Atlantic Provinces

Hello from the Atlantic Provinces.

Trap clubs around the Atlantic Provinces have been quiet this fall, as shooters have shifted their focus from the trap fields to the hunting fields. Seems like many trapshooters are taking full advantage of the nice fall weather to hunt moose, rabbit, grouse, waterfowl and ptarmigan.

The Petitcodiac Sportsman’s Club, the Highland Gun Club and the St. John’s Rod and Gun Club participated in the inaugural Coast to Coast Shoot that was organized by the Canadian Trapshooting Association. On Sept. 13, 258 shooters at 17 clubs from across Canada participated in the 300-target tournament. It was a great shoot with some unique administrative challenges, including a four-and-a-half hour time difference between clubs on the east and west coasts. That meant that the British Columbia clubs were just starting as clubs in the Atlantic Provinces were finishing. Congratulations to HOA champion James S. MacLean of Alberta, who took the tie-breaker win over Alberta’s Garry Hill. Lynn Smith, also from Alberta, won the ladies’ HOA and Saskatchewan’s Jackson Fennell took the junior HOA. Complete results are available on www.shootcanada.ca.

The St. John’s Rod and Gun Club’s Memorial Shoot was scheduled for early November, and the club added the Bob Nightingale “Two Box” event to the shoot. Bob was a longtime club member and ATA shooter who passed away earlier this year. He was one of the more seasoned and veteran shooters at the club when I joined in 1998 and helped me transition into the organizational side of things in my early days. Bob was also a competitive shooter and active club member who was always available with advice and to lend a hand with club projects. Bob developed heart problems a few years ago, and shooting 100-target events became too much for him physically. When he had the energy, Bob would show up with two boxes of shells, shoot two rounds, have a chat, enjoy his time at the club then head home. A “Two Box” event seems very appropriate.

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

Merry Christmas, happy holidays, and a happy New Year.

I can be reached at aabassan@gmail.com.

Andrea Bassan

ATA Delegate

Connecticut

Greetings, shooters!

I hope everyone had a happy Thanksgiving. The annual meeting of the CTA was held in October. President Noelle Feucht and Secretary Anne Freestone were unanimously reelected as were newly-elected Treasurer Glenn Van Moffaert and Vice President Bob Hruskocy. Association club shoot dates for the 2026 season were selected as well.

I am excited to announce this year’s Connecticut State Team achievement winners: Dave Bicknell, Randy Fairchild, John Russo Jr., Matt Wahl, Russ Gann, Jeff Swiderski, Dave DeGregorio, Marty Palmer, Hani Hafez, Jim LaFrance.

Congratulations to all! Please visit the CTA website cttrap.com for a complete list of high averages by category and shooting schedules for next year.

I wish you all the very best for a very happy Hanukkah and merry Christmas!

Cheryll Pittera

ATA Delegate

New York

Hello from New York. I hope everyone is doing well and enjoying the holiday season. I know that I am.

The Multi-State Shoot was conducted Oct. 17-19, and the New York State ATA participated in the event at the homegrounds in Bridgeport. The turnout for participation was excellent, and New York State led in shooters against the other 10 states during the first five events. In Event 1, New York had 56 shooters; Event 2, 45; Event 3, 30; Event 4, 62; and Event 5, 37. New York tied with Pikes Peak Gun Club with 30 shooters in Event 6, and in Event 7, New York State had 34 shooters, one behind Brittany Shooting Park. This was an excellent turnout at the homegrounds, which we never expected. Thank you to all those shooters who participated. New York State plans to participate again next year.

Some target attainments to mention. Mike Waschitz has registered 100,000 handicap targets. James F. Wright has fired at 100,000 singles targets. Joe Morsch has shot at 75,000 singles targets. Tom Lander has registered 50,000 singles targets. Attaining 25,000 singles targets are Beverly Davies, Steve Demerac and Sari Rasas. Finally, registering 25,000 doubles targets are Joe Regan and David Kestler. Good going, everyone, and keep registering those ATA targets.

I would like to mention ATA shooter Robert Lauer. Rob has been registering targets since 1995, and he has told me that he now has some failing health. Some of Rob’s accomplishments are: 100,000 registered targets combined, and he has had two 200 straights in singles, one at the Westy Hogans and one at the Eastern Zone. Both were at the PSSA Homegrounds in Elysburg, PA. Rob has a New York State silver pin for breaking a 100 straight at the homegrounds. Rob made the 27-yard line at the Connecticut State Shoot. His high score in doubles was 98 at San Antonio, TX, at the Southwestern Grand. Rob’s first 100 straight was at Connecticut. Rob has all the trophies for these achievements. He also has trophies from smaller shoots with 100 straights. Good shooting over the years, Rob.

To all, please have a happy holiday season for you and your families.

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

Ontario

Greetings from Ontario, Canada.

As I write this article in late October, registered trapshooting is over for now and will start up again in the spring of next year. Many registered trapshooters are participating in non-registered leagues. Participation numbers, initially at least, are trending upwards. As usual, only a small percentage of league shooters also shoot registered targets. The fall is quite busy for many shooters. Lots go to the hunt camp up north doing maintenance work and readying the camp for the big show. Then when the seasons open, the hunt is on for moose and/or deer, and there are lots of partridge that can be harvested by a light gauge shotgun like a .410 or even a .22 caliber rifle.

We used to travel to Moosonee and then down the Moose River to set up on the mud flats. But the “wavys” (small geese) tasted like mud. Local migratory game birds—ducks and “Canada” geese—are plentiful locally and taste great. They should because they eat the best of foods. I stopped hunting migratory game birds a number of years ago because I won’t harvest them and waste the meat, and few people want to cook and eat wild game anymore. This is disappointing to me because wild game is the best. To illustrate this, a number of years ago a young girl in eastern Ontario had a medical condition which resulted in her not being able to eat any meat products commercially available because of the hormones and other additives in processed meat. She needed the protein but couldn’t get it from any domestic meat source. She could, however, consume wild meat. Nobody in her family were hunters. She was stuck. A conservation club I belong to found out about this young lady’s plight and offered to organize a hunt day and give her all the game we got. It was the middle of winter, and rabbit hunting was tough. Nevertheless, we got quite a few snow hares, cottontails and a few big jack rabbits. The genuine “thank yous” from this little girl and her parents made it all worth it. Don’t let anyone tell you that wild game is second rate; it isn’t. True Native Americans always used to give thanks to their religious deity and cherished the flesh that this animal provided for their sustenance. Domestic or wild, keep in mind that a living animal was killed to feed us. It is easy to overlook this when meat is acquired from the grocery store or in the wild. Marksmanship is always important. In some places in Europe, if you only wound an animal who eventually suffers and usually dies, then you are in deep trouble and your hunting privileges are often revoked.

As with trapshooting, accuracy is paramount. You have the skills. Use them both for trapshooting and hunting if you are a hunter.

Paul Shaw

ATA Delegate

Alabama

Christmas is right around the corner, and I wish everyone a very merry Christmas and a happy New Year! Have a healthy and safe one.

It’s that time of the year when your trapshooting season starts slowing down or comes to a screeching halt. Now is a good time to work on some of your equipment. I know all of y’all clean your firearm after every shoot, but now is a good time to really clean it. Check out your choke tubes, tighten any screws that are loose, check out your pad and if needed, replace it.

Joke of the month: What’s the difference between swine flu and bird flu? One requires oink-ment, and the other requires tweet-ment!

Word of the month: Munts. The 12 units into which the calendar year is divided. “Ah hadn’t seen Bob in about three munts.”

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 wasartwell@charter.net.

Wayne Sartwell

ATA Delegate

Florida

Hello all from the most Southern, Northern State!

November was upon us, and you know what that meant. It was shoot’n season in Florida. Yeehaw! So find a club and start shoot’n (https://shootata.com/Shoots-Clubs-States-Zones/stateID/FL or see Shoot Directory in this issue).

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 or AAA status or the 27-yard line.

Year-end stuff

Florida members of the All-American Team: Lady II first team, Lorrie Bumsted Valois; junior first, Cody Meredith; sub-veteran first, Carl Chadwell (captain); senior veteran second, Mark Zauhar; and chairshooter, John Ent Jr.

The Florida State Teams have been calculated, but you will have to wait until the Florida State Shoot to see who made the team (I might be able to be bribed to tell sooner).

Congratulations, Alex Riera, on 50K singles.

Imperial Polk Gun Club was a 2025 Gun Club Fund recipient.

Oct. 1-31 is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and Florida trapshooters, seasoned and novice alike, showed up in full force to help support the cure for not only breast cancer but all types of cancer, and it was awesome. I was at the Silver Dollar Shooters Club participating, but that was by no means the only club. It seemed like a record number of shooters showed up this year. I was on Squad 31, so you figure five people per squad times 31 (and I don’t think I was on the last squad), at least 155 shooters plus family members, so we are talking at least a couple of hundred folks turned up to support the cause. I want to express appreciation to all of the help and volunteers who made the Breast Cancer Awareness Shoot successful. If it weren’t for y’all, none of these kinds of events could happen.

Saturday, the day before the cancer shoot, the Knights of Columbus put on a trapshoot, and it was the dangdiest thing. I didn’t know much about the Knights of Columbus, so I Googled them. They are a global fraternal service organization for Catholic men founded in 1882. The organization is guided by the principles of charity, unity, fraternity and patriotism. I saw all of that. I attached a few very interesting pictures of the clergy. Tell me what you think. Their were miles of smiles from all the participants.

ATA Bylaw:

Section XIII, G

(Effective Rule Changes)

3. Any load with a velocity greater than 1,290 FPS (Feet Per Second) with maximum shot charge weight of 1 1/8 ounces, or 1,325 FPS with a maximum shot charge weight of one ounce, or 1,350 FPS with a maximum shot charge weight of 7/8 ounce or less, as measured in any individual shotshell. These velocities are maximum, and no individual shotshell shall exceed these limits for the designated shot charge weight. In addition, no load containing more than 1 1/8 ounce or any shot larger than No. 7 1/2 can be used. Shot charge weights are maximum, and no charge weight may exceed the weight amount by more than 3%. Steel shot in No. 7 maximum size No. 6 (equivalent to No. 8 lead) will be acceptable as long as velocity criteria are the same as for lead shotshells.

Mike Reynolds

ATA Delegate

Mississippi

From trapshooting friends in Mississippi to all, merry Christmas. May your days be merry and bright. Happy New Year, wishing all your targets fly straight. Have a wonderful holiday season.

Like all youngsters, I eagerly waited for Christmas and opening presents. The best gifts were bicycles and electric trains. Now, years later, we sometimes get a Christmas present while shooting trap. Sometimes we think we’ve missed a target and are surprised when the scorer sees a chip come off the bird. There are times though that the opposite happens. Instead of a present, we get “ashes and switches and bowlegged britches.” For me, it’s the “ole miss a target, so go ahead and miss the next one too.” It’s Mr. Grinch, “You’re a mean one, Mr. Grinch,” showing up and stealing targets, just like presents from the Whos in Whoville. It seems to happen mostly when everything is working well.

Mississippi news: the Fall Classic was held at the Coast Rifle and Pistol Club in Biloxi Oct. 16-19. As usual, it was an excellent shoot in nice, early fall weather with a total of 70 shooters from nine states coming together to enjoy the shoot and the beautiful Mississippi Gulf Coast. Nine events were featured with 1,000 targets over the four days. Along with nice trophies for the warm-up and preliminary events, an outstanding trophy package was provided for the championship events, consisting of 42 silver coins. Each day a continental breakfast and scrumptious lunch were provided for all in attendance. Certainly a good time was had by all.

The Coast Rifle and Pistol Club appreciates all who attended from near and far away. All are invited to next year’s Fall Classic. Keep your calendar clear for mid October, the week after the Crusin’ the Coast classic car event. Information and schedule will be published well in advance.

Fall Classic champions and runnerups: Warm-Up Singles, Michael Beverin, Brooks Barnett. Warm-Up Handicap: Barnett, William Burke. Warm-Up Doubles: Lewis Knack, Barnett. Preliminary Doubles: Jonathan Baker, Knack. Preliminary Handicap: Wade Emerson, Baker. Preliminary Singles: Knack, Barnett. Championship Singles: Baker, Maddox Schulte. Championship Doubles: Baker, Knack. Championship Handicap: Emerson, Tony Kirk. Winners in class and category can be found on shootscoreboard.com.

Congratulations go out to Joy Hollis for shooting her 100,000th target and making Lady II All-American. We are very proud of you, Joy, and know your many friends are also.

Fall is nearly over; the first day of winter comes on Dec. 21. Although doves, deer, ducks and football may slow things down here in the deep South, trapshooting continues with mild temps and sunny days. Come on down and shoot with us; we’ll be glad to see you at Capitol Gun Club in Jackson, Coast Rifle and Pistol Club in Biloxi, Starkville Gun Club and Whitetail Ridge Outdoors in Blue Springs.

Bill Burke

ATA Delegate

South Carolina

Hello from the Palmetto State!

It is with sadness that I report to you the passing of a South Carolina trapshooter, John R. Stillwagon Sr. John passed away Oct. 4 at the age of 82. He began his shooting career in 1971 and has registered targets of 241,150 in the three disciplines combined. John was inducted into the South Carolina Hall of Fame in 1997 and won numerous titles in South Carolina as well as out of state.

South Carolina had 40 shooters attend the 2025 Dixie Grand Oct. 7-10, held at the North Carolina Homegrounds in Bostic. South Carolina had 11 shooters who won trophies as follows: Event 1 singles, Mike Roth, D, 97. Event 2 handicap, Doug Stenback, winner, 98. Event 3 doubles, John Pendergast, C, 93. Event 5 doubles, Garry Welch, D, 91. Event 6 doubles, Kenny Inman, vet runnerup, 96, and Neil Alexander, senior vet runnerup, 96. Event 7 handicap, Welch, senior vet, 90. Event 8 doubles, Pendergast, C, 93. Event 11 Singles Championship, Thomas Campbell, A runnerup, 195; Tom Elbertson Jr., B, 193; Shawn Speakman, sub-vet runnerup, 196; and Gary Olson, senior vet, 196. Event 12 Handicap Championship, Trinity Morris, junior gold, 97, and Olson, senior vet, 96. HAA, Alexander, B, 373, and Roth, D, 357. HOA, Roth, D, 860. Congratulations to you all and thank you for representing South Carolina so well.

Fall is here and our South Carolina clubs are continuing to host Big 50s and 300-bird events and would love for you to participate. Thank you all for your support of our sport.

Hope to see you shooting soon.

Teresa Knight

ATA Delegate

Tennessee

Well, by now the weather is very chilly, and winter is just around the corner. Waterfowl seasons are in full swing, and deer are coming out of the rut. This would be a great time to get out into nature and experience all the grandeur that our creator has provided for us. It’s an awesome time to get outside . . . it’s getting cold, but not too cold. Put on some warm clothes and get out there and enjoy all the splendor of the great outdoors.

Most of us have put away the trap guns for the time being, but here in Tennessee we still have some champions to acknowledge. The Hog Heaven Gun Club had their annual Fall Festival shoot Sept. 18-21, and we had a few Tennessee shooters who took home championship trophies. Several other shooters walked away with class and category accolades, but these guys were the best of the best: Event 2 handicap, James Williams, winner, 96; Event 5 singles, Cade Harvey, winner, 98; Event 8 handicap, Harvey, winner, 97; Event 10 handicap, Levi Biles, winner, 97.

We would also like to call out Mike Burnette with the top HAA score for all Tennessee shooters with 378 and Seth Wolfe, who led all Tennessee contestants with 1,017 in the HOA. Great shooting, guys. Congratulations to everyone who took home a trophy. It’s great to see so many folks shooting and competing this far into the fall. Keep it up.

Well, shooting will take a back seat to other activities as we move deeper into the cold months. What can we do to further our trapshooting abilities? You can always practice those gun mounts. Repetition builds strength, and mounting that gun in the same place every time helps establish that much needed muscle memory. If you have the space, maybe invest in a wall chart. Practice on that baby will certainly help to hone your gun pointing capabilities. Even a little work with the exercise band can tone those muscles and keep you in shape to mount that shotgun 300 times per day come spring shoots.

What else can you do in the off-season to boost your trapshooting prowess? Buy a new gun of course! The downtime in the colder months can be an awesome time to shop for a “new to you” used scattergun, as many times you can find a good deal during the off-season when sellers are motivated to move their products. Or if you really feel froggy, you can dive right in and have that custom gun built to your anatomy and specifications. Taking the plunge in the off-season affords you the opportunity to make that purchase, have the gun built for you, and still be ready to hit the range with your new “custom” unit once the spring shoots commence. Sounds like a plan.

Whatever you do during the upcoming colder months, take care and be safe . . . we’ll be back on the range before you know it.

And remember, the rulebook is your friend. Please read it!

Mark Cantrell

           ATA Delegate

Louisiana

Red Chute held its first shoot of the new target year Sept. 27. A sparse crowd of three participated. Jim Jenkins, Mike Lawler and Sean Taylor enjoyed the nice day.

Oh, what a day was the statement of the day by the participants at Toby Bancroft Memorial Gun Club Oct. 11. Sixteen showed up to enjoy the day. New shooters Morgan Ewing, Alex Eaton and Blaze Steele, along with returning shooter Andrew Ewing, joined us with their families. It’s always nice to have new shooters join us. Our regulars, Donny Sanders, Amie Skipper, Steven Skipper, Brooks Barnett, Doyle Brooks, Lillie Graves, Natalie Brooks, Maddox Schulte, Jaxon Tucker, Caleb Coody and Fred Rogers, were there too. So, what were the results of the beautiful day? Well, our friend Caleb Coody blew everyone away with a 99 in the singles. The closest challenger was Donny Sanders with 96 followed by Andrew Ewing and Jim Jenkins with distant 93s. Andrew Ewing shot his first 25 straight. Coody continued his dominance with a 93 in ’caps with Jenkins not being able to catch him with 91 and Sanders and Brooks Barnett close behind with 90s. But Jenkins was able to overcome in doubles with 94, although with lots of chips, over Coody and Sanders with 90s.

Congratulations to Thomas Smith IV. He attained the AAA-27-AAA award for having a 98.7% average in singles, 27-yard handicap and a 96.57% average in doubles for the 2024-2025 shoot year. He’s the only shooter from Louisiana to have ever received this award.

Louisiana sent quite a few shooters to Mississippi Coast Rifle and Pistol Club’s Fall Classic Oct. 16-19. The Coast hosts a really nice shoot there in D’Iberville. They will be the host of the 2026 Mississippi State Shoot this next May. Those attending were Brooks Barnett, Anderson Bellanger, Dalton Brooks, Natalie Brooks, Avery Dumas, Alex Eaton, Barklay Emmons, Landry Hayes, Mason Hayes, Aiden McCartney, Daniel Peacock, John Pollard, Leo Ragsdale, Brian Richmond, Coran Richmond, Donald Sanders, Maddox Schulte, Amie Skipper and Steven Skipper.

Those who won some bling were: Brooks Barnett, Event 1 Warmup Singles, 97, runnerup; Event 2 Warmup Handicap, 95, winner; Event 3 Warmup Doubles, 93, runnerup; Event 4 Prelim Doubles, 92, C; Event 5 Prelim Handicap, 93, fourth; Event 6 Prelim Singles, 98, runnerup; Event 7 Championship Singles, 188, sub-junior; Event 8 Championship Doubles, 90, sub-junior; Event 9, Championship Handicap, 87, sub-junior; HOA, 933, winner. Dalton Brooks, Event 7 Championship Singles, 181, junior gold; Event 8 Championship Doubles, 91, junior gold. Avery Dumas, Event 7 Championship Singles, 192, junior; Event 8 Championship Doubles, 92, junior. Maddox Schulte, Event 7 Championship Singles, 191, runnerup after shootoff; Event 9 Championship Handicap, 91, junior. Donny Sanders, Event 8 Championship Doubles, 92, senior vet. Steven Skipper, Event 9 Championship Handicap, 87, sixth after shootoff.

As you can see, Brooks Barnett had a heck of a shoot. Congratulations to all the participants and winners.

Merry Christmas and happy New Year to all of you. I hope your shooting is going well and your averages are better than you hoped. I’m personally starting to look forward to all the upcoming shoots, as I make my plans for which I’ll attend. The options are great since there are so many good ones available.

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.

Jim Jenkins

ATA Delegate

Missouri

It’s been a busy month at MTA Gun Club with the Fall Handicap and then the Multi-State Challenge winding up registered shooting this season. For those who made it to both shoots, we saw some of the best weather during the Fall Handicap and some not so good weather for the Multi-State Challenge. Sometimes we just must take the good with the bad and move on.

This year’s Fall Handicap started off with a spike in attendance on the first two days then leveled off for most of the rest of the shoot. The MTA board made some significant changes to the format for the shoot this year, and it seems it may have paid off. With the current trends, having flat attendance is considered a win. The overall attendance this year was up almost 5% over last year’s entries. Did I mention that the weather was probably the best I have ever seen for the entire week? Several great scores were posted during the shoot, with Keith Ditto posting a 100 from the 27-yard line and Steve Maltzan breaking 99 from the 26. There were also a few 98s and 97s recorded in the handicaps throughout the week. Congratulations to junior shooter Colton Schutte on breaking 200 in the Singles Championship and winning the champion trophy, with Keith Ditto taking the runnerup position. In the Doubles Championship, Tyler Marshall took the top trophy with the lone 100, Congrats, Tyler. This year’s handicap champion was Andrew Tilford over Keith Ditto with 98 in the program, Congratulations, Andrew.

A special thank you to Marg Graf of Graf and Sons for your generosity in sponsoring the fish fry on Friday evening. Thanks to all the sponsors and vendors that support MTA; please keep them in mind when considering your next purchase. On behalf of the MTA Board of Directors, management and staff, we want to thank everyone who attended this year’s shoot and look forward to seeing you again next year. Thanks to our manager Chip Stamper and those who helped put on the black light shoot on Friday night; it was well attended.

On to the Multi-State Challenge, which saw three of the four seasons in three days at the MTA. At least we didn’t have any snow. Friday started off where the Fall Handicap left off weather-wise. Saturday, well, that was a different story. A strong system moved in early morning and brought rain with much lightning. A couple of the other locations also had threatening weather, so a decision had to be made. The 11 clubs that made up this shoot decided to make it fair to those who had to alter their program by eliminating the handicap on Saturday and by taking it out of the HOA. There was a total of four clubs that did not shoot the event, while the rest decided to continue to shoot for their club trophies. This shoot is unique, covering a wide area spanning three time zones and stands a strong chance that weather conditions could come into play. In the end everyone worked together to make it fair for those affected by the weather. Congratulations to Riley Kaufman, Singles Championship winner, shooting at Brittany. He posted a 200, along with Collin Hewing and Mason Bartlow, also shooting at Brittany. Our doubles winner was Clinton Phipps, shooting at Pikes Peak, Congrats, Clinton. The handicap winner Scott Obenchain with a near perfect score of 99; he also shot at Pikes Peak. Congratulations, Scott, aka, Mr. Pink. This shoot is gaining some attention, and we have had others asking to join in. One of the big questions that remains to be answered with certainty is what the best time for a shoot like this is, spring or fall?

Hopefully it’s not too long of a winter, and everyone gets a chance to break a few targets now and then during the off-season. Your local gun clubs need your patronage to pay the bills. If anyone has any questions or concerns, I may be reached at 816-863-9003 or at srickett@sbcglobal.net.

Shoot often, shoot well and be safe!

Stephen Ricketts

ATA Southwestern Zone Vice President

Texas

Howdy from Texas!

I hope everyone is having a good holiday season.

The Texas Zone 3 shoot was held on the last weekend in September at Iowa Park Trap Club. The people at Iowa Park always work hard to make everything go smoothly, and this time was no exception. The weather was good, targets were good, and the food and company were even better. Troy Collier won in-zone singles winner with 198, and Pat Stacey took out-of-zone with a perfect 200. They also won the championship doubles, with Troy posting a 95 and Pat a 99. Troy went on to win in-zone Handicap Championship with 94, and Dalton Jennings was out-of-zone high gun with 96. Needless to say, Troy was both in-zone HAA and HOA champion, while Pat Stacey and Dalton took the out-of-zone HAA and HOA wins, respectively.

The Multi-State Challenge just finished up, and there were three locations in Texas: Waco Skeet and Trap, Amarillo Gun Club and El Paso Skeet and Trap Club. Some of the Texas winners were as follows: Event 1 Gipson-Ricketts Preliminary Singles, sub-veteran, Mike Whitaker (Waco), 99. Event 3 Indiana Gun Club/Dead Pair Gear Preliminary Doubles, Lady II, Yanni-Mai Gaddy (Waco), 82; sub-veteran, Whitaker (Waco), 96. Event 4 DuPont Krieghoff Singles Championship: Lady II, Gaddy (Waco), 188; sub-veteran, Darin Clawson (Waco), 199; veteran, Ronny Beard (Waco), 198. Event 6 Remington Championship Doubles, A, Randy Burton (Amarillo), 93. Event 7 Shoot The Moon Handicap Championship, Lady I, Michaela Lefevre (El Paso), 93. Kingen Gun Club HOA, sub-veteran, Billy Hopson (Waco), 657. Kingen Gun Club HAA, Lady I, Lefevre (El Paso), 369; sub-veteran, Hopson (Waco), 377.

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 in Texas. 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 happy New Year! I will see you at the next one. I can be reached at texasatadelegate@gmail.com.

Billy Hopson

ATA Delegate

California

Hello, California shooters. I hope the new target year is kicking off a great year for everyone.

There have been numerous shoots that have taken place over the last two months of the beginning of the target year. Please reference the CGSTA page and go to the calendar to find dates for the shoots. We have had them all over the state with Stockton Gun Club, Redding Gun Club, Redlands club, the Santa Ynez club hosting the Roger Craine Memorial Shoot, Yreka and the Golden State Shooting Center, Kingsburg Gun Club, the Santa Maria shoot, the SLSA Mudslide shoot, and the Kingsburg 400 handicap. These are happening almost weekly. Please check the CGSTA calendar and go find a club where you have never shot before. I am sure I have missed some shoots as well, but if you are not using SOS Clays, please reach out to me and send results, pictures or milestones achieved.

We have had some notable moments at several of these clubs.

Golden State Shooting Center ATA member Ken Harvey achieved his first 100 straight in singles. Congratulations, Ken.

Sunnyvale Gun Club ATA member Ian Wilson attained his 27-yard punch. Congratulations, Ian.

We also had four California shooters make the All-American teams as follows: open second team honors go to Colton Tucker and Chayton Vega. Alice Wiebe has achieved sub-junior second team honors, and Ethan Prescott rounds it out with second team junior gold. Congratulations, that is some hard work.

There are still plenty of wonderful shoots to attend, including the Spring Grand in Tucson.

For results on the above mentioned shoots, those can typically be found on SOS Clays, and larger major shoots can typically be found on shootscoreboard.com.

Chayton Vega

ATA Delegate

Idaho

First of all, I apologize for missing last month’s article. Sometimes time flies by faster than a right-hand target from Post 5, and next thing you know there’s no do-overs.

Second, I’d like to quickly recognize one of our shooters. Once again Scott Abo joined the 20,000-target league for last season. I think this is Scott’s sixth year in a row.

Anyway, our registered shooting season is done here in Idaho. As you read this in your favorite reading chair, Christmas is either a few days ahead or a few days past. Hopefully you received something that will get you a good start in the Camas Prairie shoot coming up in January. It could be shells or long underwear. Both are important in January!

So this month I want to try something different. Occasionally I would like to do a personal profile on randomly picked people in our state. This one is about a man named Casey Stoddard. Casey lives in Osburn, near Wallace, ID. He was shooting trap way back in the 1980s and had a partner he shot with a lot. Both are/were great shooters, and his partner went on to be inducted into the Idaho Trapshooting Hall of Fame. Meanwhile Casey took 20 years off from shooting and dedicated time to his family. During his hiatus he had a daughter named Cari, who subsequently started dating and eventually married a young trapshooter who was becoming recognized as another great shooter from the north. Well, Cari and new son-in-law had a baby boy named Hudson. Casey decided that if his son-in-law was going to teach Hudson to shoot someday, he would like to get back into shooting, so he could shoot with the family. Casey took up the sport again eight years ago with fervor to enable him to shoot with the grandson. He traveled everywhere and quite often shot with the son-in-law. I personally have shot with Casey multiple times, and he has been on the Idaho team several years at the Grand American.

So who are his son-in-law and these people I cryptically mentioned? Well, his shooting partner Darin Williams had a son while he and Casey were shooting, and his name is Grant Williams. About the time Grant was born, Casey took his 20-year sabbatical. Grant later dated and married Cari, and of course Grant was making a name for himself in the shooting world. Baby Hudson inspired Casey to get back in the game.

Casey’s desire to regain his competitive edge has paid off. This year Casey Stoddard made the All-American veteran second team. Congratulations, Casey. We are proud of grandpa! As the famous Paul Harvey would say, “And now you know the rest of the story!”

Son-in-law Grant will be inducted into the Idaho Hall of Fame this year and has been on the State Team for the past umpteenth year. Hudson has just broken his first target.

Now there is Williams and Stoddard blood out there for the rest of us to contend with. Also, Grant’s brother Garrett Williams is starting to shoot occasionally again, and he’s no slouch!

Leonard Wehking

Idaho Delegate

Montana

With the changing of the leaves, trapshooting throughout Montana is also winding down. Reflection on events over the last several weeks provides an opportunity to give a shout-out to the many who rose to the occasion and gave it their all. In August, about a dozen Montana ATA members made the trip to the 2025 Grand American in Sparta. Emi Smith and Gunner Cesnik competed in the Champion of Champions, and Jacob Cesnik (youth shooter for the Billings Young Guns) had a fantastic run. This young man won a Class D trophy (194) in the Clay Target Championship and gained one-and-a-half yards from his performance in the Handicap Championship (97), where he also clenched sub-junior third, plus he claimed D runnerup in the HOA.

In September, the Helena Trap Club hosted the Women’s Shooting Sports Association (WSSA) end of the season Shotgun Sisterhood weekend with a huge turnout of ladies (90+) from all around Montana. Special event speaker and mental trainer Dawn Grant joined in the festivities, sharing her knowledge on focus, the zone and tackling the game.

The Annual Zip Eaton Memorial Shoot returned to the Helena Trap Club over the Labor Day weekend with sunshine in tow. Daryl Shehan and Ted Kronebusch kicked off the long weekend with perfect 100s in the singles. Jeremiah Perkins (junior shooter) was high in the handicap event (98) and doubles (98). On Day 2, Dave Vicevich and Robert Kelley were headliners at the top of the leaderboard (192 each). Chris Cainan and I were high for the singles with perfect scores (100 each). Handicap high scores (97 each) belonged to the trio of Dave Hoback, Douglas Rentz and Kelli Kennedy. Day 3 handicap events placed Tim Jones II high (98) in the first go and August Doherty, Trip Bick and Zach Bachini high (97 each) in the second.

The Missoula Trap Club was the hotspot for the ATA Day weekend west of the divide. Travis Frizzell (Idaho) made the journey and was high in handicap with a perfect 100 followed by another handicap win (98). Macie Schreckendgust (junior shooter for Team 406) scored her first 25 straight and claimed short-yardage (95), while Ryan Fleming (junior shooter for Team 406) was high in singles (197).

Havre hosted their annual Iron Man Fun Shoot in October with two categories offered—Iron Man (No. 25, 16 yard; No. 25, 21 yard; No. 25, 24 yard; No. 25, 27-yard wobble; No. 50, 27-yard doubles) and Captain America (No. 25, 16 yard; No. 25, 21 yard; No. 25, 24 yard; No. 25, 26-yard wobble). Matt Sasaki was crowned the 2025 Iron Man, and Jim Kuka was declared the 2025 Captain America champ.

The 2025 MSTA All-State Team was announced:

First team—captain Seth Duclos, .9316; Emi Smith, .9301; Ryan Miller, .9263; John Brothers, ,9258; Tyler Wagner, .9164. Second team—David Vicevich, .9160; Jeff Wagner, .9153; Don Gibson, .9101; Jesse Perkins, .9098; J.D. Kent, .9090. Categories—Mason Baker, sub-junior, .8704; Ryan Fleming, junior, .9028; Rayelynn Brandl, ladies’, .8775; Greg Knuepel, vet, .8753; William Camus, senior vet, .8750.

High average winners are: Tyler Wagner, singles, .9747; Emi Smith, handicap, .9241; and John Brothers, doubles, .9524. Congrats to all!

Registered target season is officially over in Montana, though winter trap games are just beginning. You can bet everyone is looking forward to meat shoots, cosmic nights and leagues to carry us all through until spring.

Andrew Kelly

ATA Delegate

 

Nevada

At this writing, shooters from Nevada and across the country are anxiously awaiting the 77th Nevada state trapshooting tournament. The Nevada State Shoot was held Oct. 27-Nov. 2 at Clark County Shooting Complex (CCSC) in Las Vegas. As of late September, with a full month to go until the first day’s national anthem is played, there are more than 1,000 shooters pre-squadded in total for the three championship events, and more coming in every day. The shoot offered 1,500 registered ATA targets, All-American points and resident/non-resident trophies in every event. In addition, hundreds of ounces of silver were won by all levels of shooters throughout the state tournament. Free lunches, free dinners, shooter special event, and 400 ounces of silver to the Handicap Championship winner were just a few of the things happening at the state shoot. The events didn’t end with the day’s registered shooting. A full agenda of afternoon and evening activities were just getting started when the program events concluded each day. There were poker tournaments, bingo tournaments, cosmic trapshooting and shooter games, along with free dinners and beverages. View the complete program for the schedule and details at nvtrap.com.

Leading up to the state shoot, Sept. 5 began the Nevada fall trapshooting schedule in earnest with the First Sunday Social Shoot.

Thirty-nine shooters enjoyed perfect autumn weather at CCSC for the Sept. 7 First Sunday shoot. Always competitive shooter, Jon Slinker, broke 48 to win the handicap. Dale Erickson and Jeff White were second with 47s. Terry Barkey, Slinker and Melvin Tabion were all perfect with 50 straight in the singles event. Wayne Nelson and Gary Rusch won the doubles with 46 apiece. The First Sunday Social shoot is designed to be a place where new shooters can get valuable experience without undue pressure. For example, new ATA member Dillon Le Clercq is a fine new shooter who is learning the game quickly and who has participated in the last two First Sunday shoots. Dillon is one of more than 60 Nevada youngsters competing in the After School Trap League at CCSC. The After School Trap League is organized and managed by shooting complex director Steve Carmichael. Many of these young shooters from the After School Trap League, as well as the long established youth shooting program, the Nevada State Claybreakers, are getting involved in the ATA and NSTA shoots as they learn the game.

Next on the month’s agenda, the Nevada State Trapshooting Association Fall Handicap was held at Clark County Shooting Complex Sept. 14-15 and drew over 40 participants. Shooters shot up to 500 handicap targets during the two-day tournament. Winners were: Event 1, Murray Dominguez, 98; Event 2, James Eichler, 97; Event 3, James Schooler, 97; Event 4, Mark McDowell, 97; Event 5, Schooler, 97. A great lunch was provided by Roadkill Grill. Many thanks to White for making the contact and arrangements.

Finishing off the month’s tournaments, the NSTA Race for the Buckle Big 50 was held Sept. 27 at CCSC. Fifty-two shooters competed for the coveted Buckle Race points. Jack Wang won the HAA with 146. Danny Talbot was second with 140. Breaking all 50 singles were Stephen Bell, Merle Acampora, White, Slinker, Ken James, Wang and Jerry Harms. Wang broke 48 to win the handicap. Danny Talbot, Leila Tabion and Mike Dame were second with 47s. The doubles was contested under dark skies with a swirling south wind. Wang won again with 48. Gary Rusch and Dale Erickson were second with 46s. Many shooters lingered after the events to enjoy the camaraderie. The Race for the Buckle will conclude with the December 2025 Big 50 to be held at the Clark County Shooting Complex.

Until then, let’s remember that it is a game. Have fun out there!

           Danny Talbot

           ATA Delegate

Washington

Holiday greetings from the WSTA. I hope this finds you well and able to enjoy the season with family and friends. Maybe many of you have spent your recreational time by filling your freezers with game from the fall hunting season and various meat shoots in the region this time of year. I’ve seen some photos of your hunting harvests, and I congratulate you for your successful endeavors. We are also preparing for spring and some ATA targets. Maybe it’s just me, but the years are getting shorter, a product of the aging process, I suppose.

The WSTA directors meeting has been held, and details are being put together for the next state shoot as well as the rest of the tournaments in Washington in 2026. As always, I remind you to contact our secretary Erin Bauer to help with adding dates and shoots at your clubs. We encourage all clubs to put targets in the air and each of you to try shooting at a club you haven’t visited before. If nothing else, I can promise you’ll make more friends and have a great lunch. I will try to have details of the WSTA plans for the coming year included in an upcoming issue.

Several months ago we were saddened by the loss of Pat Lane. Pat and her husband Duane were known all over the Northwest during their years traveling from one shoot to the next. Duane was a formidable shooter, and Pat was always there with him. Duane passed several years ago, and shortly after that I was able to talk to Pat about the book she authored, “Trapshooters, or I Had a Fly on My Barrel.”

In the late 1970s Pat had an idea while on their way home from a weekend shoot. The vision she had was to interview shooters, get to know them better and inform the trap community about their life stories and shooting history. After several years of visiting, taking photographs and writing, the book was published in 1983. I had the privilege to know some of these folks before my trapshooting career started, and others after I started making the rounds in our sport. My family farmed across the fence from Elmer Morlan, one of Pat’s subjects for the book. Others I got to know from doing just what Pat did, visiting in the clubhouse or at the gun rest rack while on deck for the next trap. The book and the stories point out the various backgrounds we come from with one common theme, that all were hardworking, generous folk who loved the great sport of trapshooting. A reccurring sentiment expressed by many of those showcased was this, it’s the people that keep us on the circuit. Shooters encouraging and helping others has been common practice ever since this game started. We may forget about some of the trophies stashed away to make room in the house, but it seems the friends and stories are never forgotten. Just listen as you arrive at your next shoot, and you’ll see what I mean.

I have access to several copies of this good read. I might be able to get you your own copy if you are interested. I know it will make for some great conversation when we meet at the club next. Having some of this history printed and bound between the covers of “Trapshooters or I Had a Fly on My Barrel” is a true blessing.

Rest in peace, Pat.

Shoot straight and keep your powder dry.

Sean Lewis

WSTA Director