Atlantic Provinces

Hello from the Atlantic Provinces.

To all gun club managers, if you haven’t already done so, it’s time to start planning for the upcoming trapshooting season. To register your ATA shoot dates, submit an ATA Registered Shoot Application to the Atlantic Provinces secretary, Janaya Nickerson, for approval. The application is available on www.shootata.com.

If you’re considering attending a regional Canadian or the national shoot, here are some shoots to consider.

The Canadian Trapshooting Championships will be held at the Hamilton Gun Club located near Stoney Creek, ON, June 26-29. A warm-up shoot is tentatively planned for June 25. Visit shootcanada.ca for complete shoot details.

The Ontario ATA Provincial Shoot starts two days after the Canadian Championships on July 1 and runs to July 6 at the St. Thomas Gun Club, located near London, ON. Hamilton and London are about 150km apart so not much extra travel is needed to attend both if you have the time and are interested in shooting at two of the top facilities in Canada.

The St. Thomas Gun Club will also be one of the venues for the ATA Eastern Zone Shoot, which is being held in a satellite shoot format this year July 17-20. The other host club is the PSSA Homegrounds in Elysburg, PA. Visit the Ontario Provincial Trapshooting Association webpage (ontariotrap.com) for more information on their shoots.

The Québec ATA Provincial Shoot is scheduled for July 25-27 at the Club de Tir de Valleyfield located near Saint-Stanislas-de-Kostka, QU. Visit the Québec Provincial Trapshooting Association at atvq.com for shoot details.

And to wrap up the 2025 target year, our Atlantic Provinces ATA Provincial Shoot returns to the Highland Gun Club near Yarmouth, NS, Aug. 28-31. A warm-up shoot will also be held Aug. 27. Stay tuned to the Atlantic Provinces Trapshooting Association webpage for more details.

Dates for the ATA Grand, the Satellite Grands, and the Zone Shoots are available on www.shootata.com and in Shoot Directory. Those shoots have been some of my most memorable stateside—especially the 2013 Grand. Unfortunately the current exchange rate of 40% makes it much more expensive for Canadians to attend shoots in the U.S. However, if you are able to attend a shoot stateside, you need to apply for your ATF Form 6 NIA. The form has been updated, so make sure you submit the latest version.

Good luck in 2025.

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

New York

Hello from New York. I hope everyone is doing well. I hope everyone had a happy holiday season and a happy New Year. I know that I did.

I am sorry to say that New York has lost another shooter, and I have lost a good friend. Joe Benoit of Rome passed away Oct. 21 at the age of 79. Joe began registering targets in 1974. During his career, he registered 253,700 singles, 175,500 handicap and 158,850 doubles targets. Joe was a member of the prestigious 500,000 registered target club of the ATA. He was standing on the 25-yard line. He was also a past member of the board of directors of the New York State ATA. Joe always had a smile on his face and loved to kid everyone. I shot many times with him at the Grand American when it was held in Vandalia, OH. Joe’s wife Nancy is also a good friend, and she is a member of the New York State ATA Hall of Fame. The board of directors of the New York State ATA wish to express our deepest sympathies to Nancy and Joe’s entire family on his passing. He will be missed by all of us.

Congratulations to New York State ATA eastern zone Vice President Sal Schiavo for running his first 100 straight in singles on Oct. 13 at Mt. Pleasant Sportsman’s Club. Good going, Sal, and nice shooting.

The high averages and the New York State Teams were announced for the 2024 target year. Dan Fadden was the high singles shooter with a .9844 average. Jenna Euscher was the high ladies’ singles shooter with .9718. Andrew Goodwin was the high handicap shooter with .9038. Finally Josh Buchiere was the high doubles shooter with .9257. Congratulations, everyone, and well done.

The High Average Teams include: Men’s first—Dan Fadden, .9262; James Flint, .9169; Chad Landon, .9070; Josh Buchiere, .9005; Gary Hoysradt, .8985. Men’s second—Edwin Johnson, .8952; David McMasters, .8946; Thomas Walter Jr., .8938; Mark Johnson, .8935; Vincent Barranco, .8902. Men’s third (honorable mention)—Dennis Bobbette, .8889; Martin Gawron, .8840; Brian Luther, .8828; Joe Regan, .8684; Kenneth Woodworth, .8656. Women’s—Heidi Womer, .9020; Jenna Euscher, .8850; Tammy Wildenstein, .8519; Becki Reitz, .8412; Debbie Lineman, .8274. Sub-junior/junior—Andrew Goodwin, .8840; Alex Tucker, .8755. Veteran/senior veteran first—Bob Edwards, .9257; Urban Womer, .9219; Dave Cichelli, .8960; Don Alderson, .8937; Keith Miranda, .8918. Veteran/senior veteran second—William Wallis, .8778; Michael Waschitz, .8834; Joe Morsch, .8501; Randy Lineman, .8467; Jim Woodhams, .8447.

Congratulations to all team members on a job well done. Continued success with your fine shooting.

Please stay safe and warm during the winter season. Please drive carefully when driving on the winter roads.

If you are traveling down south or out west for the winter season, please proceed carefully and safely. Enjoy yourself.

Anyone who wishes to have something written in one of these articles, please feel free to contact me at 585-519-9543 or 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.

When this article appears in Trap & Field Magazine, it will be a new calendar year (the target year started on Sept. 1, 2024). Winter leagues are midseason, and I want to remind our shooters and clubs that for a one-time fee, all league targets can be registered at the end of the league. These targets don’t impact on your average but only on adding to your overall target attainment. I estimate that only 10 to 15% of league shooters shoot ATA registered targets. It would be nice to get more target shooters engaged.

When I take a cross-section of our Ontario shooters, the vast majority are category shooters, and there are predominantly senior vets, vets and sub-vets followed by ladies (I and II) and finally a few are in one of the junior categories (junior gold, junior, sub-junior). There are an increasing number of our shooters who are retired from their jobs/careers. Trapshooting is a large part of their lives, and this keeps them active, mentally alert and focused—especially those who have a competitive spirit. These recreational trapshooters enjoy the sport but resist registering their targets because they see no personal benefit. We continue to welcome them into the ranks of registered trapshooting, but they need personal motivation.

And now I come to the challenge of exercise. Everybody, especially retirees, need regular exercise. It is amazing how muscle atrophy can set in when muscles are not regularly used. During the intensive shooting season when you shoot several times a week and especially when you shoot tournaments of 200 to 300 targets per day, the muscle tone eventually comes back, but it may take a while, and scores suffer in the interim. That is why many trapshooters, especially older ones, join exercise clubs, gyms, walk dogs, etc. Even walking helps a lot.

Personally I used to be very active in sports—soccer, hockey, baseball, fishing, hunting, and the list goes on. COVID changed things for many, including myself. It became difficult to play sports because of distance separation, etc. so I spent almost all of my time working (as a lawyer). A sedentary lifestyle became a problem and makes it increasingly difficult to re-engage in active exercise.

So I am trying to walk several times a week, and my Australian Sheppard, Lexie, is my eager trail companion. The walking trails in and around Collingwood are spectacular. For me, it helps if I have an understanding of the amazing things that nature has provided, which most (including me) would simply take for granted or not pay any attention to. I have included two photographs that I recently took while walking on one of the trails. The first photograph is what looks like a large boulder, which meant very little to me until a nearby sign explained what it was all about. I never knew much about glacial debris, but this boulder is what is called a “glacial erratic”. Eighty thousand years ago, glacial ice covered what we now know as Canada and as far down as New York City and Boston. Then it started to melt and left large quantities of boulders, sand, rock and cobble (glacial till). The melting water formed the basis of the Great Lakes. Many of you in Ontario, other provinces and in the northern states may already be aware of this phenomenon. I sent this information to my son Drew, who lives in Calgary, AB. He regularly practices trap at the Calgary Gun Club, which is minutes away from Okotoks, AB, where there is a huge glacial erratic “Big Rock”. Garry Hill, longtime member of our ATA Central Handicap Committee, lives in Okotoks.

In trapshooting one fundamental principle is to stay focused and be cognizant of surroundings (direction of wind, distractions, etc.). I guess the same principle can be applied to walking, running and bicycling as well.

Get lots of off-season exercise, so you can be better prepared for the start of the competitive trapshooting season.

Paul Shaw

ATA Delegate

Pennsylvania

Happy New Year! Even though we are at the beginning of the 2025 calendar year, the target year is already a third of the way completed. I’d like to start the year off with recognizing our 22 members of the ATA All-American Team. Leading our Pennsylvania shotgunners were Deborah Ohye-Neilson, captain of the Lady II team (26th time as a team captain) and Ian Darroch, finishing third overall on the open team. Our first team members include Nicole Hood, Lady I; Marcy Plunkett, Lady II; Tucker Nystrom, sub-junior; Joseph Breck IV, junior; and Sheldon Hostetter, senior vet. Second team members are Chris Vendel and Brandon Deal, open; Bethany Breighner, Katelynn Decker, Caitline Bonser and Clare Schaffer, Lady I; Donna Natcher, Lady II; Leonidas Neifert, sub-junior; Brandon Hood, junior; Eugene Leoni Jr., sub-veteran; and Kenneth Darroch, Frank Pascoe, Richard Milbert, William Natcher and Steven Miller, senior vet. Congratulations to all for an outstanding and consistent year.

Our Pennsylvania State Teams have been finalized as well, with Ian Darroch holding down the high combined average in the state with a .9703 composite average, leading to his being named captain of the open team. Ian also had the high men’s averages in handicap with .9514 and doubles with .9678. Singles machine, Brandon Deal, led the state with a .9928 singles average. Ladies’ high average winners were Deborah Ohye-Neilson with .9809 in singles, Katelynn Decker with .8926 in handicap, and Nicole Hood with .9419 in doubles. Deborah also had the high composite average of .9307 to claim the ladies’ team captain title. Captains of our other teams were Joseph Breck IV, .9272, junior/sub-junior; Ken Darroch, .9318, veteran; and Sheldon Hostetter, .9169, senior vet. Congratulations to all of our high average leaders, team captains and team members. To see the full list of State Team members, visit the PSSA website at www.pssashotgunning.org.

Target numbers have been released by the ATA for all clubs for the 2024 target year. There were 721 clubs in the U.S. that registered targets during 2024, and the PSSA finished with the third highest total with 1,943,400 registered targets thrown. Only the World Shooting and Recreational Complex and the Cardinal Center threw more targets. As a state, Pennsylvania had 54 clubs registering targets with a total of 3,439,375. Only three states had more than three million targets, with the other two being Illinois and Ohio. Of our 54 clubs, we had eight clubs throwing more than 50,000 targets and two more than 100,000. Leading the number of targets thrown was Bradford Gun Club with 165,450, while North End Rod & Gun Club ended with 110,425. The other clubs with over 50,000 were Valley Gun & Country Club, 83,700; North Side Sportsmens Association, 80,300; Greater Jackson Township Sportsmens Association, 77,900; Bedford County Sportsmens Club, 72,300; Ruffsdale Gun Club, 54,600; and Glen Rock Shooting Club, 52,200. Congratulations to all of the above clubs as well as all of the clubs and volunteers who turn out every week to support our target shooting at all of our clubs in the state. I’ve been to several clubs in the state this past year, and the teamwork from all of the members and volunteers has been a tremendous attribute in making all of our clubs successful. The endeavors of these volunteers stretch much farther than just the shoots themselves, as they range from ground and building maintenance, non-registered shoots, leagues, practice, social activities, kitchens and so much more. I personally appreciate all of the efforts put forth from so many and the welcoming atmospheres at all of the clubs I had the opportunity to visit this past year. Hopefully I’ll be able to visit even more in 2025.

Some changes will be taking place at the PSSA this coming year in regards to shoot dates. This will be the lineup for PSSA shoots in 2025: Keystone Open, May 16-18; Colonial Classic/Pennsylvania State Shoot, June 7-15; Pennsylvania Grand, July 4-6; ATA Eastern Zone, July 17-20; PSSA Summer Championships, Aug. 15-17; and Westy Hogans, Sept. 19-21.

The Westy Hogans will be a trial shoot in September, as everyone is aware of the labor situation that is present after the beginning of the school year. We have had several shooters indicate that they are willing to score a few rounds and/or load traps in order to have the Westy back in September. We will be relying on that willingness to have the shoot in September. If we have enough willingness, the idea is that help should not be required for more than three to five rounds per event. Again, this will be a trial as to whether we keep it in September for future years. More details will be posted on the PSSA website.

There are several other activities that will be taking place during the shoots and prior to shoots that are still in development. As those items come to fruition, updates will also be posted on the PSSA website.

Finally I would like to recognize Brian Zick of Hallstead on two milestone accomplishments. At the end of September, Brian made the 27-yard line while shooting at Silver Lake. The following week, while shooting at his home club of Hallstead-Great Bend, Brian attained his 25,000th registered handicap target. Congratulations, Brian, and best of luck on your next 25,000.

Steve Ross

ATA Alternate Delegate

Alabama

Happy New Year!

In the South, trapshooting has slowed down for the winter months. There are still shoots going on at some of the local clubs, so if you can, please support them. Also now is a good time to do some maintenance work, if needed, on your shotgun, shooting bag, glasses, etc.

Mark your calendar for the Southern Grand at the Silver Dollar March 9-16.

Joke of the month: A man was sitting on a bench outside a department store waiting for his wife. As he sat there, he was looking at a picture of a car on his phone, and he was crying.

When his wife came out of the store, she walked up to him, looked at him and asked, “Why are you crying?”

He showed her the phone and asked, “Do you remember this car?” She replied, “Yes, I do.”

He then asked her, “Do you remember the night your father, the judge, caught us in the backseat of the car?”

With a slight grin, she replied, “Yes.”

He then asked, ”Do you remember when he stuck that double barrel shotgun in the back window and pressed it against my head and said, “Boy, you’ve got two choices, you can marry my daughter, or you can go to prison for 20 years!”

Confused, she looked at him and said, “Yes, I do, but why are you crying?”

He replied, “I would have gotten out of prison today!”

Word of the month: Everwhichaways: To be scattered in all directions. “You should have been there when the train hit that chicken truck. Them chickens flew everywhichaways.”

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!

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.

The shooting season is upon us. We just completed National Trapshooting Day (and month), Cancer shoots (Shoot for the Cure and Cancer fundraiser for the Advent Health Care Foundation) and the FTA Fall Championship (see shootscoreboard.com for results). And survived two major hurricanes! All of the above shoots outperformed last year’s shoots in attendance and money raised. I have never seen such unity between fellow shooters. The FTA completed their summer singles league and has started a fall handicap league. See FloridaTrap.com for winners. On that same line, Chuluota, Flagler, NAS Jax, Palatka and Volusia Gun Clubs squared off with a Gun Club League. It appears that NAS Jax is leading with five points with Volusia in second with two points. I’ll keep you posted on this one.

ATA attainment awards and honorable mentions: 27-yard recognition, Larry Crismond and Lew Carns; 100K singles, Jake Jacobs; 25K handicap, Lorrie Bumsted Valois; first 25 straight, Charlie Nelson, Victor Fluxa, Luke Garvey and Jack Scudder (Jack’s 25 was in handicap); and 100 straight, Dax DeMena, Jake Hooper and Lew Carns.

A special shout-out goes to Jack Krouskroup and Don Kerce for their recruiting efforts. Jack, among other things, is responsible for team “Flagler Fillies” (Pamela Adams, Eileen McNamee, Marian Stone, Sandy Hunsuckle and Nina Loper). Don Kerce for all of the new AIM shooters. With efforts like theirs, the future of trapshooting looks bright.

ATA Rule of the Month:

Section IV, J. 18. While not prohibited, the practice of resting the muzzle of a shotgun on a shooter’s toe is not advised and discouraged. At no time shall the muzzle of a gun be rested on a shooter’s toe or ground while the action is closed.

Mike Reynolds

ATA Delegate

Kentucky

Kentucky shooters have continued to perform well at various shoots across the country over the last month. At the Nevada State Shoot, Dwayne Wilson and Herbert Lewis shot well, winning several trophies. In the Singles Championship, Herbert Lewis carded a perfect 200, giving him non-resident AAA honors, while Dwayne Wilson’s 199 landed him the non-resident sub-veteran trophy. At the Autumn Grand, Aaron Willoughby capped off a strong week with a 96 in the Handicap Championship that earned him runnerup honors.

The dead of winter is the perfect time to plan out shoots for the upcoming target year. Once again the 2025 Kentucky State Shoot will be held July 2-6 at Central Kentucky Gun Club in Berea. More information about the state shoot can be found at kytrap.com. The 2025 Southern Zone Shoot will be July 18-20 with telephonic sites, including Central Kentucky Gun Club, Coast Rifle & Pistol Club and Silver Dollar Shooters Club. We hope to see everyone at these tournaments and many others in the coming months.

Good luck and safe travels to all in the coming weeks.

Jack Holland

           ATA Delegate

Mississippi

If you look for it hard enough, there is a moral to every story. I am not a psychologist, never had a lesson, but I think you can see at least a couple of profound lessons in the following story:

There I was, sitting at the bar staring at my drink, when a large, trouble-making biker stepped up next to me. He grabbed my drink and gulped it down in one swig. “Well, whatcha gonna do about it?” he said menacingly. I burst into tears. “Come on, man,” the biker said. “I didn’t think you’d cry. I can’t stand to see a man crying.” “This is the worst day of my life,” I said. “I’m a complete failure. I was late to a meeting, and my boss fired me. When I went to the parking lot, I found my car had been stolen—and I don’t even have insurance. I left my wallet in the cab I took home. I found my wife with another man, and then my dog bit me. So I came to this bar to work up the courage to put an end to it all. I bought a drink, dropped a poison capsule in it, and was sitting here watching the poison dissolve. Then you show up and drink the whole thing! But enough about me,” I said, wiping my tears. “How’s your day going?”

Look at that again, both from the biker’s standpoint and the drinker’s standpoint. I will leave you with it.

The calendar has cranked over to a new year. Wow, how fast time flies these days. It seems only a few days ago we were finishing up our state shoot, and then “pop” and we were off to the Grand and “snap, crackle” and it was Christmas. Time stands still for no one, but, boy, I sure wish it would slow down a little. We have been in the 2025 target year for four months, and now we are rolling into the 2025 calendar year. I hope everyone is staying well and registering targets as you can.

The winter months are difficult on our Mississippi shooters, the same is true for other mid-south states. While the weather may be snowier and colder in other regions, it is not wetter or wetter/colder/wetter/windier/wetter than here.

Don’t wait until the last minute to try to build targets to avoid penalty. I know the Mississippi State Shoot target count to avoid penalty will be the same as last year: 1,000 singles, 500 doubles or 1,000 handicap targets in the current and previous target years combined. We are very lenient for target numbers, and thus all shooters should make it if they get out and hustle a little. Get on out there and support your local clubs and build your target counts in the process. If you look around, there are several excellent places to shoot ATA targets in Mississippi. Capitol Gun Club in central Mississippi, Starkville Gun Club and Whitetail Ridge in northeast Mississippi and Coast Rifle and Pistol Club in south Mississippi all have monthly trapshoots set on the ATA calendar. Visit the ATA site for dates and programs.

Again I am going to remind you about equipment maintenance. Do not put off any needed adjustments, additions, repairs and/or cleaning your guns and equipment may need. Do not wait until just before important shooting events to catch up on preventative maintenance, cleaning and lubrication. Having things ready will generally result in a more harmonious outcome.

The 2025 Mississippi State Trapshoot will be May 22-25 at Capitol Gun Club, located between Jackson and Clinton. Preparation of the program has started, and shoot plans are being made. Please make plans to attend and support the shoot and the efforts of those working to put this all together.

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 am once again excited to recognize shooting achievements in our South Carolina information. The first is for William (Bill) Patterson, 25,000 singles targets shot. Bill began shooting in 2016, and his home club is Horry Chapter Wildlife Action Gun Club in Galivants Ferry. Our second shooter is Trinity Morris for her shooting recognition on the 2025 AIM All-State South Carolina Junior Team High Singles Averages. Trinity’s singles average for 2024 was .9240. Trinity began shooting in 2020 and shoots primarily out of Mid-Carolina Gun Club in Orangeburg and Partridge Creek Gun Club outside of Charleston. Congratulations, Bill and Trinity, on these achievements.

Another shooter I would like to recognize for a personal achievement is Dave Vosseller, who also shoots out of Partridge Creek Gun Club. On Nov. 16, while competing at Mid-Carolina Gun Club, Dave shot his first registered 25 straight in the singles event. He then followed that accomplishment up with his first registered 25 straight in the handicap event. Congratulations, Dave, on a day of great shooting and one to certainly remember.

We had two South Carolina shooters, Garry Welch and John Pendergast, who traveled to the Dixie Trap & Gun Club in Mathews, AL, for the 2024 Fred Jensen Rebel Yell Oct. 26-27. Both shooters came back to the Palmetto State with trophies: Garry won veteran trophies for Event 2 Preliminary Handicap and events 4 and 5, combined 200 handicap targets, and John won Class C doubles in Event 3.

The South Carolina Trapshooters’ Association has announced the dates for our Hall of Fame Shoot, April 5-6 at the Greenville Gun Club, and our state shoot, April 30-May 4 at the North Carolina Homegrounds. We hope you will consider these two shoots for your shooting season, and we look forward to seeing you there.

I hope you all have a wonderful 2024-2025 shooting season, and thank you all for your support of our sport.

Hope to see you shooting soon.

Teresa Knight

ATA Delegate

Tennessee

Welcome to 2025. I hope everyone had a merry Christmas and a happy New Year.

I’m proud to announce the 2025 Tennessee All State Team, based on 2024 composite averages: Robert Smith, .9631; Mitchel Loveless, .9623; Caleb Clayton, .9601; Colby Lancaster, .9535; Brady Duren, .9486; Jacob Duren, .9410; Hallie Jacobs, .9341; Richie Bolin, .9300; Clint Parson, .9241; Hunter McCoy, .9241. Categories: open, Benjamin Bradley .8580; Lady I, Mikayla Dickson, .9115; Lady II, Kathryn Cooper, .7813; sub-junior, Alexander Gannon, .9271; junior first, Drew Hoekstra, .9162; junior second, Trevor Lance, .9073; junior third, Casen Stewart, .8907; junior gold first, Colton Phillips, .9395; junior gold second, Heath Whitney, .9267; sub-vet, Rick Sweeney, .9237; veteran, Mike Burnette, .9227; senior vet, Walter Kern, .9079.

Read the rulebook, please.

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

Billy Cook

ATA Ex-Officio

Louisiana

There’s not much to report on, shooting-wise, due to very small crowds and shoot rainouts.

I hope everyone had a great holiday season. Happy New Year to all! It’s time to start looking forward to this new year’s shoots. They’ll be starting in earnest before we know it. Get your equipment cleaned up, tuned up and ready to go.

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

Jim Jenkins

ATA Delegate

Missouri

Merry Christmas and happy New Year to everyone. I hope you met or exceeded at least some of the goals you set in 2024 and now on to 2025. As I write this report, Thanksgiving is still in the rearview mirror. While we all may not agree on political issues as citizens of the United States, we have so much to be thankful for. For instance, how many countries around the world can enjoy shooting sports and hunting as we do here in the U.S.? I am also thankful for all the friends I have made around the country because of my travels related to clay target shooting, as I am sure that a lot of you have as well. I also want to take this opportunity to thank all the gun club management and staff for all the hours you put in so that we, the shooters, can enjoy the sport of clay target shooting. So many of the smaller clubs are all volunteer help and receive no compensation for their hard work. Please give them a kind thank you for all they do the next time you see them.

Since I missed my report last month, I am now playing catch up. It’s that time of the year to recognize shooters who have attained some of their goals, such as making All-American Teams, the best of the best in the ATA. On behalf of the MTA Board of Directors, I want to congratulate the following Missouri shooters who were selected for the ATA All-American Teams: open first, Zachari Nannini; open second, Patrick Hopson; Lady I first, Anna Rawe; Lady I second, Hanna Hopson; sub-junior second, Grady Fallert; junior first, Andrew Herbig; junior second, Charlie Stone; junior gold first, Jordan Ziercher; junior gold second, Wyatt Newby and Ian Kutilek; sub-veteran first, David Deitch; sub-veteran second, Marvin Beumer; veteran second, Steven J. Fuller and James K. Frost; senior vet first, Gary Gooch; chairshooter, Ziggy Tkaczenko, captain.

On the state level, the results are in for the 2025 Missouri state teams. Again, on behalf of the MTA BOD, I would like to congratulate the following shooters who made the teams:

Men’s—captain Zachari Nannini, Patrick Hopson, Curtis Biggerstaff, Justin Ballantyne, Habe Darr. Ladies’—captain Hannah Hopson, Marin McKinney, Anna Rawe, Millicent LaBoube, McKenzie Albers. Sub-junior—captain Grady Fallert, Grayson Bradshaw, Levi Carden, Adrec Keeteman, Keeton Johnson. Junior—captain Thomas Burton, Andrew Herbig, Charlie Stone, Derick Gerding, Braden Elbert. Junior gold—captain Jordan Ziercher, Wyatt Newby, Ian Kutilek. Sub-vet—captain David Deitch, Marvin Beumer, Michael Brown, Richard Thompson, Steven Charles. Veteran—captain David Hull, James Frost, Steven J. Fuller, Rick Fuller, Bob Glatz. Senior vet—captain Gary Gooch, G. Runyon, Jack Morris, David Smith, Troy Ellis. Chairshooter—captain Ziggy Tkaczenko.

While registered shooting is pretty much over until next spring, there are still clubs around the state that host fun shoots, derbies or just plain old practice shooting. Now more than ever, all of these clubs need your support. Most of the clubs are throwing fewer targets each year. Let’s face it, targets in the air are what keep the doors open at these facilities. You don’t miss what you have until it’s gone. While KCTA is not gone, just shut down from the tornado damage, this year has been very difficult to get in some shooting between the registered shoots; that’s my excuse for this year, lol. While it looks like most of the hurdles may be behind KCTA, it still may be a while before the clubhouse is rebuilt and the facility once again has targets in the air. If you have not been thanked for the donations that have been made to aid in the rebuilding of the clubhouse, I personally want to extend a thank you for doing so. As I said earlier, most all gun clubs rely on the support of the shooters to stay afloat.

NKJV 1 Thessalonians 4:16—Rejoice always, 17 pray without ceasing, 18 in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

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!

I hope everyone had a merry Christmas and a happy New Year.

I want to start off by recognizing Tim Nester, who made a monetary donation to the Amarillo Gun Club. Mr. Nester has been shooting for more than 20 years and has recently begun taking lessons from Trapshooting Hall of Famer Britt Robinson. He is retired and wanted to contribute to the Amarillo Gun Club to improve the trap program and the state and zone shoots. The gun club was formed in 1905 and is now in its third location. The current location was acquired in 1954 and needs several updates. I mention him in this article because I want him to know how much everyone appreciates his donation. I also understand that he is a veteran, so thank him for his service.

I want to mention Percy Caraballo from New York. He came down to Texas and attended several shoots, including Old San Antonio Gun Club, Ft. Worth Trap and Skeet, and El Paso Trap and Skeet. From there I believe he attended the Autumn Grand, so he has been on the go. We really appreciate him coming to Texas and shooting with us, and I really enjoyed visiting with him at El Paso.

The Texas Zone II shoot held in El Paso went off smoothly. The targets were good, and the food there is some of the best you will find. Thanks to Richard Leos and everyone else at El Paso Trap and Skeet for their hard work; they never disappoint.

Texas was also well represented at the 2024 Autumn Grand with the third most attendance of any state behind Arizona and California. Congratulations to all the winners and especially to the 2024 Autumn Grand handicap champion, J. R. Long, with a 96 and also to Jake Hamm, who had his first 100 in doubles. Several other Texas shooters had strong showings. For a complete list of the winners, please visit our website listed below. Yaani-Mai Gaddy has been doing a fantastic job of keeping the website updated and recognizing everyone who won trophies.

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 include 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 will be glad to help.

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

Billy Hopson

ATA Delegate

Idaho

Well, I’ll start off with some sad news.

Charles Randle, a longtime Idaho shooter and a member of our state Hall of Fame passed away Dec. 3. He was 94. He was inducted into our state Hall of Fame in 2018. My records show he was shooting registered targets as early as 1958 and had amassed well over a quarter of a million targets! During his career he made the ATA All-American second team and the Idaho first and second team numerous times. Some of his contributions to the sport include helping new and youth shooters. He donated guns and shells to many of the youths as well as trap machines and voice calls to various clubs in Washington. He exemplifies some of the people that make our sport great.

You can find his obituary at www.shortsfuneralchapel.com/obituaries/charles-randle.

This month I’d like to write another biography about a longtime shooter who has shot registered targets all over the state for 60+ years. Many of you know Guy Johnson, who started shooting in Lewiston as a youth, and he now resides in Boise. He still acts like a youngster! He remembers the first time he ever shot at a target. He remembers it because he was nine years old and hit nine targets. He really enjoyed it, so his father bought him his first trap gun (a Model 31 Remington) when he was 13, and he paid back the $175 it cost by mowing lawns and hand setting traps.

His first registered shoot was the famous Camas Prairie Shoot in 1965. He won the sub-junior singles trophy with 173, shooting that same Remington which he still has today.

Trapshooting has been a big part of the Johnson family for four generations. The Father’s Day Shoot at Nez Perce has been one of the annual Johnson family participations since 1965. It is so steeped in family tradition, that his son flies in from Arizona every year to compete for the parent-child trophy.

Guy has won at least five category state singles championships. He says he might have more except he often had the “one target” syndrome, losing by one either in the main event or one in the shootoff.

One story I like of Guy’s was in a singles marathon he had a 200 straight (his first), and on his next hundred he had a “blooper,” with the wad clearing the barrel, giving him a lost target for a 99. Thus he missed a 300 straight while watching the shot dribble out of his barrel and the wad landing a few feet in front of him.

Guy is well known for his “bent barrel” trap gun. It’s an 870 Wing Master with a 34-inch barrel that has an obvious bend to make it shoot higher. Anyone standing 20 yards to the side can see the bend. He shot that gun for 47 years. He had to re-bend the barrel periodically because he shot it so much it would eventually straighten out. One of the methods Guy used for bending the barrel was to pry it over the spare tire of his 1972 Grand Torino. (I wouldn’t have the nerve). It seemed to work for him, and this was the gun he used to best me in competition many times. It was also the one that he nearly had the 300 straight with.

Guy currently serves on the Idaho Trapshooting Hall of Fame Board of Directors and on the Idaho Shotgun Sports Museum Committee located at the Boise Gun Club. He is a regular historian and has a whole book full of newspaper clippings from the days when they printed trapshooting scores (including weekly Camas scores) in the local newspapers. Nowadays it’s on the web or in Trap & Field Magazine. Guy and his wife Elicia annually contribute financially to the Idaho State Shoot He is a die-hard and nostalgic member of our sport and is just a few targets away from 100,000 lifetime ATA targets. Thanks, Guy, for keeping our sport going strong.

On a final note, we are getting ready to start up the Camas Prairie League. By the time you read this, we will be well into it with more than 800 participants, and we’ll have an idea of who’s at the head of the leaderboard!

Leonard Wehking

ATA Delegate

Montana

Winter has officially hit northwest Montana with single digits and a white Thanksgiving. With the general hunting season ending, meat shoots, fun shoots, Big 50s and black light shoots have kicked into high gear across the state, welcoming all to partake in the trapshooting festivities.

To the west, the 406 Clay Target Team (AIM youth) introduced a five-week fundraiser of Friday Night Cosmic Lights to the Flathead Valley. The concept was a success, headlining the front page of the local newspaper. Thompson Falls Trap Club and Plains Trap Club have meat shoots on the calendar, and Missoula Trap Club hosted a Big 50 under the lights and a Ladies’ Fall League.

East of the Divide, the Triangle Area Meat Shoots (Fairfield, Choteau, Augusta, Great Falls) are in full swing with the weekend schedule packed through the first of April. Chinook Rod & Gun Club hosted a Halloween blacklight shoot, and the Denton, Helena and Butte trap clubs also capitalized on the cooler temps to host groups to fun shoots with meat prizes.

Montanans looking to hold on to the warmer weather for a bit longer made their way to Las Vegas and Tucson. NSTA stepped it up again with top-notch hospitality, awards, after dark games and a great time. Members of the MSTA showed up at the Autumn Grand to win, and scores reflected just that. Congratulations to all who attended both events.

AIM Western Zone medals have been delivered, and Montana was well represented. D.J. Waldo joined a group of five 99s for shared junior gold HOA. Jaden Schreckendgust claimed junior gold Class B runnerup with 95. Aiden DeLong tied for junior gold Class C winner/runnerup with 95. Ryan Fleming and Nick Doty were also in a group of five 99s for shared HOA junior third. Gabriel Boucher tied for junior C runnerup with 97, and Vin Stevens tied for junior D with 97. Mason Baker and Jacob Cesnik were in a group of four 97s for shared sub-junior third HOA. Gabe Allen and Jeremiah Perkins tied for sub-junior AA third with 93. Blake Vogel and Corbin Vogel claimed sub-junior Class A third and sub-junior B third, respectively. Joseph Barone and Axel Hedman won outright sub-junior Class C winner (95) and pre-sub HOA victor (87). Junior gold team HOA winners were 406 Clay Target Team. Members were Nathan Lemos, Joseph Barone, Aiden DeLong, Kimber Boll and Tucker Morin. Junior gold team HOA runnerup included Blane Olson, Jaden Schreckendgust, Ryan Fleming, Julian St. Marie and John Hartle. Junior gold team HOA third-place winners were Brady Edgren, Troy Crenshaw, Anthony Lasa, Corey Thurston and D.J. Waldo (both also of Team 406). Hats off to you all!

Andrew Kelly

ATA Delegate

Nevada

The spectacular 77th Nevada State Trapshooting Tournament is in the books. What a shoot, and what a party it was. More than 500 shooters from 38 states and two Canadian provinces threw lead at over 600,000 targets during the 10-day shoot, held at the Clark County Shooting Complex (CCSC) in Las Vegas. Gold giveaways, silver giveaways, Annie Oakleys, cosmic trap, Back Fence Shootout, silver shootoffs and more kept gun barrels hot. There were free lunches, free dinners, ice cream trucks and free drinks. More than 5,000 free meals were served to shooters and friends. Further, shooters and friends enjoyed evening poker tournaments, bingo tournaments and even a Halloween party. There was a special event with more than $40,000 that was won in the championship handicap. It was an amazing 10 days of shooting and activities.

State shoot event winners were covered comprehensively in the Nevada State Shoot Trap & Field article in the January issue. However, a few mentions are appropriate here. There were some great winning scores posted by resident shooters in the championship events. Jon Slinker bested all Nevada shooters with 97 to claim the doubles title. Jon also won the HAA with 386. In the championship singles, Rich Bullard smashed 199 to become singles champion. The Handicap Championship was claimed by up-and-coming new shooter, Harry Terzian, with 96.

HOA winners were: high gun, Kyle Hoffmeyer; runnerup, Jon Slinker; AAA, Evan Martin; AA, Jack Wang; A, Eli Walker; B, Carlos Francisco Rodriguez; C, Angel Diaz; D, Oscar Diaz; sub-junior, Juan Carlos Rodriguez; junior, Orion Cooper; Lady I, Jasmine Hicks; Lady II, Deb Main; sub-vet, Bullard; veteran, Kenneth D. James; senior vet, Danny Talbot.

HAA winners included: champion, Jon Slinker; runnerup, Bill Daniels; AAA, Wang; AA, Mark Dagher; A, Carl Hoffmeyer; B, Carlos Rodriguez; C, Sam Ford; D, Terzian; sub-junior, Juan Carlos Rodriguez; junior, Cooper; junior gold, Austin Santellan; Lady I, Hicks; Lady II, Main; sub-vet, Bullard; veteran, James; senior vet, Talbot.

In addition to the many activities, gold, silver and myriad trophies given away to shooters, the Nevada State Trapshooting Association (NSTA) did many things to attract new shooters to the tournament. For example, free ammunition was provided to every junior and sub-junior, both residents and non-residents, who wanted to shoot the championship singles event. The ATA provided free annual memberships. Because of these efforts, several new shooters joined the ATA and participated in the events.

One such shooter is 11-year-old Westley Fitzpatrick of Las Vegas, who shot his first ATA registered targets at the state shoot. He returned a week later to shoot the NSTA First Sunday Social Shoot. Westley participated in the After School Trap League and the Silver State Clay Breakers programs.

In other November action, the First Sunday Social Shoot was held on the second Sunday of the month because of the state shoot running into November. Forty-four shooters decided to sharpen their skills Nov. 9 at the First Sunday Social Shoot at CCSC. In the handicap, Leticia Slinker and Sean Steele were high with 47s. In the singles, Talbot, Merle Acampora, Leticia and Jon Slinker, John White and Wang all broke 50 straight. Jon Slinker won the doubles with 48.

Next, at the Nov. 22 NSTA Race for the Buckle Big 50, 46 shooters faced cold desert winds and intermittent rain at CCSC. Singles winners were James, Jared Steeley and Don Mayhall with 49s. The winds got colder and stronger for the handicap. Mike Petrisko won the doubles with a very respectable 47 given challenging conditions.

The coveted Race for the Championship Buckles was decided and awarded at the NSTA Big 50 Dec. 13 at CCSC.

In the meantime, let’s remember it’s a game. Have fun out there!

           Danny Talbot

           ATA Delegate

 

New Zealand

First of all, thank you to everyone who traveled to the Nov. 29-30 shoot at Taupo Trap Club. A great time was had by all. A few results from the weekend:

Saturday, Event 1, 50-pair doubles: A, Roger Bidois, 92; B, Ben Thomassen, 81; C, Bill Harkness, 81. Event 2, 50-pair doubles: A, Bidois, 89; B, Vinny Butcher, 80; C, John Harkness, 87. Event 3. 100 singles: A, Grant Nilsson, John Harkness and Steven Pearson, 97; B, Glen Raymond, 94; C, Harkness 90. Sunday, Event 4, 100 singles: A, Warenn Le Pironnec, 97; B, Graeme Williams, 97; C, Bill Harkness 94. Event 5, 100 handicap: Darryl Remnant, 93 (got punched half a yard!); Dave Cundy, 92; John Harkness and Graeme Williams, 90. All done by 2 p.m. Great effort by all to make the shoot flow quickly.

Glen Raymond, Grant Nilsson, John Harkness and Graeme Williams ran 50s in the singles events, so they got long run badges from the ATA.

           Paul Basten

           ATA Delegate

Utah

Winter in Utah can be a challenge, to say the least. With icy roads, freezing temperatures and mountains of snow, shooting trap gets pretty low on most people’s priority lists. This year, December was extremely warm for our part of the country, and while there was only one registered shoot on the schedule, I am sure many folks took advantage of the nice weather to head out to their gun clubs for some extra practice days.

Purgatory Clay Sports had their Dec. 6-7 tournament, and the turnout was very good. In the Event 1 singles, Steve Johnson and Joe Atkin each broke scores of 99 to top the leaderboard. Bobby Street broke 97 and was high by four birds in the mid-day handicap, while Casey Fitzgerald had a five-target lead to win the doubles with 97. On Sunday Jon Slinker (NV) took home the top prize with 93, and Jaxson Johnson broke 96 in the Event 5 handicap. The final event of the weekend was a handicap that saw Jim Wilson and Jared Steeley each break scores of 92 to lead the way.

Special congratulations go out to Utah’s shooters who made the All-American Teams for their 2025 shooting performances. Pam Wright was named to the Lady II first team with 1,426 points. She was the only Utah shooter to earn first-team All-American status. Sean Hawley and Leslie Hight were named to the open and Lady I second teams, while Kooper Freston and Grayson Stuart made the sub-junior and junior gold second teams. Scott Syme and Joe Sudbury became members of the sub-veteran and senior veteran second teams with their 2025 shooting performances. Congratulations to all!

Looking forward to spring, Purgatory Clay Sports and the Spanish Fork Gun Club will be hosting shoots in March. Ogden Gun Club and Spanish Fork will be throwing registered tournaments in April, and Ogden, Spanish Fork and Helper will all have shoots in May. Please go out and support these clubs this coming spring.

Hopefully everyone had a great holiday season and are looking forward to a wonderful 2026.

Sharred Oaks

ATA Delegate

 

Washington

Is spring almost here? After a mostly mild, rainy and windy December, we were hit with a big blast of winter the day after Christmas. With the Colton Gun Club hosting the first registered shoot of the new year in February, it seems to make those thoughts of spring stand front and center. We will be preparing for the Camas Prairie Handicap next month then the shooting season really gets rolling in April and May. After the winter months, we are all more than ready to hit the road to all the region’s clubs for ATA targets.

The WSTA winter directors meeting was held in Ritzville Dec. 13. As of this writing, the decision as to where the state shoot will be held has not been determined yet. By the time you read this, we will have a host site secured and information posted on shootwsta.com. With the rising cost of targets, trophies and labor, the board has been negotiating with bidding clubs to get the best value and provide top-notch experiences for shooting participants. Of course, the best support for the WSTA Championships is provided by the shooters who attend and have a good time. Bring a friend, a new shooter or a shooter who has been sitting out for a while and wants to get involved again. With your help and program entries, we will make it a successful shoot June 25-28. We look forward to seeing you!

The board of directors would like to thank Frances Tully for taking on treasurer duties for the association with the departure of Brian James after many years of service. Frances’ retail management experience and her shooting endeavors make her a perfect fit. You may have seen her photo a few times while collecting trophies.

Dr. Laura Winkel has stepped up again to help with trophies and the silent auction for this year’s state shoot. Laura needs no introduction, as she’s graced the pages of Trap & Field as a multi-time state champion and All-American. Love of trapshooting is why shooters like Laura and Frances give back through volunteerism, and it is very much appreciated.

We have another honoree to be inducted into the WSTA Hall of Fame this June as well. I’m not going to let the cat out of the bag just yet, but you will not be surprised, as this competitor has an impressive list of accomplishments in just over 20 years of trapshooting and no doubt many more to come. I’ll drop more hints as time goes by, as I get more of this shooter’s history down on paper and a proper tribute ironed out.

I should have much more to talk about in the next installment as the ATA targets fly more frequently. Until then I will keep cranking shells out of the loader and preparing to see you all at clubs all over Washington.

Shoot straight and keep your powder dry.

Sean Lewis

WSTA Director