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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November 11th Smoke Report 2013

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Good morning on this Veteran's Day for 2013 and a great day it is. Hats off to all the vets and to all active service personnel at home and abroad. Without you the freedom and liberty that we enjoy would certainly be at risk.
Quite a few things to discuss and we will start with a report on Billy Thigpen. Bill Howe called me and Terry Roush sent out an email saying that the back surgery went well and that he is on the mend. If you would like to drop him a card here is his address - 1008 Hunter Valley Rd - Shelby, NC 28150.

Jimmy Wilson passed on a bit of info about our current ATA President that is shooting in Tuscon Arizona. Terry broke his 75,000th handicap target while shooting in Tuscon and great job on that accomplishment. We have a few other folks heading toward some shooting milestones also.

Two shoots over the weekend that involved turkey and toys. Ft. Bragg hosted their annual "Fried Turkey Shoot" Saturday and it was well attended. The Watauga Boys rolled in from the hills and Danny Lloyd came up from the coast. Jeff Galloway won the singles, doubles and HOA with Lane Murray winning the handicap. The weather was great and the food was delicious. Thanks to the Ft. Bragg club and the imported help that made everything go so smoothly. Greg High wanted me to say that he appreciated all the folks that attended and to all that pitched in to help. Ft. Bragg has submitted 7 dates for shoots in 2014....

The Buckhorn Club held their annual "Toys For Tots shoot Sunday and I was not able to make it down to test ride the bikes. Word on the street is that Jimmy Wilson won the singles and the caps and not sure who won the doubles. Will check with Jimmy for the shoot report sometime today.

Rockingham Trap Chairman Tom Cox will be undergoing a procedure today in preparation for a knee replacement sometime in December. He will be in today and sitting at home tonight and I hope all goes well.

NCTA 2014 shoot dates are floating around and I hope to get the tentative list up here very soon. It might already be on NCTRAP.com and if the calendar is there I will post a hot link to the info. NC usually shoots through the winter months in case you want to get some birds in early in the season.

I had a chance to talk with Frank McFall at Ft. Bragg Saturday and he stated that he had open heart surgery and I had no idea that he had any heart issues. He was moving a bit slow but that is a good thing that he is taking it easy.

That is about it for this Monday and I am off today for Veteran's Day. Not sure what I will do but being on call might lead to work for me anyway. Hello to Lou down in sunny Florida and until next week....................Smokem
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smokem
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November 17th Smoke Report 2013

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Hello to all and please remember all the folks in the Midwest recovering from the severe weather outbreak Sunday.
Three events over the weekend with Gastonia and Old Hickory Rocky Mount shooting Saturday and the Charlie Brown testing out the Meat Shoot Sunday. Hopefully there will be shoot reports and we will pass it along.

No registered shoots coming up this weekend and that might be a good thing seeing that Thanksgiving is right around the corner. Buckhorn is hosting a 75 bird non-registered event on the 30th and that sounds like fun. I think it is 25 16's - 25 from the 22 and 25 from the 25 yard line. Should be a lot of fun and I expect a good turnout.

That leaves only two shoots left in NC with Rockingham on the 7th and Buckhorn on the 14th. Speaking of the Rock it looks like the clubhouse has four walls and waiting on the roof. I might get up Saturday to take a few pictures and I think Lane Murray took a picture today that I can publish.

Update on Billy Thigpen and he is resting comfortably in a rehab facility according to his wife. Not sure how long he will be there and maybe we can get his cell number to help cheer him up during the holiday. I know he cant wait to get out and shoot real soon.

Talked to Lane Murray over the weekend and it looks like Hunter is prospecting for gold out in the creek behind his house. You got it - the boy actually has a real sluice box and is earning money for a gasoline pump to run his water for the operation. At 13 years old he drives a John Deere gator on the property and took me for a slow ride one night. At 13 I was one year away from slipping off to walk on the wild side until about age 21. Keeping a child active early can hopefully keep them out of a lot of trouble later on in life....

You know the holiday season can be rough for some folks. 99.5 is already playing Christmas music and a lot of memories can be associated with the sounds of Christmas. Hallmark is playing Christmas movies both old and new and some of those movies can be very moving. Digging up old pictures of the family both past and present can also stir up a lot of feelings that might need to be shared during the holiday.

Memories of all the trapshooter's that have passed really makes you appreciate good health regardless of how much money you have. This next year I am going to try to collect and publish pictures both old and new in the Hall Of Fame section of the website. If you dig up any pictures that you would like to share please let me know.

Have a great week and I have posted a picture of the framing for the clubhouse at the Rock... Hello to Lou and until next week...................................Smokem
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November 25th Smoke Report 2013

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Brrrrrrrrrrrr - Cold weather is here and Thanksgiving week looks a little iffy. Some frozen precip might creep in here Monday night and Tuesday morning. I hope you are in a warm and toasty environment this Monday morning and looking forward to the Holiday.
No trapshoots to report on for the weekend and one non-registered event coming up on the 30th. The Buckhorn Gun Club will host a 75 bird shoot with Lewis style payouts. Should be great fun and sure wish I could be there.

I got a Facebook message from Jim Daughtridge this week asking about Billy Thigpen. It looks like Jim is doing well playing golf and also riding a new Harley which is his 10th. Sure would like to see Jim back out on the line again.

Folks are traveling over the holiday with a pair slipping into Florida to visit the kids and a fellow hunting deer down below Tuscaloosa Alabama. That hunting fellow is savoring his whipping of his running buddy at Ft. Bragg and also out strategizing him in the Nascar pool.. Old Tom Pitts will be plotting and planning all winter to start strong come 2014.

I was riding down the road from the Rockingham GC Saturday and decided to give Dan Johnson a call. He was out walking his dog and we talked a little about the upcoming holiday. He called out the name Jim and I asked him is your dogs name Jim? He said it sure is and he had gotten Jim when he moved back to PA. I asked Dan why he had named his dog Jim and he said that he named him after Jim Wilson because he was bowlegged and pudgy. I commented that naming him Jim was pretty funny and Dan commented - yes it is.....

Speaking of the Rock I got some more pictures of the structure and the front porch. The truss crew was there Saturday and they hope to get those up Monday. With all this weather coming in it would be great to get a roof on it before all the precipitation which could total 2 inches of rain midweek.

Looks like Annie Oakley's 16 gauge Parker Brother's hammer gun sold in auction over the weekend. The telephone buyer paid a mere $293,000 for the piece of shooting history in the Dallas auction. Evidently the buyer also procured documentation proving the authenticity of the shotgun.

Richard Grossman came through Greensboro this week to bring me the chair I left at the Durham Wildlife Club a few weeks ago. He was headed up North for the winter and we sure appreciate him dropping it off......Thanks again dickgtax

Ran up to the Rock Saturday to test out some reloads I start cranking them out. I am mixing good shot, Buckhorn reclaimed and Kettlefoot reclaimed to produve GBK shot I call it. The Kettlefoot shot was a little dry in the loader and I hope the graphite in the good shoot and the BGC shot will help it in the loader. I did break a 24 in that wind Saturday afternoon so I think it will wok for practice at least.

I called my Konne-Yaut Indian friend Chuck Dalmus Saturday and he lives in Georgia. His mom is coming down from PA for the holiday and is bring him some shooting supplies including shells. Evidently they can still get shot for $41 a bag in PA. His brother Kevin was inducted the same year I came in at West Penn near Murrysville PA.

Hunter Murray took off Saturday to do a little squirrel hunting and came up empty handed. The goal was to bag a few nut hunting tree rats to fatten the stew pot for Scott Shoulars. Evidently the weapon wasn't living up to the expectations of the hunter so to speak. Lane was busy getting ready for some serious hunting this week and we hope that Little Man gets him a trophy buck.

I am going to be in a two day class and then off Wednesday. It will probably be a long short week so to speak and I hope nothing major blows up at the Sheriff's office. You just never can tell in the IT business and it is a 24/7 type of life.

I hope everybody has a great holiday and here is a tip - smaller plates equals smaller portions and chew your food thoroughly. That was two tips wasn't it.....One of the things I do during the Holiday season is to call folks I don't get to call that often. Like the fellow that hired me at Odell hardware back in 1976 and the old envelope salesman that sold me printed envelopes. If I sent out Christmas cards to all the contacts in my phone it would be about 4000. Heck I might even be calling one of you that read this dribble every Monday.

Take care and see you next Monday morning and hello to Lou down in chilly Florida and until next week...............................Smokem
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December 2nd Smoke Report 2013

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On to the next big eating event and that is of course Christmas. Certainly do not forget the reason for the season......Do not want to offend anyone so please celebrate or not celebrate as you see fit.
Only one event over the weekend and that would be the 75 Bird Race. Weather looked good today and looking forward to posting the info sometime today.

Two shoots left for 2013 with Rockingham the 7th and Buckhorn the 14th. Typical 300 target programs at both locations. Weather looks warm with a chance of rain this Saturday. Come on out and see the progress being made on the new clubhouse.

Over the holiday folks were hunting, fishing, traveling and maybe a few lucky folks got out to the club to shoot a bit. I went to Myrtle Beach Thursday through Sunday and we had a blast. It was cold Thursday but warmed up the rest of the weekend.

I would imagine that the yearly NC newsletter is about to be distributed. Terry Roush does a great job and we always look forward to reading it every year. For those of you that don't get a paper copy it can be found on www.nctrap.com when it is published.

Lane Murray reported a pallet of Rio's at Gander Mountain over the weekend at about 70 bucks a flat. Lane and Hunter went deer hunting over the weekend and the Little Man snuggled a little deeper into the sleeping bag and dad hunted alone. Hey - sleep while you can Little Man.

Have a great week everybody and hope to see some of you this weekend....Hey Lou hope you are doing well.....and until next week Smokem
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December 9th Smoke Report 2013

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Winter storm warning didn't quite pan out here in my area. Hopefully it passed us on by this time. From looking at football Sunday the Northern states really got hammered with heavy snow. What did we expect it is winter time and compared to other shooting states our weather is like summertime.
There is a thread on trapshooters.com with folks reporting on shooting conditions at their clubs. They shoot games and protection and one group cranked up when it was 1 degrees. By the time they finished shooting at 1pm it was 8 degrees.

Rockingham shot Saturday and Randy "Boone" Jones rolled off the hill with Will Price. I went in to fill out the squad sheet and I wrote down Randy Jones and I sort of shook my head because I didn't see him yet. He shot in a long sleeved shirt and most folks were wearing jackets except for Jared Pettet that was shooting in a t-shirt.

Lane Murray led all singles shooters with a 97, Will Price won the caps with and 88 and Jared Pettet won the doubles with and 87 and the HOA with a 264. The new clubhouse has a roof on it and it is looking great. Not sure what the move in date and I can't wait until it is finished.

The ATA winter meeting is underway in Sparta Illinois and I believe it might be snowing in that neck of the woods. A couple of local fellows are attending without mentioning any names. God luck on their meeting and you just never know what they will decide on.

The NC ATA Delegate newsletter is out. In case you didn't get to read it here is a brief synopsis. Buckhorn, Watauga and Rockingham went 1-2-3 in targets thrown with targets overall statewide up 100,000 targets from last year.

Bill Howe and Charlie Brown both made the All-American SrVet 2nd team this year. Jeff Galloway is the high average leader and Tommy Brown is the high NC State Team leader for last season. Bill Howe once again shot more targets with 19,900 and only eight shooters made the 10,000 club last year. The entire newsletter is on www.nctrap.com.

Buckhorn shoots the 14th and the weather is looking ok for the event. Get out and shoot because it will be January 5th before Buckhorn shoots again. Maybe they will have a big pot of chili or maybe spaghetti, salad and garlic bread - you just never know. And if Karole Miller attends she will bring some type of sweet goodie that you cannot say no to.......

Ok..that is about it from here in Jamestown and I hope everybody has a great week. I will be on call Christmas week but off all week.....Maybe the weather will cooperate and I can get out to the club. Hello Lou and cannot wait to get my Christmas present......thanks and until next Monday morning...........................Smokem
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December 16th Smoke Report 2013

Post by smokem »

Good morning and only 9 shopping days until Christmas. I hope you have a safe and stress free next few days preparing for Christmas day.
One shoot over the weekend and it was postponed due to a 90% chance of rain and it rained hard most of the day Saturday. Sunday turned out really nice and BGC had their Christmas party. I know they ate well and probably suffered a little after that big meal.

Rockingham may slip a Lewis Class shoot in the 29th if the weather looks good. Lane Murray will play it by ear and will try to get the word out as soon as a decision has been made. Trap director Tom Cox is going under the knife this week to replace his other knee. Our prayers will be with him and I wish him a speedy recovery.

I spoke with Jimmy Wilson last week regarding the 75 bird race BGC held a few weeks ago. The weather was a little iffy but a good 1st time crowd showed up to test the format. 25 singles, 25 from the 22 and 25 from the 25. Jimmy won the event with a 71 but Dan Johnson had him on the ropes until the last trap. Jimmy took the 1st Lewis and Glenn Alford won the 2nd Lewis. This kind of non-registered shoot has got to be fun and all it costs is 25 bucks. Look for more of these shoots at Buckhorn in the very near future.

Looks like Gander Mountain is stocking more shotgun shells and you can buy as many boxes/flats as you want. Tommy Brown stocked up on some 2 3/4 Rio's Sunday and they have a pallet or so left. Looking like $5.99 a box is the best they can do but that isn't bad for sure.

Got the word from Hunter Galloway that the article about JC Nunn appeared in the current issue of the TrapshootingUSA magazine. Larry Grenevicki took the time to publish the article and thanks to him for bringing it to life. I ordered a subscription to the mag and they are sending a complimentary copy to JC.....Great looking magazine and about 35 bucks for 6 issues.

Hard to believe but the Dixie Grand at the Silver Dollar Gun Club is only a month away. January 20-26 and a chance to escape the cold and enjoy some good old Florida sunshine and maybe see Lou. Also be sure to pick up some oranges while you are there because they are great... I believe they are called Honey Bell oranges.

Not much more to add for this week and it might be a little slow until the New Year kicks in. New Years resolutions are always fun and do you have your list ready? Have a great week and hello to Lou down in sunny Florida and until next week Smokem........
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December 23rd Smoke Report Christmas Edition 2013

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Only 2 days until Christmas and I hope all your Christmas shopping is done. Traffic is crazy around Greensboro and some folks are all stressed out. Great Christmas weather also with lots of rain and temps in the mid 70's. Hey I will take weather any way I can get it during Christmastime.
No local shooting events over the weekend and I am sure folks got out to practice on Saturday. Rockingham Gun Club is planning for a Lewis Class shoot on the 29th weather permitting. Most dates are now submitted for the 2014 shooting calendar and you can find the updated info on www.nctrap.com and here on tarheeltrap.com.

With Terry Roush being the current ATA president it sure would be nice to get a large group of North Carolina Trapshooters to attend the Grand in 2014. Last Grand I attended was in 2006 and JBird and I are hoping to make it this year health permitting. I hear tell that Terry is going to make the effort to shoot at every NC club this year. With everybody hauling smart phones please be sure to send me a picture. I could start a thread with all the clubs he attended with pix and a writeup.

For those of you married to the same woman for a long period of time of for those of you that have been married multiple times. Have you ever renewed your vows with the same woman after many years of marriage? Hunter and Debbee Galloway renewed their vows Saturday after 39 years of marriage Saturday in Abingdon VA. Hope they had a wonderful time and does that mean you get to go on a second honeymoon?

JC Nunn got his magazine in the mail Saturday and he was very pleased with the results. There were a few errors in reporting but most folks wouldn't even know the difference anyway. They will put the edition on the web in a month so take a look at trapshootingusa on the web.

I swore I wouldn't go to Gander Mountain until after the Holiday. That place was crawling with cars and folks must not know just how much more expensive Gander Mountain's prices are. I guess convenience is the issue and you don't have to pay shipping and handling.

Tom Pitts posted the NC points leaders and the report is up to date. It looks like the John and Karole Miller are leading the points going into 2014. Thanks to Tom for taking the time to figure all of that out and he does a great job for sure. Being retired he has a lot more time on his hands - yeah right. I will try to get a report off the hill for next Monday. I would imagine Tom Shelley is prancing around in his Elf suit, George is playing Santa - add a beard and a suit and a HoHoHo, Morg is twisting out high priced trinkets, The Phenom Steve Watson is plotting and planning for next year and Eli and Pop Waters are spreading the Christmas cheer. If I could make a living I sure would like to live up in Boone.....maybe one day.

Got a call from Steve Karas Saturday and he was trying to remember Dan Johnsons name. Steve had a stroke a few years back and really misses shooting. Ray Shisler picks him up and brings him to the shoots occasionally and it sure is great to see him. If you would like to give Steve a call just email me and I will get it to you. If you live in the High Point area I know he would like to have the company.

New Years resolutions - have you started your list for the New Year. Creating a list can create some real pressure and come on who needs it? With all the meds being prescribed for all type of issues you wouldn't want a unrealistic list to affect your "mood" medicine.

Progress is being made on the new clubhouse at the Rock. The green roof is on and the walls, windows and doors are all in place. The power hasn't been turned on yet but it will be very soon. There is some landscaping to be done and a retaining wall to be built. It sits behind trap 2 & 3 and it has a huge sitting porch similar to the Homegrounds. We will keep you posted and get some pictures up real soon.

I would like to wish each and everyone of you a very Merry Christmas. I can't give each and everyone of you a Christmas gift but I will promise to try to crank out the Smoke report in 2014 each and every week. This will make 2 years and 104 reports......A special Merry Christmas to Lou and until next Monday...........................................Smokem
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December 30 Smoke Report 2013

Post by smokem »

Hello to all and I hope you had a great Christmas. Being off work in the middle of the week was odd and next year it will be Wed/Thurs/Fri into the weekend for the holiday. I have eaten traditional Christmas food, Italian, Chinese, Lebanese and Lord knows what else. Only one day off left before the MLK holiday. I guess what I am trying to say is that it is time to get back on a regular schedule.
One event over the weekend and that was at the Rock. 11 folks showed up to shoot 25 from the 16,22,25 and 27. Lane Murray outshot all shooters with a 92. Chris Shoulars and Wayne Banks won the other Lewis class monies. There is a APB out on Danny Lobo for selling Lane that Seitz. Rock dates for registered and non-registered will be published very soon.

Jeff Galloway showed up with a Remington Model 10 pump that was built in 1910. He broke four 20's with that pump and did rather well with such an old Remington. Not sure how his shoulder feels after feeding it Nitro's for the 27 yard targets.

Roger Shaffer had cataract surgery Monday on his left eye and was out shooting Sunday. I asked him about that and he said the doc said it was ok. I called JC to see if he was going to shoot Sunday and he said that he woke up with a sore throat. He didn't even go to church and felt like it was best to stay in the house.

Looking at the January shoot schedule Buckhorn shoots the 5th and Gastonia shoots the 18th. In February Gastonia shoots the 15th and Buckhorn the 23rd. Weather is always iffy during the winter months and I hope it holds up for these events to be held. The Dixie will be held January 20 - 26 at the Silver Dollar in Odessa Florida. This is a great chance to shoot in Florida and escape the cold temps in NC.

Have you ever used a metal plate to pattern a shotgun? I had the pleasure of shooting a plate at the Watauga GC several years ago. Roger Shaffer was working on a shotgun and not exactly sure of what happened but he a has a shotgun pattern on his driver door right under his mirror. Sort of looks like a silver bowl surrounded by maroon paint. Sort of reminds me of the time Charlie Ackroyd set off a round in the back of his truck in the camper shell. Thanks goodness nobody got hurt and what a conversation piece.

The Rockingham County Gun Club clubhouse is moving right along with the sheetrock is about finished in the building. Not sure exactly when it will be totally done but I imagine that it won't be too long. Like I said last week there is still some landscaping to be done and also a retaining wall to be built.

2014 is here and another year is in the books. I am looking forward to shooting in the new year and I hope you are also. Going from shooting 15,000 a year to about 3,000 a year has saved me some money but it hasn't helped my shooting any. If you know folks that used to shoot give them a call and invite them out to shoot. They might not be able to do it all the time but sometimes a call is really appreciated and it might be all they need to get out and shoot.

This is the last Smoke Report for 2013 and I am hoping to continue in 2014. If you have dirt to dish or any info that might be of interest please email me at fcr7@yahoo.com. We will do our best to get it in if possible.

Happy New Year to you and yours and hello to Lou down in Sunny FLA and until next Monday morning...................................Smokem
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