Rocky Mountain Elk Shoot At Varneys' Clay Sports

The Maine Chapter of the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation held a Hunter's Tune-Up at Varney's Clay Sports in Richmond, Maine today. Varney's Clay Sports is owned and operated by Brad Varney. It was a good turnout of hunters and non-hunters.

The targets were set by the "Wizard of the Woods" himself, Brad Varney! I gave Brad this moniker today after viewing the first Station on his course. Station One was 2 following pair (midis) followed by a simo pair (midi and 90mm targets).

The thing with Brad's targets is he makes you take the shot before you really want to. If you wait too long, the targets become more difficult to locate and shoot!! That's the wizardry of Brad Varney!! He takes you out of your comfort zone!

The format for this Shoot was: 50 main targets from 9am to 12:30pm, break for lunch from 11:30 to 1:30, and shoot the second 50 targets from 1-4pm.

This was a well run organized Shoot by the Maine Elk Foundation.

Question: When was the last time you went to a Shoot where not only did you feel good about supporting our hunting heritage but felt everyone left feeling like a winner?!!

This was my first Shoot with the Rocky Mountain Foundation, but it won't be my last. The men and women of this organization were friendly and sincere in their greeting to us. The raffle tables were full of products we know and use in our outdoor adventures and were provided by LL Bean; Coles Gunsmithing, Browning, Bob Allen and others.
The champion and runner-ups in each class received shells manufactured by Rios, Estates and Fiochie. I understand some folks have already signed up for next years shoot!! Has anyone seen my pen??!!

My Squad team members were: Sarah and Jeff St. Pierre, and Mark Brannon.

Lunch was your choice of cheeseburgers, or hotdogs, bags of chips, devil dogs and twinkies, and a variety of sodas.

There was a 100 target Main Event, NSCA sanctioned and Hunter Class. The entry fee of $75 included the Main Event, lunch and raffle tickets with a $50 re-entry fee for a second round of 100 targets and raffle tickets. There was also a Duck Blind Flurry: two shooters - 20 targets for $10. At the end of the shoot, awards and raffle drawings took place and it was requirement that you must be present to receive your winnings.

My squad happened to be very lucky! Three of us won merchandise! Sarah won 4 boxes of Estate Shells and a hat. Mark won a case of Fiochi and Rio shells. I won 4 boxes of Estate shells, a hat, a zippered Camo Gun case, a book, a Benelli Catalog on CD, and a leather Trap Pouch! Whew!! Haven't been that lucky in quite a while.....

The weather was beautiful! None of the humid, soggy atmosphere like we had yesterday at Hermons'. The sun was shining strongly, but Brad's woods is full of shady trees and provided great protection from the heat.

One complaint I hear more and more lately is a lack of seating at the stations at virtually all Shooting Clubs. Club owners must begin to realize and understand that a fair percentage of their patrons are, or are approaching their senior years. Some have joint or other medical problems that makes it stressful for them to shoot the course. There are some who want to shoot, but can't because there is no place for them to sit once they reach a Station, and visiting 12-14 stations is tiring and uncomfortable. Seating at each station would be very, very much welcomed by everyone, both young and older!!

Brad Varney also gives shooting instructions. He is very accommodating and loves to make sure you 'want to come back' to his Club. Brad has a website. His telephone number is: 207.737.4993. The link to his website is: http://www.varneysclaysports.com/

Now for some pictures.......

Here is a photo of Brad and his delightful companion, Alyse (I hope I spelled her name correctly...it's too late to call them and ask; so if I made a mistake I hope I will be forgiven).



And here is a Slideshow!!

Hermon Skeet & Trap Club - Hermon, Maine

Hermon Skeet and Trap Club, located in Hermon, Maine (a suburb of Bangor) gave their Annual Lobster Shoot today, Saturday, August 25, 2007.

There were 14 stations, squaded "Shotgun Start." For those who do not know, this means everyone was squaded and you can start at any station that you desire, just as long as you shoot the entire 14 stations.

A lobster or steak lunch was catered by Dave Dahl. The menu was: lobster, mussels, corn on the cob, coleslaw, rolls, blueberry pie and sodas of your choice. This year, there was an additional charge for the lobster meal because of an increase in the price of lobster. The meal was $14 extra. A bargain if eaten in a restaurant!

There was a great deal of target variations at this Shoot!! Targets thrown were: standards, midis, minis, battue, and rabbits. For those who don't know, a battue is a clay that slightly tilts while in the air.

My squad consisted of Carl Freeman (our scorer), Ray Stewart, Steve Tardy, Joan Trial, Horton Preble, and Chris Consenze.

There was a mixture of "feel-good" targets and "time-to-go-to-work" targets.

The first station of interest was Station number 4. The presentation consisted of two "report" pairs and two "simo" pair.
On calling for your targets you had a midi coming over your head on your right-hand side.
On "report" from the Trap House (approximately 30 yards in front of you) was a "standard" that was thrown from right-to-left.
The trick was to kill the midi and on "report" have your muzzle over the trap house to pick up the target going to the left.

Another interesting station was station number ten. On this station muzzle speed management had to be "spot-on!"
The presentation was a hard 30 yard right-to-left crosser on report, followed by a slower left-to-right crosser that three-quarters of its flight, became a "dropper" no more than 45 yards in front of you. You had to make a strong move for the "right-to-left" crosser, then you had to back off your speed to acquire the left-to-right crosser.
Many Shooters shot either way too far in front, or tried to measure the shot, and as a result, shot "behind" the target!

The next station I found intriguing was Station number nine. Here you had a right-to-left arcing midi, followed on report by a high, going-away standard on your right, arcing slightly to your left. This was a high bird that was thrown off their new 35 foot tower.

Approximately 67 shooters participated. The air was loaded with humidity accompanied by a heavy dew point making it a warm, very soggy day.

In summation this was a great Shoot!
A nice job done by Joan and Henry Trial and their volunteer staff! Bravo!!

The Shoot was $45 for 100 Main Event targets with a second round of 100 targets costing $30.

Now for the SlideShow!!

"Summer's End Sporting Clays Shoot" at Silverton Sporting Ranch

Welcome to everyone checking out my Blog! I created it because I love shooting Sporting Clays and have been involved in it one way or another for over 15 years. I have patronized quite a few clubs in the East. Some well known, and some not. Not enough information is reported about Shooting Clubs and what information is reported in various publications, is usually focused upon the larger ones leaving smaller local clubs without much exposure at all unless it is by word of mouth. I am hoping to change that with this Blog.

Smaller Clubs need to be talked about; pictures need to be seen. In today's economy, out of necessity, people are cutting back on travelling long distances like they used to for Shoots, and the local more accessible Clubs will be seeing more and more shooters.

As I shoot locally, at the smaller Clubs, or at the larger more famous ones, I will share my experiences with you in this Blog.

Now for the first Post.......

This past Saturday and Sunday; August 18-19th there was a "Summers' End Sporting Clays Shoot at Silverton Sporting Ranch in Canaan, Maine. Silverton is owned and operated by Denise Murchison. More can be read about Silverton here: http://silvertonranch.blogspot.com/ including a link to Silverton's website.

On Saturday there was a 100 Target NSCA registered shoot and a 48 Target Triples shoot.

It was a "fun shoot," but it was fun shoot that had tournament quality targets! The first four stations presented challenging, thought provoking presentations.

For example; Station number one had a "right-to-left" quartering "away" target. On "report" (approximately 50 yards) was an incoming target that fell to the left!

There was a mixture of "in-your-face" targets: a mixture of speed, distance, and close targets! This was a thinking man's and woman's course!

One of the more unique stations was Station number ten: a combination of shooting station set to the right of the Trap House, and the target presentation was a single rabbit, followed by a trap target; and on "report" a rabbit and a trap target; and finally, two "simo pair" of a rabbit and a trap target! A slow gun wasn't going to find any of these targets at all!!

The wind wreaked havoc with presentations in the open field areas. I had a good squad headed up by Mark Brannon, his friend Tom; Jeff and Sarah St. Pierre. Jeff and Sarah St Pierre run the 5-Stand at the Arnold Trail Club in Sidney, Maine. The fee for the Main Event was $45 with $20 for re-entry; and $25 for the Triples Shoot.

Sunday at Silverton was the Maine State 5-Stand Championship, the Flushing Flurry, and the Long Bird competition. It was a sunny bright day, with no winds at Silverton. The turnout was low, but the action was high, and lots of fun at this competition.

An added touch that I have never seen in other 5-Stand Competitions was the addition of comfortable wooden lawn chairs provided for the competitors' comfort while waiting their turn to shoot the 5-Stand. Denise Murchison makes you feel welcomed, and at-home while at Silverton. Silverton, in my opinion, is truly the "Addieville" of northern New England!

The presentations were challenging on this Level 3 competition; consisting of 2-shot singles, reports and simo pairs.

The Long Bird was shot from two positions. The first hoop was set as a 45 yard crosser. The second shooting position was set at a 60 yard crosser. A shoot-off was necessary and won by Micah Parker of New Hampshire.

The two-man Flurry was won by Mark from Maine, and "yours truly."

I think the most effective way to shoot a flurry is to concentrate only on the targets presented by the machine in front of you. I didn't chase targets thrown by the other machine. I let my team mate handle those.

It was a great 2 day Shoot!! A job well done by Denise; her Field Manager J.D. McLellan and her staff......!

Denise also served food for participants: burgers, hotdogs, salad, chilli with cornbread and sodas, at no additional charge! That's a wonderful and welcomed touch. The 5-Stand Championship fee was $25 (on both days fees included NSCA registration).

And now for some photos:



Here is "Yours Truly" with J.D. McLellan, Field Manager of Silverton


A better photo of J.D.



Silverton's owner, Denise Murchison speaking with JD

Here is a Slideshow Presentation........