Atlantic Provinces

The 2026 ATA registered shoot schedule for the Atlantic Provinces is now available on www.shootatlantic.com. You will also find the complete Atlantic Provinces shoot calendar that lists the major trap, sporting clays and skeet shoots being held in eastern Canada.

Pre-squadding for the 2026 Atlantic Provinces ATA Provincial Shoot opens June 1 on sosclays.com. The shoot will be held at the St. John’s Rod and Gun Club near Holyrood, NL, Sept. 3-6. A warm-up Big 50 shoot is being held Sept. 2, and the registration desk will also be open for the provincial shoot. This year’s shoot program will be available soon. Stay tuned to our website for updates.

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

Andrea Bassan

           ATA Delegate

Connecticut

Greetings to you all.

We just wintered through record-breaking weather across the country. Getting your home and gun clubs cleared out is nothing short of heroic. I can’t wait for warmer weather. Winter leagues are well underway, and I commend all of you who go out to shoot in all Mother Nature has to offer.

The CTA held their January meeting, and plans are coming together for this year’s state shoot to be held at the Hartford Gun Club in East Granby June 26-27. The program book is also in the works, and anyone wishing to place an ad in the book may contact me for more information. This is not only a chance to advertise but support the shoot and book.

It is with sadness that I tell you of the passing of longtime past president and great supporter of our sport, Ben Giaquinto. There will be a shoot in his honor and memory at the Hartford Gun Club May 3.

Please let me know of any news or highlights you would like to share in this column. I would love to hear from you! Contact me at cap145@yahoo.com.

Kind regards and stay warm!

Cheryll Pittera

ATA Delegate

Ontario

Greetings from Ontario, Canada.

On Christmas Eve 2025 my wife alerted me to a parcel that was left at the door. It was very official on the face of it. Here is what the official message was:

“Dear Mr. Shaw.

It has come to our attention that you recently had your finger trapped in a firearm. This is technically considered reckless use of a firearm and you could potentially be charged under the Criminal Code of Canada Section 86(1). As a first-time offender, we have supplied you with the following item to practice proficiency, should you need to free yourself from such a predicament in the future:

A Chinese finger trap

The intention of this item is to enable you, a first-time offender, to familiarize yourself with the feeling of a finger trapped in an object, such as a firearm. We hope this will encourage you to avoid this reckless behavior.

Thank you for your attention to this matter.

Chief Firearms Officer of Canada”

My wife was very alarmed and thought we may be going to jail. (Last month I explained how my thumb got trapped in the action of my semi-automatic hunting rifle, and I was about to head to emergency at the hospital.)

Long story short, this was a prank from my brother-in-law. Again, careful where you stick your thumb. You know what happened to little Jack Horner, but not always can you pull out a plum from a Christmas pie.

Strange things happen in the trapshooting offseason. Hurray back spring!

Paul Shaw

ATA Delegate

Alabama

Other than a couple of small one- and two-event shoots, trapshooting has been slooooooow here in Alabama. If you haven’t made repairs, adjustments or replacements, now is the time to do them. Just in case you didn’t know it, the 2026 rulebooks are out.

Joke of the month: It has been right at two years ago when Henrietta’s husband died, and now she has decided to move into a nursing home. One day after she was leaving the dining room, she ran into the event coordinator and one of the local young pastors in her community. After all the introductions took place, the pastor told her that he would have a service there two or three times a week and would love for her to attend. Henrietta told the pastor that she would love to come, and if he needed any help, she could help him. The event coordinator and the pastor looked at each other with a puzzled look and asked Henrietta what she meant. After all, Henrietta was 94 years old. With a grin on her face, Henrietta said, “Well, I have a little bit of experience with sermons because my third husband was a preacher.” The young pastor told her he appreciated it, but he would get with her if he needed anything. Then the pastor opened the can of worms when he asked her, “How many times have you been married?” Without batting an eye, Henrietta replied, “Four! First time to a banker, second time to a world-renowned pianist, third time to a preacher and the fourth time to a funeral home owner.” The pastor was floored. Then Henrietta told him, “I was preparing for my final days here on earth . . . one for the money, two for the show, three to get ready and four to go!”

Word of the month: Madge: A state of wedlock that any preacher can put you into, but only a lawyer can get you out of. “Seems like a lot of madges end in divorce these days.”

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 that 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.

ATA attainment awards and honorable mentions: 25K doubles, Lorrie Valois Bumsted; 27-yard pin, Ben Schumpert.

I apologize for not having an article last month, but I had a big change in my life. We have made Silver Dollar our new home, moving from Ormond Beach (across the state). I hope I never go through another move in my life.

Again this year, a Wounded Warrior non-registered shoot was held at Silver Dollar in January. For more information about the Wounded Warrior organization, please visit woundedwariorproject.org.

Mike Reynolds

ATA Delegate

Kentucky

At the time of this writing, most of our beautiful state is covered in snow and ice. Despite such cold circumstances seeming endless, the swing of shooting season will be here before you know it. It is never too early to make preparations for the upcoming shooting season. Be sure to keep check on kytrap.com for any updates regarding the Kentucky State Shoot, which is taking place July 1-5 at Central Kentucky Gun Club in Berea. This year there are two host hotels, the Quality Inn and Tru by Hilton in Richmond, both of which have been generous enough to offer a reduced rate. Book your stay through the link provided on kytrap.com to ensure your discount. Also keep an eye out for pre-squadding information, as squads and positions often fill up fast. We hope you make plans to attend.

Unfortunately there are no shoots to report on at this time, but I look forward to seeing Kentucky shooters atop the leaderboards very soon. Good luck and safe travels!

           Jack Holland

For ATA Southern Zone Vice President Dan Ryan

Mississippi

Hello to all from Mississippi, birthplace of Kermit the Frog.

I have always closed my Trap & Field Delegate reports inviting everyone to come down and visit Mississippi clubs, telling everyone how good winter shooting is down here in the Deep South. Well, for once I was wrong. I think Canada has gotten tired of the cold up there and is now sending it way down south. As I write this, it is January, I am looking at winter storm warnings stretching from Texas all the way across the south and up into New England. Up north, they get this all the time and are probably not worried about it as much as we are, laughing at us down here for cleaning out all the milk and bread in the grocery stores, and bragging on how they can drive in the snow. I have seen photographs of trapshooters who have shoveled paths to the trapline and are firing away at targets in snow as high as their armpits. That is dedication, and my admiration for getting out there.

For those who were in the path of these winter storms, I am hoping you fared well without losing electricity or damage to property. Unfortunately, I know many were hit hard by these storms.

As mentioned, contrary to my normal comments about shooting in the winter, weather-wise, this has not been a good month for shooting at Capitol Gun Club in Jackson. Up until this week, it has not been cold; it has been rain. It seems we get five or six clear, sunny days and on the day of our scheduled shoot we get rain. It has happened several times. It appears the Mississippi Gulf Coast had far better than the rest of us, judging by their reported scores.

The Coast Rifle and Pistol Club had their regular, monthly December 2025 shoot. Below are the results:

Singles (13): Donald Webb, 96; Charlie Boggs, 94; Michael Beverin, 88; Jeff Gable, 87; William Hardison, 86; Nico Scalco, 84; Robert Evangelist, 82; Brian Harmon, 81; Doug Burkart, 80; James Comer, 79; Bill Penn, 78; Janet Bryant, 63.

Handicap (10): Dennis Whitlock (24), 89; James Comer (20), 86; Donald Webb (27), 85; Bill Penn (20), 82; Jeff Gable (20), 82; Janet Byrant (19), 81; Doug Burkart (20), 76; Nico Scalco (20), 71; Michael Beverin (25.5), 69; Brian Harmon (25), 57.

Doubles (5): Donald Webb, 89; Nico Scalco, 65; Robert Evangelist, 61; Janet Bryant, 59; Doug Burkart, 38.

Coast Rifle and Pistol Club monthly January shoot.

Singles (13): Lenwood Sawyer 91, Mark Huneycutt 82, Dennis Keith, 81; Jeff Gable, 80; Travis Dann, 79; Brian Harmon, 79; Wade Monroe, 78; Richard Bryant, 78; James Comer, 75; Janet Bryant, 72; Richard Elkins, 72; Doug Burkart, 69; Bill Penn, 65.

Handicap (8): Travis Dann (23), 89; Dennis Keith (19), 77; James Comer (20), 75; Doug Burkart (20), 71; Janet Bryant (19), 69; Jeff Gable (20), 67; Mark Huneycutt (20), 65; Richard Elkins (20), 59.

Doubles (3): Donald Webb, 82; Travis Dann, 82; Brian Harmon, 60.

By now, in March, the weather should be improving for everyone. Come down and see us at the Coast Rifle and Pistol Club in Biloxi, Capitol Gun Club in Jackson, Whitetail Ridge Outdoors in Blue Springs and Starkville Gun Club.

Good luck and good shooting as spring shoots are starting.

Bill Burke

ATA Delegate

North Carolina

Now that March is upon us and the worst of the winter has passed, it’s time to get ready for the upcoming spring shoots. North Carolina’s Bostic homegrounds is once again hosting the South Carolina State Shoot combined with the North Carolina Hall of Fame Shoot. The dates are April 29-May 3. Last year’s shoot was a big success, so come and join the fun! There are camper spaces still available and lots of relatively inexpensive hotel rooms nearby.

Our North Carolina State Shoot will be held at the above homegrounds June 6-14. This shoot seems to grow a bit each year, and I hope you can make it. May and June are truly beautiful times to visit the Carolinas. Bostic is about an hour’s drive from Biltmore House, the Blue Ridge Parkway, the Flat Rock Theater and Carl Sandburg home. Chimney Rock is about the same distance as is the Sierra Nevada brewery. Lots to see and do other than shoot.

Feel free to contact me for help or information at bob.schultz964@gmail.com.

Bob Schultz

           ATA Delegate

South Carolina

Hello from the Palmetto State!

As I write this update, we are facing a winter storm of ice and snow. Mother Nature is taking a shot at the south, which is promising to be monumental. I hope everyone is prepared and stays safe during the storm.

Shooting has continued in South Carolina, and we have a gentleman, Rich Gadbois, who shot his second 100 straight during the singles event at Mid Carolina in Orangeburg Jan. 17. Rich started shooting in 2023 and is a lifetime member of the ATA. Congratulations Rich, and I hope to see you break another 100 straight soon.

We have scheduled our Hall of Fame Shoot for April 11-12 at the Greenville Gun Club, Greenville, SC. Our 2026 Hall of Fame inductee is Wayne (Bo) Adair. Bo began shooting trap in 1965 and is a member of the Spartanburg Gun Club. We look forward to honoring his shooting career in April.

The South Carolina State Shoot will be held at the North Carolina Homegrounds April 29-May 3. We will throw 1,300 targets over the five-day event. We hope you will consider adding our state shoot to your calendar for the 2026 shooting year, and we promise you an excellent tournament.

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

Hello from the winter wonderland of Tennessee (never thought I would say that). I hope everyone is having a very happy New Year! Welcome to the end of cold, nasty weather . . . hopefully. As I write this, it has been a taxing winter with more than our fair share of rain, snow, sleet, ice and wintry mix. I for one will be happy to get a jump start on spring and get out of the cold stretch. I’m praying for a spring warm-up and the opportunity to go out and shoot a few clay targets.

Our local tournament season is about to get into full swing, so check your ranges and see what their tournament schedule is. You should be able to find a few registered shoots near you. Wipe the dust off those trap guns and get out and shoot a little practice, hit some tournaments and gear up for the upcoming season. If you like to travel and are looking for a good place to go that is warm and puts on some great shoots, you might want to work a trip to Odessa, FL, and the Silver Dollar Shooters Club into your shooting schedule. The Silver Dollar is hosting the 46th Southern Grand American March 8-15. They put on a great shoot and a visit to the Dollar is always a fun time. If you can’t work those dates into your schedule, you have another opportunity to visit them March 17-22 for the annual Florida State Shoot. Both shoots are an awesome chance to get to enjoy some warmer weather, shoot some good targets, fraternize with friends and maybe even eat a little seafood while you are there. Who knows, if you’re lucky, you might bring home some hardware!

If you haven’t had the chance to hit the range yet, don’t forget to check out your equipment and get everything in working order. Clean and lube those guns, check your shell inventory and restock the shooting bag. If you need a few new items, now would be the time to make those purchases and get prepared before you take off on the tournament trail. Like the Boy Scouts have always said . . . be prepared.

Well, that’s a wrap on this month. Get out there and enjoy the opportunity to shoot. Thanks for your support of the ATA and all you do to further our sport. Take care, be safe, and I hope to see you at an upcoming shoot.

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

Mark Cantrell

ATA Delegate

Kansas

As we launch another exciting year of registered trapshooting, I’m honored to congratulate our Kansas shooters who earned spots on this year’s ATA All-American Team, based on last year’s performance during the 2025 target year. These marksmen represented Kansas with consistency, determination and excellence throughout the 2025 target year: open second team, Bruce Davis, Emporia; veteran first, Rob Taylor, Manhattan; and senior vet second, Kenneth (K.J.) Johnston.

Kansas State Team members for 2026, based on last year’s performance, are as follows:

Men’s first—Eddie Johnson, Harlan Campbell Jr., Caleb Fischer, Drew Hamel, C.L. Fulton. Men’s second—Don Shepman, Brandon Miller, Stephen Schartz, Dakota Clark, Tyson Adams. Women’s—Michaela Baalmann, Morgan Domme, Jennifer McBee, Deb Richter, Jessica Heckel. Sub-junior—Kale Schroeder, Clayton Bartlett. Junior—Devon Helget, Cody Sherbon, Martin Loecker, Colby Clark. Veteran—Rob Taylor, Jeff Cuer, Fred Smith, Lester Sims. Senior vet—Kenneth (K.J.) Johnston, Brian Smith, George Rapp, Mark Russell.

Earning a place on the State Team is a high honor and not only follows ATA guidelines but KTA requirements as well.

Congratulations, shooters!

Mark your calendars. The KTA will host 20 days of registered ATA shooting this year: Spring Shoot, April 24-26; Kansas State Shoot, June 8-14; ATA Southwestern Grand American, Sept. 6-13; and Kansas All-Zone Shoot, Oct. 2-4. These shoots are cornerstone events of our Kansas trapshooting calendar—excellent opportunities to shoot registered targets, chase averages and compete alongside shooters from across the state as well as the United States.

I’m incredibly proud of our Kansas shooters—from those who earned All-American and KTA State Team honors to every competitor who shot targets, improved averages and supported our sport throughout 2025. The strength of Kansas trapshooting continues to show on state grounds, at local clubs and across the nation.

Remember to pre-squad early, support your local clubs and pursue excellence and sportsmanship in every event.

Good shooting!

Caleb Fischer

ATA Delegate

Louisiana

Toby Bancroft Memorial Gun Club held its first shoot of the new calendar year Jan. 10 with 22 attending. Thanks to our regulars plus our new Hamburg, AR, shooters, Terry Bolden and Tex and Joy Hollis, for joining us. We had a new ATA member, Bruno Zavala, join us. Please welcome him when your paths cross. As to local conditions, it was another less than perfect day. It was cloudy, windy and in the mid-50s, which for us here in Louisiana makes it, weather-wise, not too enjoyable. Caleb Coody took top honors in singles with 97. The rest of the group couldn’t catch him, but Tex Hollis tried with a 95 and Brooks Barnett with a 90. By the time handicap arrived, the wind had really picked up, and the targets were dancing and jumping to make them a real challenge. Brooks Barnett overcame the challenge with an 88 followed by Steven Skipper with 85; the rest we won’t bother to mention. Two doubles squads followed all anxious to finish up the day. Jim Jenkins led the field with 88, with Tex Hollis breathing down his neck with 87. Barnett was a little way back with 84. Louisiana AIM provided a lunch of pulled pork sandwiches and baked beans prepared by Ms. Terry Barnett, which was good, as always, and just what the day needed. Thanks to Chuck Traylor, Amie Skipper and Donny Sanders as well as all the others who scored and kept the houses loaded.

TBMGC held a second shoot in January on the 17th, with 12 participating. It was another of those cold, windy, cloudy days, but our shooters stuck it out. Steven Skipper took top honors in singles with 92 followed up by Brooks Barnett and Caleb Ezernack with 90s. Avery Dumas was able to claw out an 85 in the terrible conditions to lead in handicap followed by Barnett with 82 and Maddox Schulte with 81. Dumas also took charge in doubles with 89 trailed by Barnett with 85 and Ezernack with 82. Scores overall were not pretty with the low light and wind. Thanks again to Todd Dumas, Amie Skipper and Terry Bolden for loading the houses and scoring. Ms. Terry Barnett provided wonderful soups for lunch, which were perfect on the cold day.

Spring has arrived in Louisiana, which means the Louisiana State Shoot is just around the corner. Our team here has been hard at work getting everything ready for you. Toby Bancroft Memorial Gun Club will host the shoot once again April 30-May 3 in West Monroe. Pre-squad opened March 1. It’ll be here and gone before you know it.

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 the state that host registered shoots.

Jim Jenkins

ATA Delegate

Texas

Howdy from Texas!

I hope everyone is ready for spring, I know I am. As I write this, Texas and most of the country is iced in. I hope you are reading this in good weather.

There has not been a lot going on shooting-wise, that is why I did not even submit an article last month. In doing so, I did make a mistake and left out mentioning the Texas Zone 2 Shoot, which was held at El Paso Skeet and Trap Club Oct. 25-28. Because this was my error and it got noticed by numerous people, I am going to make a complete list of winners.

On Friday, the Darin Clawson Singles was won by Dalton Jennings with 99. Other winners were: AA, Trent Melton, 98; A, Kevin Merrell, 96 (over Kevin Clark 25-24 to 25-23); B, Ernie Harbison, 96; C, Renee Prado, 86; D, Jennifer Willson, 86; ladies’, Codi Waters, 94; junior, Paul Benedict, 94; sub-vet, Billy Hopson, 98; veteran, Mike Lefevre, 98; senior veteran, Eddie Nichols, 90.

Darin Clawson Handicap was won by Billy Hopson with 96. Other winners included: 19-21, Ramon Ibarra, 90 (over Codi Waters); 22-24, Kevin Cannon, 94; 25-26, Kyle Bristow, 89 (over B.W. Kennedy 20-19); 27, Billy Healy, 95; ladies’, Michaela Lefevre, 91; junior, Paul Benedict, 86; sub-vet, Dave Ayers, 94; veteran, Billy McFarlen, 91; senior veteran, Eddie Nichols, 82.

Eddie Harbison Doubles was won by Jake Hamm, 99. Other winners were: AA, Darin Clawson, 94; A, Drew Fryman, 95; B, Kevin Cannon, 91; C, Ramon Ibarra, 89; D, Jason Johnson, 79; ladies’, Michaela Lefevre, 87; junior, Paul Benedict, 84; sub-veteran, Billy Hopson, 95; veteran, Mike Lefevre, 93; senior veteran, Michael Thomas, 84.

Saturday’s championship singles in-zone winners were as follows: high gun, Richard Leos, 198; AA, Trent Melton, 194; A, Cooper Caswell, 195; B, Larry Madrid, 190 (over Ernie Harbison 25-22); C, Kody Sanchez, 191; D, Jordyn Clark, 181; ladies’, Pamela Ayers, 185; sub-junior, Daniel Sandoval, 160; junior, Paul Benedict, 194; sub-veteran, Darin Clawson, 195; veteran, B.W. Kennedy, 193; and senior veteran, Jimmy Moore, 188.

Out-of-zone winners were as follows: high gun, Dalton Jennings, 198; AA, Jeff Renegar, 197; A, Kevin Merrell, 193; B, Codi Waters, 188; C, Steve Higgs, 177; D, Britt Mullennix, 175; ladies’, Michaela Lefevre, 195; sub-veteran, Billy Hopson, 191; veteran, Mike Lefevre, 187; and senior veteran, Michael Thomas, 177.

On Sunday, championship doubles in-zone winners were: high gun, Ramon Ibarra, 94; AA, Trent Melton, 89; A, Richard Leos, 93; B, Cooper Caswell, 91; C, Kevin Clark, 86; D, Jimmy Moore, 82; ladies’, Pamela Ayers, 74; junior, Kody Sanchez, 88 (over Paul Benedict 22-21); sub-veteran, Darin Clawson, 88; veteran, B.W. Kennedy, 80; senior veteran, Charles McCleary, 92.

Out-of-zone winners were: high gun, Jake Hamm, 99; AA, Dalton Jennings, 96; A, Drew Fryman, 97; B, Kevin Cannon, 94 (over Kevin Merrell forfeit); C, Gino Prado, 93; D, Trish O’Connor, 82 (over Jason Johnson forfeit); ladies’, Codi Waters, 92; sub-veteran, Billy Hopson, 96; veteran, Mike Lefevre, 86; senior veteran, Michael Thomas, 89.

Handicap Championship in-zone winners were: high gun, Richard Leos, 95 (over Cooper Caswell forfeit); 19-21, Paul Benedict, 88; 22-24, Cooper Caswell, 95; 25-26, Ruger Clark, 88; 27, Andrew Blore, 86; ladies’, Pamela Ayers, 90; sub-junior, Juan Jimenez Jr., 77; junior, Kody Sanchez, 90; sub-veteran, Kevin Clark, 89 (over Dave Ayers forfeit); veteran, B.W. Kennedy, 83; and senior veteran, Charles McCleary, 92.

Out-of-zone winners were: high gun, Billy Hopson, 96; 19-21, Jason Johnson, 90; 22-24, Kevin Cannon, 93; 25-26, Mike Lefevre, 89; 27, Dalton Jennings, 94; ladies’, Michaela Lefevre, 87 (over Codi Waters forfeit); sub-veteran, Percy Caraballo, 79; veteran, Billy McFarlen, 94; senior veteran, Michael Thomas, 86.

In-zone HOA honors went to Richard Leos with 657, and Dalton Jennings took out-of-zone with 673. HAA looked very similar with Richard Leos’ 386 for in-zone and Dalton Jennings 388 for out-of-zone.

For Friday’s events, El Paso gives an award to the five highest HOA scores from Texas and New Mexico.

New Mexico posted a 1,294, composed of Kevin Cannon, 279; Mike Lefevre, 278; Billy Healy, 275 Eddie Nichols, 249; and Tommy Messer, 213. Texas won with a total of 1,413, composed of Billy Hopson, 289; Dalton Jennings, 285; Drew Fryman, 284; Jake Hamm, 280; and Darin Clawson, 275. So until next year, the bragging rights belong to Texas.

I want to thank El Paso Skeet and Trap for putting on another good shoot. The staff there works hard to ensure everything goes as smoothly as possible.

If you have anything you’d like included in a future article, please email me the details, and I’ll do my best to feature it in the next update. Be sure to visit the TTA website (shoottta.org) for additional news and a list of upcoming events across Texas.

As always, I encourage everyone to volunteer at your local club and support our youth shooters. If you have any questions or concerns, please reach out to me or any of the current TTA officers—we’re always happy to help!

Again, thanks for your support, and I will see you at the next one. I can be reached at texasatadelegate@gmail.com.

Billy Hopson

ATA Delegate

California

Hello, fellow shooters.

California has a little bit of a lull in the winter months, despite being sunny California. We have had a few shoots over the last few months, along with those Big 50s and the league shoots.

September had five shoots, and in October there were six, with November and December being fairly quiet due to the holidays. January backed it up with four shoots available.

This is also the best time to start planning your shoot year. Get a calendar and pull up the CGSTA calendar and start looking at which shoots you plan on hitting. Check out what it takes to make your State Team. Take your calendar and plan where you need to go to make that happen. I challenge all of you to try and find a club you haven’t been to before and see if they have any shoots coming up. Secondly, go back to a club you may not have visited in some time and see what’s changed.

There are a ton of great shoots ramping up for the calendar year, including the Spring Grand in Tucson, which is very popular for California shooters; the California State Target Shoot in Kingsburg, where you have a chance to get your state shoot targets paid for; and the Golden West Grand quickly followed up by the California State Shoot in June.

Make sure all of your memberships are current and paid. Results for the majority of our shoots in California can be found on the SOS clays website. If there are some standouts, please get them to me so we can give them a shout-out on what they have done or accomplished. If you have pictures of the shoots or of the accomplishments people have done, please send those to me as well at chaytonvega@gmail.com.

Keep shooting!

Chayton Vega

ATA Delegate

Hawaii

It’s been a long time since there has been anything in Hawaii’s trapshooting realm noteworthy to write about. I’m sitting on the plane in Hilo waiting for boarding to complete, so I can return to my home in Honolulu. It’s just shy of 210 miles as the crow flies. A long and expensive way to travel for a 50-50-50 ATA registered shoot, but this was a very special shoot. No trophies, buckles or prizes, but it was the first ATA registered tournament for the newly formed Hawaii Island Trap & Skeet Club. It was a fun time and a valuable learning experience for those guys, as we look forward to their hosting of the 2026 Hawaii State Shoot June 4-7. A special room rate at a local hotel is in the works, and the availability of shells is good. The shoot program is in the works. The best of luck to them, as we lost Hawaii’s oldest trap club last year.

           Elton Miyagawa

           ATA Delegate

Idaho

Hello, Idaho shooters. I don’t have a whole lot to report since we are still in winter and there have been no registered shoots for a while. But . . . the days are getting longer and spring is slowly approaching. We had a very mild winter in the southern part of the state, but now it seems to be dragging on.

That being said, shooting just picked up tremendously. The Camas Prairie League has started. The first week had (get this) . . . 916 scores submitted! For those who are unfamiliar with the league, it is a 10-week-long league consiting of 26 gun clubs from Idaho, Washington and Oregon. Shooters must shoot “cold gun” every Sunday. Shooters only have to be a member of their club to submit scores. The competition is overseen by the Camas Prarie Trapshooting Association, and the league will culminate with the 72nd annual Camas Prairie Handicap shoot in Walla Walla, WA. This is still the largest single ATA shoot in the Pacific Northwest, hosting about 300 shooters. Now to be clear, you don’t have to be a Camas League shooter to go to the big ATA shoot. You just won’t be eligble for a league trophy. And this shoot is large enough that there are All-American points offered.

There should be several shooters completeing target attainment milestones at this time, including Guy Johnson who should complete his 100,000th lifetime ATA target.

Let’s hope for nice weather.

Leonard Wehking

ATA Delegate

Nevada

Bright sun and mild winds greeted shooters at Clark County Shooting Complex (CCSC) for the First Sunday Social Shoot Dec. 7. More than 30 shooters closed out the year’s First Sunday Shoot calendar with three events—50 handicap, 50 singles and doubles comprised the program.

In Event 1 handicap, Murray Dominguez took first place with 47 and received a half-yard punch. Event 2, 50 singles targets were next up. Merle Acampora and Ken James took advantage of the good conditions to smash all 50 targets. James and Jack Wang broke 46 each to claim Event 3 doubles. In addition to the events, lucky shooters shot off afterwards for cash prizes.

Nevada State Trapshooting Association (NSTA) Vice President Linda Hand added a fun element to the First Sunday Shoot program. At every First Sunday Social Shoot throughout the year, shooters were given a raffle ticket as they signed up. Shooters deposited those tickets into a box each month. At the last Sunday Social Shoot of 2025, shooters’ names were drawn from those tickets. The winners of the drawing then shot off for hundreds of dollars in cash prizes. Melvin Tabion won the year-end shootoff and the top cash First Sunday prize.

The First Sunday Social Shoot has grown substantially during 2025 and continues to expand. Thanks to Linda Hand, Ken James, NSTA and all those who make this shoot possible.

The following Saturday, Dec. 13, the championship rounds of the very competitive Nevada State Trapshooting Association Race for the Buckle tournament were held at CCSC. The tournament was the culmination of Big 50 events held once a month throughout the calendar year, with the exception of October (state shoot.) The Race for the Buckle is the brainchild of current NSTA President Greg Pink. He created the shoot in 2018. His goal seven years ago was to present a shoot that would encourage shooters to participate each month in a Big 50 tournament. The Race for the Buckle Big 50 was born. Since then, hundreds of shooters have participated in the Race for the Buckle events. In 2025, 82 adult shooters entered at least one Buckle shoot over the 12 months, along with 18 juniors and sub-juniors. Monthly, approximately 50 shooters participated in each shoot, totaling more than 500 entries for the year.

Currently, nine monthly tournaments are held at Clark County Shooting Complex in Las Vegas, and, in addition, during the heat of the summer, two Big 50s are held at Lincoln County Trap Club in Pioche. Shooters earn points throughout the year by winning events in their ATA category. The championship rounds held each December determine the winners based on who has accumulated the most points in each category, including the open category.

This year’s year-end winners were: ladies’, Lelia Tabion; open, Carlos Rodriguez; sub-vet, Michael Petrisko; veteran, Clayton Phillipp; senior vet, Joe Atkin; junior, Angel Diaz; sub-junior, Juan Carlos Rodriguez; overall champion, Ken James.

On Jan. 17, the Race for the Buckle began again, with monthly tournaments through December 2026. Good luck to everyone.

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

An additional note is that Clark County Shooting Complex is now serving food on site from the Hot Shot Cafe. Please contact the Shooting Complex for cafe hours.

           Danny Talbot

           ATA Delegate

 

Utah

Well, it has been an extremely mild winter so far this year in Utah. Usually clubs in our part of the world do not schedule tournaments during the winter months due to snow and freezing temperatures; however, they certainly could have this year. All the same, we are looking forward to even better weather this spring and the opportunity to head back to the clubs that we all love.

The Spring Grand is on a lot of folks’ minds as their next shoot. Tucson will once again be hosting the event. I think we may see quite a few Utah shooters venturing south. The 50th Spring Grand will be held Feb. 23-March 1, and hopefully we will see more than the 25 Utah shooters who attended last year.

Congratulations to the Utah State Team that was just announced. Bobby Street had a .9345 composite average to secure the captain’s position. Travis Oakey, Quint Sudbury, Jace Penney and Robert Hight rounded out the top five on the open team. Madilynne Scott was the ladies’ captain with a .9361 composite average. Former ATA President Ed Wehking posted .9005 to captain the veteran’s team, while Robert Green and Austyn Oakey were the senior veteran and junior captains with averages of .9235 and .9117, respectively. Austyn was also named Rookie Of The Year for Utah.

Please keep in mind that the first registered shoot of the new year will be held at Purgatory Clay Sports March 20-22. The following weekend, March 27-29, Spanish Fork Gun Club will also have a shoot. We hope that both of these tournaments are well attended and that there are some incredible scores shot.

Until next time, shoot straight!

Sharred Oaks

ATA Delegate

Washington

Most of the country is caught in a deep freeze. I hope by the time you read this, you will all have spring fever and are getting out for some trapshooting as ATA shoots resume. I have taken a crack at the winter league, but by the time I get used to being all bundled up, I won’t need to anymore. That is my hope anyway.

We are getting geared up for the Camas Prairie Handicap this month, and plans for the WSTA Championships at the Walla Walla Gun Club are taking shape. The Colton Gun Club has held their February registered shoot, and we have several coming up after the Camas through spring and summer months.

I know a few of our residents headed south for the Spring Grand and the Winter Chain. Keep an eye out in Trap & Field to see how our Evergreen State shooters have done in the Arizona sun.

We were saddened by the recent passings of two Colton Gun Club members, Dave Miller and Charles “Chuck” Randle. While both were Idaho residents, they were fixtures at the Colton club and were known in eastern Washington circles as well, as there is so much opportunity for ATA registered shooting close to the Washington-Idaho border. Dave was a constant at the Lewiston Gun Club before it closed, and he was seen all over the grounds during Camas and Idaho state shoots. Chuck was an Idaho Hall of Fame enshrinee, and I was honored to be asked to say a few words for his induction during the 2018 Idaho State Shoot. These old-timers had many great stories from many years in our sport. I think the storytellers have done a lot to keep the game and its history alive. They will be missed, but not forgotten.

There will be a lot more to talk about as we thaw and the ATA targets start flying more frequently. Until then, maybe you can get someone out to your club and get them started.

Shoot straight and keep your powder dry.

Sean Lewis

WSTA Director