of service now and some who have just recently offered their perspective and stepped up to the plate. I’ve enjoyed close to four terms now, and I truly enjoy my involvement in trapshooting, which involves more than merely sending lead downrange. I’d like to offer a huge thank you to those who have served in the past and to those who serve now. The fact is it just doesn’t happen without their efforts.

As always, I challenge you to take someone out to the club to try trapshooting for the first time. Let’s get ’em hooked!

Shoot straight and keep your powder dry.

Sean Lewis

WSTA Director