2103 Smoke Reports

The ongoing saga of the gun purchased in Boone and shot around the Country!
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smokem
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2103 Smoke Reports

Post by smokem »

2013 is here and the Smoke Report will continue as usual - hopefully. Thanks for stopping by every Monday morning to see what is happening in the world of NC Trapshooting.

I have toyed with the idea of doing a "VIDEO" Smoke report and I will see how that goes...

Smokem :lol:
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January 8th Smoke Report

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If you thought the weekend was nice just wait until next weekend. Temps are expected to be in the 60’s and where is winter may I ask? We had two registered shoots over the weekend and the next two shoots in North Carolina will be on the 19th. Maybe some club will slip a shoot is this weekend due to the weather.
Rockingham shot on Saturday the 5th and the weather was great but a little nippy. Tommy Brown won the singles, doubles and the HOA. Chris Shoulars won the caps with Tommy Brown and JC Nunn only 1 bird off tying the youngster. JC had the only 25 in the caps event and blistered his SV competitor Lewis Wyatt. They had tied in the singles and Lewis laid it on old J-Bird in the doubles. JC and Lewis shot off for “C” Class and JC got Lewis by one bird. We sure enjoy watching those two guys go at it.

The Buckhorn Gun Club moved their New Years Day shoot due to weather and they shot Sunday the 6th . We will get up with Jimmy Wilson to get the scores and maybe just maybe Dan Johnson managed to snap a picture or two. Mark your calendar right now for the 19th when Buckhorn holds their monthly trapshoot. It is always a fun time and a good lunch at that club. You might even see Andrew Carroll loading up on Beenie Weenie’s before the handicap and just hope the wind isn’t blowing your way if he is squadded with you.

I posted earlier in the week that Blake Pickard had suffered a heart attack and I called the hospital to see if I could talk with the family. Not sure if he has been moved or just checked out of the hospital. I will try to call Lonnie Campbell and get more info sometime today. Also, Hunter Galloway is on the mend after a bout with pneumonia. That is some bad stuff and I had it almost 10 years ago and just about made the mistake of my life. I spent the night in Marion and was “supposed” to go up on Mt. Mitchell the next day at an elevation of about 6300 feet. I went home knowing that going to that elevation in my condition could have been fatal.

In case you didn’t know Dave Kern passed after a bout with cancer on December 31st. Dave spent 40 years working for Mayville Engineering Company (MEC) as their reloader division sales/customer service manager. He was very passionate about his job and many trapshooters that reload worked with Dave on the phone. Dave was working for MEC about the time I started reloading. I know he will be surely missed and please remember his family in prayer.

The Rockingham Gun Club hosted an “Introduction To Trapshooting” class Sunday and we had 9 adults and 3 youngsters. We had some class info and some instruction regarding the operation of the PAT traps. The shooters shot two rounds and we had good help including Lewis Wyatt, Chris & Scott Shoulars, Lane Murray, Ron Anderson and Jeff Galloway. We will be offering an ‘intermediate” and “competition” class in the coming months. Two of the attendees were doctors and one was a dentist and the other was retired and was an OBGYN.

I talked with Dave Daily down in Myrtle Beach and he has been off for two months. He had been to Cancun and he called me to make sure I made reservations for the Konne-Yaut Indian shoot that will be held at the Ruffsdale Gun Club in Pennsylvania. Before you know it we will be sitting in PA in July and this is the 1st time for me at Ruffsdale.

We took a moment to call NCTA VP Steve Morgan Sunday and he said he had been suffering from bronchitis and had been out of work. I asked him about the plans for the upcoming 100 year anniversary for the NC State Trapshoot. He assured me that Roger Bynum would be contacting me so that we can get the info out on the internet. Make reservations now because there might be some visitors attending that you haven’t seen in a long time – we hope.

Ok – this is the 1st official Smoke Report for 2013 and I am going to strive to keep up with all of the info I get and write it down so as to not forget. So many times I will crank out a report and forget to include specific things. I guess getting old leads to memory issues?

Have a wonderful week and we pray that winter will come and go quickly. I want to send a shout out to the trapshooter headed to Alabama for a hunting trip and hurry back soon. Hello to Lou down in Sunny Florida and to his son John up here in NC. John needs to slip over to BGC give old Dan Johnson a lesson or two…..Until next week please…………………………………….Smokem or JC will……..
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January 14th Smoke Report 2013

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Hello and what a weekend for getting out and having fun. Not sure what your plans consisted of but folks sure missed an opportunity to hold a registered shoot. There are a couple of shoots in NC to end out the month and when will winter ever get here? According to a few weather models the arctic air and warm moist air should start colliding in the next few weeks.
I finally got the scores up from the Buckhorn shoot that was held on the 6th. Dan Johnson won the singles doubles and the HOA with Jeri Wilson winning the handicap with a strong 96. It looks like Dan is getting back in shooting shape awaiting the return to the line of James Wilson. Sure will be fun seeing those two go at it again for sure.

The Dixie Grand cranks up the 21st and folks are already heading that way. I sure had fun going in years past and really like eating that Greek food located at the Sponge Docks. When we headed back to Greensboro we had fudge, soap and oranges whether we shot good or not. I believe RJ Stuart will be running the scoring so we will be reporting any NC shooters that hit the leader board.

I had the pleasure of shooting some sporting clays with Lewis Wyatt, JC Nunn, Scott & Chris Shoulars Thursday. We shot at Shane’s near Summerfield NC and the weather was perfect with overcast skies. We had a great time and we laughed but not when folks were shooting. Lewis, Chris, Scott, Fred and JC in that order shot from best to worst. Lewis skinned JC up so bad I heard JC comment “wait till I get you back on that trapfield”. I am posting video and should have most of it up this week.

If you have ever wanted to join the Rockingham Gun Club they are opening up the membership the 15th. Go to the website to get information on whom to contact and get your application on file. Folks have moved and a certain percentage will not renew in 2013. Having 365 days a year access can be a great benefit and you can use your personal ERAD on the trap and skeet fields which is great.

I ran into a trapshooter that used to shoot back in the 90’s. Some of you may know Wayne Harrsion and he goes by “Wayno” on Trapshooters.com. It looks like he shot back when my grandfather was still kicking around and shoots down at the Rowan County Gun Club. He might be joining up at the Rock and I am sure he has some stories to tell. Maybe he can get some of his old running buddies out shooting also.

I know of a few folks traveling with one deer hunting out of state, one heading to the Silver Dollar and a couple heading back from Bald Head Island. Hunter and Lane Murray got out in the woods over the weekend with the intent of doing some squirrel hunting. Those squirrels were safe because they didn’t fire a shot and none went in the pot. I heard tell that Jeff Galloway went to the Rock to practice Sunday and he found Lane and Ronnie Manuel spreading the lead in the 70 degree temps.

Wednesday March 20th is the 1st day of spring and it will be here before you know it. The Southern Grand is the 11th through the 17th and I sure would like to make it down there this year. I still have some twisting, turning and tweaking on my top-single and that might take some time. One benefit of making it to the SG is getting to see the one and only Lou Carter. Let me see, Dan left NC, Lou came to NC, Lou left NC and then Dan came back to NC…….it is a conspiracy……

I have unfortunately run out of stuff to yack about so I gotta say goodbye. I hope you have a great week and we have two shoots in NC this Saturday. Both Buckhorn and Gastonia shoot Saturday and we hope to get shoot reports and get them posted in a timely manner. I would like to send a shout out to Lou down in Florida and until next time…………Smokem………..
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January 21st Smoke Report 2013

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Good morning and I hope you were able to get out and enjoy the great weather we had over the weekend. After that scary thunder snow storm Thursday night who would have imagined the mild temps Saturday and Sunday. We had two shooting events over the weekend with one already reporting. Hopefully we will get a shoot report from Gastonia sometime today.
Buckhorn hosted their second shoot of the New Year Saturday and the weather was great. I went down to take pix and get the scores and wound up getting to see Jimmy Wilson shooting in January. Dan Johnson won the singles, caps and HOA with Jimmy winning the doubles. They had a good turnout and it was good to see Danny Lloyd shooting all the way from the coast.

We went up to the Rock Sunday and it was abuzz with shooters. Tommy Brown, JT, Lane Murray, Zax Tate, Ron Anderson and a few others were hurling lead. I shot a couple of rounds and then put the top-single on and got Lane and Tommy to watch the breaks on straightaways. It looks good and might get out today and give it another walk around the block.

My first round I shot with Lane, JT, Tommy Brown and Ron. JT Brewer was shooting his 90-T with 3/4ounce loads and he was straight until the last post when he finally dropped one. That rascal beat all of us and I think he is getting back at us after all that whupping JC has been putting on him. He put the 90-T up as Lane. Tommy and I hit the line for another round. Tommy broke a 25 with Lane and I breaking 24’s.

I walked back in the shed and told JT that he had missed it and he replied what. I said you didn’t even want any of that did you and he said what? I said only two birds were missed out of that 75… As many of you know JT keeps the grounds and other things in tip top shape around RCGC. He is also a magician when it comes to reloader’s that aren’t working properly. If you have a loader you can’t get to operate you need to give him a call. Also, I was shooting a 7/8’s ounce load when I broke that 24 thank you very much.

The Dixie Grand cranks up today and the weather looks great all week. Some days in the 60’ and some days in the 70’s with some days the wind will be blowing 15mph. It will be interesting to see how the event is attended this year and I know that Leo is on the grounds. In 2011 Richard Marshall won the singles with 100, Bruce Meyers won the caps with a 98 and Paul Shaw won the dubs with a 100 straight. I have some great memories of attending the Dixie and I hate I won’t be attending this year. Sure would be nice if I could attend the Southern Grand in March when the weather is just a bit more predictable. I will be reporting from the Dixie so stay tuned to the front page for updates.

I took at the 2013 Florida HOF and it looks like Ron Burdick from South Carolina is down in Odessa. He has been shooting great and somehow manages to break 98’s at our Homegrounds at least once a year. He might break his first 100 in caps in Bostic one day you just never know. Keith Heeg broke the lone “Open” 200 in the singles, Paul Shaw broke the lone “Open” 99 in the dubs and David Muzzey from Pinellas Park FL broke the lone 99 to win the handicap. Looking at 2012 numbers it looks like the 2013 attendance is very close to last year and that is a good sign……

In case you don’t know this is the 100 year anniversary of the North Carolina State Shoot. Hopefully we will have some information on all the things planned for the shoot but at the time of this writing we have absolutely no information. Should be a great event and I am looking forward to seeing all the folks that are being invited to the festivities. Anybody remember Giff Fisher from Pinehurst winning the NC Singles Championship in Pinehurst. How about Chip Hagan breaking a 200 at the Tarheel Gun Club to win the NC Singles Championship. How about Bradsher Wilson breaking his first 200 at the age of 65 to win the NC State Singles Championship at the Durham Wildlife Club……Brings back a ton of memories…..for sure.

Have a great week and the next registered shoot in North Carolina is at the Rock on February the 2nd unless somebody slips one in on a nice warm sunny day. Big shout out to Lou down in sunny Florida and Lou how about getting your name on the leader board like Dan is doing up here in NC? Until next week………………………….Smokem
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Smoke Report For January 31st 2013

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Greetings to all and the week is almost over. Lots of unsettled weather Wednesday night and we hope your property came out ok. Sure glad the website is back up and hopefully we can everybody caught up on NC trapshooting.
We have one registered shoot this weekend and it will be held Saturday at the Rockingham Gun Club. Start time 10 and hopefully the weather will cooperate and it looks like mid 40’s and partly cloudy.

I noticed a thread that was posted by dickgtax and it was about the Durham Wildlife Club. He mentioned that the club had redone two traps and that a new building was being constructed to enhance the trap program at the club. They also have ERAD’s for the registered shoot and we can’t wait to get back down there to shoot.

With the site being down I couldn’t keep the day to day reporting going about the Dixie Grand. Some of you have already taken a look at the rjstuart site but we will do a rundown of all the nc/sc/va/ga/md winners.

Monday in singles Billy Griffin won A RU with a 99, SC shooter Jan Slough was the Lady2 winner with a 97. Monday handicap Marie Griffin won Lady2 with an 88. Monday doubles Charlie Brown won SrVet with a 90.

Tuesday in the Richard Marshall singles Charlie Brown won SrVet with a 98. Tuesday Prelim handicap Brad Barnett won 8th place with a 92. Tuesday doubles TN shooter Jim Fuller won D with a 91 and Billy Griffin won Vet with a 97.

Wednesday in the Singles Class Championship Charlie Brown won SrVet RU with a 100 straight. Wednesday Prelim Caps Cassie Hammond won Lady 1 RU with a 91. In the Harlan Campbell Doubles Brad Barnett won Class A RU with a 93 and Cassie Hammond won Lady 1 RU with a 93.

Thursday in the Dan Gerlich Handicap Cassie Hammond won Lady 1 with a 92. In Thursday’s Doubles Class Championship Larry High won Class A with a 94. In the Friday Remington Nitro 27 Handicap Brad Barnett won Runner-Up with a 96 and hats off to Brad for some great shooting amongst 364 shooters. There were no NC winners in the Doubles Championship.

There were no NC winners in the Singles Championship Saturday and VA shooter Bob Goodman won 9th place in the Handicap Championship Sunday. Last but not least Harlan Campbell won the HAA with a 397 and the HOA with a 970 – pretty cool huh?

Ok – we got folks hunting in Alabama – folks eating fried quail, rabbit and squirrel with homemade coleslaw and cornbread at the Rock – and it looks like Jimmy Wilson has turned over a new leaf and working out again. Yep, Dan Johnson has got him out swinging that Kolar once again. JC has a crick in his neck and might not get to shoot this Saturday or so he says.

Not much more to add and I hope everybody has a great remainder of the week and an even better weekend. A big shout out to Lou down in sunny FLA and until next week on Monday morning………………………Smokem
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February 3rd Smoke Report 2013

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Hello to all and quite a chilly weekend in the Carolina’s. 27 hours of snow led to almost 8 inches of snow in Boone and I found out that the Watauga GC had some issues with flooding earlier in the week. There is one shoot to report on and we have some sad news to report regarding two great ladies that have gone on to their reward.
Darvin Cornett’s mother passed away Wednesday and I have posted the info in the lodge under finished careers. She was laid to rest on Saturday and I found out about it at the shoot from Lane Murray. Our prayers go out to Darvin and all the family during this time.

Also Roger Shaffer lost his wife Barbara last week and her information is also posted in the lodge. Visitation is Monday night from 6-8 at the Wilkerson Funeral home and the ceremony will be Tuesday at 10:30. She was a lovely lady and I always enjoyed talking with her at the shoots she attended with Roger. I have a picture that I took of them at the Grand in Vandalia that I will find and post in that thread.

One registered shoot over the weekend and it was at the Rock. When I left Greensboro it was 25 degrees and I had my felt lined jeans on. When I arrived at the Rock the crowd was a little slim and then folks started to show up. We appreciate everybody that showed up and all that pitched in to run the shoot.

Maryland shooter Doug Howell led all singles shooters with a 98. Tommy Brown won the caps from the back fence with a 93 and the doubles with a 90. Tommy also won the HOA with a 278 x 300. Also showing up was birthday boy Dan Johnson (is 53) and we appreciate him coming up to shoot.

Happy Birthday to Dan Johnson and we sure enjoyed watching him shoot Saturday. He has that blinged out 90-T shooting just where he is looking and I got a video of him shooting post 1 and 2 on field one in handicap. Good training video for folks that want to see how you are supposed to stay on and in the gun.

JC Nunn stayed in the nest this weekend and decided to just rest. Temps in the 40’s are too cold for him really feel his hands and fingers. He said he had a dream Saturday night and he dreamed that he and his wife Audrey were at a restaurant and they were both smoking. He said he blew his smoke out and noticed the pastor and his wife entering the room. His wife Audrey was trying to keep her smoke in and J told her to blow it out so she wouldn’t get choked. God bless him and I know it is lonely with him being by himself 24/7.

Ok – since I posted the belated Smoke Report late last week it seems that info is blending together in my mind. I hope everybody has a great week and please continue to keep the Cornett and Shaffer families in your prayers. Also, Steve Watson told me that the Watauga Gun Club had some damage to their entry road to the club. You can check out the picture on their website – Google Watauga GC. Hello to Lou down in sunny Florida and until next Monday……………………Smokem….
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February 11th Smoke Report 2013

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Hello and I hope you had a chance to get out and enjoy the weekend. I am interested to hear some of the stories about the snow in the Northeast. I would imagine that some of the gun clubs were covered in snow. I will bet that some of those hardy souls got out and shot even after all that snow. Folks up North would love the kind of weather we have here in the Carolina’s!
There was one shooting event in North Carolina over the weekend and one upcoming on the 16th at the Gastonia GC. Buckhorn hosted a “fair weather” shoot Sunday the 10th. Good weather prevailed with a cold start for the singles. It looks like Addison Callan broke the highest singles score with a 95 with Curtis Baker and Steve Watson breaking 94’s. Jim Callan led all shooters in the caps with an 87 and Steve Watson won the doubles and the HOA from what I can tell. Buckhorn’s next shoot will be the 23rd so mark your calendar.

Gastonia will host a registered trapshoot this coming Saturday the 16th. I will try to get a program published for the event if available. Phillip Putnam sent me the scores from their last shoot and we appreciate that immensely. Gastonia has two traps and they have voice calls on both fields. The background is good and you shoot out over wetlands that surround a large lake. It has been quite awhile since I have been to Gastonia and we sure need some good pictures from that club.

We published some pictures of the entrance road to the Watauga Gun Club. Morgan Shaw posted that the original entrance bridge and the Randy Jones foot bridge bit the dust and is lying in the stream. The good news is that the road is repaired and the clubhouse, traphouses and the birdhouse all survived. Glad to hear that all is well in the valley and should be up there more often since we aren’t sitting on top of your shoot dates.

I called New York transplant to South Carolina Ron Burdick this week. He is at the Sarasota Gun Club just enjoying life and the weather. I asked him about shell availability at the Silver Dollar and he felt like they had a ton of shells and would be offered at a reasonable price. Hunter Galloway called the local distributor and there were no Estates in stock and a load of Rio’s had yet to arrive. Folks that have been buying shells at Wal-Mart have mentioned that they are hard to find.

Please remember the family of Minnesota ATA Delegate Ron Noren. Originally he had a stroke and the family was asking for everybody to pray for Ron. He passed Sunday night about 9pm and this was devastating news for the family. I personally do not know the man but he was well spoken of by his friends.

I hope everybody has a great week and it looks like heavy rain today and odd weather the rest of the week. A big shout out to Lou down in sunny Florida and until next week……………Smokem…..
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February 18th Smoke Report 2013

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Hello and what a chilly and snowy weekend in North Carolina. We had a dusting here in Jamestown and it looks like most of it fell East of the Triad. We had one registered shoot over the weekend and a shoot coming up this weekend. Tom Pitts has updated the NCTA State Team Points and we appreciate his efforts. February is about over and we hope we can make it through March without a mega snowstorm in the area.
Gastonia Parks & Rec hosted the Chiller Open on Saturday and I would imagine it was chilly for sure. It looks like Jason Stowe won the singles, caps, doubles and the HOA. Not sure exactly how many folks shot but at least they showed up to shoot. We thank Phillip Putnam for sending us the scores in a timely manner!

The Buckhorn Gun Club will host their regularly scheduled monthly shoot this Saturday the 23rd. Weather is looking warm with temps in the mid 60’s and 60% chance of clear skies. They always put on a great shoot and always a good lunch for the hungry shooters. Heck you might even get to see Jim and Dan go at it on the line. Dan has been getting Jim back in shape for the shooting season…..

JC Nunn was a victim of a hit and run accident Thursday. The lady sideswiped him and then took off. He called the cops and the damage was minimal to the back left quarter panel. I called Dave Daily down at Myrtle Beach and he was fishing behind his house Friday. Looks like he might retire in July and hopes to make it to the SC State Shoot Friday through Saturday.

The Preliminary Spring Grand is over and the main events start in the morning. I have been checking scores and it looks like Harlan Campbell is shooting great as usual. I believe his lowest score was a 95 and he had a 196 in the singles. Other than that he was in them. You can follow the scores from the link that is posted on trapshooters.com.

I keep hearing reports about folks having issues getting shells. Not sure about you but Wal-Mart has dried around the Mebane area according to Tommy Brown. It will be interesting considering Parks has no Estates in the warehouse and they are still waiting for a Rio order to arrive. I believe the STS products are available at this time.

Not sure what to think about all the gun ban issues and I am not prepared to discuss any of the items under discussion. I always want to put a positive spin on everything and will continue to do so until they show up on my front door. I don’t really follow the conspiracy theorists but thing are getting very interesting really quick. If you aren’t a member of the NRA it might be a good time to join….just saying……

Ok, another busy week ahead and it will be the weekend before you know it. Keep your powder dry and we will be looking for pertinent shooting related news for next week’s smoke report. Hello to Lou down in sunny Florida and I hope you are doing well. Until next week…………………..Smokem
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February 25th Smoke Report 2013

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Another great weather weekend in North Carolina with one shoot Sunday and two shoots coming up this Saturday. We have a bit of info from the Spring Grand in Tucson and did they have some odd weather or what? It will not be long before the flowers are blooming and the bugs will be biting. Enjoy the cold weather while you can and don’t let me hear anybody complaining about hot weather.
Buckhorn shot Sunday and the weather was beautiful. From what I heard they had about 20 shooters and if not mistaken Tim Crabtree shot rather well. Steve Watson rode down solo leaving Tom Pitts and Tom Shelley snuggled up under a single blanket watching Danica Patrick outrace Jeff Gordon. I won’t tell you what Dan Johnson said they were doing so ask Dan about that the next time you see him.

Monday @ 5PM - I did get some feedback from Dan Johnson and he stated that Tim did in fact win the singles and the caps with Dan winning the doubles and the HAA......I will be getting all the scores this evening from Jimmy Wilson.

We have two shoots this Saturday with Coharie hosting their first shoot of the 2013 season. Mac puts on a great shoot and they always have a great lunch to partake of. Mac, I will be down this year with the Crippler but not this weekend. Rockingham County will host their “Spring Open” Saturday and remember that there are “pots’ on the 1st/mid/last 50 in the handicap event. Looks like about 50 degrees for CSL and 45 degrees for the folks at RCGC with no mention of rain.

The Spring Grand American at Tucson is over and they had snow one day and I believe they cancelled the handicap event. When I searched for the HAA winner all that was listed was singles and doubles. It looks like California shooter Zach Nannini won the singles with a 200 and extra’s. Andrew McCleron won the doubles and not sure of the details on his win. Kay Ohye won the HAA with a 200 in singles and 100 in the doubles. Richard Marshall won the HOA with a 984. Shawn Hawley had a 983 and Harlan had a 981 in the HOA.

We have several folks traveling to and around Florida and we hope they have a safe trip. The Southern Grand is right around the corner and we hope to report the happenings from that event as they become available. Not sure if I am going to make it this year but it sure would be nice to eat a little Greek food on the sponge docks. If you have never been to the Dollar it is about 740 miles from Greensboro which is about the same distance to Sparta.

I actually had someone contact me about where they could buy shells. There is a Dick’s and Gander Mountain here in Greensboro and I need to do a little looking in both places. I am also interested to see if Wal-Mart is carrying any of the fed/win/Remington 4 packs that used to be available. I would hate to think that shells will get hard to find this season. I will keep you posted on what I find out.

I have a big week ahead and looking forward to Friday already. I will keep my eye out for any info regarding trapshooting and before you know it the 100th Anniversary NC Trapshoot will be upon us. Have a great week and hello to Lou down in sunny FL….Until next week……………..Smokem
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March 4th Smoke Report 2013

Post by smokem »

Greetings to you on this crisp March morning with just a few more weeks to Spring and daylight savings time. The weather wasn’t perfect over the weekend but it was good enough for Rockingham and Coharie to host their monthly shoots. With the weather looking better for the weekend Buckhorn will host their monthly registered shoot on Saturday the 9th.
The Coharie Gun Club held their 1st shoot of 2013 and it was well attended. Mac won the singles, handicap from the 25 and probably won the HOA also. Michael Graham won the doubles and had evidently been sick prior to the event. Looks like Greg High almost won the MID50 pot but missed his 30th bird with the daily 50 his only consolation. Mark your calendar now for April 13th when the Coharie Shooting League hosts their next registered shooting event.

The Rockingham Gun Club held their monthly registered shoot and it was cool and windy. Tommy Brown broke a 99 while testing his newly built “Yabba Dabba Doo” crossfire eliminator. I hope to have pictures up of the contraption today sometime. Ronnie Manuel finally came out of his man cave to play and after running his last 50 in singles hunkered down and put together a winning handicap score. Doubles found Ronnie and Winky Mabe a bird off after the first 50 doubles and then the wheel ran off on the Ronnie train. Winky won the doubles and we are glad to see him out and shooting. Ronnie won the HOA and please mark your calendar for April 6th when the Rock shoots again.

When Winky got to the club he commented that he was having a time finding shotgun shells. Winky and Judy went by the Wal-Mart in Madison and found 4 loose boxes of 12 gauge Federal shells. They went to checkout and the cashier told him he could only buy 3 boxes at a time. Judy looked at Winky and Winky commented that there were four boxes in the “4 pack” box of 20 gauge shells on the shelf. The cashier told them that the 4 individual boxes in the single box counted as “1” box of 4 boxes of shells. They both scratched their heads and Winky had to buy 3 boxes and Judy bought 1 just so they could get out the door. I will be checking on the local Wally World policy this week here in Greensboro if I have time

I checked on JC earlier in the week and when he answered the phone he didn’t sound too good. It almost sounded like Jimmy Wilson was squeezing him real hard pushing air over his vocal chords. I checked on him Sunday and he sounded much better and said he was getting his strength back. The doctor gave him some kind of prescription due to some sudden weight loss. He had hoped to shoot Saturday but didn’t want to risk getting out in the cold and wind.

I called Ron Burdick earlier in the week to ask about a shoot they run at the Sarasota Gun Club. He had to tell me that it was 72 and sunny – thanks Ron and rub it in. Anyway he gave me the club manager’s name and I emailed about their fun shoot format. They shoot 50 singles 10 per post and the score determines the handicap yardage they shoot the last 25 handicap targets from. We got some figuring to do on how the payouts work and when we do Lane thinks he will see how it goes. Ron shot at the Dollar over the weekend and we will see how he did in a pre Southern Grand event.

I took a moment to contact the winner of the Spring Grand singles in Tucson via Facebook. Zach Nannini ran a 200 and had to go another 225 to secure the victory. Not sure who he shot against but that was some great shooting for sure. I also contacted Gene Hapney in Arizona to get some info about just how bad the wind was during the Championship Handicap on Sunday. The high winning score was a 95 and Gene had a 90 after breaking a 46x50 before the wheel ran off. He said it was so windy he got blown off a post and when he tried to catch himself he stepped of the pad and jarred his back. That was the same weekend the Accenture match-play golf event was going on in AZ. The wind was whipping the flags on that golf course for sure.

The Southern Grand cranks up the 11th and I know that we will have some North Carolina folks in attendance. I will try to keep up with the events and keep an eye out for NC shooters on the leader board. I do also report on folks I know and folks from other states that shoot at our NC Homegrounds. Sure would like to go and it just won’t happen again this year. We are coordinating the move of our GTCC Sheriff’s office to an office in Jamestown and I think they call that job security. I would imagine that the first road trip will be the Georgia State Shoot in May.

I want to give a shout out to Watauga shooter Steve Watson. It looks like he has the bug bad and even willing to venture out with any of the Cartel by his side. Ever since he bought that new gun he has been shooting great and in bad weather conditions. I would imagine that the Spy Twins and BamBam best be getting their “A” game polished up because you got a new Alpha Dog trapshooter on the prowl. Oops I forgot about Morg and he can be sneaky in coming out of the woods to whip folks bad. Now that the RCGC and WGC shoots are on different dates I will be seeing you folks a little more often!

I hope everybody has a great week and if the predictions are true we just might get to see some snow around Tuesday or Wednesday. One more thing and if you did not get the ATA newsletter they have a “survey” to fill out. There seems to be a lot of weeping and gnashing of teeth on trapshooters.com and this survey asks some questions that seem to be a hot topic on the web. You can contact the ATA to get on the list for the newsletter.

Hello to Lou down in sunny Florida and hope to see you on the leader board once or twice or maybe three times and until next week…………………..Smokem……..
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March 10th Smoke Report 2013

Post by smokem »

The weekend is over and what a beautiful weekend it was. The weather was great and say hello to daylight savings time. I look forward to this time of year and sure hope to get out shooting sometime soon. One registered shoot over the weekend at Buckhorn and Old Hickory at Rocky Mount shoots this Saturday.
Buckhorn shot Saturday and what a turnout they had. 39 shooters took the line for the singles with 3 full squads of SCTP shooters. I have video of all three squads and will post with the full shoot report this evening. Thanks to Watauga Cartel shooter Steve Watson I have pictures for the event.

Old Hickory at Rocky Mount shoots this weekend and Al Bost hopes folks will come out for their 1st shoot of the 2013 season. They have three traps and a great place to shoot with a great clubhouse complex. The weather is looking good with temps in the low 60’s and slight chance of liquid precipitation.

The Southern Grand cranks up today and NC shooters are on the grounds and ready to compete. Charlie Brown, Bob Goodman and Jeff Galloway will be shooting together and look for these fellows on the leader board. I would bet that Bill Howe and Billy Thigpen are there and I will check on that sometime today. You can follow the shooters on the www.rjstuart.com website and I will be posting updates throughout the day.

If you have never been to the Silver Dollar you are really missing out on a great place to shoot. New management has really turned the place around and it is a beautiful location for trapshooting. On the club side you are looking out over a pasture that used to have cattle in it. On the golf side you can see folks in golf carts and playing golf. Both sides have places to sit and relax and both sides have grills with some great food. The Silver Dollar weather is looking a little windy the first four days with rain on Tuesday. As the week rolls on the winds drop from 10 plus miles per hour around Thursday and the weekend looks pretty good. It will be interesting to hear reports from shooters on the grounds.

Lewis Wyatt is back in North Carolina after a little jaunt to Florida for some R&R. He called me from the Myrtle Beach state park one morning and said they were headed back home. Between Lewis being out of town and JC a little under the weather we missed seeing them go after each other at the last Rockingham registered shoot. I would imagine they will be back at it again real soon.

I talked with Dave Daily Wednesday and he was working in New York. He was going to try to fly out Thursday so that he didn’t get stuck Friday. It looks like Dave is finally going to retire and I know he is glad about that. I also noticed from a Facebook post that Jim Callan was watching it snow in Chicago earlier in the week. It looks like he made it back to NC because he and Addison shot at BGC the 9th.

I want to take a moment to discuss a situation that is developing in the high country. Steve Watson has been traveling “solo” to shoot with very little support from his fellow compadres. I asked Steve where everybody was and he said that the only one that had a valid excuse was Morg and he was sick. Steve said that Tom Shelley HAD TO GO grocery shopping and that Pitts and George had a date to walk around Bass Lake for a little exercise. Hopefully the warmer temps will get this crew back out and traveling together once again. I believe the late Buck Owens sang that famous song “Together Again” and here is the link for you to enjoy…..http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cYKVb7T1n2I – think about the Watauga boys as that tear wells up in your eye…

Have a great week and it looks like a long week of work for me. Busy is good and I guess that means job security or something like that. 7 days of shooting to report from the 33rd Annual Southern Grand and good luck to all the competitors at the Silver Dollar. Hello to Lou and good luck to you also and until next Monday morning…………..Smokem
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March 19th Smoke Report 2013

Post by smokem »

Good morning and just a few days from the official start of spring 2013. The weekend was nice except for all that wind Saturday and that might have been fun at the shoot in Rocky Mount. Not much was happening here at home but there was a lot of action at the Southern Grand in Odessa Florida.
I was a little tardy on getting the scores up for the Buckhorn shoot on the 9th. BGC had a great turnout and it included 3 full squads of SCTP shooters from the Durham County Wildlife Club. Great to see all of these kids shooting and it sure brings back some memories. Chuck Woody won the singles with Danny Lloyd winning the handicap. Steve Watson won the doubles and the HOA and had to do it without his Watauga Wingmen. Buckhorn will shoot the 13th and 14th of April so make plans now to be there.

The 33rd annual Southern Grand is history and from what I can tell it was a great success. Numbers were down this year and attendance was similar to the 2010 numbers. North Carolina shooters brought home the bacon and they included Bob Schultz, Brad Barnett, Billy Thigpen and Jeff Galloway. If you have been following my daily updates you will know that the weather cooperated except for rain on Tuesday and windy conditions most of the week. 30 punches were handed out Sunday with only 8 getting honorary punches from the 27.

Jeff Galloway shot well and wound up winning AA Doubles on Friday, was one off the Saturday singles AA high score with a 197 and finished with a strong 94 in the caps on Sunday. That effort helped secure HAA AA with a 388 and HOA AA with a 938 and only 5 off the HOA AA winner Kenneth Darroch from Aliquippa PA. Congrats to all of our NC shooters and we are proud of their efforts.

Here is a quick look at the handicap events with the yardage shot and the score. Event #2 – 23yd 100, event #5 -24 yard 98, event #8 – 18yd 98, event #10 – 21yd 96, event #12 – 19.5yd 99, event #15 – 18yd 100 straight. Interesting look at one fact and that is no 27 yard shooter won a handicap event at one of the major tournaments in the ATA.

Hopefully I will get the scores from Old Hickory and the next shoot on the horizon in North Carolina is at Ft. Bragg the 30th. It won’t be long until the Dogwood in April and post cards are being sent out to announce the upcoming event. I will get the program posted and it is already up on www.nctrap.com.

I hope everybody has a great week and happy birthday to Lane Murray on Saturday. Lane went out fishing by himself Saturday because “Little Man” wanted to got to an auction with his grandpa. This will be a big week for me with a district move from GTCC to the new office off of Hillstone Drive in Jamestown. This is the 4th weekend that I haven’t been out to shoot……gotta get back out to the range.

Big shout out to Lou down in Florida and I hope you are doing well my friend and until next week…………………..Smokem
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March 25th Smoke Report 2013

Post by smokem »

Good morning and what a beautiful weekend here in North Carolina. Saturday cleared up a bit late in the day but Sunday was nasty. No shoots to report on locally and Ft. Bragg shoots this weekend on the 30th. April is looking great with 12 days of shooting amongst 8 different gun clubs with the Dogwood winding up the month.
Ft. Bragg shoots this Saturday and Marty has already posted the program for the shooting events. Always fun to shoot at Ft. Bragg and it might be a little bit too cool for ice-cream but I like it year round. That juicy mid-50 pot is hanging around $2261 and someone needs to take that 1k home and I believe you get a punch for that amount of money.

I did a little reporting on the Florida State shoot and I did such a good job Tom Pitts thought I was there. We had 7 NC shooters on the grounds for the shoot and noticed Kim McKinney, Joanie Barnett, Dennis Taylor on the board from time to time. The shoot attendance was a bit off from 2013 and that could possibly be a trend for all shooting events sad to say.

Tom Pitts has submitted the NC State Team Points and thanks for all the work Tom. Word on the street is that Tom has applied for Social Security and has decided to grow his hair and beard and supplement his income by playing Santa Claus during the long snowy winters in Boone. He is even changing his call to “Ho” to get accustomed to his new venture. Good luck on all that Santa PittSS…..

Folks have been on the hunt for shells and it looks like Gander Mountain is loaded with Rio’s from what I can tell. I have spotted AA Super Handicap shells and some Federal shells but not in great quantities. I have been checking local Wal-Marts for the Wally World Federal 3dram shell and they are hard to find. I did find some Winchester 3dram shells at the WW on 29 but I could only buy three 4-packs. I feel sure that Parks is getting shells back in stock and I believe that Bob Schultz will have Kemen’s by the Dogwood.

Jeff Galloway just got a bit of a promotion at Remington and he is really excited. He has evidently put in a lot of work to gain the knowledge base for Remington’s product line. This will hopefully give him an opportunity to travel and we wish him the best. I guess one great thing about working for Remington is being able to buy premium shells at employee pricing.

Looks like Vince Valois will be headed North in April and will be visiting clubs in South Carolina and North Carolina to do maintenance on PAT Traps. Not sure where all he is going but having great traps and crappy targets is terrible. Hopefully he will be visiting a trap club near you next month.

Looks like Lou Carter did a little shooting at the Florida State Shoot. Sure would be nice to see Lou at the NC State Shoot’s 100th Anniversary shoot in June. Sure would be nice to have 100th Annual NC State Shoot backdrop to take pix in front of….That would be great.

Got a call from JC last week and he said he had jury duty. We tried to figure out where he had to park so I decided to have him follow me downtown and park in my spot at the office. We were early and the weather was a little nasty. I swiped my ID and we headed into the courthouse and hit the elevator. We went up on third floor where the bailiff’s are and introduced him to Captain Gary McDaniel. He asked what brought us up there and I said Captain JC has jury duty and the Captain asked how old is Mr. Nunn? I told him that JC was 89 and the Captain said he didn’t have to serve after age 72. Captain took a picture of his license and took his summons and said Mr. Nunn have a nice day. JC was able to make to his 9:30 doctor appointment after all.

One brief note and that is TarHeelTrap.com is going on it’s 11th year this year. We appreciate the feedback we get from folks we run into at shoots we attend. We try to promote the positive aspects of the sport and have a little fun at the same time. Jimmy Wilson and I made this a joint venture and he keeps an eye on me for sure. The shooting season is getting ready to crank up and we would appreciate your help. Any picture from a shoot that I don’t attend is appreciated. A picture of somebody or something always makes one of my stories work a little better. If you have an IPHONE or a DROID and can take a picture – take it. If you have a smart phone and can’t take a picture let me know and I will give you a lesson.

Short week this week and maybe just maybe I can get to the gun club. Easter is upon us and it is a great time of the year. Pollen will be falling and eyes will be watering before you know it. Have a great week and I hope you can make it to Ft. Bragg this weekend. A big shout out to Lou down in sunny cool Florida and until next week……………..Smokem
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April 1st Smoke Report 2013

Post by smokem »

Good morning and Easter is over for 2013. Lots of folks in Church on Easter, Christmas and Mothers Day and you just never know who will show up. The weather was great Saturday and assured the Ft. Bragg bunch a good turnout that they weren’t expecting. Sunday started out gloomy, cleared up and then here came a hail storm with high winds around 6pm here in Jamestown.
Ft. Bragg held their first shoot of the year and had a crowd. 32 shooters stepped to the line for the singles with George Brown out-flipping Mac Herring with 97’s. Ft. Bragg soldier and Ohio shooter Curtis Baker won the caps and the MID50 which netted $1262.50 and 1 and ½ yards of pure ATA concrete for his efforts. Tommy Brown and Dan Johnson actually shot extra for their 95’s in the doubles. Dan emerged the victor by a pair of targets and Coharie shooter Mac “The Knife” Herring outbested all shooters with his 279x300.

The Rock will host a 500 target shoot this weekend on the 6th of April. Good chance to get some targets and at $20 per hundred. Weather is looking like mid 60’s zero chance of rain – of course that could change. I have posted a flyer detailing the events and please come join us if you can. Dan Johnson is the only person to break 200 straight at the Rock and we will be offering 200 singles targets Saturday morning.

Sunday April 7th the Charlie Brown Gun Club will host a typical 300 target event and I believe Charlie will be heading to San Antonio Texas. Anyway they will put on a great shoot and if you have never been to Charlie’s you owe it to yourself to go check it out. Heck I might even get to go to this shoot? Jimmy Wilson and the BGC ground crew will be assisting run the shoot this Sunday.

I got out to the Rock Friday and it was packed with shooters. Most of them were new folks and I helped them get the traps setup. Mike Vrooman showed up with his father and mother from New York. Alan Vrooman pulled out a Seitz and son Mike pulled out his Beretta and they shot on trap one. Mike works for Remington and his father worked for the Air National Guard and runs the trap program at the Watervaliet Gun Club near Albany NY. Alan was very interested in the ERAD devices and asked how they performed in super cold conditions. He also said that Friday was the first day he didn’t have to shoot in a coat or a sweater.

JC made it out to the club Friday and while he shot 12 bucks worth of targets some crackhead was breaking into his shed. Yep – 2013 and the thieves are thick in Greensboro and good luck on GPD catching anybody in this City. He/her/them crackheads got two weed eaters and of course he/her/them probably smoke grass instead of mow it. JBird got him a new trimmer and a big bad lock for his building. He will be installing an alarm system in his home this week just in case the crackhead crew gets any ideas

Earlier in the week Dan Johnson posted a comment about a 300 pound smurf on my thread on trapshooters.com. Dan wanted me to post a picture of the Smurf at an event and I told Dan, are you trying to get me killed or at least eating soft food for several months? It looks like the Smurf posted the high score in golf on Friday riding the course while Dan got his walk on. Dan told the Smurf – you can post the high scores today and I will post the high scores at Ft. Bragg. Unfortunately the Smurf failed to answer the bell Saturday thus did not have a chance to put Dan in his place…….Maybe they will lock up at the 2-day BGC shoot the 13th&14th of April.

Saturday May 25th the Drake Naylor Invitational will take place at Shane’s Sporting Clays in Summerfield NC. Several have commented about entering the competition and donating to a great cause. Not sure who all is on board and it looks like that is the weekend of the Dogwood at the Homegrounds and that is really the only chance to shoot at the HG before the State Shoot.

That will do it for now and have a great week everybody. Before you know it the weekend will be here and folks will be smelling gunpowder in the air. The Masters is right around the corner and then here comes GA,SC,NC State shoots and then the Zone……Hello to Lou and sir we hope to see you standing on NC clay at sometime during the physical year……..and until next time you best be Smoken Them……….
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April 8th Smoke Report 2013

Post by smokem »

Good morning and how did you like that weekend? Two days of Carolina Blue skies with a moderate breeze and the West Coast is bracing for an epic snow storm with the possibility of tornadic weather down into Texas. I guess what I am saying is that I am glad I live in North Carolina.
Two shoots over the weekend and Karole Miller will input her shoot data when she gets settled. I got her logged into the site and she will be able to add her own info along with others that include Kim McKinney, Mac Herring, Tom Pitts and Marty Hill. Thanks to all for contributing to this site and every little bit helps.

Rockingham held their Marathon shoot and the winners were? Steve Watson broke 96/98 in the singles for the win. Winky Mabe broke 88/96 in the caps for the win and a ½ yard punch. Tommy Brown won the doubles with a 94 and the HOA with a 458x500. Thanks to all that attended and to all that helped.

There is a bunch of shooting coming up this weekend with shoots at Buncombe, Coharie and a two-day event at Buckhorn. Buncombe and Coharie will host typical 300 target programs Saturday the 13th. Not quite sure what the format will be for the two day event at BGC and will publish just as soon as the info is made available.

Trivia check – who are the NC high handicap average leaders for 2012? One is none other than PA transplant Karole Miller with a .8611 average on 3,500 targets. The men’s leader has been around a long time, shoots a gun that is almost 40 years old, laughs and smiles most all of the time and has pasty white legs? It is none other than JC Nunn with a .9040 average on 2,000 targets, can you believe that?

JC wound up on a two man squad with Zach Tate Saturday and it is tough shooting on a two man squad with an automatic. JC had several empty shells turn around in his gun and I helped him get them out. His shell catcher dropped off several times and he dropped a couple of shells during the round. He must have bent over 10 times during that round but still managed to break a 25 straight at 89 years old.

This Friday and Saturday I will be providing technical support for the Sheriff’s Annual Sniper Challenge. Law Enforcement agencies from around the state will be sending their two-man teams to our range near Gibsonville NC. It is a lot of fun and it is amazing what these guys and gals can do with a .308 and a handgun. It is open to the public and they are offering an event that will allow you to shoot against score and time to win a handgun for charity. Check it out on the web and Google Sniper Challenge Guilford County.

Looking forward Old Hickory @ Rocky Mount and Ft. Bragg shoot the 20th and then the Dogwood at the Homegrounds. This will be your last chance to shoot at the HG before the state shoot in June. The Dogwood runs from April 25th through the 28th and I am going to pray for the weather right now. One year we went up their and it blew everyday and it was super sporty.

Shells – Gander Mountain is stocking 1150 Rio’s and they come in on Thursday’s normally. At 59.99 a flat plus tax that seems to be the best local buy around as far as I can tell. Still having trouble finding the generic Wally-World Federal shells and maybe just maybe they will show up this summer. I would imagine that shells will be available at the HG for the Dogwood and will try to confirm that with either Ken Duncan or Bob Keever.

Not sure how the camping is shaping for the 100th At The Homegrounds. If you have not made your reservation you best be contacting Joy Duncan lest you be parked at the local campground with Beavis and Butthead… I am sure that this event will be well attended and you do not want to be left out.

Have a great week and the weather looks good until Thursday and Friday with a great weekend. Hello to Lou down in the gator state and until next Monday…………..Smokem..
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