Atlantic Provinces

Hello from the Atlantic Provinces.

Well, it looks like I was wrong to bet against Sheila’s Brush (see last month’s article) making an appearance. I’m writing this month’s report on April 24, and it’s snowing and driving conditions are not the greatest. The forecast isn’t calling for a large snowfall, but it’s still a great day to stay inside.

The complete 2025 Atlantic Provinces ATA registered shoot listing has been updated and is available on www.shootatlantic.com. There’s a full slate of shoots scheduled for those interested in ATA registered shooting in the Atlantic Provinces.

The Atlantic Provinces ATA Provincial Shoot program is now available on www.shootatlantic.com. The Highland Gun Club in Yarmouth, NS, is hosting this year’s shoot Aug. 27-31. Pre-squadding opens June 1, and if you need target ammo delivered to the club, check the website for ordering information. The Highland Gun Club is a three-trap club, and organizers are going with 200-target days to help keep the shoot on schedule. The shorter days also give everyone some extra time to take in the shooting games, the great seafood restaurants found throughout the area and the local attractions.

This year’s shoot kicks off with the Sponsor’s Challenge on Wednesday, Aug. 27 and is followed by the four-day, 800-target competition Aug. 28. Event 1 is the Memorial Singles and is being dedicated to shooters who are no longer with us. A memorial board will be in the clubhouse to write down a name or post a picture of a friend, mentor or volunteer anyone would like remembered. The 700-target HOA starts with Event 2, the APTA Class Singles. Check the program for the complete schedule of events.

A complete listing of all Canadian ATA provincial shoots and other major Canadian shoots is available on the Canadian Trapshooting Association (CTA) website. The Hamilton Gun Club in Hamilton, ON, is hosting the Canadian Trapshooting Championships June 26-29, and there are now 12 clubs signed up for the CTA Coast to Coast Shoot scheduled for Sept. 13. In the Atlantic Provinces, the Petitcodiac Sportsman’s Club, the Highland Gun Club, and the St. John’s Rod and Gun Club are participating in the 300-target satellite shoot. Check www.shootcanada.ca for the latest information.

For more information on the Atlantic Provinces Trapshooting Association, feel free to contact me at aabassan@gmail.com or visit shootatlantic.com.

Andrea Bassan

ATA Delegate

Connecticut

Greetings to all.

Spring has finally sprung here in Connecticut! I hope you have all been out at your local clubs enjoying some fun shooting and getting ready for the start of the summer trap season. Hamden Fish and Game in Hamden will be holding the first regular shoot this coming Sunday. We look forward to summer shoots all winter, and before you know it, they are on the cards fast and the season has flown by. Please go to the CTA website, www.cttrap.com, and plan your local shoots. The Connecticut State Shoot program book will have hit your mailboxes by the release of this issue. Much work went into producing the book and great appreciation to those who dedicate their time and effort to making it a success. One of those who is instrumental in that endeavor is Bob (Moon) Hruskocy. Congratulations to Bob, who has been named this year’s State Shoot Honoree and will be honored at the annual meeting at this year’s state shoot. Make sure to check out the write-up of Bob in the program book. Speaking of the state shoot, the date will be right upon us as you read this letter. The shoot is June 20-22 at Hartford Gun Club in East Granby. The CTA has been working diligently for months to ensure a fun and successful three-day event. Don’t worry if you haven’t pre-squadded, as there will be squads available. Hope to see you there!

Please reach out to me with any news and highlights you would like for me to share in this letter. Email me at cap145@yahoo.com.

Shoot well and have fun.

Cheryll Pittera

ATA Delegate

New York

Hello from New York. I hope everyone is doing well and shooting plenty of registered targets.

Some target attainments to mention: Thomas Hart has registered 25,000 singles targets. Bob Lapoma has shot 100,000 singles targets. Finally, Jim Flint has fired at 100,000 handicap targets. Great going, guys. Keep registering those targets.

Congratulations must be given to New York state ATA eastern zone director Percy Caraballo for his target achievements in the 2024 target year. Percy was the leader in the Mega Target members with 48,000 total targets registered. In the men’s category, Percy was second in total singles targets registered with 17,900. Percy led handicap and doubles with 15,800 handicap and 14,300 doubles targets registered in the men’s category. This is quite an achievement. Great going, Percy.

Joining Percy Carabello with more than 20,000 registered targets in the 2024 target year were William Wallis, Jim Flint, David Kestler and Don Alderson. Good going, guys.

Please remember that the New York State Shoot will be held July 9-13. Also, the Northeastern Grand American will be Sept. 3-7. Both are fine tournaments, and we hope you plan to attend.

Anyone who wishes to have something written in one of these articles, please feel free to contact me by phone at 585-519-9543 or email me at Trapshooterdavec@yahoo.com. Please stay healthy, safe and in good spirits. May God bless you all.

Dave Cichelli

ATA Delegate

Florida

Hello all from the most Southern, Northern State!

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 or 27-yard line status. If you achieve any of these feats, please let me know. I can’t give you proper props if I don’t know.

Let’s get started. March was a busy month here in Florida. We had the Southern Grand and the Florida State Shoot. Plus we had three named shoots leading into the Southern Grand. The weather was chamber of commerce perfect. The Southern Grand entries were down by a few (2024, 3,706; 2025, 3,545) but the single day attendance was up this year. Florida state attendance was up more than 10% from last year (2024, 3,017; 2025, 3,335) I’m thinking the state shoot was up because of all the efforts and hoopla put out by the Florida state members and the shoot committee. The preliminary and championship trophies were top notch. ATA raised their trophy budget by 50% over the past years, and the FTA supplied some new and unique trophies to boot. Thomas Harrington and his people did an outstanding job managing all of the background goings-on with sales of shirts and hats, the new addition of field sponsorships, Scot’s goofy games, the shell raffles, all that stuff. Of course Silver Dollar made running the shoot look like it was just another day. That’s what experience can do. The folks at the squadding, cashiering windows were as pleasant and johnny on the spot as always. I don’t know how they do it. They show up before 8 a.m., open those blinds promptly at 8:00, and, “bam,” they are all smiles and “How can we help you!” One of them must have a bad day sometime, but they never show it. The next few lines are going to sound like a commercial, and, yes, they paid me the big bucks, so by the time you read this, I’ll be retired in the islands somewhere. Okay, maybe not, but if you are an ATA shooter and shoot in Florida (and other places) you need to have the Shoot Pro Cloud app on your phone and use it. If you feel you can’t load it yourself, the folks at the cashiering window will do it for you and will show you how to use it. You can squad, pre-squad, change squads, release your position on a squad, pay, see what bank you are shooting on, who is on your squad, what squad your friends are on, see the leader board, what your scores are, all while sitting in your favorite chair somewhere. That means you do not have to be at the clubhouse at 8 a.m. standing in line for anything. Yes, you can sleep another hour. Let’s say for an example you weren’t going to shoot, but now you are thinking about it, just look on the Shoot Pro Cloud app, find a squad and position you want and fill it. How easy!

ATA Rule of the Month:

Instead of an ATA rule, I thought I would share what happens at the Grand American Delegate meetings. I figured since we were voted in by you (the members) and represent you (the members), you may be curious. All delegates first and foremost are ATA board members and have the responsibility of protecting the ATA. The duty of the Delegate is to promote amateur trapshooting. All other stuff, for the most part, is communication to and from the ATA leaders for what is best for the organization and the sport.

Florida is in the Southern Zone, and currently Danny Ryan is our (Southern Zone) leader as Vice President. Each zone has a designated night at the Grand American that the Delegate is obligated to referee in that day’s/night’s shootoffs. My night is Friday night before championship week. That means I have to be there the week before. A cool deal is even though Delegates are obligated, anyone can sign up to officiate the shootoffs. During championship week is our Southern Zone meeting. We usually do not know in advance what we are going to cover. The meeting starts around 6:30 p.m., and the first thing we have to declare is the dates for our state shoot and what was last year’s attendance. After that, the meeting is pretty much like a normal meeting (roll call, approving last year’s minutes, etc., etc.). At this time, ATA and local state issues are addressed. Some issues are confined to just that state, and others concern all of us. If I have a legitimate request from Florida’s members that I need to address on your behalf, this is when it happens. I’ll bring it up, and we will discuss it. There is a lot of years’ experience at these meetings, so there is usually good council. Not very often do we vote on a state issue, rather they would have the state work it out. All of the other Delegates may have their time on the floor as well. The Southern Zone Vice President, being on the Executive Committee, may have knowledge of upcoming issues that will need to be voted on at the “big” meeting on Wednesday evening. We will discuss how our Zone thinks we should vote, but all votes are counted individually. A few other things and then we adjourn. All takes a couple of hours.

Wednesday night is the “big” meeting. This includes the Executive Committee, all of the Zone VPs, all of the Delegates (some Alternates), attorneys, accountants, a clearinghouse (all financial reports are checked and verified by a third party), and some speakers who may be asked to speak for a particular reason. This meeting starts like any meeting, roll call, approving the minutes etc., etc., the president’s report and about an hour on the finance report. The meeting goes on for about two hours then we take a 15-minute break. We reconvene, and that’s usually when things get interesting. This is when proposed bylaws or changes are discussed and voted on. This can drag on forever. For an example, last year we voted on “should there be a show me pair on all five stations in doubles.” This discussion when on and on . . . or the vote of how many drinks you can have (if any) and still officiate an ATA event. Of course none, but then the discussion went on if it is okay to have a drink the night before. After all this, we vote on the new ATA President and award the outgoing president a plaque. The new president has a few things to say then we adjourn somewhere around 10 or 11:00. I left out a lot of non-dramatic stuff and speeches. Now you know everything.

Mike Reynolds

ATA Delegate

Kentucky

By the time you are reading this, the shooting season will be in full swing. The Kentucky State Shoot is right around the corner, and pre-squadding is highly encouraged, as squad limits have been placed on events 7 through 11. The state shoot will be held July 2-6, with the AIM program being July 1. You can pre-squad for the Kentucky State Shoot on presquad.com starting May 1 and the AIM program starting June 1. For more information about the state shoot, be sure to check out kytrap.com. Kentucky shooters have still been performing well at various shoots, although at the time of this writing, there is not very much to report. Look out for more results from Kentuckians in next month’s article. Good luck and safe travels to all competing over the coming weeks.

           Jack Holland

For ATA Southern Zone Vice President Dan Ryan

Mississippi

This has been an unusually busy spring for me and many of my trapshooting friends. A large part of the spring months was consumed in preparation for the Mississippi State Trapshoot, which was contested over the Memorial Day weekend. Just as with many of the surrounding states and surrounding gun clubs, the Capitol Gun Club trap program leadership would qualify for the “super senior” category if such existed. Likewise, the leadership of MTA does not fall far behind that. I know of several gun clubs and state associations where this is the case. Trapshooting in our part of the country really needs for the younger shooters to get involved. I know the younger shooters are consumed with family time, professional obligations and other obligations—we all faced that. Seriously, if you are a younger or middle-age shooter, step up and ask your local gun club and your local trapshooting association what you can do to help and follow through. Our sport needs you.

One downside to these updates is the time interval between submission deadlines and actual publication and distribution. Anyone associated with mass publication and distribution understands that it is the way it is. Example, this is being written for the June 2025 edition—as I write, today is April 25. By press time, the 2025 Mississippi State Shoot is history and submitted to the records. Be on the lookout (BOLO) for those shoot results in these pages soon.

Before moving on to future shoot dates, I want to take a little time to express my and MTA’s sincere appreciation to the people at Capitol Gun Club for the hours and hours of preparation and execution of the 2025 Mississippi State Shoot. People who do this know what it takes; those that don’t do it, please walk in others’ shoes before you criticize. The countless hours required of “somebody” (aka, they) to prepare the program; handle attendance pins; acquisition, organization and distribution of trophies; fund-raising to cover all the expenses; seeking program ads and event sponsorship; ground preparation; field maintenance; machine maintenance; trap loaders/help and scorers on shoot days. That just mentions a few things of the things “they” had to do. I am reluctant to mention names, as someone is always left out. But I would be remiss if I did not mention Randy Dearman, Bill Burke, Jerry Tharp, Jarome Milner, Charlie Allen, Fred Rogers, Kenny Christmas, Kent Lacina and others. Also, a special thanks to the skills of Tami Daniel-Means. Thank you, all, for all you did and contributed. Also, a special thanks to the numerous sponsors, such as the National Aviation Academy, Farm Bureau Life Insurance, Casey Construction, Scott Petroleum, Owens Insurance and numerous others. Thank you, all!

Earlier I emphasized the word “they”. There is a story behind that. Years ago retired Colonel Estil Wilson, my neighbor, enticed me off the rifle range onto the trap field at Starkville Gun Club. He encouraged me and carried me to my first ATA registered shoots. We later dragged Jim Porter into the sport, but that is another story. Starkville Gun Club was a member volunteer club, like so many gun clubs today. One day we were finished shooting and sitting on the gun club porch. A fellow wandered up and said, “Why don’t they cut the grass, weed eat and clean up a little around here.” Jim and I just sort of ducked our heads and grinned at what we knew was about to happen. Estil brought his imposing body to standing, used his booming colonel voice and addressed the young man, “they”, son let me tell you who “they” are in language easily understood by anyone. Rather than complaining about “they,” get off your #&*$ and do it and shut up about it. When the young man sheepishly asked Estil for a little sympathy, Estil eloquently explained what words he would find sympathy between in the dictionary, but he would not find it from him. Jim and I were rolling on the floor laughing all the while. The moral of the story: think real hard before you complain about the job “they” do at a trapshoot.

Upcoming Mississippi shoots: Follow this link https://shootata.com/Shoots-Clubs-States-Zones/stateID/MS or the Official ATA Shoot Directory in this issue to look at upcoming Mississippi shoots. Capitol Gun Club, Coast Rifle and Pistol Club, Starkville Gun Club and Whitetail Ridge Outdoors will have monthly shoots set, as usual. Let’s all try to get out and support these clubs.

The 2025 Southern Zone Shoot: Coast Rifle and Pistol Club will again be a host site for the 2025 Southern Zone Shoot. The Zone is set for July 18-20. Make plans to attend.

ATA Rulebooks: The 2025 ATA Rulebook is available for download at the ATA site www.shootata.com. Download a copy or order a copy and read it. Your club may have ordered copies and have them available. It is always a good idea to keep a copy of the current rules with your shooting gear. Remember, it is not against the rules to read the rules.

“It’s just a trapshoot;” don’t over-analyze it, just enjoy our sport.

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

Will McCarty

ATA Delegate

South Carolina

Hello from the Palmetto State.

I’m excited to start off this report featuring the 2025 South Carolina Hall of Fame Shoot. This year we inducted Phillip N. Bagwell into the SC Hall of Fame on April 4 at the Greenville Gun Club. Phil began shooting registered targets in 1974 and began his winnings as a sub-junior at the SC State Championship in singles and has won more than 100 trophies. Phil earned the South Carolina State Team captain position in 2022, 2023 and 2024. He currently serves on the SCTA board as an upstate director. Congratulations, Phil, on this achievement. We were also honored to have 12 prior SCTA Hall of Fame inductees at this ceremony.

The SCTA Hall of Fame Shoot, April 4-5, at the Greenville Gun Club had 59 shooters from six states participate. Thanks go out to Dan Brigito, Doug Stenback and the Greenville Gun Club for hosting our 2025 Hall of Fame Shoot. David Smiley won the Singles Championship with a score of 192. Other Singles Championship winners were Kenny Inman, vet; Tiffany Calvetti, ladies’; Grant Bledsoe, junior; James Ivey III, A; Gary Ferguson, B; Bill Howe, C; and Steven Hallett, D. The Doubles Championship winner was Kenny Inman with 97. Other doubles winners included David Smiley, A; Richard Gadbois, B; Ed Clarke, C; Richard Pigg, D; Thomas Campbell, vet; and Terri Campbell, ladies’. Topping the Handicap Championship was Doug Stenback with 93. Other handicap winners were Garry Welch, 19-21; Joe Trujillo, 22-24; Richard Gadbois, 25-27; Grant Bledsoe, junior; Terri Campbell, ladies’; and Randy Griffin, vet. David Smiley also earned HOA with 378.

South Carolina had three shooters attend the Spring Shoot at Hog Heaven in Tennessee April 10-13. Attending from South Carolina were Terri Campbell, Thomas Campbell and Steve Conley. Congratulations to Steve for winning Singles Championship sub-vet on Saturday with 193 and Doubles Championship on Sunday with 92 in C class. Congratulations also goes to Thomas Campbell for winning B class in the Doubles Championship on Sunday, also with a score of 92.

Hope you all are enjoying the 2025 shooting season and thank you for your support of our sport.

Hope to see you shooting soon.

Teresa Knight

ATA Delegate

Tennessee

More state shoots are scheduled for the Southern Zone in June.

June 1 is the last day of the Alabama State Shoot at Mathews.

June 4-8 is the North Carolina State Shoot at the homegrounds in Bostic.

June 10-11 is the Tennessee AIM State Shoot followed by the state shoot June 12-15 to be at TCTC at Nashville.

Although Arkansas is not in the Southern Zone, they always have a good state shoot. It is scheduled for June 18-22 at Arkansas G&FF SSC, Jacksonville.

Read the rulebook, please.

For more info, visit our website at shootatatn.com. You can reach me at bcook27@bellsouth.net.

Billy Cook

ATA Ex-Officio

Louisiana

TBMGC held its March shoot on the 12th. Twenty-Two showed up to enjoy the wonderful warm and sunny day. Our three weeks or so of spring have come and gone, and the beginning of our summer has arrived. Everyone was there to get a little tune-up for the state shoot, as this is the last opportunity locally before the May 1 blastoff. In singles Chuck Traylor swooped in and smashed a 98 to take top honors followed by Trey Heusel, Donny Sanders, Webb Phelps and Jim Jenkins all tied with 94s. Handicap honors went to Heusel with 87, with Sanders right behind him with 85. Sanders led the charge in doubles with 93 followed by Mike Lawler and Traylor with 88s. It was nice to see our good friends Bill Burke and Jerry Tharp drive over to shoot with us from Jackson, MS. Three new shooters, Wes and Jaxson Tucker and Caleb Self, shot ATA targets for the first time ever. Nice to have you fellows join us. And, as always, it makes it so much easier to hold a shoot with our parents and AIM people helping to load houses and score. If you shoot at a volunteer-only club like ours, you know what I mean; it is so nice when others step in and help without even being asked.

I hope to be reporting the results of the Louisiana State Shoot with lots of good scores shot soon, since it wrapped up May 4. Also, with all the other states having their shoots, I should be able to report some great successes from our Louisiana shooters at theirs.

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 LA that host registered shoots.

Jim Jenkins

ATA Delegate

Missouri

I hope everyone is tuned up and has gotten their shooting season off with a bang! The MTA gun club was one of six sites for the Multi-State Challenge shoot (M-SC), with 142 Missouri shooters competing for the top spot. Missouri shooters collected a total of 29 trophies for the M-SC shoot, while also shooting for the Missouri zone trophies. Thanks to all who attended and to those who put a lot of effort into making these shoots a success. We have had discussions about moving the M-SC shoot to the fall, hoping for better weather and more participating sites. There is still some tweaking to be done, but it seems like we have a shoot that has the potential to grow.

After a long delay, targets are once again in the air at KCTA. Well, at least for one day for the MYSSA Spring Breakem and FFA regional shoots held April 5 with just under 350 youth shooters competing in some not-so-great conditions. The clubhouse is still a work in progress, but the trap machines have received some much-needed maintenance, not having been used for almost one year. Final clean-up and repairs to the trap fields and grounds were attended to by several volunteers over a three-week period as well as on the day of the shoot. Thank you to all who donated time and materials to help KCTA get back in action once again. Please watch for the announcement of the date they are once again open for regular business.

Missouri and surrounding states have seen some devastating storms this month. Please keep those in prayer who have lost loved ones and suffered property damage. If anyone has anything they would like to have reported or has any concerns, please contact me at srickett@sbcglobal.net or 816-863-9003.

Shoot often, shoot well and be safe!

Stephen Ricketts

ATA Delegate

Texas

Howdy from Texas!

Back in March, Ft. Worth Trap and Skeet held the second annual Hell’s Half Acre. They had 92 entries for the championship singles, and Kameron Coles from Arkansas was winner with 195. On Sunday’s doubles, Drew Fryman and Mike Whitaker tied for doubles high gun with 96, and Fryman took top honors after a shootoff. Robert Lovett was handicap winner with a lone 95. After all the dust settled, Whitaker took home both HAA and HOA trophies.

I would like to thank Steve Bradbury for the report from Ft. Worth. I would also like to remind all gun clubs in Texas to keep me updated on your shoot results, and I will recognize event winners or any other things worth noting.

I want to remind everyone that the Texas State Shoot in Amarillo will be July 1-6. I hope to see everyone there. Our president, Jeff Renegar, has organized a raffle for a 2025 CanAm Defender Max ATV. If anyone needs tickets, please contact any of our officers, and they will hook you up.

Congratulations to our 2025 Texas Trapshooters Association Hall of Fame inductees Ron Cunning and Drew Fryman. They will be inducted Friday night at the Holiday Inn-Amarillo West Medical Center during the Hall of Fame and Awards Banquet.

If you have anything you would like me to mention in this article, please email me with the details, and I will do my best to share it in the next one. Be sure to visit the TTA website (shoottta.org) to see other news and upcoming events. 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’re always glad to help.

Again, thanks for your support, and I will see you at the next one.

I can be reached at texasatadelegate@gmail.com.

Billy Hopson

ATA Delegate

Arizona

Greetings, all.

My apologies for not getting an article out last month. I’ll do better.

I’m starting this month’s article with some sad news. On April 7, Don Volz of the Casa Grande Trap and Skeet Club completed his shooting career and passed on.

Don had been a part of the Arizona shooting community starting in 1999, as they would escape the cold Colorado winters to shoot the Winter Chain shoots. In 2006 Don and Tiger purchased the Casa Grande Trap and Skeet Club and became known for throwing the infamous green target.

I met Don (and Tiger) in 2010 when I first traveled from New Mexico to Casa Grande to shoot over the New Year break. Don made it a point to come up and introduce himself and made me feel welcome. This was the way he approached everyone, with a smile.

Don’s Celebration of Life was held on April 26 at the club. One of the things that stood out to me was the effect Don’s smile and hospitality made the kids who started shooting there feel welcome.

Being the trapshooter he was, he was sent off in true shooter style. More than 40 shooters lined up in front of Trap 1, and with shells with a little bit of Don in them (shot was buffered with ashes). Green targets were thrown with, once again, a little bit of Don in them with some powder. With the wind blowing and some good shooting, Don was sent off with a bang. He will be missed by all who knew him.

The end of March concluded the 96th Arizona State Shoot, which was held at Tucson Trap and Skeet Club. The championship singles saw 284 shooters participating, with Mark Mattson winning the in-state singles with 199. The championship doubles had 218 shooters, with Dave Landwerlen winning the resident doubles champion honors with 96. Sunday’s handicap had 242 entries, with junior shooter Jackson Link taking the high resident trophy with 95.

Jimmy Heller won the resident high-all-around, and Dave Landwerlen added to his trophy count with the high-over-all win.

Greg Spiczka’s niece, Lilly Russell, ended up earning her Tucson Thunderbird. Congrats!

One point of note for the Arizona State Shoot is it was the first shoot held at Tucson Trap and Skeet after the change over from springs to bands for the Pat-Traps. The consensus seems to be positive for this change.

Lastly, due to some logistical issues, the Arizona hosting club for the ATA Western Zone Shoot (July 18-20) is being changed to the Northern Arizona Shooting Range, located just east of Flagstaff. Cooler weather and high altitude targets should make for a great shoot. If you made reservations in Young, make sure to change them up to Flagstaff.

Safe travels and good shooting.

           Don Williamson

           ATA Delegate

Nevada

March provided two ATA tournaments for Nevada shooters. The First Sunday Social shoot March 2 drew 20 shooters. Many of the usual suspects were still shooting at the Spring Grand, or were just returning, incuding me, for the First Sunday shoot. Those in attendance had a great time. Sub-vet Ken Clark won the windy handicap with 43 and was punched to the 23-yard line. In the singles, Clayton Philipp overcame the weather to post a winning 48. In the final doubles event, two senior veterans, Don Huston and Stephen Bell, tied with 43s to win it.

The Big 50 on March 8 was contested with cold north winds bouncing targets around. Michael J. Petrisko bested the singles field by five targets with a commendable 49. In the handicap, Kenneth J. Clark won with 42. Ken James and Joe Atkin prevailed in the windy doubles with 42 each. Congratulations and well done to everyone who battled the spring winds in the Big 50. Also, a big shout-out to the scorers who make the shoot possible.

This month, let’s look at the proposed rule changes and issues that are being proposed by the ATA. Recently I attended the Western Zone Delegate meeting, Feb. 25 at the Spring Grand in Tucson. Two areas of proposed rule changes that could affect Nevada shooters were discussed. One proposed ATA rule change discussed at the Zone meeting is to change the age requirements for the veteran category and the senior veteran category. In a nutshell, the proposal would make a veteran someone who is 65 and not yet 75. Senior veterans would be 75 years old and older.

I personally believe this is a good idea. Full disclosure, I would be affected by the change, in that I am now a senior veteran. However, that has nothing to do with my viewpoint on this proposed change. I’m happy to compete in either class. I just like to shoot.

Many who support this change feel that we need to find ways to both honor and support our oldest shooters and keep them active in the game. One perspective recognizes that many times the 75-year-old and up shooters are the folks who have supported trapshooting for 20, 30, even 40 years.

Further, it is well documented that age limitations increase more rapidly as we get older. For instance, the physicality of a 78-year-old is often radically different than that of a 70-year-old, making equal competition all the more difficult. Perhaps a category with higher age limits would address some of those issues.

In addition, this rule change would allow more equitable opportunities for senior veteran category shooters to compete for trophies, by percentage of entries. This is because the senior veteran category is almost always the largest category at shoots, hence fewer individuals in the senior veteran category will win trophies, by percentage of participants. For example, at the recently completed Spring Grand American, there were 193 senior veterans competing. The veteran category, by comparison, had less than half that number at 78 shooters. That ratio holds true at many shoots, large or small. To increase the number of shooters in the veteran category and decrease the size of the senior veteran category, would, by percentage, create a more equal playing field for veterans and senior veterans alike.

Another facet of this category change is that it would help facilitate the ongoing efforts by the Amateur Trapshooting Association and Pacific International Trapshooting Association (PITA) to further synchronize the two organizations’ rules. The PITA currently recognizes a separate category for those shooters 75 years old and older.

Finally, it is worth noting that the proposed change would not add a layer of new trophies. No additional costs would be incurred by clubs and ATA state organizations for additional trophies due to the proposed change. If the category system can be improved, and at no additional cost, it should probably be given serious consideration.

The above issues and perspectives are just a few ideas that may bring to light other discussions and opinions around the proposed rule change. Moreover, there will be details to be worked out with regard to implementation. Hopefully shooters will analyze this proposal and perhaps view it in ways that best allow all of our shooters optimum opportunities for competition.

Secondly, the need to better coordinate the rules of the Pacific International Trapshooting Association and the Amateur Trapshooting Association was discussed at the Zone meeting. It is critical that we do this, so shooters can continue to cross-register targets between the ATA and the PITA.

Sometimes the rule differences between the two organizations is problematic for shooters. For example, a PITA shooter in one of the PITA multiplex shoots may have to wait 30 days to find out whether their score qualifies them for a yardage increase. In the meantime, the shooter’s ATA yardage may be incorrectly reflected. These kinds of differences have caused problems for some of our local Nevada shooters. Sometimes trophies have been in jeopardy because yardages were not coordinated in a timely manner between PITA and ATA. Other issues, such as when age categories become applicable, are also sometimes at odds between the two organizations. Shooters are the ones who most benefit by being able to cross-register targets. The organizations themselves garner relatively little income from cross-registration fees.

My hope is that the organizations can solve whatever differences there are, so shooters can continue to compete in both organizations and count targets in both organizations.

Finally, the Western Zone sites for Nevada were approved and finalized at the Tucson meeting. Mason Valley Gun Club in Yerington will host one of the Western Zone shoots July 18-20. Also hosting a Western Zone site will be Lincoln County Trap Club in Pioche. Thanks to these two clubs and the strong support from the Nevada State Trapshooting Association, for the first time in recent memory, Nevada shooters in the northern part of the state and shooters in southern Nevada will have Zone sites within reasonable driving distances.

Again this year, the Nevada State Trapshooting Association will fund very substantial trophy packages and added money for each club. In addition, Russ Roberts, Joe Hanley and Danny Talbot will provide $1,000 added money for the Zone shoot, to be divided equally between the two clubs. Please plan to attend one location or the other. Both will be great three-day shoots.

If you have thoughts on any of these issues, or others, and would like to communicate them to me, I will make sure they are passed on.

Until next time, let’s get out there and remember, it’s a game. Have some fun!                Danny Talbot

           ATA Delegate

Utah

If you live in Utah, you must love spring weather here; it can rain, snow, blow, freeze and occasionally be warm. It did all of these things in April. Two shoots were held in Utah this month—one at Ogden Gun Club and one at Spanish Fork Gun Club. The turnout was about what was expected. Unfortunately, the scores were not.

Nephi Gun Club, located in the center of the state in Juab County, is closing its doors. It appears the property has sold or will be shortly. As always, it is very sad when we lose a club. Very rarely does a new one take its place. I want to thank gun club manager Mark Greenhalgh and all his directors who have helped put on ATA shoots for years. The club also hosted many fun shoots throughout the year. I have always enjoyed shooting and visiting with Mark there.

           Ed Wehking

           ATA Delegate

 

Washington

Another month has gone by already. As you read this, we’ve had shoots at the Spangle, Coulee City, Marlin, Colton and Othello gun clubs, and now we are packing up and getting ready for the WSTA Championships in Walla Walla.

The WSTA is proud to be inducting Mark Vandeweghe into the Hall of Fame at this year’s state shoot. Mark has always been a double tough shotgunner, especially in handicap events. His wins have included the Spring Grand Handicap, just to show you his prowess from the back fence. He can never be counted out when he shows up with his old Ljutic Mono. Mark has also served as a director for the state association and brings the perspective of a competitive shooter when it comes to planning and executing the Washington State Championships. We will share more of his career accomplishments in the state shoot report. Maybe he will have more championships on the list to tell you about by then.

Dr. Laura Winkel has stepped up to help us with our silent auction this year. This is shaping up to be a great edition of our yearly fundraiser, as some good merchandise has been procured and the bidding should be fierce. Suzanne Vandeweghe is helping with the auction as well. One of this year’s offerings is a round for two shooters at Rock Lake Sporting Clays. We thank Gary Newton for his generosity. He’s been growing the attendance at Rock Lake for a few years and has also lent his support to local trap clubs. If the winning bidder needs someone to take the second spot, I volunteer.

I would like to bring up a family and their business from here in Washington, and their name was mentioned before when referring to Mark, and it is a household name in the shooting world. It was recently announced that Ljutic Industries is closing their doors. Al and Nadine brought their business to the Yakima area, moving from Nevada many years ago. With a background in metalurgy, Al made some of the best shotguns in the industry. They offered a simple, no frills design and yet, they were not afraid to offer innovations, such as the futuristic Space Gun. Not only could they make them, the family could really shoot them. Al, Nadine and son Joe are all on the wall of the WSTA Hall of Fame, and Joe was recognized as one of the best anywhere in his heyday. Jimmy, a respected gunsmith, was always ready to help you with any problems you may have. Upon picking up your new custom-ordered Ljutic, or having repair done, you could burn some shells up on their trap to get dialed in.

After Al and Joe passed, the company was sold. Nadine and Jimmy were retained to help with the business, and the same superb craftsmanship and service were still offered in the Ljutic tradition. We recently lost Nadine and Jimmy in the last couple of years. Joe’s daughter Nicole is in Nevada and is very interested in connecting with shooters to hear their stories and preserve their history. Their legacy is something to be proud of in Washington. To think of all the smashed targets and championships won by shouldering a Ljutic goes to show what a dedicated family can accomplish through their love of our sport. Don’t worry because their simple, rugged design ensures that a competent smith will be able to keep those shotguns running for many years to come. Thank you, Ljutic, for what you’ve meant to trapshooting and Washington State.

Look for photos and stories about this year’s state shoot in an upcoming issue. Until then, as always, I encourage you to take someone to the club and hook them on trapshooting.

Shoot straight and keep your powder dry.

Sean Lewis

WSTA Director