Good evening and I hope everyone had a great weekend. A bunch of folks were shooting in different parts of the country including VA and KY. We had NC youth shooters at both locations and the competition was intense. Durham County shot over the weekend and CCLEOA and Old Hickory at Rocky Mount shoot this week.
32/28/18 entries for Durham County Wildlife Club Saturday and I would imagine it was hot. Doug Monjeau, Joel Schram and Joe Nalley knotted up with 99’s and Joe won the arranged carryover. Chris Powell and Gus Dunbar tied with 94’s in the caps and not sure exactly who won but they did get a punch. Joe Nalley won the doubles with a 92 and I would imagine he won the HOA also. Always a good time at DCWC and hope to shoot there this fall.
CCLEOA hosts their monthly BIG50 Friday and Old Hickory at Rocky Mount shoots a typical 300 target program Sunday. CCLEOA came on the scene what a year or so ago and I kept seeing this fellow’s name shooting good and it was Billy Soper. Heck of a good shot and his wife is so nice. They actually rode all the way from the coast to shoot at Rockingham in June. NCTA prez will be running the shoot at Old Hickory Sunday and I know they will have a good turnout with a great lunch and some delicious desserts normally provided by Karole “Cupcake” Miller.
NC had youth shooters in VA and KY. Not sure who all won what, but they did bring some hardware back to NC. Cason Williams was at the Kentucky State Shoot and Gage Malone and Greyson Stainback were in Virginia. Not sure who all won what and I will try to get all the details for next week. A big shout out to their parents for supporting these young men.
The shell house published their price list for the Grand and if you thought this was a rich man/woman’s sport you were right. $88 for Champions and $135 for Winchesters AA Diamond Elite or Federal Paper shells. It looks like folks are willing to pay these kinds of prices and the manufacturers are laughing all the way to the bank. Are shooting events up around the country and the answer would be maybe in some areas. I guess the real litmus test will be the attendance at the Grand and it is just a few days away.
About 1200 miles from Wednesday to Sunday and I had a great time the entire time. Left Wednesday for Bradford PA and stopped Winchester VA to take a break, see a few folks and take a few pictures. Back on the road I arrived at the Bradford Gun Club to set my 10x10 up in cooler temps. I shot Thursday and Friday and skipped the 200 singles on Saturday. The weather got cooler Friday with temps in the mid 70’s but it did rain and stopped right before I stepped to the line. This was y 15th year with the Konne-Yaut Indians, and we have lost quite a few members due to illness and some just cannot afford to pay the prices to shoot anymore.
I left Bradford at 7AM and was sitting in the parking lot at Winchester at 11:50. I traveled through heavy rain on the way to the club and thought I would be drenched on the line. I got my gun ready, and the first wave hit the line with my squad #8. The first squads were shooting, and they called them off the line due to lightning. That gave me a little bit of a break to watch targets and relax a bit. It was our time to shoot, and it was 10 degrees cooler and still cloudy with a light breeze. I shot with Greyson Stainback and two other youth shooters, and it went really quick. If I had just been able to break targets on post 5 I would have been in the 90’s. After the round I cooled off and walked the line taking pictures. With all the moisture in the air I cleaned my gas gun and prepped to make that 255-mile trip home.
I rolled out at 4 and was in Jamestown NC at 9:15. I guess folks ask if it is worth all the travel and all the cost knowing that you aren’t an A25A shooter anymore and I would say yes, it is worth it. Trap will never change it will always involve guns, concrete, mechanical traps, and clay targets. What does change is the time that people have to enjoy the sport with their fellow trapshooters. Life is short and you must live it while you are here to the fullest. My trip in 2024 is July 11-14 and hopefully I will be around to enjoy another ride to Pennsylvania.
Oh, a storm came through Sunday and knocked our power out in Jamestown and with no power I was in the dark. I would have cranked this up today, but we had 9 youngins to tend to at the daycare. Hopefully we will get it out on time next week.
That will do it for this week, and I hope everyone can get out and shoot somewhere this week or maybe find some shells. Hello to Scott in PA, Ronnie, Cowboy, Tim, Bobby, Phil, Thea and Anne and until next week……….smokem
Thanks John Sandell for checking on me!