Florida State Shoot 2025
Posted: Sun Mar 30, 2025 2:16 pm
I attended the Florida State Shoot at the Silver Dollar Shooters Club in Odessa, Florida this year for the first time. I could readily determine that this place has the potential for some great adventures and stories. If you have never been there, I highly recommend making the trip.
Mary and I packed the Pathfinder and headed South around 3:00 Wednesday. The idea was to make the trip in two easy, stressless drives. We got to just North of Jacksonville after 6 hours, leaving an easy 3 and a half hours in after a night in a Comfort Inn.
We had reserved an Air BnB that was only 6 miles from the club. We arrived and soon discovered that we couldn’t have had a better location.
Lakeside with a long dock to sit on and watch the world go by. After unpacking we made the short run to the club. Since I had pre-squadded all that was needed was to get classified and pay. After that, we viewed the trapfields on the gunclub side. Nice! Then we headed to 3 Brothers Pizza. Great food. Great service. Fair prices. Can’t ask for much more than that.
Plan was to shoot both of Friday’s preliminary events, 50 pair and 100 caps, then the championship targets on the weekend.
We got to the club around 8:00 and had breakfast. They drew the starting bank numbers and posted them. I was to shoot doubles on bank 6 on the Golf side 2nd wave out. We drove across the street and parked near bank 6. I got my mess together and then waited in the car with the heater running as it was in the mid 40s……
It’s time. Walked up to the trap and found I’d be shooting with Gary Olson and Gary Ferguson from SC! It was a nice surprise for all of us. We took the line with one other shooter making it a four man squad and the fun started. There was a “significant breeze” that had them bobbing and weaving.
I was starting on post 5. I had to smile when picking a spot to start my gun I discovered I was looking straight at a golf cart (with golfers) just a couple hundred yards away. It worked until they got in and drove off. When the smoke settled, I ended up with a 92 (I am currently fighting the doubles demons aarrrggghhh). As we left the line we found Brad Barnett and Tiffany Decker next up. Tiffany had us stand together for a photo. Thanks Tiff.
Handicap was next. I had drawn bank 10 on the Golf side. Started poorly with (18/19) 37 on the first 50. Struggling! Then turned it around (23/24) 47 for an 84 total. Not the start needed.
After a good meal it was back to our “beach house” and a good nights sleep. Made it to the club Saturday morning. Drew bank 5 for singles on the Gun Club side for the 1st hundred of the Championship Singles. Targets looked great. Full squad with shooters I had never seen before.
Again I started on post 5. Managed to keep it together until the 87th target then got distracted. As soon as I mounted my gun, looked over the rib and noticed a rather large dragonfly hovering around my hold point, that’s when the dumbassery kicked in. I called for the blessed target while looking at the dragonfly. As soon as I let go of the trigger the scorekeeper and I both said a four letter word. He said lost, I said much worse……..put it back together and finished it out for a 99.
Out in the afternoon for the 2nd hundred on the Golf side, again on bank 10. By now the wind had kicked up and was playing with targets. Some up, some down, some up then down, some down then up. Sporty. Managed to get the 25 on the first box. Back out for the next box, had a big left take me by surprise on post 1 and never got to it. Got the rest for the 24.
Move to the next trap to finish it out. Got to post 2 without issue then drew one that took off for the space station like a Space Ex rocket. I bet that one is still in orbit………finished out for another 24.
Deep breath. Focus hard. Look at it. Then move the gun and shoot it. Ran the last box for a 197 total. Can’t complain as these were just the 4th and 5th hundred registered singles this target year.
As a side note, I was shooting the Federal High Over All 2 ¾ 1145 fps shells. I was impressed. They flat out destroyed every target I managed to hit. Very soft shooting too.
Now for another bout of dumbassedness. We went into the clubhouse and sat down. I intently studied the rolling screen and determined I was out of the running for out of state contention for high gun and/or high Vet. Being the DA I am, I did not consider Class never thinking that a 197 would count for AA. So, we left. We went to eat then back to the Air BnB and got “comfortable”. After a bit (7:00) I get a text from Marty with a congratulations and go get ’em in the shootoff for AA Runner Up. Well, by then it was too late for me to get dressed, get loaded up and get back over there to make the call. Racklesnitzen derbelgriffinfarvin errrrrr! It turned out that none of us that were tied for AA RU was on site. They drew cards for it………………
On to Sunday. Doubles Championship. Bank 7B second flight on the Golf side. 46/45 for a 91, the demons continue.
Went back to the Gun Club side to see how the “special event” went. I got hung up at the practice trap just before the auction started, being delayed long enough to miss the entire first page (of four) of shooters being sold- I was on that page. So, back to the Golf side, bank 10 again, for the Handicap Championship.
Again I started on post 5. I was shooting with past ATA President Paul Shaw and other shooters from Canada, good guys to shoot with. I got off to a slow start, 21 (5,5,3,3,5), then it kicked in 25, 23, 24 to finish with a 93.
Taking a lesson from Saturdays mess up, we hung around until it was certain I was out of the running. Missing out on a place shoot off and Calcutta payout by one target……….lessons learned.
All in all, it was a very enjoyable time. We had a leisurely drive home and have already discussed the possibility for a return trip in 2026.
Until next time, Travel Safe. See you next time wherever it is. Dan
Mary and I packed the Pathfinder and headed South around 3:00 Wednesday. The idea was to make the trip in two easy, stressless drives. We got to just North of Jacksonville after 6 hours, leaving an easy 3 and a half hours in after a night in a Comfort Inn.
We had reserved an Air BnB that was only 6 miles from the club. We arrived and soon discovered that we couldn’t have had a better location.
Lakeside with a long dock to sit on and watch the world go by. After unpacking we made the short run to the club. Since I had pre-squadded all that was needed was to get classified and pay. After that, we viewed the trapfields on the gunclub side. Nice! Then we headed to 3 Brothers Pizza. Great food. Great service. Fair prices. Can’t ask for much more than that.
Plan was to shoot both of Friday’s preliminary events, 50 pair and 100 caps, then the championship targets on the weekend.
We got to the club around 8:00 and had breakfast. They drew the starting bank numbers and posted them. I was to shoot doubles on bank 6 on the Golf side 2nd wave out. We drove across the street and parked near bank 6. I got my mess together and then waited in the car with the heater running as it was in the mid 40s……
It’s time. Walked up to the trap and found I’d be shooting with Gary Olson and Gary Ferguson from SC! It was a nice surprise for all of us. We took the line with one other shooter making it a four man squad and the fun started. There was a “significant breeze” that had them bobbing and weaving.
I was starting on post 5. I had to smile when picking a spot to start my gun I discovered I was looking straight at a golf cart (with golfers) just a couple hundred yards away. It worked until they got in and drove off. When the smoke settled, I ended up with a 92 (I am currently fighting the doubles demons aarrrggghhh). As we left the line we found Brad Barnett and Tiffany Decker next up. Tiffany had us stand together for a photo. Thanks Tiff.
Handicap was next. I had drawn bank 10 on the Golf side. Started poorly with (18/19) 37 on the first 50. Struggling! Then turned it around (23/24) 47 for an 84 total. Not the start needed.
After a good meal it was back to our “beach house” and a good nights sleep. Made it to the club Saturday morning. Drew bank 5 for singles on the Gun Club side for the 1st hundred of the Championship Singles. Targets looked great. Full squad with shooters I had never seen before.
Again I started on post 5. Managed to keep it together until the 87th target then got distracted. As soon as I mounted my gun, looked over the rib and noticed a rather large dragonfly hovering around my hold point, that’s when the dumbassery kicked in. I called for the blessed target while looking at the dragonfly. As soon as I let go of the trigger the scorekeeper and I both said a four letter word. He said lost, I said much worse……..put it back together and finished it out for a 99.
Out in the afternoon for the 2nd hundred on the Golf side, again on bank 10. By now the wind had kicked up and was playing with targets. Some up, some down, some up then down, some down then up. Sporty. Managed to get the 25 on the first box. Back out for the next box, had a big left take me by surprise on post 1 and never got to it. Got the rest for the 24.
Move to the next trap to finish it out. Got to post 2 without issue then drew one that took off for the space station like a Space Ex rocket. I bet that one is still in orbit………finished out for another 24.
Deep breath. Focus hard. Look at it. Then move the gun and shoot it. Ran the last box for a 197 total. Can’t complain as these were just the 4th and 5th hundred registered singles this target year.
As a side note, I was shooting the Federal High Over All 2 ¾ 1145 fps shells. I was impressed. They flat out destroyed every target I managed to hit. Very soft shooting too.
Now for another bout of dumbassedness. We went into the clubhouse and sat down. I intently studied the rolling screen and determined I was out of the running for out of state contention for high gun and/or high Vet. Being the DA I am, I did not consider Class never thinking that a 197 would count for AA. So, we left. We went to eat then back to the Air BnB and got “comfortable”. After a bit (7:00) I get a text from Marty with a congratulations and go get ’em in the shootoff for AA Runner Up. Well, by then it was too late for me to get dressed, get loaded up and get back over there to make the call. Racklesnitzen derbelgriffinfarvin errrrrr! It turned out that none of us that were tied for AA RU was on site. They drew cards for it………………
On to Sunday. Doubles Championship. Bank 7B second flight on the Golf side. 46/45 for a 91, the demons continue.
Went back to the Gun Club side to see how the “special event” went. I got hung up at the practice trap just before the auction started, being delayed long enough to miss the entire first page (of four) of shooters being sold- I was on that page. So, back to the Golf side, bank 10 again, for the Handicap Championship.
Again I started on post 5. I was shooting with past ATA President Paul Shaw and other shooters from Canada, good guys to shoot with. I got off to a slow start, 21 (5,5,3,3,5), then it kicked in 25, 23, 24 to finish with a 93.
Taking a lesson from Saturdays mess up, we hung around until it was certain I was out of the running. Missing out on a place shoot off and Calcutta payout by one target……….lessons learned.
All in all, it was a very enjoyable time. We had a leisurely drive home and have already discussed the possibility for a return trip in 2026.
Until next time, Travel Safe. See you next time wherever it is. Dan