Sept 16 @ Vernon National (Sporting Clays)

Shot the AM NSCA sporting clays at Vernon National (Vernon, NY) today.  A PM shoot was offered but couldn't stick around.

I had pre-registered (Winscore) and it was just picking up my score card and making payment.  Pretty straight forward.

Ran into an old friend and we ended up on the same squad.  We made plans for attending a shoot together at Sunset Farm next year.

16 stations.  They have more then two machines at each stations and thus an AM and PM shoot can easily be held without moving machines around.  I've shot practice at the club and with three or four machines on a station, makes for a good time (and a lot of targets shot).

You can park your vehicle in the vicinity of station 1 /16 and the course is an easy walk.  Rental carts available. Most walked the course.

A few photos.  Several of the squad and the brand new raised platform at station 16.

 Over looking a ravine

 That's me....

Pastries / coffee (breakfast) and hamburgers / hotdogs (lunch) included in the price of the shoot.

Fun Trap & Skeet Shoot @ Farnham

Attended the annual fun trap and skeet shoot at Club chasse, pêche et tir de Farnham inc. (Farnham, Québec).

Two trap fields and one skeet field.  Nice crowd in attendance.  Shoot went on for most of the day and with people coming and going no extended time sitting around waiting to shoot.

You chose what you want to shoot first (trap or skeet) and when finished with one you return to the desk and squad for the other.  Worked well!

I shot trap and skeet, but didn't stick around for trap doubles.

Best viewed full screen.

Hotdog, homemade fries, and a soda for lunch.  $3 Canadian.  Fries filled half the plate.

A well run shoot. Hats off to the volunteers.

SHOOT PHOTOS

No traffic, nor any issues crossing the border, going and returning.

Tournoi Annuelle Five Men Team @ Huntingdon

Club de Tir Huntingdon (Sainte-Barbe, Québec)

50 targets.

Squad leaders selected by random draw.  Then squad leaders select team members by random draw.

The shoot had ten squads.

Pat traps and voice release.

The shoot moved along and we departed at a decent time.

Video.

Best viewed full screen.

I've shot at the club several times in the last few years and I think the best weather they ever had.

Hats off to the ladies working the shoot, as well as other volunteers.

And, whoever made the hamburgers....  They put McDonalds to shame.  I sware my burger was at least a 1/2 pounder.

I lost a bit of video.  Trying out a different camera and still in the learning stage.  Just happened it was a couple of shots I would have really liked to have used.

A tie for first. A shoot out for 1st and 2nd took place.

In Quebec, so French is the language.  The club recognized the Lost Target.  They had kind words (in French) to say, as well as a presentation.

The top three winning team members each received a medal and plenty of door prices to go around.

SHOOT PHOTOS

The club is waiting on delivery of a Wobble Trap and just waiting word on installation so I can try it out.

Les Sauvaginiers Fun Shoot @ Valleyfield

Club de Tir de Valleyfield (St-Stanislas-de-Kostka, Québec)

Load three if your gun will hold them.....

Two person team shooting....

Thanks to the club my wife and I were invited to take part.  A shoot that is hard to get tickets for, as usually sold out well in advance.

I didn't spend much time with it in regard to video but they had a side even that consisted of a trap house target and a target from a skeet house.  Shooting from the 16-yard line.  Looked interesting, but I passed.

In the past year the club installed a Wobble Trap and incorporated it into the event.

My wife enjoyed the target presentations offered.  She practiced a bit shooting skeet in the sitting position on Thursday to get her comfortable shooting in that position, but nothing like the real thing.

Video from the shoot.

Best viewed full screen.

Safety was paramount and each team had an individual assigned, not only given guidance but assuring safety. 

SHOOT PHOTOS

Crossing into Quebec on Sunday not a pleasant experience

We were on the way to a fun trap shoot at Club Huntingdon.

To start off we had to wait in excess of four minutes before the booth was manned. The booth is connected to the main building and a vehicle had just processed, but the officer disappeared and we were forced to wait. There was no line of vehicles, we were the only vehicle waiting to process.

Right off the bat I sensed an attitude problem when the she (the officer) finally made an appearance. She was given off bad vibes and the body language was something else. I sensed this wasn’t going to be a pleasant experience.

It went downhill rapidly when after looking at my Canadian Firearm License she asked where my firearm registration paperwork was?  Telling her it was not required, as I had a license was not what she wanted to hear and the conversation went rapidly downhill.

She said she never seen an America with a Canadian firearms license and where did I get it?

Explained I attended a class in Quebec and the Canadian government issued me the license

It got to the point where she demanded I show her my vehicle registration. I guess she thought I stole the license and my identification. She was trying to prove I wasn’t who I said I was?

She was clearly frustrated that I would not back down on not needing to have my firearms registered or that my firearms license was legal. 

If I didn’t have a Canadian Firearms License (good for five years) then I’d have to pay a $25 fee and register the firearms. The approved document is good for 60 days. Not needed in my case (and the reason I obtained a firearms license).  On the government website that provides guidance, they recommend you acquire a Canadian Firearms License if you’re going to be a frequent visitor.  I'm on my third or forth license.

In the past at the border when there was doubt the person would ask me to pull over while they either looked up the law in question or called a supervisor.  Not in this case. This back and forth conversation went on for more than a few minutes. She was clearly frustrated.

Eventually she said wait, closed the window, and departed into the interior of the building.

She came back shortly, handed me back my documents and said I could leave. Didn’t say anything other than that.

By the way, we used the same crossing on Saturday to attend a shoot at Valleyfield without issue.  The officer I dealt with on Saturday was working, as I caught a glimpse of her as I was pulling up to the booth and I suspect that is who she consulted.  That officer had a question last year when I was crossing on another firearm issue, but right off the bat asked if I would pull over as she needed to call a supervisor.  The situation was resolved in my favor. I have crossed a number of times at the same crossing after that without issue.

I do have the name and phone number of the Chief of Operation, West Sector, Monteregie Border District, Operations Branch, as we had a discussion on border issues in years past.  He encouraged me to contact him if I or other Americans had issues at the border in regard to firearms.  I hesitate to call, but if future issues with the same person……

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Odds & Ends (Clay Target Shooting) Aug 2017

Remington 1100 Extractor.

The extractor broke on the wife's Remington 1100.  

I carry an extra bolt assembly (extractor and firing pin installed) in my shoot bag.  Remove the bolt with the broken extractor (or firing pin) and replace.

When I returned home I was able to remove the broken extractor with little effort.  Sometimes not so lucky and if you get an odd break it can take some time to remove. 

$20 for a new extractor.

Years back I carried a spare extractor and firing pin, but not installed in a spare bolt.  Not going to work (times wise) if your in the middle of a shoot.  Best to spend the $$$ and have a spare ready to go.

Last broken part on the 1100 was in February.  A broken Feed Latch (the tip).

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Loose Chokes.

It was recommended on a talk board to always tighten with a choke wrench and use choke lube not only on the threads, but on the whole body that fits into the barrel.

I had been using a choke wrench, but not covering the complete body with lube.

The skeet choke on the 1100 is always coming lose, so we'll give to a test in the next week or two.

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Beretta A400

I increased the Balance Cap weight from 3.9oz to 6.3oz.

I felt the weight gain the first time out, but eventually got use to it.  I keep the old weight handy in case I ever have someone else shoot the gun.

Seems to give me a smoother swing when shooting sporting.

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Locking the gun into your shoulder.

Been having a terrible time shooting trap.  The worse year I've ever experienced.  Almost embarrassing at times and I don't embarrass easily.  Having a hard time controlling the gun.  I can shoot 10 straight and then miss 3 out of the next 4.

A light bulb went on when I found myself losing control of the gun when going after a target during practice last week. Actually, almost losing sight of the target when going after it on a hard left.  I started to make sure my elbow was locked at 90 degrees instead of having my elbow down.  Seemed to have better control of the firearm and seeing the target throughout its flight.

Had to change something.  Will see how it goes.

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Hydration

I'm officially at the age where if I don't keep hydrated it will come back to bite me.  In past years not  an issue and just something I never even thought about.  Back in the old days as a skeet ref, I'd do back to back squads standing in the hot sun and never a problem.

Was in a middle of a round of trap on a hot and humid day.  I suddenly got weak and not feeing so hot.  Took great effort to lift the gun, let alone swing it.  Went back to the vehicle and turned on the air conditioner and hydrated.

Had only been taking a sip or two of water and it caught up with me.

Took two incidents to figure out I'm at that age and I better force the liquids down when I'm at a shoot, or one of these days I was going to fall down and maybe even die of heat stroke.

When I read a shoot flyer for trap and says bring two boxes to the line for quick turnaround, the squad will have to wait when I attend until I get some liquids into me between boxes.

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Oshawa

When I was at Oshawa I was given a club shirt (with logo).  Thanks.......

Vermont Sporting Clays Championship @ NEK

Northeast Kingdom Skeet & Sporting Clays Club (Burke, Vermont)

A cool start to the day, but better then the rain seen on Saturday.

Not a flat course as seen in Florida or a course with a few dips and such.  I hiked up the side of a mountain to get to my start station, #12.  A few times during the day walking from station to station I found myself huffing and puffing. One heck of a hike.  Not to bad but I had to pace myself.  If you have medical issues, hitch a ride.

Station #15.  Trail leads to station #14.

On a six man squad.  The #12 B squad had three shooters.  A popular shoot and getting more popular each year.

An IC course.  15 Stations.  Had no issues with target presentations.  Battery went dead on one machine.  An unused machine was near the station and shooters borrowed the battery. Up and running in no time.  A slight backup here and there, but nothing unusual.

Some rookie refs but never had an issue.

Best Viewed Full Screen

The footage at the start of the video was shot near stations 14/13 (looking down at the club).

Berries in season and a few shooters were walking off the trail to pick a handful or two. I told them a couple of years back we saw a bear on that part of the course.  That ended trips into the woods.

A number of stations had containers of tootsie rolls and tootsie roll pops.

Lunch was included in the price of the shoot.

SHOOT PHOTOS

A look back.

Some of my earliest photos (August 2004) of the Vermont State Shoot.  The year prior I started doing shoot photos using a new camera technology, the digital camera.  Photos only at 640, but in those days almost everyone on dial up and posting anything larger and you could go out to lunch and when you returned the photos would still be loading.

Vermont Sporting Clays Championships - August 29, 2004

Who are those young people?

Régionale 6 Trap Shoot @ Huntingdon

Club de Tir Huntingdon (Sainte-Barbe, Québec)

Half way to the shoot I almost turned around, it was raining so hard.  When I arrived at the border I could see it clearing to the west.

At the club the sun was shinning, but a few clouds.

The first squad out had calm winds at the start, but soon the winds began.

Best Viewed at Full Screen

I've had problems this year with my trap shooting and the winds didn't help.  One target I didn't shoot (failure to fire) went hard left, with a sharp raise to the havens, hopped, and then curved right.  Hat's off to those who can shoot in that kind of wind.

Small turn out, but a good time.

No issues with speakers or machines (Pat Trap).

Had an excellent hamburger for lunch (thanks lady's for volunteering).

Clubhouse has a new roof and a wobble trap is on order.  They expect the trap to be installed in the next few weeks.

A wobble trap not only goes left right, right left..... It also goes up and down.  One target will just raise above the level of the trap house roof and the next, a hard right and heading to the heavens.  Your putting yourself at a disadvantage if you hold high off the roof.   Usually wider angles then in ATA trap (at least three hole).  You can throw a target the same speed as the ATA or crank it up and shoot at International Speeds (more distance - 70 meters).  The use of International Targets allows you to really crank it up as they are made for increased speed off the arm.  A fun game with many modifications on how it's shot, but at the end of the day the idea is to have fun no matter what format being used.

SHOOT PHOTOS

No issues crossing the border, going and returning.

19th Canadian Open Sporting Clays Championship @ Oshawa

Oshawa Skeet and Gun Club (Oshawa, Ontario).

The club is maybe 30 minutes from the 401.

Windy around the clubhouse (at the top of a hill) but the main course (down the hill), at many stations no wind to speak of.....

A nice turnout.

A practice field setup, as well as Make the Break.  A very nice kitchen.  I think the lady working the grill has been at the club forever.

Best viewed at Full Screen (Sunday)

A fair course and nothing set to beat up shooters.

I ran into shooters that I saw at Club L'Acadie at a previous shoot who I thought were from the Montreal area, but turned out they lived near Quebec city.  One heck of a drive....

Short Video

A shooter came up to me and it turned out I meant his son and wife the previous day at the Ontario Provincial Trap Shoot (The Hamilton Gun Club).  

The Gun Dealer was at the club.  What an impressive set up in regard to firearms for sale and other shooting supplies (and gun repair).  If you ever hear they will be at a shoot, they alone make it worth the trip.

Many years in the past I use to be able to stand on the skeet fields and see the buildings of Toronto in the distance and looking to the north the road that lead to the local casino (The casino has an excellent buffet).  No longer do you have the view, as the trees have grown taller.  Looking to the south you can still see Lake Ontario, but not like in the past.

SHOOT PHOTOS 

Compared to my initial drive to the Ontario Provincial Trap Shoot where I had to drive through Toronto (club is on the west side of Toronto), my drive home was 6 hours (heading east), but not the traffic I'd seen the previous two days and relatively stress free.  

Coming and going, no traffic at the border crossings and no issues in regard to firearms and ammunition, as my paperwork has long been in order.  No secondary inspections experienced.  

98th Ontario Provincial Trapshooting Championship @ Hamilton

I attended the 98th Ontario Provincial Trapshooting Championship hosted by The Hamilton Gun Club (Stoney Creek, Ontario).

Over a seven hour drive according to the GPS, but stopped in Oshawa (east side of Toronto) and called it a day, Thursday (Jul 20th). 

Resumed my trip on Friday AM with the GPS showing 1hr 25mins to the club.  Not even close thanks to 401 traffic.  Took an extra 40 minutes.  Toronto has a toll road that bypasses the 401 and cost $$$.  I think something I will use in future travels.

I used PreSquad.com and was already squadded for Friday and Saturday.  Registration was a straight foreword process.

I'm told a thunder storm hit the club Thursday PM and they had to suspend shooting for a time.

Except for a brief sprinkle on Saturday, not a drop of rain.

Friday saw doubles, handicap, and singles (in that order).

Saturday was 200 singles.

Best to view Full Screen (Saturday)

As the usual, had friendly and good mannered squad mates on both Friday and Saturday.  I didn't get her name, but had a 13 year old young lady on my Saturday squad.  Be happy to see her join any future squads on I'm.

We used 12 fields for the shoot.  Squads shot 50 per field, except doubles shot all on one field.

One speaker problem that I'm aware, but other then that didn't see any speaker or machine issues.  One thing I didn't like was shoot management not having a billboard display showing what squads were on deck.  A couple of fields had individual signs, but others not.  Usually I see a master board showing what squads are on deck.  If they had one I never saw it.

Saturday PM saw the winds pick up and raising targets (wind blowing in your face).  Also, that is when we experienced the brief sprinkle.  Squad leader asked to have the targets lowered, but  it seemed the wind just picked up a bit more.  Wind didn't seem to bother the seasoned shooters. By no means a gale force wind, but just enough of a wind to have targets at times shooting to the havens.

SHOOT PHOTOS

The Friday video runs long, but I didn't want to leave anyone out.

My motel was 12 minutes from the club.  Rooms seem more expensive to what I expect to pay for the same type of motel in the states.

When I finished shooting on Saturday I headed back to Oshawa, as I planned on a trip to the Oshawa Skeet and Trap club that just happened to be hosting the Canadian Open Sporting Clays Championships.  Still traffic on the 401 but not as bad as on Friday AM.

Jun 4, 2017 Fun Shoot @ Golden Triangle Trap and Skeet Club (Ontario)

The most fun I've had at a shoot in many of moons.

A three hour drive, leaving the house at 5:30am, and rain in the forecast, but for sometime in the afternoon. 

Obviously, I decided to attend even with rain in the forecast and glad I did.

Golden Triangle Trap and Skeet Club - 3rd Annual Heritage Clays Classic

75 Sporting Clay targets presented on two fields.

Recommend you watch full screen.

Good target presentations, good food, and friendly people.

I'm told attendance down a bit.  I think because of the weather forecast, but overall a nice turnout.  It did start to rain as I was departing.

SHOOT PHOTOS

At the end of the shoot the fields were cleared and target debris disposed of.  If you just then drove into the parking lot you would not know they had a shoot.

$3.50 (Canadian) to cross the bridge (coming and going) at Cornwall, Ontario.  A secondary firearm inspection entering Canada, but only took a few minutes.  I got the impression they were teaching a new guy.  No issues re-entering the states. 

I did see a coyote feeding on deer road kill.  Coyote didn't look to healthy.

Canadian Firearms License Renewal

Received my updated license today. The renewed license is good for five years. 

Yes, Americans can apply for and receive a Canadian Firearms License.  You have to attend a class and pass a written test among other requirements.  The license allows for me to enter Canada with rifles, shotguns, and ammunition (also allows for purchase of ammunition when in Canada) without having to pay any additional fees or complete additional paperwork. 

If you don't have a Canadian Firearms License and you wish to attend a shoot in Canada you will be charged $25 (Canadian) for a 60 day permit (processed on day of crossing).  No handguns.

Back to my license.....

My current license was set to expire on July 19th. 

The last two renewals were not so customer friendly.

For the previous two renewals I was within two weeks of expiration and no renewed license? 

I had to telephone. Both times I found my paperwork was awaiting final processing (sitting in an inbox) in an office in Quebec.   In both instances I was Air Mailed my license and received just days before the one I was using expired.

I will be using the new one this Sunday....

North Country Sportsmen's Club - The Verdict Is In

To our Members and Friends in the Shooting Community,

North Country Sportsman's Club has won in Vermont State Supreme Court in our case versus the Town of Williston, concerning their authority to regulate our hours of operation. The Vermont Supreme Court ruled that a municipality can neither require a shooting range to enter into an agreement concerning operating hours, nor can they use noise as a justification for other regulatory mechanisms. For those interested in the details, please let me know if you would like a copy of the full decision.

This ruling affirms the legislative intent of state law protecting existing shooting ranges from regulatory overreach by municipalities (24 VSA 2291 section 8). North Country Sportsman's Club only sought to continue our operations consistent with our historical schedule, and the recent Vermont Supreme Court ruling makes it clear that we are able to do so. A different ruling could have provided municipalities with no less than a regulatory template that would have threatened the existence of shooting ranges statewide.

It is our hope that this ruling will serve as a protective barrier against municipalities across Vermont who may seek to limit the operations of existing shooting ranges within their borders. It is clear that precedent has now been set, and that doing so is not within municipalities' authority. As such, this decision will provide protections to existing shooting ranges in all of Vermont's cities and towns.

However, we will need to remain vigilant for new attempts to limit shooting range operations. In this case, our shooting community came together to stand as one against this attempt to impose such limitations on a single club. If any other attempts are made, we plan to once again stand together, and once again, win.

North Country Sportsman's Club would like to thank all of the individuals and organizations who stood by us throughout this case. Whether the support was of moral or monetary variety, to say that we appreciated the backing would be an understatement. It would be impractical to list everyone by name, but our special thanks go to the Vermont Federation of Sportsmen's Clubs, Sportsman's Club of Franklin County, Barre Fish and Game Club, Lamoille County Fish and Game, Barre Rifle and Pistol Club, Vermont Trapper's Association, Vermont Bear Hound Association and especially the National Rifle Association for their extraordinary support. To each and every individual who gave time or money to this victory, it as much yours as it is ours, and we thank you.

Thank you,
Bob Otty
President, North Country Sportsman's Club

Liquidation prices! Preparing for the new Gander Mountain