Atlantic Provinces

Hello from the Atlantic Provinces.

The Petitcodiac SC winter league ends April 30, and competition is tight for the top shooter honors. Danny Boudreau has a four-point lead over Terry Leblanc for the top singles shooter, while Terry has less than a half point lead over Danny for the top average in doubles. Congratulations to league shooter Roger Legere, who shot his first 25 straight recently during the winter league. As expected, his buddies congratulated him and then proceeded to shoot his hat. Well done.

I mistakenly reported last month that the shoot program for the 2022 Atlantic Provinces ATA Provincial Shoot was available on www.shootata.com. My apologies. The shoot program is available on the Atlantic Provinces Trapshooting Association’s webpage www.shootatlantic.com. The shoot dates are Sept. 1-4 and is being hosted by the St. John’s R&GC located near St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador. If you’re traveling to this year’s shoot and need ammunition or are looking for a hotel rate, check the shoot program for details on both. Pre-squadding will be available again this year and opens July 1 on PreSquad.com.

Newfoundland shooters Monty Petipas and Peter Tucker were in Florida in March and attended the last two days of the Southern Grand and shot the 2022 Florida State Shoot at the Silver Dollar SC. Both had a great time and report that the staff at the Silver Dollar held another fabulous state shoot. The guys were a little rusty after a long winter break from shooting, but it didn’t take them long to get back on track. In Wednesday’s Preliminary Singles, Peter shot a 94 to win non-resident Class D. Congratulations, Peter. Peter also celebrated his 65th birthday while in Florida, which earned him a promotion to the ATA veteran category.

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

Andrea Bassan

           ATA Delegate

New Jersey

Well, April here in the Garden State continues to fluctuate in temperature each day. It just doesn’t want to warm up, only the high 50s and low 60s for the next two weeks—at least the sun is out. By the time you are reading this article, the 125th New Jersey State Shoot is in the books; hopefully you were able to attend and win one of the silver bars and gift cards, or an ATA trophy during the championship events on Saturday and Sunday.

Pine Valley held their annual Quarter Grand April 9-10. Scott Kalnas dominated the shooting in three of the four events. In Event 1, Scott was high with 196×200, John Guda, vet; Joe Sissano, senior vet; Elena Farro, ladies’; Santo Farro, junior; Jim Caldwell, A; Rangel Queiroez, B; Bob Ritter, C; Zachary Wojnol, D. In Event 2 Scott had the only 100 in singles in Class A; Steve Burick, B; Jeff Whalen, C; Dave Cassaboon, D. Event 3, George Snyder was high in the handicap, determined by reverse run with 92; Steve Burick, veteran; Richard Stonier, senior veteran; Audrey Trinkle, ladies’; Michael Fishman, 19-21; Jeff Whalen, 22-23; Bob Jarvis, 24-25; Scott Kalnas, 26-27. Event 4 doubles: Kalnas, first; Jarvis, second; Whalen, third; Burick, fourth; and Joe Laurence, fifth.

The Florida State Shoot, which was held at the Silver Dollar in Odessa, brought eight Garden Staters. Bob Long led the trophy winners with two and Joe Sissano had one. The weather was warm and sunny down there.

On Page 20 of the 2022 state program are listed the high handicap average shooters. Somehow Scott Kalnas’ name was omitted. Scott should be just below Chris Burn with a .8691 average.

Steve Ottrando mentioned to me that on June 11 they’ll be having their 16th annual Hot Dog Shoot at the Mallard TC in Monroe Township; it’ll be 100 singles with trophies and free barbecue for all the entries. Then on July 9, it’ll be the 16th annual Memorial Shoot. It’ll be 100 handicap with all cash trophies and free barbecue.

The North Jersey CTC in Fairfield will be holding their Stars & Stripes Shoot June 19; it’ll be 100 singles targets.

Pine Belt has a Ducks Unlimited Fun Shoot June 26 at their club in Shamong. Also, remember the NJSTA has the Garden State Grand there July 15-17.

I’d like to thank Bill Bezubiak for helping me replace the sizing collet on my MEC reloader this winter.

Hopefully I’ll be reelected as your state Delegate for New Jersey during the State Shoot on Sunday, June. 5

Joe Sissano

ATA Delegate

New York

Greetings from the Empire State of New York. Now that the warmer weather has arrived, I hope everyone is enjoying it. I hope everyone is shooting plenty of targets, whether it be registered, leagues or just practice.

Some achievements for New York shooters for target attainment must be recognized. Heidi Womer has reached a total of 25,000 registered doubles targets. For 25,000 handicap targets, Donald (Scotty) Grossman and Martin Gawron have both reached that total mark. Philip Pfeifer has reached a total of 75,000 singles targets. New York state eastern zone vice president Robert Oswald has reached the total of 75,000 singles targets. Finally, for a combined total of 100,000 registered targets (singles, handicap and doubles), Jeff Bell and Martin Gawron each have reached that milestone. This is great going by these fine New York shooters. Keep adding to those totals.

Congratulations must be given to my old friend, New Yorker Jim Flint, for making the prestigious 20,000 ATA target club for the 2021 target. Jim shot at 7,500 singles, 6,750 handicap and 5,900 doubles targets for a grand total of 20,150 targets. Jim carried a .9643 average in singles, .8834 in handicap from the 27-yard line, and .9353 in doubles, for a composite average of .9277. Jim is an ATA All-American for 2022, placing on the sub-veteran second team. He also placed on the First Team for the 2021 New York State Teams. Congratulations, Jim, that is great shooting!

For all those who are interested, the official New York State ATA program for 2022 has been placed on the New York State ATA webpage www.nysata.com.

For all of you fine folks who are attending the 2022 Grand American at the World Shooting Complex in Sparta, IL, a listing of persons who have camping sites on the grounds have been listed on the ATA webpage, www.shootata.com, by name and site number. This gives all of those who want to see friends who are staying on the grounds a chance to find them.

The ATA has announced and is very pleased that Kolar Arms (Racine, WI) will be the exclusive sponsor of the ATA World Doubles Championship during the 123rd Grand American Tournament this August. The endorsement of this prestigious event boosts Kolar’s decades of ATA support. ATA Executive Director Lynn Gipson noted, “The staff of Kolar Arms is always anxious to help the shooters in their pursuit of perfection on the firing line, and they have always been a tremendous partner for the ATA.” Kolar President Jeff Mainland remarked, “We’re glad to help in any way we can. Trapshooting has become a big part of our company and our lives. We’re thrilled and honored to sponsor this great event.”

It was announced on the ATA webpage that MOJO Outdoors, a hunting and outdoor outfitter, has committed to support the Amateur Trapshooting Association this year as an official sponsor of the 123rd Grand American. This is a welcome first for MOJO and a tremendous addition to the historic Grand American and this historic shooting sports tradition. Gipson added, “We’re excited to have the opportunity to promote MOJO and their products to our members and attendees this year. We will be using some of their labor-saving products during the Grand on several of the trapfields.”

Please remember, the New York State ATA has two shoots scheduled at the homegrounds in Cicero this July. First up will be the 161st New York State Shoot July 5-10. The New York State ATA will also host the ATA Eastern Zone Shoot July 21-24. We all hope you plan to attend.

The last two New York state zone shoots will be held in June and July. The New York state western zone will be June 11-12 at Mt. Morris SC. The New York state central zone shoot will be July 2-3 at Pathfinder F&GC in Fulton. Both shoots will have the same program, 200 singles on Saturday and 50 pair of doubles and 100 handicap on Sunday. We hope all zone members plan to attend their zone shoot.

If anyone would like to have something written in one of these articles, please contact me at [email protected] or phone me at 585-519-9543. Please stay healthy, safe and in good spirits. May God bless you all.

Dave Cichelli

ATA Delegate

Ontario

Greetings from Ontario, Canada.

I want to welcome the Sydenham GC, which wishes to throw ATA registered targets. Sydenham is a multi-discipline facility and has hosted non-registered league competitions over the years. Whether events can be scheduled for this target year or not remains to be seen. A great addition to our registered club inventory.

When you read this article, Ontario will be well into its prime shooting season. Good shooting to all.

Paul Shaw

ATA Delegate

Pennsylvania

June is here, and with it comes the Colonial Classic and the Pennsylvania State Shoot. Every year it seems as though the time continuum moves at the speed of light. In January the state shoot seems like it will take forever to get here, and next thing you know, it is already June and we’re competing for state championships. Staying with the time relativity topic, it also seems as if it’s deja vu all over again . . . with a twist! Last year we went into the shooting season with an uncertainty of ammunition availability, and it appears we will have the same issue. In addition we are currently dealing with supply-chain issues and a rising inflation rate that hasn’t been seen in over 30 years. These issues are creating concerns for budget-minded shooters all over the country. Monetary issues are a major concern for every individual and business, and even more so in recent months. There is no crystal ball to predict the future, but hopefully everyone will get to enjoy the smell of gun powder as much as possible this year. As mentioned in a previous article, there will be many functions going on at this year’s state shoot with the AIM and SCTP Championships during the Colonial Classic, the Nostalgia Event sponsored by the PSSA Hall of Fame, our annual meetings, and culminating with the ever-popular Krieghoff Challenge. Not to mention, state titles to be determined, an E-Z-GO golf cart to be won, and winners announced from our annual fundraiser. A busy week for sure! I look forward to seeing everyone at Elysburg during the Colonial Classic and PA State Shoot!

Steve Ross

ATA Alternate Delegate

Alabama

I’ve been told by some that trapshooting is better than . . . boiled eggs and beer, sardines and crackers or even steak and ’taters!

The ammunition shortage nationwide is keeping a lot of people from shooting practice and/or registered shoots. Reloading components are also in high demand.

The Alabama State Shoot was held earlier this month, and I hope everyone who attended shot well and had a good time. Results should be posted.

Remember when you go to a registered shoot, you need to have your average card with you. Please read the rulebook.

Joke of the month: A man returned from a fishing trip and bragged to his neighbor that he caught a 10-pound fish. Amazed that he’d fried it up for camp food, the neighbor asked if there were any witnesses. “Of course I had witnesses!” the fisherman replied in indignation. “Without witnesses, it would have weighed at least 15 pounds!”

Word of the month: Gull: A female. “She’s just about the sweetest, prettiest gull in town.”

Please keep our troops in your thoughts and prayers. Without the men and women of our armed forces protecting this country, we would not be able to enjoy this great sport. When you see a soldier, thank him or her for their service.

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

Wayne Sartwell

ATA Delegate

Florida

Hello all from the most Southern, Northern State!

We have had nothing but excitement this last month (March). We will get to all that in a moment.

First, I have got to tell you about a friend of mine, Jimmy P. I am going to have this section about Jimmy until he has completed his quest for 100, 000 single targets.

Three years ago Jimmy developed some kind of nerve damage on the right side of his face. It made it impossible for him to shoot right-handed. At the time this happened, Jimmy had shot 98,850 single targets. That means he was only 1,150 targets short of reaching 100,000 targets. So what has Jimmy done? He has been teaching himself to shoot left-handed. He is determined to reach that 100,000 target milestone, but not just to be shooting to be shooting but do it in a competitive way! I will report each month on his struggle to reach this mark!

Old business: Man, what an awesome Southern Grand and Florida State Shoot! The weather was the best I can remember (and yes, of course, there was wind). They’re were all of the big dogs you would expect and newcomers to boot. As a Floridian, I have come to expect that most of the open trophies at Southern Grand are going to be won by non-resident shooters. It’s just a fact in Florida. But this year we shined a little. I am very proud of our locals, including Ben Schumpert, who was the handicap champion with 98! The best thing about this is he was shooting penalty from the 23-yard line when he did it. Bam, instant 25-yarder! Other Florida handicappers who did well were Hector Rangel (junior shooter), who won with 96, and Stetson Lee, runnerup with 95. Dang! Lady II winner was Kimberly McKinney with 92. Sub-vet winner was Lew Carns with 95. In the doubles, Matt Trammell won AA with 97 and Chris Molina, C with 96.

The big excitement came when Hector Rangel ran 200 straight in singles and shot off against Ricky Marshall Jr. Did I mention Hector has only been shooting for two years and is a junior? Man, it was awesome! Jack Schumpert (father of handicap champ Ben Schumpert) won AA singles honors with 199 and my bud Henry Gainer won C with 196. By the way, Hector’s brother Hidalgo is no slouch. He was C runnerup with 195! I cannot remember such a great showing from Floridians. Great job. I did not mention all of the runnerups, but we had plenty!

Florida State Shoot: Let me give a big shout-out to George Pappas, Steve Fuller and “Big” Lou for getting up every day before daybreak to set targets. Thanks!

The Florida State Shoot was every bit as exciting as the Southern Grand.

Of course I am not going to name all of the champions for the Florida State Shoot; you can get all that info from the May issue of T&F and shootscoreboard.com. I will give some of the highlights.

Kay Ohye was HAA and HOA winner. This proves age is just a number. Kay is in his 80s!

Hector Rangel was junior HOA winner with 1,192. This was the third highest HOA score and right behind Kay Ohye and John Farina.

The Handicap Championship was won by 110-year-old Don Kerce with 95 (just kidding about the 110, but he is another one north of 80). Don was also senior vet HOA and HAA winner.

Stetson Lee won junior HAA with 368. Lee is another youth who has only been shooting for two years.

Karen Harrington won Lady I HAA with 376. This was the third highest score for HAA. Side Note: Karen and her husband Tommy cleaned up with event winnings.

Lewis Knack won veteran HAA with 379—the second highest score.

John Farina won sub-vet HOA with 1,196, second only to Ohye.

This is a quick list of HAA winners (FL): champion, Ohye; sub-junior, Hunter Machovina; junior, Stetson Lee; junior gold, Brody Riley; Lady I, Karen Harrington; Lady II, Kimberly McKinney; sub-vet, John Farina; veteran, Lewis Knack; senior vet, Don Kerce; chair, Dale Rasmussen; AA, Jack Schumpert; A, Matt DeBord; B, Tommy Harrington; C, John Helm; D, Billy Brooks.

HAA winners (non-FL): winner, Ransom May; sub-junior, Madison Oswalt; junior, Jayden Dalton; junior gold, Evan Wirth; Lady I, Emma Grace Mathews; Lady II, Deborah Ohye-Neilson; sub-vet, George Pappas; veteran, Rob Taylor; senior vet, Mike Dehabey; chair, Mitchell Miller; AA, Michael Blaisdell; A, Curtis Robbins; B, Jonathan Baker; C, Joshua Busch; D, Frank Ketron.

This is a quick list of HOA winners (FL): winner, Ohye; junior, Hector Rangel, Lady I, Kate Stone; Lady II, Lorrie Bumsted Valois; sub-vet, John Farina; veteran, Jimmie Ballard; senior vet, Don Keith; AA, Ralph Bennett; A, Lew Carns; B, James Shoemaker; C, Greg Hohman; D, Brent Miller.

HOA winners (non-FL): winner, Taylor; sub-junior, Drake Reynolds; junior, Cole Henning; junior gold, Evan Wirth; Lady I, Mathews; Lady II, Ohye-Neilson; sub-vet, George Pappas; veteran, Lloyd Beecraft; senior vet, William Wallis; AA, Michael Gooch; A, Elaina McCarthy; B, Jonathan Hannahoe; C, J. D. May; D, Daniel Boisclair.

The above are just some of the highlights of the Florida State Shoot. This in no way tells the story of the shoot. It does not tell of all of the folks sharing their time so others may enjoy. People like the Romanias and Muzzys sacrificing for their spouses and us by taking turns as scorers . . . or the man, the myth, the legend—Paul Becker and his posse (Scot Lauderback and Don Keith) for cooking the perfect weenies and burgers for the free Friday and Sunday lunches. All of the Silver Dollar staff for their countless hours of work . . . I mean countless!

There were parties and gatherings almost every night in the park. All of the ponds were plundered of their booty (fished). Everyone had fun!

Our apology: At the Saturday night business meeting the FTA was going to recognize our youth shooters, headed by Bruce Formals, for making the FTA Team and present them with their awards. Because of the time constraints, this did not happen. Again we apologize. Below are our junior and sub-junior teams:

Sub-junior—Alex Formhals, Daniel Anthony, Hunter Machovina. Junior—Hector Rangel, Hidalgo Rangel, Stetson Lee, Ashlynn Anthony.

Great job!

New business: Florida Trapshooters Association Spring Championship was May 13-15

Milestones: Let’s give a congrats to the following target shooting animals: Bill Dayton, 500,000 combined, and Jimmie Ballard, 100,000 combined.

FTA Hall of Fame: Another congratulations are in order for our newest inductees into the Florida Trapshooters Hall of Fame. Congratulations to Diane Foster and John Farina. Well deserved!

Palatka S&T: We have a “new” old gun club back with the FTA. Mark Hall has really worked hard on the club to get it into tip-top shape for ATA shoots. Thanks, Mark, for getting it back.

Please check schedules for shoots and help us support the club.

I will try to keep all of you informed and entertained with what’s going on in Florida. I want to especially recognize shooters and clubs.

My e-mail is [email protected].

Thanks for the opportunity to serve!

Mike Reynolds

ATA Delegate

North Carolina

The 2022 NC Hall of Fame Shoot is in the books. The weather was great all week, and I don’t think we have ever thrown any better targets. George Sudderth was inducted Saturday night into the Hall of Fame.

I would like to think the volunteers who made the shoot possible. None of the shoots would be possible without the tireless efforts of many volunteers.

The following made this shoot happen: Jim and Jeri Wilson, John and Karole Miller, Marty Hill, Tim and Thea Crabtree, Brad Barnett, Tiffany Decker, Eric Sherer, Greg High, Joshua Brafford, Gary Olson, Jason Dancy, Chuck Woody, Lynn Blankenship, Tom Pitts, Jim and Jennifer Hughes, Bob and Carolyn Keever, Dennis Taylor, Albert Bost, Jamie Ivey III, Debbee Galloway and Terry Roush.

I’m sorry if I forgot anyone, but rest assured your help was appreciated.

I would also like to think Big Dave from Forest City Fish Camp for catering the banquet Saturday night, and I would like to thank Fat Tracy for providing lunch every day.

Thanks to Greg and Linda from SOS Clays software for providing support for our new shoot software.

Finally, thanks to all those who attended and participated.

We hope to see you all again in June when we host the NC State Shoot.

I can be reached at 828-693-3833.

Bob Schultz

           ATA Delegate

South Carolina

The Southeast trap season has started. The Georgia State Shoot and the North Carolina Shoot finished yesterday. Unfortunately circumstances put them on top of each other. There were 12 South Carolina shooters at the NCHOF shoot and 17 South Carolina shooters at the Georgia State Shoot. The reports show a good many trophies coming back to South Carolina. Congrats to all.

In the achievement department, both Gary Ferguson and Ed Clarke have reached the 50,000 level in doubles. Nice.

We’re three weeks from our state shoot, so it’s too late to remind you. I hope we have the same beautiful weather that GA and NC had last week.

I am seeing a little more ammo on the local Academy and Walmart shelves. Prices are still up, but there are some shells. I hope you can find what you need. Most of the big shoots have some shells on a buy-what-you-pay-to-shoot basis. Keep looking; the supply line has a trickle.

I look forward to seeing you at the North Carolina and zone shoots.

Jim Faber

ATA Delegate

Tennessee

June is definitely the month to attend state shoots in the Southern Zone: Alabama, June 2-5, Dixie T & S at Mathews; North Carolina, June 8-12, North Carolina Homegrounds at Bostic; Tennessee, June 14-15, AIM State Shoot, June 16-19. TCTC at Nashville; Kentucky, June 29-July 3, Central Kentucky GC at Berea; and Virginia, June 29-July 3, Virginia Homegrounds-Winchester GC at Stephenson.

Several Tennessee shooters have been on the road attending out-of-state shoots.

Twelve traveled to the Silver Dollar for the Florida State Shoot, with Brady Duren, Tyler Honnold, Jacob Duren, Emma Grace Mathews and Colton Phillips winning trophies.

Six traveled to San Antonio for the Southwestern Grand, with Mathews, Trevor Lance and Jim Adamopoulos bringing home trophies.

Eight went to the South River GC for the Georgia State Shoot, with Honnold, Bruce Pierce, Harold Trickey III and Matt Smelser bringing home trophies.

Unfortunately Tennessee recently lost another shooter. Richard (Dickie) Abernathy, 73, of Memphis passed away March 20. Richard was active from 1978 to 2004, registering 16,700 singles, 15,900 handicap and 3,000 doubles. He and his late brother Stan traveled to shoots throughout the Midsouth.

Read the rulebook, please.

For more info, visit our website at shootatatn.com. You can reach me at [email protected].

Billy Cook

ATA Southern Zone Vice President

Arkansas

Mt. Valley, Jacksonville SC, Black River, Camden, Independence Co. and Blue Rock GC have all reported good turnouts over the last several months. It’s great to see everyone back to shooting.

I have been blessed to have made friends throughout my trapshooting days. Andy Waldo, to name one, can tell you countless stories from trapshooting past. If you ever get the chance to listen to him; it will be well worth your time. He recently gave me a book, “Blowin’ Smoke” by Steve Carmichael”. If you love history, I recommend you read this book of the early days of trapshooting.

The Board of Directors of the ASTF have been working hard for our state shoot June 21-26. June 20 is our AIM State Shoot. I’m excited to see new, as well as familiar, faces. I wish everyone good luck. Check out the ASTF website at arkansastrapshooting.com for more information!

Romans 10:13 KJV—For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

God bless.

Robby Pennock

ATA Delegate

Missouri

Spring has sprung, and I have finally packed away my heavy coats for a few months. We are still getting a few mornings here in Missouri where the temps are dipping close to the freezing mark, but it won’t be too long, and we will be complaining how hot it is. I hope everyone has been able to collect some ammo during the winter months for this season. Its seems that the supply is getting a little better but at a premium price. Guess it was bound to happen, along with fuel prices as well as everything else. I was always told that if it is fun, it’s going to be expensive, which can and sometimes turns the other way; when it gets too expensive, it is not as fun. Please bear with the gun clubs that have or may have to raise prices. It may seem that the increase is excessive, but trust me, the last thing that most gun clubs want to do is raise prices.

I would like to personally thank Michael Hampton Jr., Royce Graff and the entire staff at the National Shooting Complex for another very well-run Southwestern Grand. The weather made shooting very challenging this year with some pretty gusty wind most of the time. Shortly after the conclusion of the Southwestern Grand, the NSC made the announcement that they would give up the shoot. I have been working at this shoot since 2015 and have experienced good weather, as well as not so good weather, but I can assure you that the NSC staff worked their rears off to give the shooters what they paid for. As I stated above, operating a gun club is essentially running a business, and sometimes difficult decisions have to be made. A little history about this shoot, it began at MTA as the Midwestern Grand back in 1979. Shortly before the 1981 Grand, the EC decided to move the shoot to Oklahoma, noted in the EC meeting minutes during the Grand. It was also noted later in the same minutes that a delegation from MTA met with the EC and expressed their disappointment and asked to be considered for the 1982 Midwestern Grand. The first shoot at the NSC was in 1998, and the name changed in 1999 to the Southwestern Grand. In August 2017 a delegation from MTA met with the EC during the Grand to make a presentation expressing their desire to once again be considered should a Satellite Grand become available. On April 25 of this year, the decision was made by the ATA EC that the SW Grand would be relocated to Kansas, ending an era of the Southwestern Grand at the NSC. The MTA gun club was considered in the decision but was not chosen, with many disappointed and frustrated members. With 60 trapfields and more than 300 RV spaces, plus all the necessary amenities less than 30 minutes from the gun club, MTA sincerely feels the potential to host one of the, if not the, largest Satellite Grands has been overlooked.

Things are getting pretty busy at MTA in Linn Creek with a 12-station sporting clays course in full operation. I know I probably shouldn’t be talking about sporting clays in a trapshooting magazine, but it’s at a thriving trapshooting facility and more of a reason to come shoot at the MTA this year. As I visit with gun clubs around the country, the general consensus is that the smaller clubs/shoots seem to be losing attendance, most likely due to ammo availability and the escalated cost. The thought is that shooters are saving their money for the larger shoots, such as state shoots. I have been involved in several group conversations discussing what can be done to keep cost down for the shooters and have yet to come up with a good all-around solution. Most of us who have been around for awhile have seen these circumstances before, and we will get through this again. If anyone has anything they would like to have reported on or has any concerns, please contact me at [email protected] or 816-863-9003.

Proverbs 28:5 NKJV—Better is the poor who walks in his integrity than one perverse in his ways, though he be rich.

Shoot often, shoot well and be safe!

Stephen Ricketts

ATA Delegate

New Mexico

New Mexico has had multiple shoots these past months. The major conversation is about the ever-lingering ammo shortage. With the lack of ammo and increased fuel prices, we are seeing less and less of our shooting friends. When will this nightmare ever end? I hate to admit this to so many readers, but I had a dream about ammo. You know those dreams one has about money flying in the air, but you have no pockets to hold money. Try that dream with shells flying around and nowhere to put them. It was a very frustrating dream. Imagine you are trying to catch a shell and another one smacks you in the face.

Now back to business. One more reminder, New Mexico has two sites for the 2022 ATA Southwestern Zone July 15-17, which are Albuquerque TC at Albuquerque and Southwestern Shotgunners Club at Silver City. Please look for PreSquad.com.

           Samantha Rainsdon

           ATA Delegate

Oklahoma

Oklahomans started the month of April strong. Michael Shaw, Angie Cavett, Austin Palmer, Billy Pierce, Justin Cavett, Clay Laughlin and David Bacon II represented Oklahomans at the Ft. Worth T&S Cowtown Pre-Southwestern Grand. All were trophy winners; congratulations!

Ada S&TC had a great turnout for their April 9 derby. Forty-one shooters participated in the singles event. Larry Higgs and Randy Farmer tied for high gun, breaking 47. The handicap also ended in a tie, with Mitch Wyatt and Randy Farmer, breaking 44. Full results can be seen on their Facebook page.

OTSA held a two-day shoot April 9-10. For complete shoot results, visit the OTSA website. Winners on April 9 were: Nathan Lemke, singles, 99; Mason Tucker, handicap, 89 from 19, and Levi McGee, doubles, 85. Mason Tucker earned a half-yard punch for his effort. On Sunday Bill Dean broke 99 to win singles, handicap champion and half-yard punch earner was Reese Hightower, and Nathan Lemke won doubles with 95.

Clinton GC hosted their first ATA targets in several years. Even though the weather was terrible, cold and cloudy with a 30+ mph north wind, 34 shooters took the field. Singles champion, breaking 99, was Kya Funkhouser. Class winners were: B, Kaden Waldrop, 90, and D, Richard Coit Sr., 93. Handicap winners were: long-yardage, Kya Funkhouser, 74; mid-yardage, Paul Hooper, 87; and short-yardage, Richard Coit Sr., 91. Doubles class winners were: A, Funkhouser, 90; B, Hunter Pence, and C, Tim Mount, 83. The all-around winner was Coit.

On the same weekend as Clinton, with similar cold, cloudy and windy weather conditions, Hennessey R&SC hosted a two-day shoot. Saturday’s 200-target singles event had 17 shooters. Class winners were: A, Justin Cavett, 187; B, Kevin Nanke, 171; C, Johnny Wilson, 161; and D, Kaden Kennedy, 152. The weather broke a little bit for the second half of the program. Sunday presented partially cloudy skies and calmer winds. Doubles champion was Justin Cavett with 93. Class winners were: B, Rose Shaffer, 90; C, Paul Hooper, 84; and D, Kaden Kennedy, 77. Handicap champion was Paul Hooper with 89. Short-yardage went to Mikie Hooper, 78, and long-yardage winner was Justin Cavett, 84. HOA buckles were presented to Justin Cavett (winner) and Kaden Kennedy (youth champion). I encourage everyone to stop by Hennessey to experience the club improvements and support their growth efforts.

The wind this spring has continued to batter everyone. With sustained winds of 25 to 35 mph and gusts much more than that, Red Dirt hosted shooters for a one-day program April 23. Full results are posted on their Facebook page. Highlighting winners: Austin Smith won singles, breaking a 95; from the 20-yard line Josh Moore broke 92 to win handicap; and Mason Tucker broke 85 to win doubles. Red Dirt is the first in the state to transition to ScoresR. In addition to their Facebook page, full results can be viewed on the ScoresR website.

An increase in youth shooting across Oklahoma has been exciting to watch. This year the Oklahoma Wildlife Department hosted the Oklahoma Scholastic Shooting Sports Program (OKSSSP) State Shoot April 13 at OTSA. This year more than 300 youth shooters participated at the state shoot. Several of the state’s ATA members either won or placed in their bracket. Attracting new youth shooters to the sport is always a journey. It’s been great to see how the OKSSSP continues to grow and support shooting sports.

Completed Careers. It is with great sadness to report that Joe Anglin of Ada lost a long fight with cancer. Joe was a longtime member at Ada S&TC. During his trapshooting career, Joe shot 70,675 registered targets.

April saw several Oklahomans achieve new milestones. Danny Elston broke his 100,000th singles target April 16 at Clinton GC. Brady Pryor and Levi McGee shot their first 25 straight on April 9, and Addison Darling shot her first 50 straight April 10 at OTSA. Tom Richy won singles, handicap and doubles at Clark Co. SC in Las Vegas at the Paralyzed Vets of American (PVA) Shoot April 3. Tom was also the champion high disabled individual (HDI). Congratulations to all shooters who took home trophies during the month of April and a special congratulations to all Oklahomans who achieved new milestones!

Shells are expensive and hard to find; every club appreciates your continued support.

The OTSA board is looking forward to hosting the 2022 Oklahoma State Shoot May 31-June 5 at the OTSA homegounds in El Reno. We hope to see you there!

Oklahomans, if you have any shooting news (new shooters, club improvements), accomplishments (100 straights, 50 straights), Milestones (100,000, 50,000, and 25,000 target achievements), and/or shoot scores, including singles, handicap and doubles winners, please send them to me. You can reach me by cell at 405-694-1790 or e-mail [email protected].

Kevin Nanke

ATA Delegate

Texas

Shooting season is in full swing in all of Texas now. I hope everyone is out supporting our gun clubs. I know shells are expensive and so is fuel and targets. If you can, please support our sport to the extent you can.

There is still one zone shoot left in Texas. The Amarillo GC will be the host for the Zone I shoot. You need to make your plans to attend June 17-19. Zone I plans to give belt buckles to every winner. There will be more than 60 buckles given at this shoot. Come to Amarillo and try to win one.

Stay tuned because I got some of those very underrated and underappreciated “fatman attaboys” and one “fatman attagirl” to tell you about. First is a “fatman attagirl” to Jerri Webb for firing at her 75,000th doubles target. You guessed it; she didn’t let me know if it was dead or not. Shame on her. Now for the “fatman attaboys.” John Spangler broke his 250,000th registered target. That’s a quarter of a million targets. Richard Churchill broke his 25,000th singles target. Drew Fryman broke his 50,000th singles target. Scott Hanes broke his 75,000th singles target. Congratulations to all these people.

I did the classification at the Southwestern Grand, and it is alarming how many people do not have an up-to-date average card. Not many Texans came without their card (guess that’s cause they know what an ass I am about that), but I bet 90% of those from other states did not have an up-to-date card. I know other people are not the butt that I am when it comes to the average card. If the rule is not going to be enforced then it needs to be removed from the rulebook. That may be my new crusade. What do y’all think? Another problem that came up at the Southwestern Grand was people trying to classify who had a reduction and failed to notify the ATA office they were refusing that reduction. Please notify the office if you are not going to accept the yardage reduction. Another problem that shows up a lot is people failing to release pre-squadded positions. Please call, text or e-mail someone to release those positions you are not going to use.

Y’all hang in there; we are nearly to the end. I just want to remind you that “I do not do Messenger!” If you have news, please let Princess or me know about it, so I can include it in Trap & Field. You can reach me by phone at 806-679-6889, or e-mail me at [email protected], or snail mail to 907 S. Main St., Hereford, TX 79045. I guess this is the end.

Til next time, y’all shoot well, y’all shoot often, and y’all have a great time.

Jerry O’Connor

ATA Delegate

Arizona

Every year about now I am reminded of the old Ray Charles song that starts out, “Oh, it’s cryin’ time again, you’re gonna leave me. I can see that far away look in your eyes.” I don’t mean to be melodramatic, but that pretty well sums up how we feel about our winter visitors. They are off to Montana, North and South Dakota, Wisconsin, Alberta and Minnesota, back tending crops and so forth. But in mid-autumn, when Arizona’s siren song is in full pitch, they will be coming back. Perhaps Tucson puts it best with their just concluded Adios Farewell Shoot that says goodbye in 14 different ways and five languages. For us natives; however, it gives us a chance to take a deep breath, relax and enjoy Arizona trapshooting at a less frenetic pace. Yes, we still have shooting in the summer.

Smoke and chips—First, a shout-out to Doug Gray of Gray’s Shotgun Cache. While competing in the state shoot, the rib came completely off my wife’s gun. Doug stepped right in and loaned her a barrel for the rest of the shoot and took care of getting her barrel repaired. And it’s not just Doug, we have some terrific vendors who go out of their way time and time again.

A note on the ATA Western Zone Shoot—Right now (April 25), we have not selected a host club. Hopefully it will be settled during the scheduling meeting on May 7. Look for an announcement on aztraps.com.

Now for some results: Tri-State held their Spring 800 April 1-3 and had a nice turnout. Robbie Love is constantly thinking of ways to attract shooters, and it is paying off. There was a sprinkling of out-of-town competitors, but most were from Arizona or nearby California. Gene Crawford tied for high gun and led veterans in the opening singles, and Larry Adam tied for senior vet. Denise Shute continued her winning ways in ladies’, and her husband David tied Kevin Allen in B class. Ed Lovelace’s 94 topped all senior veterans in the following handicap. Friday finished out with doubles, and Mark Harp tied for overall high and won B class.

Arizona shooters got off to a great start in Event 4, Saturday’s singles. Denise Shute was not only the high lady, but her 98 was the high score, period. Crawford won veteran, and Larry Adam became the senior vet champ. Event 5 was the handicap, and a true homeboy tied for both high gun and veteran, his name, Love, and Denise added one more victory in ladies’. A windy doubles finished Saturday’s competition, with Lovelace winning senior veteran. Sunday was also windy, and the doubles was the opening event. Lovelace was the high Arizona shooter and also the senior veteran winner. Gerald Meyer triumphed in C class, and Love won D. The singles closed out the shoot, with Charles Storm winning the senior vet crown, and Larry Crawford was tops in B class.

Tucson’s multilingual Adios Farewell Shoot, (wo war auf Wiedersehen?) ran March 23-27, and here are a few interesting statistics: There were 101 competitors from 20 states and provinces—a nice crowd for after the state shoot. Of the 101, 43 were senior veterans and 16 were veterans, the next largest category. Don’t forget the kids were back in school and the parents working. Remember the bumper sticker, “I’m spending my children’s inheritance,” ha, ha. The Toodle-Loo Singles began things, but Arizona was missing in action. The exception was Gerald Detty, who won C class. Event 2, the Sayonara Handicap, was not much better, Lloyd Koty and Jeff Mervin topped the list for our side with 88s. The Farewell Doubles closed out Wednesday’s shooting, and all I can say is that Arizona has had better days.

By this time, Doug Sims had had enough, and he ran away from the field by 5 birds with a fine 98 in Thursday’s opening event, the Arriverderci Doubles, Bravo, Doug! Lloyd Koty was the B runnerup. That brings us to the Au Revoir Handicap and Kenny Mlynarz. Kenny always reminds me of the song, When You’re Hot, You’re Hot, and Kenny was hot. His 96 was high by two and earned him some yardage. Next up was the Hasta la Vista Singles, and Bruce Hobbs must speak Spanish. A 98 in the event and 99 in carryover gave him the AA win. Mark Hopkins was tops in C. Llyod Koty fell one bird short in the open category in Event 8, the Adieu Handicap, and Jeff Mervin was the C champ in the Bye-Bye Doubles. Event 10, the See You Later Singles, (you have got to love these names), had two Arizona winners; Bruce Hobb’s 99 took the AA crown, and Mike Kiger was high in C. Randy Stiarwalt’s 95 earned him yardage in the Godspeed Handicap and also a victory in the short-yardage group, while Ron Ballou fell victim to the carryover in mid-yardage. Saturday’s last event was the Until We Meet Again Doubles, and Jim Copsey liked the tune. His 96 earned the veteran title. Koty won B, and Mark Yarbro C. The So Long Doubles started Sunday off, and there was Jim again with another veteran crown. Steve Williamson was the C champ. The aptly named Adios Handicap finished things off, and Jim Copsey was not through. He won veteran once again. Koty took mid-yardage, and Steve Comus was tops in short-yardage. It was a nice finish to Tucson’s last big shoot of the season.

Around the state: Hey, it never stops in Arizona, maybe it just slows down a bit. Flagstaff has a two-day shoot June 11-12; Tucson goes on June 18; Pleasant Valley has a three-day shoot June 24-26. Next is Casa Grande July 2-3, with a Big 50 bonus on July 4. Flagstaff is at it again July 9-10, and Tucson has their July shoot on the 10th. The ATA Western Zone is July 15-17; however, I just do not know where at this point. Don’t forget Big 50s every Monday at Casa Grande and Rio Salado’s singles marathons on the first Thursday every month and a doubles marathon on the third Thursday. See you on the line.

Now on a slightly different note, give the Prescott Rodeo a hard look. It’s the “World’s Oldest Rodeo,” very prestigious and a hoot. The show goes on June 28-July 4 with many of the country’s top cowboys. The Fourth of July Rodeo Parade is not to be missed. Give Karen or me a call, and we will meet up. You will love it.

John Bergman

           ATA Delegate

New Zealand

We’ve been able to get back to some degree of normality, with COVID restrictions easing somewhat, so we have been able to get back to holding shoots the past few months.

Our great summer weather is unfortunately moving into autumn with the hours of daylight getting shorter and daylight savings finished until next year.

In February the Thames club ran our annual Ross Card Memorial Shoot in honor of Ross, who got ATA shooting started in New Zealand. Followed by one of our regular 100 singles, 100 handicap and 50 pair of doubles programs in March.

Unfortunately no results were provided for the Waitangi shoot in February or the Ron Thomassen Doubles Shoot in March at the Taupo club. The doubles shoot ran well with two fields and a mostly clear day with a few passing clouds and very light breeze. Dave Wordley managed to win the HOA again.

The Thames club ran the Charles Hartley Memorial shoot April 2. See the shoot report in this issue of Trap & Field. Dave Wordley continued his form and won the HOA at that shoot as well.

Charles was an outstanding clay target shooter in both New Zealand and Australia. He won a number of championships in New Zealand during his career as well as high gun at the Australian National Championships. Doubles was one of Charles’ favorite disciplines, which he shot very well. To honor his memory, we throw doubles for his memorial shoot.

The NZ ATA is honored to be able to host this event and is very appreciative of the Hartley family’s generosity for their donation to the prize pool. The family has also provided the perpetual trophy that the HOA winner gets their name engraved on, which stays at the club. The HOA also wins a miniature cup engraved with their name, which they keep. It was great to have Charlie’s sons Brian, also an accomplished doubles shooter, and Ian able to attend to present the prizes to the winners.

Thames turned on a great day of weather with mostly clear skies with just a few passing clouds and a light breeze in the afternoon. Brian helped set an excellent pair on both fields, and combined with the great Thames background, some good shooting was done. Thanks to the Thames club crew for providing the grounds in their usual manicured condition.

A big thanks to all those who helped on the day: Brian Hartley, helping with set-up and target-setting; Mark Binney for helping with set-up; John Robinson, also helping with target-setting. A big thanks to those who helped during the day with refereeing and loading traps as well as clean-up at the end of the day. Also a big thanks to Nola for preparing another great lunch for us. Sadly, due to lack of support on the day, she may not be able to afford to continue with the increasing cost and time to prepare. We owe her a HUGE thanks for all the years she has provided us with fabulous home-cooked lunches and baking. We will miss you.

We ran three classes, A, B and C per ATA rules. Some good scores were posted during the day, Dave Wordley, fresh from his HOA win at the recent Thomassen Doubles Day at Taupo, found the groove for another HOA win. Congratulations to all the other class winners and places.

With the New Zealand government COVID requirements for returning travelers to go into two weeks managed isolation on return no longer required for those who have been vaccinated, a number of ATA shooters here are looking forward to attending the Grand American this year.

Good shooting.

Paul Basten

ATA Delegate

Utah

Finally we are in full swing of trapshooting season!

Starting with the three-day shoot at Purgatory CS: Beautiful weather, terrible turnout. I don’t know if it is a sign of things to come, with gas, shells, travel distance, food, etc. Whatever the reason, it was sad to see six squads at most when the conditions were so nice.

Tyeli Cook earned a half-yard to the 22-yard line for the high handicap score on Friday with a 95. Joel Laborde also earned a half-yard for the high score of 94 on Sunday’s premier handicap. Nice shooting to both of you.

Father and son Avery and Casey Fitzgerald (Avery being Trap & Field Rookie of the Year) told me they had both made the 27-yard line in August. I happened to have a couple of 27-yard pins with me. I had their No. 1 fan and cheerleader, Brandy, present the pins to them. Great shooting, guys. I appreciate the support your family has given to this sport over the last few years.

Next came a one-day shoot in Ogden: Attendance was a disappointment here as well. Haylie Peay and Quint Sudbury were high in the twin-bird race with 96s. Quint also had a field-high 100 in singles. Doug Devries and Scott Pearce each earned half a yard for their high scores of 94.

Golden Spike GC was next: The prediction of cold and windy weather kept a lot of people home, I am sure. Several notable highlights on Sunday: Ava Ladue broke her first ever 100 in singles. Approximately two years ago, I wrote about Ava after she broke her first 25 in singles. Nice progress, Ava.

Bradley Peay (son of Jared, and brother of Haylie) had a high score of 99 in handicap, which moved him to 21.5.

Ava and Bradley are both 15 years old and are two of the young guns who seem to always be happy.

Now, for my monthly bit on totally useless trivia.

Golden Spike GC is located in Brigham City. Its name came from “Driving of the Golden Spike” that united the Central Pacific Railroad from Sacramento, CA, and the Union Pacific Railroad from Omaha, NE, to form the First Transcontinental Railroad. This union took place at Promontory Summit, Utah Territory, on May 10, 1869. Promontory Point is about 30 miles west of Brigham City. There is a lot of pioneer history in this area. If you remember, this is what caused the Pony Express to die after a short one-and-a-half years.

Years ago, Golden Spike GC gave away buckles that were made with inlays depicting a spike in the middle. Not the best-looking buckle, but unique nonetheless.

We lost another one of our old-time shooters recently. Franklin Zupon from Price passed away Feb. 14. Frank started shooting registered targets in 1972 and was very active until 1996, and fully retired from shooting in 2008. In his day, Frank was a great shot, carrying tremendous averages of 99 in singles, 95 in handicap, and 97 in doubles. Frank made the State Team several times.

           Ed Wehking

           ATA Western Zone Vice President

Washington

I hope you enjoyed your spring and have had the good fortune to shoot some targets at the various clubs in Washington throwing ATA targets. Shoots at the Ft. Colville, Coulee City and Marlin gun clubs are in the books, as well as the state shoot. The Othello R&GC will be gearing up for their June shoot about the time this hits your mailbox. A two-day shoot was held at the Colton GC in early June, and we return to Colton in July for three days of fun for the Western Zone. Right after that the Malden-Pine City GC will offer targets, and it is always a great time.

The Northwest Grand went well in April at a new location, the Walla Walla GC. Several squads of junior and sub-junior shooters took part and showed great enthusiasm for smashing clay. Sam Weiland and Allen Osmin were two youth winning ATA life memberships during the shoot due to the generosity of George and Karma Seubert planting the seed to keep these young men involved in trapshooting for a lifetime. Mark Vendeweghe kept up the hot streak he started at the Spring Grand and took home a gold ring in Sunday’s handicap. We’d like to thank the Walla Walla GC for being a venue to keep the Northwest Grand tradition going. Getting youth shooters involved is essential to keeping registered trapshooting relevant and growing.

Some shells and components have seemed to be trickling onto the market, allowing us to stock up some and be able to attend our favorite shoots. Though having to pay more, it is good to have ammo up for some shooting. Hopefully we can make it through the registered shooting season and then find some relief in prices in order to have shells and targets for shoots in the fall at the 2023 target year start. I’m buying what I can find while also keeping in mind that other ATA members need some also. Not everyone can shoot if only a few of us have the shells and components.

There are some long gaps in the shoot schedule where there used to be events at the Spokane GC, so I hope to make the easy trip to some clubs in north Idaho and maybe Montana. We see shooters from other states here in Washington, and I’m sure they will appreciate having some of us from the Evergreen State.

I hope to have some news from recent shoots in coming issues. It’s always fun to give a shout-out to someone from Washington winning a good trophy, shooting their first 100 or 200 straight, or getting that final punch to the back fence. Take someone shooting and let them get started on their journey to these accomplishments.

Shoot straight and keep your powder dry.

Sean Lewis

WSTA Director