Around The ATA – May 2024

Atlantic Provinces

Hello from the Atlantic Provinces.

Nova Scotia’s Barry Turner and Peter Tucker, John Tucker and Monty Petipas from Newfoundland attended the 2024 Southern Grand at the Silver Dollar in Odessa, FL, in March. The Southern Zone has been a regular March break for the group, and they always enjoy the shoot.

Barry has been attending ATA Satellite Grands and the Grand American, from time to time, since 1985, and this year’s Southern Grand makes 100 of those shoots for Barry. The two Tuckers have been shooting ATA registered targets since 2006, and both brothers recently shot their 25,000th ATA registered singles target. Congratulations, guys. Monty recently retired and has some catching up to do.

The days are getting longer and warmer on the east coast of Canada. The trap clubs will soon open for the 2024 trapshooting season, and there’s a full slate of registered shoots scheduled. The Atlantic Provinces shoot calendar can be found on www.shotatlantic.com.

The St. John’s Rod & Gun Club near Holyrood, NL, will be hosting the 2024 Atlantic Provinces ATA Provincial Shoot Aug. 28-Sept. 1. Visit www.shootatlantic.com for a shoot program, ammo ordering info, the shooter’s hotel rate and all other shoot details.

The Canadian Trapshooting Association (CTA) will induct three shooters into the CTA Hall of Fame at this year’s Canadian Trapshooting Championships being held at the Vancouver Gun Club June 26-30. In the shooter category, Ontario’s Dianne Wood and British Columbia’s Lisa Salt will be inducted. In the contributor category, British Columbia’s Gerald Broten will be inducted. Visit www.shootcanada.ca for more details on this year’s shoot and the CTA Hall of Fame.

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. As I write this letter, outside is cold, windy and wet. Classic March. My mind wanders to warmer places, so naturally I go in search of the fun down in Florida. There I saw 14 fortunate travelers from Connecticut attending the Southern Grand held at the Silver Dollar Shooters Club. Congratulations to Jerry Cloutier on winning ninth place in the Event 8 Preliminary Handicap in shootoff, having posted a 94. Continuing in strong handicap competition, he put up a 96 in the A. Feig Handicap, resulting in sub-veteran honors in shootoff with two other competitors. Floyd Baranello garnered a ninth-place trophy, breaking 95 in the Event 12 Caesar Guerini Preliminary Handicap. Cloutier continued on into the Florida State Shoot, taking non-resident Class C with 92 in the Flayderman Doubles and conquered Class B in the Chain Gang Doubles, breaking 95. Great shooting, gentlemen, and thank you to all who represented our state.

The Connecticut State Shoot is right around the corner held at the Hartford Gun Club in East Granby, CT, June 21-23. The CTA sincerely thanks Bob Hruskocy, CTA Delegate, for the Fin, Fur and Feather Club, for his dedication and hard work in producing our program book again this year. The CTA also gives many thanks and appreciation to all the advertisers who contributed ads, making the program book successful. Pre-squad will open on May 6, and the program can be located on the association website, www.cttrap.com. There will be squads available at the shoot, so don’t think you have missed out. This year’s shoot is going to be great, and many hands have been hard at work in preparation. Thank you, President Noelle Feucht, Vice President Malcolm Ross, Treasurer Robert Witter, Secretary Anne Freestone and all the club delegates.

Please don’t hesitate to e-mail me ([email protected]) with any content you would like to share.

See you on the line!

Cheryll Pittera

ATA Delegate

New Jersey

Can you believe you’re reading the May Trap & Field issue? As I frequently mention, time is really flying by as we all get older. Looking at the results from shoots at the Silver Dollar in Odessa FL, where us “Northerners” go to escape the rain, snow and cold of New Jersey in the winter.

The Bill Jacobson Shoot was held March 6-8 in honor of the founder of the Silver Dollar club that hosted the first tournament in March of 1979. Four New Jerseyans attended, with Jack Godwin, Thomas Green Sr. and Robert Battista each winning a trophy.

The ATA Southern Grand followed the Jacobson Shoot at the Silver Dollar. I was in attendance, and I must say, I was completely surprised by the number of vendors present and the influx of shooters from as far away as Brazil who made the trek to central Florida. The weather cooperated, with temps in the low to mid 80s this year. Besides the increase in vendors, shooter participation was up close to 14% for the 15 events held over eight days. Eight shooters were from New Jersey, and Green  was the only one to win a trophy.

The Florida State Shoot was next at the Dollar, starting on March 19. There were five shooters from New Jersey. Robert Jarvis led the trophy wins with four, and Green won one.

Keith Barton reported that 20 shooters braved the 35-mph winds and 45º temperatures to compete in the Shamrock Shoot March 24. The Lucky Shamrock Singles champion was Jayden Lovenguth. Charles Lehmann Jr. led A class; Gene Ferrence, C; and John Kaltenbach, D. The St. Patrick’s Handicap champion was again Jayden. The 19-21 winner was John Schnorrbusch, the 22-24 yardage winner was Terrence, and the 25-27-yard winner was John Martin. The Leprechaun Doubles was won by Martin, Justin Freed earned B, Lehmann took C, and Terrence claimed D.

As mentioned in the April issue, the New Jersey southern zone shoot will be held May 3-5 at the host clubs: Pine Valley and Ground Swipers in the south and telephonically at the North Jersey Clay Target Club in Fairfield up north.

The Mallard Trap Club will be having the Mid-State Classic 100-bird registered shoot in singles and handicap on May 11. Silver “rounds” will be the prizes for champion and class winners in singles and champion, runnerup, and three yardage groups in the handicap event. Free hot dogs will be available for all contestants.

As mentioned in the April issue, Pine Belt will be having a State Shoot Warm-up May 19. The Delaware State Shoot starts at Pine Belt May 24 through Memorial Day, and the New Jersey State Shoot is May 30-June 2.

The 2024 New Jersey Trapshooting Hall of Fame inductee is Robert W. Long. The following was written by Rick Batesko.

“Bobby Long was born in Staten Island in 1943. Growing up, he had a sister, Evelyn, and two brothers, James, and Edward, all of whom predeceased him. Bob and his lovely wife Joyce had been married for 54 years and greatly enjoyed time with their two sons, Mark and Robert. Sadly, Bob lost his wife a few years ago due to a long illness.

“Bob started working for the New York City Transit Authority in 1970, where he spent 24 years. He was introduced to trapshooting by his brother Jimmy, an ATA member, at a tournament at Pine Belt Sportsman’s Club in 1983 and joined the ATA at 40 years old in 1984. Bob’s shooting career was mostly spent shooting at Staten Island Sportsman’s Club during his early years. Joyce and Bob moved to Toms River, NJ, after he retired in 1994. By 2013 he finished the year with a .9716 average in singles, in 2012 finished the year with a .9003 average in handicap and in 2007 finished this year with a .9077 doubles average. He maintained a AA average in singles for seven years, starting in 2008 at age 64, shooting a Browning Citori and changing to a Krieghoff K-80 in 2011. Bob has been a member of most of the New Jersey member clubs, Staten Island, the MSSA and PSSA. Throughout his career, he shot one shell: a 7.5 shot, 1,175 fps reload for all three disciplines, including his time at 25.5 yards. Bob enjoyed traveling to most of the ATA shoots from New York to Florida with his late good friend Charlie (B), where he won more than 100 titles, including four rings and the coveted ‘Rose Bowl Ring’ at the Cavaliers. When you walk through Bob’s home, it is a trip down memory lane, with trophies filling every room, foot lockers full of belt buckles, and event pins spanning many states and decades. When you ask him what his most memorable and enjoyable victory was, his response isn’t a win. Rather, it’s watching young and old shooters that he’s helped along the way be successful. Talking to ‘Poppy’ about his grandkids, Rob, Katie and Emely, you can see the sparkle in his eye. He’s soon to be known as ‘Big Poppy’ since he is expecting his first great-grandchild.”

At this writing, Bob has registered 163,550 singles, 89,000 handicap, 66,800 doubles and 11,800 league targets and is still going. Congratulations, Bob! The induction ceremony will take place during the 2024 New Jersey State Shoot on June 1 at 4 p.m. All are invited to attend.

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

Joe Sissano

ATA Eastern Zone Vice President

New York

Greetings from New York. I hope everyone is doing well. I hope you are all getting out there and shooting plenty of registered targets.

The 2024 Southern Grand American was held March 10-17 at the Silver Dollar in Florida. A total of 38 New Yorkers made the trip and participated in the tournament. Trophy winners from New York were: Sunday’s opening day singles, Heidi Womer, Lady I runnerup; William Wallis, senior veteran; Joe Macewicz, senior veteran runnerup. Monday’s handicap, Gary Hoysradt, third; Urban Womer, sixth. Monday’s doubles, Urban Womer, AA runnerup. Tuesday’s doubles, Jim Flint, sub-veteran. Tuesday’s singles, Wallis, senior veteran; Urban Womer, veteran runnerup; Flint, sub-veteran; Macewicz, A. Class singles, Flint, sub-veteran; Edward Frisillo, C. Wednesday’s handicap, Urban Womer, fourth; Flint, 10th. Thursday’s handicap, Hoysradt, third. Class doubles, Caleb Lindstrom, AA runnerup. Friday’s handicap, Hoysradt, sub-veteran runnerup. Doubles Championship, Urban Womer, veteran; Martin Gawron, sub-veteran runnerup. Handicap Championship, Wallis, senior veteran runnerup. High-all-around, Jim Wright, D runnerup.

All trophy winners can be viewed on shootscoreboard.com and in Trap & Field Magazine. If I missed any New York trophy winners, please forgive me. With all the people shooting, it is very difficult to view everyone. Good shooting by all trophy winners.

Please be aware of the new handicap rule for punches. It is not the number of shooters who enter the event. Punches are now based on the number of shooters who finish the event.

If anyone wishes to have something written in one of these articles, please feel free to contact me by phone at 585-519-9543 or e-mail me at [email protected]. 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 March, the Southern Grand American and the Florida State Shoot have just concluded. I took in the Southern Grand but did not stay for the state shoot. Many of our Ontario shooters stayed for both. Some of them shot reasonably well.

By way of an aside, I have shot at the Silver Dollar club for many years—great personnel, volunteers and facility. Spring shooting can be a challenge with weather and wind, but good shooters can deal with these elements. Unfortunately, there are some environmental and political issues. We used to be able to shoot easterly on two practice traps, and there was a patterning board as well. All that had to be removed recently, which means limited practice opportunities and no patterning board when major shoots are taking place. Shooting hours can’t start before 9 a.m. and must end at 8 p.m. This impacts on the number of squads, shootoffs, etc.

Shooting venues in many places across North America are increasingly challenged with increased regulations to the point that some clubs have simply disappeared. We have lost a lot of clubs in Ontario.

There is good news, however. The Southern Grand appears to have maxed out its capacity, especially during the championship events.

Back in Ontario we will soon be starting our registered target season, and when you read this article, it should be well underway.

Have a great registered target year.

Paul Shaw

ATA Delegate

Alabama

The weather is starting to act right, for now, so, everyone, start planning on which shoots you want to attend: Mississippi State Shoot, May 23-26; Alabama State Shoot, May 30-June 2 (AIM, May 29); North Carolina State Shoot, June 4-9; Tennessee State Shoot, June 13-16 (AIM, June 11-12); Kentucky State Shoot, July 3-7 (AIM, July 2): Virginia State Shoot, July 3-7; West Virginia State Shoot, July 10-14.

Joke of the month: Signs seen on the road:

Dear math, grow up and solve your own problems.

Prison area, do not pick up hitchhikers.

Finally all my winter fat is gone. Now I have spring rolls.

Seen on a fence in Texas: Don’t cross the field unless you can run it in 9.9 seconds. Our bull can do it in 10 flat.

Word of the month: Git by with: To get away with. “You think your wife’s gonna believe that story? You’ll never git by with it.”

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 him or her for their service.

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

           Wayne Sartwell

           ATA Delegate

Florida

Hello all from the most Southern, Northern State!

Florida trapshooting is about to begin 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. Also, coverage of Southern Grand and the Florida State Shoot are in this issue. 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, and 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 or AAA and 27-yard line status.

Alright, where do we begin? This has been a heck of a month! We just finished with the Southern Grand and our Florida State Shoot in back-to-back weeks. I have not been to my home in Ormond Beach for at least five weeks, but who cares! I just spent time with some of the best trapshooters in the world! Did you get that . . . “The World!” and I hate them all! They make trapshooting look so easy. You could watch Ricky Marshall Jr. and say that’s how I’m going to shoot. Or watch junior gold shooter Jack Knaus and say no, that’s how I’m going to shoot. Or Carl Chadwell with his high holding point of aim . . . and that’s how I’m going to shoot. I want to shoot like all of those guys. Dreaming is over. It is true, everyone knows the only thing I lack is talent (boo hoo). What a great shoot though. The weather was perfect. Attendance was up. I met a lot of new interesting folks from all over. Sitting at the classification desk lets me interact with all kinds of people. It is always fun classifying the Brazilians. You would classify them, print their receipt, hand them their event pin and wait for about two seconds for them to ask for a second pin for a friend. It got to be kind of a game. As soon as they were classified, we would have the second pin in our hand ready. They would turn around, see the second pin in our hands and start laughing. Above I mentioned these great shooters, but make no mistake, Florida has some pretty good shooters too.

If you have not or couldn’t make the Southern Grand and Florida State Shoot, try to make it next year. The experience is sort of like camping, or fishing, or hunting or whatever activity gets you up early in the morning with the crisp morning air. For me, I had to be at the clubhouse every morning by eight o’clock. As I make my way through the park, I would see shooters getting ready for the day. Some are walking their four-legged companions, or cleaning their guns or loading golfcarts. The sand cranes are always glad to let you know they are around with their Jurassic Park, pterodactyl-like screams and sounds. Eventually I would make it to the clubhouse and take my post at the classifying table. By the time I get there, George, Steve and Tristin (gun club side), Ray and big Lew (the golf course side) are already setting targets for the day. The kitchen staff (Steph, Allison, Karla, Rylee and Debie) are already at it in the kitchen fix’n breakfast for shooters and family. Hall of famer Don Kerce and Billy Brooks take over the classifying, and Alberta Brooks (Billy’s wife) mans the table with all the FTA merchandise. At eight o’clock sharp the cashiering windows open, and Laura and her team (Karen, Donna and Nancy ) greet everyone with a cheerful song to start the day off right! At the main desk Belinda (by-the-wind’a), Diane and Bill are ready to conduct business. The scorers and RSOs for the day start to migrate around the main entry to get ready to take their positions down the line. Ten minutes before 9 a.m. Diane plays the national anthem over the loudspeakers, and at it’s conclusion instructs the shooters to get ready, but “don’t” take the line until instructed! At nine o’clock it begins. For the rest of the day it is a competition. This is where (I’m guessing) the title, “It was the best of times and worst of times” was coined. At the end of the day, all the shooters will meet back at the clubhouse to see whose dreams were realized and whose were postponed. Scores are tallied, and shootoffs would ensue to crown-worthy shooters as a testament of their worth. At the end of the day, all is set back as if nothing had taken place and ready for tomorrow. Tomorrow it will be déjà vu all over again!

I have not included any results because T&F will be posting these.

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

Kentucky

As the shooting season is now in full swing, I hope the weather continues to be as nice as it has been. Many shoots are coming up over the next few months, and I hope you can attend as many as possible. Don’t forget your local clubs.

The Kentucky State Shoot is coming up July 3-7. The AIM State shoot is July 2.

Use PreSquad.com to assure your attendance.

Dan Ryan

ATA Delegate

Mississippi

Is it 8s or 7 1/2s? Modified choke or full choke? Red shells or green shells? Handloads or factory? Hold on the house or hold above the house? All these and much, much more are things you may often hear discussed around the trapfield. Sort of reminds me of the story about the drunk and the priest:

A drunk man who smelled like beer sat down on a subway seat next to a priest. The man’s tie was stained, his face was plastered with red lipstick, and a half empty bottle of gin was sticking out of his torn coat pocket. He opened his newspaper and began reading. After a few minutes, the man turned to the priest and asked, “Say, Father, what causes arthritis?” The priest replied, “My son, it’s caused by loose living, being with cheap, wicked women, too much alcohol, contempt for your fellow man, sleeping around with prostitutes and lack of bath.” The drunk muttered in response, “Well, I’ll be,” then returned to his paper. The priest, thinking about what he had said, nudged the man and apologized. “I’m very sorry. I didn’t mean to come on so strong. How long have you had arthritis?” The drunk answered, “I don’t have it, Father. I was just reading here that the Pope does.”

So there you go; it is always best to gather as much factual information as you can about any subject, whether it be shot size, choke constriction or cotton planting, before you fire off an opinion.

As you read this, the program for the 2024 Mississippi State Shoot is done and posted to the active PreSquad.com. Go to the PreSquad site and download the program or contact me for a copy. 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. Whitetail Ridge is getting back into hosting shoots, so keep your eyes open for that. 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.

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

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.

Remember, “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

I’m just back from the Southern Grand in Florida. The crowd was up; there was a waiting list to shoot the championship events on Saturday and Sunday. The weather was outstanding, the best ever in the years that we have attended. The only things to complain about were opening day had hard winds, and several mornings had light clouds that burned off by mid to late morning. Out of our group, Doug Stenback had a great shoot, winning three trophies.

Spartanburg Gun Club is in the midst of a major reorganization. They are adopting a new set of bylaws and will be electing a new board of directors. If you are a member or are thinking about joining, please offer any and all help you can provide. There will be some hurdles during the transition. Be helpful, offer your support mentally and physically.

Just as a reminder, the North Carolina homegrounds will not be hosting the Zone Shoot. Florida, Kentucky and Mississippi are your three choices.

I am writing this report at the end of March, which means next month is April, and we will have our state meeting to elect board of directors. Next report will be coming from a different person, as I am retiring as Delegate. It has been my pleasure to serve you shooters. Never would have had the opportunity to meet as many of you otherwise. You, as a group, have been great and mannerly people. In 15+ years the only time we had to involve the ATA was when an out-of-state shooter gave us bad information about his state residency. Thanks to all y’all, looking forward to seeing you at the next shoot.

Jim Faber

ATA Delegate

Tennessee

There are two state shoots in the Southern Zone during May.

The Mississippi State Shoot will be May 23-26 at the Capitol Gun Club, Jackson. The Alabama State Shoot will be May 30-June 2 at Dixie Trap & Skeet, Mathews.

The MidSouth Open Trapshoot will be May 18-19 at MSSA, Memphis, TN.

Twenty-two Tennesseans attended the recent Southern Grand at Odessa, FL. Those winning trophies were Channing Garrett, Tyler Honnold, Jacob Duren, Drew Hoekstra, Jeff Duren, Brady Duren, Trevor Lance, Kristeen Duren and Mitchel Loveless II.

The Florida State Shoot was held the following week with nine Tennesseans in attendance. Those winning trophies were Garrett, Hoekstra, David Gabbard and Herman Chandley. During the Florida shoot, Hoekstra made it to the 27-yard line, and Steve Rice shot at his 50,000th singles target. Congratulations to all of the winners.

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 March 3 shoot was a quick little shoot, with just a handful of regulars participating. Ed Gunter knocked out a 96 in singles to win, and Jim Jenkins won doubles with 89.

Toby Bancroft Memorial Gun Club, TBMGC, had a great turnout of 24 shooters on March 9. It was a cloudy, cool, windy day where everyone was wishing they had brought more clothes for a spring shoot. Bo Shaw was acknowledged for having reached 25,000 singles targets a little earlier. Bo is such a great supporter of trapshooting in our area, and it was great to see him reach this milestone. Dennis Whitlock, one of our out-of-town friends passing through, took singles honors with 98. Collin Sims, one of our young shooters, followed closely with a 96. Web Phelps, Cooper Martin and Jim Jenkins followed with 94s. The targets were really dancing with the wind for handicap. Ed Gunter, one of our Shreveport shooters, won with an 89 followed by Sims with an 83. The frozen ones who stayed for doubles continued to fight the wind. Donny Sanders won doubles with 89 followed by Jenkins with 82. Let’s give a shout-out for our parents who helped score and provide target loading, including Todd Dumas, Kevin Fuller and Jason Saucer as well as several others.

TBMGC’s second monthly shoot on March 23 was a great spring day to shoot. A nice crowd of 22 shooters participated. Donny Sanders and Trey Heusel, his first shoot in a while, had high scores in singles with 96, followed by Jenkins with 94, Luke Maestrini, his first shoot in a while, with 93, and Martin with 92. Heusel led the pack with 89 in handicap with Sanders, Cole Maestrini, and John Morgan Byrnside with 87s and Sean Taylor of Shreveport with 86, Sanders had the high score in doubles with 89, followed by Jenkins with 82 and Martin with 81. Donny took HOA, with runnerup being Heusel. Our future great shooters, Coran Richmond, Brooks Barnett, Eli Bailey, Mason Fraiser and Reed Whitman, were present and accounted for. Our more experienced AIM shooters, Ava Richmond, Luke and Cole Maestrini, Martin, Dalton and Natalie Brooks, Byrnside, Sam Heusel and Hayden Frost, were present and getting ready for the state shoot. Our AIM parents provided a nice lunch for the crew and provided help for scoring and loading the houses. Thanks to Amie and Steven Skipper, Andrew Maestrini, Terry and Crystal Barnett, Thomas Bailey, Keith Richmond and Katherine Byrnside. You all make our shoots so much easier.

Our Louisiana State Shoot, May 2-5, is now finished, and I hope to report on outcomes next month. Pre-squad was quite an event this year. The shoot was about 90% booked in the first day and essentially full after the first day-and-a-half. The LTA is so appreciative of all the shooters who wish to shoot here in Louisiana; we’ll do our best to continue to provide the best shoot we can for you. For shooters in Louisiana, we can look forward to the state shoots in Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee and Arkansas barreling down upon us.

Check out our website, www.latrap.org. There’s information on registered shoots of interest to our shooters, the scores/winners of our Louisiana tournaments and information on all the gun clubs in the state 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

Well, it’s finally that time of the year in the “Show Me” state that most everyone has been waiting for all winter, registered trapshooting. The March Team Shoot at MTA, while it’s not a registered shoot, kicks off the season. This year 22 teams battled it out in probably the best weather in recent years to determine the winners. This is always a good time and brings out some of the non-registered shooters or those who haven’t shot registered targets for a while. Congratulations to the Division I winners: The Standings, including Bradley Nobel, Zach Lamping, Max Mittler, Bob Lamping and Bradley Schwert Sr. The Pound Town team of Mark Boenker, Sam Boenker, Chris Gerber, Tom Rombach and Tim Pitman were the Division II winners. In Division III it was the Lucky Charms team, made up of Tom Reichert, Jeremy Boch, Gary Kimbel, Nick Belker and Jed Lamping that took home the trophy. The Division IV winners of the Lost Souls, including Christopher Munoz, Lloyd Haley, Mike Mueller, Les Lafon and Larry Garner went home with the trophy. If you have never shot the March Team Shoot at MTA, put it on your calendar for next year. Thanks to the MTA staff once again for your efforts to make the shoot a success.

Many times, in past years, the day after the Team Shoot is the first registered shoot of the year at MTA and has been canceled due to inclement weather. This year caught the MTA staff off guard with a much larger crowd on Sunday than was expected, even though the weather wasn’t the best. It seems there may be some shooters who were anxious to get in some targets. For not just MTA but most any gun club to make sure they have sufficient staff to run the shoot, please take advantage of pre-squadding for the shoots. It’s a good problem to have when more shooters show up for a shoot than expected, but it sometimes causes frustration on the shooters’ part when shoot management gets surprised and doesn’t have the staff to run the shoot properly.

Please plan to attend the Missouri State Shoot May 20-26. Congratulations to this year’s Hall of Fame inductee Steven J Fuller. The Hall of Fame ceremony will be held during the state meeting. The ATA requires each state to hold a meeting to elect the ATA Delegates and Alternates for the next year. MTA also holds elections for zone directors at the conclusion of the meeting. Please plan to attend, as these elections are important for the next year. If anyone has any questions or concerns or has something they would like to have reported, please contact me at [email protected] or 816-863-9003. Psalm 111:2 NKJV—The works of the LORD are great, Studied by all who have pleasure in them.

Shoot often, shoot well and be safe!

Stephen Ricketts

           ATA Delegate

Oklahoma

Currently spring shooting is taking off in Oklahoma. This time of year you can attend a club ATA shoot most any weekend. Also, weekly Big 50s at Tulsa, Oil Capital, Duncan, Red Dirt and the OTSA.

The 125th Oklahoma State Shoot is just around the corner. Preparations are in motion for another year of increased attendance! Make sure you’ve got it on the calendar, May 28-June 2. I hope to see you there.

The Oklahoma Rookie of the Year award recipients have been crowned. Congratulations go to Gavin Harbin for male Rookie of the Year and Corley Steward for female. Both of these young shooters posted high scores and had an amazing year in 2023. Also congrats to Corley for T&F women’s Rookie of the Year. There was an impressive article about her award in the March issue.

There were 18 Oklahoma shooters attending the Spring Grand this year at Tucson. Though the shooting was tough, to say the least, Oklahoma brought home trophies. Brayden Bliss and Shelby Skaggs were category champions in the preliminary singles. John Nicholson was winner of his yardage group in the preliminary handicap. In the Singles Class Championship, Angie Cavett was D class runnerup. Skaggs again was Lady I winner in the Doubles Championship.

Oklahoma shooters performed very well at the Arizona State Shoot. In the first handicap of the week, there were three Oklahomans among the top five scores, including Dustin Moore breaking 94 and Michael Gates with his 92. Michael shot well again the next day, breaking 94 to claim out-of-state junior handicap champ. Paula Trayer was non-resident Lady II champion in the Event 11 handicap. In Sunday’s main handicap, Rod Savely was out-of-state vet runnerup. Ron Bliss had a good shoot, posting many high scores and claiming multiple trophies, including non-resident vet winner in singles and HOA. I hope everyone is breaking good scores, and I hope to see you over the summer!

Jeff Trayer

ATA Delegate

Texas

Howdy from Texas!

The shooting season is now upon us, and it’s good to see everyone again. I am still trying to knock the rust off of my game, but other Texas shooters are making a showing across the U.S.

Congratulations to all the Texas shooters who won at the Spring and Southern Grands. There are too many to name, but they are listed on the TTA website (shoottta.org) and on shootscoreboard.com.

Congratulations also to Dalton Jennings, who shot at, and I assume broke, his 75,000th doubles target.

While viewing our website, be sure and look at the TTA Events tab. There are numerous shoots being held across the state this month. Two of these are the Texas Zone IV Shoot at Ft. Worth Trap & Skeet and the Bob Roberts Memorial Shoot at the San Antonio Gun Club. This is the second year for the Bob Roberts Memorial, and P. D. Parker is really trying hard to attract shooters from all over the state. I would like to give both clubs a little special attention for their work in introducing young shooters to our sport.

I want to extend my condolences to the family of John Norman from Waco. Anyone who has ever shot at Waco has probably met John over the years. He will be missed.

I want to give a very special shout-out and thanks to Kim Tuck and Charlie Henderson. I saw them at the Hell’s Half Acre shoot in Ft. Worth in March, and they both told me how much they enjoy reading my article (This is a test to see if they really do!). I am still getting used to some of the Delegate duties and must admit that having a monthly article ready by the deadline has been the hardest.

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.

I can be reached at [email protected].

Billy Hopson

ATA Delegate

Alaska

March 15 was our St. Paddy’s Day Shoot at Chugiak. The weather was okay. However, snow berms and frost heaves were a challenge for the shooters. We had a light dusting of snow. The younger shooters shined. Reid Gilchrist and Clayton Gellerman tied for singles champion with 94. After a flip of a coin, Clayton took the trophy. Veteran Jim Timmons won the handicap, and Quincy Gellerman won the doubles. Junior shooter Bridger Berta was consistent with his scores and took HOA for the day.

Jenn Geary

ATA Delegate

Arizona

The month of March in Arizona means state shoot!

And so . . . The Arizona State Trapshooting Championships kicked off on March 12 with the 1,500-target program held at the Ben Avery Clay Target Center in North Phoenix.

The full spectrum of weather was thrown at the shooters from sunny 80º weather down to rain, wind and long pants weather. Pretty typical for springtime in the Grand Canyon State.

Event 1 singles saw Cory Dalton (NM) and Donald LaBarge (VT) shooting 100s to start off the week. Event 2 handicap had Peter Walker (MN) with a high score of 98 leading the field. Event 3 doubles had Raylee Bishop (IA) high with 98.

Day 2 started off with singles, and Dave Landwerlen started off the day with a 99 for the in-state high score. Jeff Trayer (OK) won out-of-state (OOS) with 100. Event 5 in-state high was yours truly with 94, and the OOS high score was Brett Renck (CO) with 98. The wind decided to show up, and the Event 6 doubles was postponed until Sunday.

Day 3 had Jimmy Heller high gun for the morning doubles with a score of 94, and Mike Grady (NM) high for OOS with 98. Event 8 singles saw Max Peevyhouse run the 100, and Britt Dalton (UT) and Steve Smith (CA) with 100s as well. Event 9 ended up with clouds, wind and rainy conditions. Dick Goerlich shot a 93 for in-state high gun, and 94s were split between Derek Fischer (MN) Bishop (IA) and Ron Bliss (OK) for OOS.

Day 4 had singles up first with Don Williamson high for in-state with 100, and Britt Dalton (UT), Fischer (MN) and Dan Vogel (MT) all with 100s for out-of-state honors. Event 11 had Williamson high for in-state, and Sharred Oaks high for OOS with an impressive 96, considering conditions.

Day 5 started the championship events, with 264 shooters participating in the championship singles. The in-state champion honors were won by Gerry Williams with 198 and Mark Matthews as runnerup. Out-of-state champion was Oaks with the lone 200, and Trayer won runnerup.

Day 6, final day, started with the make-up of the Event 6 doubles. In-state high guns were Landwerlen, Williams and Heller, all with 94s. OOS high gun was Ron Bliss (OK).

Championship doubles followed with Heller winning champion in-state and Jesse Smith winning OOS victor.

Handicap was the final event of the day, with weather causing a mid-event delay. Once shooting resumed, and the final tally was done, Darryl Garber Sr. was the handicap champion with 93, and Ray Stafford won top OOS honors with 95.

High-over-all in-state was won by Williamson, and out-of-state winner was Walker.

I’d like to personally thank everyone who traveled to Arizona to participate in this shoot. We really appreciate all of you and your supporting family members who make it to this shoot.

Several great scores were shot by both in-state and out-of-state shooters during the preliminary events as well as championship events. One highlight from the shoot was Mr. Gunner Manterola shooting his very first 100 straight! Additionally, Gunner also won the Rookie of the Year buckle for State Team honors.

Also, I’d also like to recognize Leticia Slinker (NV) for shooting her very first 100 straight (She was camera shy, so no picture). Congratulations, Leticia!

Saturday morning saw the Arizona state meeting held with the election of some new directors and awards of the State Team members. One of the director positions that was filled was due to the retirement from the Arizona board of our secretary, Mr. Jesse Zamora. Many thanks and best wishes to you as you relocate to Illinois.

Awards were presented to the Arizona State Team. These awards can be found at www.aztraps.com/arozpma-champions/arizona-state-teams/.

On a final note, Casa Grande Trap & Skeet Club will be the host club for the ATA Western Zone Shoot being held July 19-21. Please keep an eye open for the upcoming shoot program.

           Don Williamson

           ATA Delegate

Idaho

Well, the 70th annual Camas Prairie Handicap tournament is in the history books. The shoot gathered a total of 326 shooters. The breakdown by state was: Arizona, one; Idaho, 155; Montana, 12; Oregon, 40; and Washington, 118. So you’ll notice that this shoot is so popular that of the 326 shooters, 208 were out-of-state, with the bulk being from Idaho. As mentioned in past articles, this shoot originated in Idaho many years ago and is considered by many as an Idaho shoot but held in Washington. The tradition lives on!

The shoot starts with a 10-week telephonic league. There are 23 clubs signed up. Any member of said club can represent a score on any given Sunday during the league. (Sundays are the only days). They do not have to go to the Camas tournament. Any ATA shooter can shoot the Camas Prairie tournament, but it’s treated similar to a state shoot. If you did not shoot a required number of league scores, you will be classified as an “out-of-Camas” shooter, much like an out-of-state shooter. So the trophies are divided into Camas and out-of-Camas. All-American points can be earned either way.

In the Singles Championship, Idaho shooter Grant Williams won in a shootoff with Bruce Bradley (also of Idaho, who then took the junior trophy). Travis Iksic of Washington took the out-of-Camas trophy with the same score. Kyle Perry of Bellvue, ID, took the doubles trophy with a lone 97. Travis was in a tie for out-of-Camas doubles with John Mullins, and I’m not sure who won that. Handicap champion was a tie with Tim Kings and Tristan Roberts, and I’m not sure who won that one, but Travis took the out-of-Camas trophy. Kyle Perry also took both the in-Camas HOA and HAA. And once again Travis captured both titles for out-of-Camas. Both Kyle and Travis had a great shoot. Other trophies I’m not sure but are posted on the Camas Prairie Trapshooting Association Facebook page. This article is due the day after the tournament, so I’m not able to recognize all of the Idaho shooters. I will, however, mention Blake McCutcheon who bested Bradley in a few of the handicap events. Blake is also a junior and hails out of Caldwell. He’s someone to keep an eye on.

On to other news of Idaho. Orofino held the first ATA shoot of the calendar year here in Idaho. It was March 9, and as predicted, they had a great turnout. Fifty-nine shooters showed up, many warming up for the Camas shoot. The trophy report is in Gun Club Scores in this issue.

Here’s some big news. Actually, by the time you read this, it will be old news for many, but Cottonwood is having their first ATA shoot in many years, hopefully April 20, and Coeur d’Alene will have their first ever on April 28. I hope they get a great turnout!

Well, from here on out, there is a registered shoot of some sort (both ATA and PITA) nearly every weekend until the end of August. Let the fun begin and friendships renewed! Read your rulebook.

Leonard Wehking

ATA Delegate

New Zealand

Thames Clay Target Club held a registered shoot on March 23. This shoot was 100 singles, 100 handicap and 50 pair of doubles. We ran three classes in the singles and doubles, A, B and C.

Unfortunately our luck with the weather ran out with passing showers and overcast. Some good scores were shot despite the weather.

Singles winners were: A, Grant Russell, 92; B, Rob Anderson, 93; C, Allan Anderson, 97.

Handicap winners included: winner, Dave Kahlenberg, 90; runnerup, Rob Anderson, 85; third, Gordon Tucker, 83; fourth, Dale Speedy, 82.

Doubles winners were: A, Grant Russell, 85; B, none entered; C, three way tie between Dave Kahlenburg, Mike Hirtzel and Robert Jordan, 82.

A big thanks to Wayne Merrie for running the shoot and office, Grant Russell for setting targets, Dale Speedy for sorting the handicap yardage, Glenn and Wynnis Ramsay for providing refreshments and lunch, and Bob James for coming in just to help with refereeing and scoring.

All the members who helped with set-up, refereeing and scoring as well as helping with set-up and clean-up at the end of the day.

Good shooting.

           Paul Basten

           ATA Delegate

Utah

Last month I promised a report on the Spring Grand in Tucson. Utah didn’t have as good a showing as usual, only 19 shooters. Overall attendance was good. The only people I know from Utah who brought home some bling were Sharred Oaks, Grayson Stuart, LeeAnn Martin, and Kooper and Randy Freston.

I have little to speak about other than the weather. Here’s some of my useless trivia: Mark Twain said, “Everyone talks about the weather, but no one does anything about it.” I fall into that category.

Most days, the mornings were chilly, and the afternoons were warm, 70º to 80º and very sunny. It was breezy more often than not. However, on Wednesday, it rained all through the afternoon handicap. At one point, the line was cleared because of lightning.

Besides competing, one of the great things about going to shoots is reconnecting with old friends. The remainder of my report will be a collage of photographs of people I visited with.

As you can see, I had a great time in Tucson.

           Ed Wehking

           ATA Past President

Washington

I hope this finds you enjoying some good shooting weather and that you’ve all been able to spend time in pursuit of clay targets at the various clubs in the region that are offering ATA registered targets. With the Camas Prairie Handicap in the books, things are rolling. The Spangle Gun Club has thrown their first shoot of the year, and they will show us their hospitality again in the fall. Coulee City and Marlin have had their back-to-back shoots, and we are presently getting packed up for another trip to Walla Walla for the WSTA Championships. We won’t get much of a rest, as Colton will host a two-day affair on the first weekend in June, and the Othello Gun Club will throw a one-day shoot June 8. We get a little break in our schedule here in the Evergreen State until the Zone Shoot at Colton in July. In late June our neighbors at the Coeur d’Alene Gun club in north Idaho will host a two-day shoot. The Coeur d’Alene club held their first registered shoot in many years in April, and we are glad to have another club in the Inland Empire willing to throw ATA targets.

I would like to thank our advertisers in the state shoot program and highlight a major sponsor that has returned this year, Kalispel Case Line. These sturdy gun cases are made at the Kalispel Tribe career training center. They are making a name for themselves while producing quality products and giving the enrollees in the program some vital career skills in welding and fabrication. It is a win-win, so check them out at the state shoot and support our other sponsors as well. A return on their advertising investment will help ensure the continuation of generous contributions from these companies and keep us going.

As I journey around our state for upcoming shoots, I’d like to showcase some shooter profiles. We have some double tough shotgunners in our state that I hope to recognize as well as emphasizing accomplishments and milestones or some of our new shooters and seasoned veterans. Feel free to reach me at [email protected] if you know of a deserving shooter who you would like to recognize.

Lastly, as you venture out to compete, you may find the clubs you visit could use a hand. Scoring, picking up shells, target-setting, classifying, the list goes on. These clubs put in a lot of planning and work to provide our clay-smashing experiences. With labor costs and ever rising expenses, it is certain that they will appreciate any help you can offer. It is up to trapshooters to keep trapshooting alive and growing. We’ve always been a “can-do” lot.

Please take the time to introduce someone to trapshooting. Get ’em hooked!

Shoot straight and keep your powder dry.

Sean Lewis

WSTA Director