Rain and more rain

Hi,

This past week I shot in the Wednesday Night Trap League and on Sunday (today) the monthly bowling pin shoot.  Both were wet, wet, rainy and cool.  It could only have been worse if it had also been windy!

It was a steady down pour for Trap.  I had never shot competitively in the rain.  A whole new experience. As you can imagine, there is no overhead cover for Trap.  I shot my double barrel Beretta Lighting.  I figured it would be easier to dry out and clean the double than to take my Remington 870 Pump.  I think I was right.  Everyone shot in the rain the whole time we were there.  No let ups no reprieves.  I did dress for rain.  My camo rain coat goes down to my ankles. My ball cap kept my head dry. It ended up that I was not as uncomfortable as I thought I could be.  My only issue was my wet hands.  It meant I really had to think about how I held the gun.  I was not expecting to do well.  My first round was a 19, which is good for me. I was very happy. Then the second round brought me down to earth.  I shot a 12.  My goodness!  Next week I have to make sure both rounds are equally as good.  Two week to go.  I have to do a shoot ahead for the last week as I will be in Colorado mule deer hunting on the last Wednesday of the league.  So looking forward to this hunt.  I am still high Lady by 36 birds.  My team has sunk to 6th place out of 12.  I am pretty sure that is where we were at the end of the last league.

Bowling Pin shooting was almost as wet as trap shooting.  The big difference, there is overhead cover at the bowling pin range.  It was pouring down rain when we arrived this morning.  Three of us were there to run the match.  2 people actually showed up before 9 am to shoot.  The guy and gal had not shot at bowling pins before so they were stoked to try it out.  We ended up having a great time shooting with them.  Then just as we figured no one else was coming (about 10:30 am) three more shooters showed up.  This group had been to a few shoots before, so they were ready to go as soon as they walked up to the range.  It was wet and got colder as the morning wore on, but absolutely everyone there said they had a great time, and will be back in March next year when we start this all over.

My times were good.  I did very well with the .22 shooting a 3.73 sec first round (10 yds) and a 5.94 sec second round (15 yds). Total for the run at 9.67 sec is my second best time this year. Center Fire was not nearly as quick, but acceptable. I end the year on a happy note.

Now it is on to serious deer hunting.  A bit of cross bow hunting in two days. Then Colorado for the rifle season. Back home for opening day of muzzle loader and the rut.  After that we settle into the long rifle season.  Surely I will get several deer this year.  I am always hopeful.

Take care, good hunting and good shooting.
M.

Trap League shooting.

Hi,

Our weekly Trap League shoot was a nice one.  Weather was perfect, mild and no wind.  The deer were out in force feeding just out of shotgun range.  Our trap shooting never bothers them.  Several of us saw two nice bucks in the herd of about 15.  If they know what's good for them they will stay within the gun club grounds.

My team did exceptionally well this week.  We ended up in a tie for first place for the week.  Unfortunately that means when we shoot next week we have to be at the 19 yard line instead of the 16 yard line!  My husband and I plan on a practice shoot Monday to see how we do that far back.  My scores were 21 and 21. Best for me ever.  Maybe I am getting the hang of it.

Will be out deer hunting this afternoon.  Wish me luck.
Take care, good hunting and good shooting.
M.

Squirrel Hunting

Hi;

Yesterday I went squirrel for the morning.  It was a nice day for it, in the low 60's and sunny.  I did not get any but I have a story to tell.

When I first got into the woods and pick out a place to stand, I saw a partially bent over small tree limb just bobbing away.  From the looks of it, I thought a squirrel had been sitting on the limb and I scarred it away.  Figuring that was the case I decided to stay there and wait for the squirrel to reappear.  The woods were quite for over 10 minutes.  No squirrel chatter, no leaves rustling, just some birds singing.  All of a sudden behind some low brush about 30 yards away I heard a big commotion.  I thought at first maybe a deer was coming though, but no.  All of a sudden on a bent over tree trunk (maybe 10 feet off the ground), a squirrel comes tearing up the tree trunk. When it got to the apex of the bend a hawk came swooping down trying to pick up the squirrel in it's talons.  Fortunately for the squirrel, he jumped off the tree trunk just as the hawk was reaching out to grab him.  The squirrel ran off to safety.  The hawk was making a bee line towards me! With in 5 yards of me he turned slightly and flew away.  Whew!
From that point on any squirrel in the area had fled.  I heard all around me the barking squirrels.  Time for me to move to a new area.  I followed one of the barking squirrels and set out to hunt that one.  To bad for me the squirrels I did find were all way up in the trees, hidden most of the time by the leaves.  Oh well.  maybe next time I get to go out the leaves will have turned and beginning to fall.

Take care, good hunting and good shooting.
M.

Trap League two weeks and deer hunting begins

Hi,

The Wednesday Night Trap League began two weeks ago.  The first night the weather was beautiful, in the low 80's and a slight breeze.  That did not help my first round though!  My husband and I shot the day before to practice and I shot my average a 17 and 18.  I was feeling pretty good.

We have a new person on our team this year.  He is a skeet shooter. One of our friends suggested to J that he give it a try this year.  Boy did that turn out to be good for us.  He is a excellent trap shooter.  In the past two weeks he has had rounds of 22, 23, 23 and 24.  Keep up the good work.

I on the other hand had a dismal first round on the first week.  A 14.  I had one particularly bad set at the 4th station - only 1 bird hit.  I was not going to let that faze me.  Thank goodness my second round was one of my best, go figure.  I shot a 20!  That put me in a tie for high lady at 34.  At this point I don't think that is saying much.  My husband shot a 22 and 22.  He was okay with that.  Our team for the first week ended up in 6th place out of 12 teams.  A bit better than last year.

In between the first and second week of trap, we went deer hunting.  This year our September hunts will be with the pistols.  I took my S&W 41, and my husband took his scoped S&W 44.  The day was pretty hot and a bit humid, thankfully a small breeze came through from time to time.  Before we settled down for the afternoon hunt, we set up a spot for my father-in-law to hunt the next time we go out.  We located two spots that he could stand.  We set up the camo blind in both locations to make sure it worked.  Then we set out surveying ribbons at 40 yards.  That is his limit with the shot gun and buck shot. He should be in good shape with this set up.
I got up in a tree stand, and ranged out to 50 yards. That set me up with several good lanes should the doe's come by.  Unfortunately, I did not see one deer.  My husband set up in a ground blind in the woods near a field.  He had two doe's playing around but just out of range.  They taunted him for over an hour.  Finally one of the doe's started to head out to the field, bringing her within range of my husbands pistol.  He took a shot at 45 yards and nailed the doe.  It went straight down.  Very nice not to have to trail the deer.
The next day we butchered the doe.

Week two of the trap league was better for me but worse for my husband.  The weather was hot, around 93 degrees and humid.  Maybe I just like shooting in the hot weather.  I hope not because the temperatures are only going to go down from hear on out for this league.  I shot a 17 and a 20.  The other ladies must have had really ruff times shooting this week, because I ended up in the lead for top lady by 10 birds. Wow.
My husband however was not having a good evening.  He shot a 18 and 19.  Now he feels like he is out of the race for top men's score.  I told him to just sit back, have fun at all the rest of the shoots, the pressure is off.  Maybe he will actually shoot his best from now on. I'll let you know.

Our team jumped up a spot to number five.  Wish us luck for the next round of trap.  Also I need your good wishes that I see a doe next time out hunting.

Take care,  good hunting and good shooting.
M.

I'm ready for the Trap League and Deer Hunting

Hi,

My wrist has healed enough to shoot the shotgun.  Yeah!!  I went wobble Trap shooting a few days ago.  Shot two rounds of 25 and my wrist is feeling good.  My shoulder though is a bit sore : (

It was a long 4 weeks of recovery.  I am now using the free weights of 5 lbs and 8 lbs to strengthen my wrist. I am so glad it was my left wrist.  I am right handed. Whew!

Next week is the beginning of an 8 week trap league at our club.  I am going to practice on Friday to make sure I am ready for the season.  I'll keep you up to date on my progress, and hopefully another win as top lady.

I also began practicing with the cross bow for the deer season which starts in September.
My plan right now for the doe only month of September is to first take the 41 special handgun out deer hunting.  Then if I take a doe I will switch over to the crossbow and see what happens.  The month of October is bow season only.  During October I can take a buck or doe.  That will be a nice challenge.

The USO sponsored a Wounded Warriors trap and skeet shoot at my gun club. Benelli and ATK provided guns and ammo. My club provided volunteers to help the participants with scoring and instruction.  I had a really good time with the groups of Army, Air Force, Marines and their family members that came to the event and shot at my station.  I think there were at least 80 participants that Saturday. It was a wonderful day and everyone had fun.

Wish me luck with both the Trap League and the Deer Season.  Thanks!

Take care, good hunting and good shooting.
M.

Ruff week with a badly sprained wrist!

Hi,

Last Monday I took a tumble off my bicycle and sprained my left wrist really bad.  I'm right handed so I've been able to function pretty well.  Man oh man is it a pain, both physically and figuratively!!  By Thursday the swelling had gone down enough to where I could see my knuckles when I made an attempt at a fist. Yesterday, Tuesday, I did not use the wrist brace, and suffered this morning because of it.  Woke up to pain and swelling.  So, back on icing the wrist and wearing the brace afterwards.  That helped.  Oh so glad I did not break a bone.

It has effected my shooting.  Think about it.  When shooting a pistol with both hands, the recoil would bend my left wrist exactly where it was sprained.  Not a good thing. Then with a rifle, holding the forearm with my left hand to balance the rifle.  I cannot do that yet.  Maybe in a week or two.  Today I did shoot a .22 pistol one handed.  That is it for now.  I sure hope to be back in shape for the next bowling pin shoot in about two weeks.  I may be doing some fancy one handed .22 auto shooting if nothing else.

I'll keep you posted.
Take care, good shooting and good hunting.
M

Fun Day at the Bowling Pin Match

Hi,

Sunday was the monthly Bowling Pin Match at our club.  It was warm and humid, but for the morning hours bearable.  There were several fans putting out a breeze that really helped.

I was glad to see some of my shooting friends show up.  While waiting to shoot our runs, we were just shooting the breeze, catching up and wondering when the shortage of ammo would come to an end.

I did okay this weekend.  Not my best scores, I was not happy with my shooting. But they were good enough to win 1st in the center fire and 2nd in the rim fire. My time on both categories was longer than last months by 2 seconds in center fire and by 3 seconds in rim fire.  Until the final scores were posted on the web site, I thought I was much slower.  I was surprised by my time in a good way and a bad way.  I need to keep practicing.

I was surprised by one woman's comment.  We were talking about the match and I told her I had been out earlier that week practicing.  She looked at me, in a surprised tone said, "You practice this?!"  I said "Sure, and you don't".  She just shook her head.  I did not go further with her on the subject, but surly if you want to shoot better you've got to practice.  Oh, well.

I sighted in my 41 revolver for deer hunting, last week.  It is right on target.  The doe season starts in early September.  Very soon I'll be sighting in my 7mm 08 and 270 for the rifle deer season at home and for our Colorado hunting trip. Using airline miles for the airline tickets makes the cost of the trip bearable!

So looking forward to the hunting season to start.  I need to fill my freezer, my families freezer and then give any other deer to Hunter for the Hungry.  What a great organization.

Take care, good hunting and good shooting.
M.

ATV trails, hunting and practice shooting

Hi;

It has been a very busy month.  I've been at our property cutting paths, trying to keep the weeds at bay and when I can relax.  Tried to get a little shooting in, but it's been hard to find the time.

We have an ATV which we want to run around on our property.  To do that trails need to be cleared.  Do you know how messy a forest floor can be??  Now I do.  What a chore, but we have had a lot of fun riding the ATV on the trails.  Now we are trying to keep the summer weeds and new tree growth from taking over the path clearing work we've done.

Good news.  Our trail cams have picked up many deer, lots of activity.  One camera took over 2,000 pictures in a months time.  We are seeing many does, many spikes and a few good 6 pointers (Eastern count).  Let's hope they stick around for the deer season.

In our state for the county we hunt in the rules have changed a bit, for the better.  In September the county is open to rifles, pistols and archery.  Previously it was only open for archery.  This month is also doe's only.  My husband and I plan on hunting with our 41 Special revolvers.  This should give us a challenge.  So far we are thinking that we'll pistol hunt does in September, archery hunt in October, black powder hunt in early November, then finish up the rest of the season with our rifles.

Today, we finally got out to practice for the bowling pin shoot, which is this Sunday.  We both did well.  We timed our runs and feel good about them.  We both practiced the first shot.  That one normally takes the longest time because you bring the gun up from the bench, acquire the target then shoot. We were getting better as our practice when along.

Wish us good scores on Sunday.
Take care, good shooting and good hunting.
M.

Bowling Pin Shooting Success !!

Hi;

The June Bowling Pin shoot was a success for me personally.  I came in first in both the .22 and the center fire match.  I win a total of 4 free rounds at the July shoot.  I'm ready to rock and roll.

I shot my Ruger .22 auto with the red dot scope.  Smoked them with a total score of 10.68 seconds.  .18 seconds better than in April.  My center fire was a bit slower than in April.  I had a 19.58 seconds this time, versus 16.87 in April.  I did practice with my Springfield 1911 9mm during the month.  I think it was a bit of nerves and a bit slow on the uptake. Still a good enough time to be first.  My nearest competition shot a 24.45 seconds.

The lady that was second in the rim fire at 25.13 seconds, told me that she judges her performance on how close she can get to my score.  I was flattered by that. I am happy to hear that other ladies are enjoying the shoot and competition as much as I do. There were about 8 other ladies at the shoot.  We had a great time talking about our guns, shooting, where we shoot, as well as other mundane things like, we should be weeding the garden or cutting the grass or shopping.

Over all there were I'd guess about 30 to 35 people that showed up Sunday morning to shoot.  Many of us shot two and three rounds at the pins and plates.  If the other's are like me, I cannot just shot one round.  Fun, fun, fun.

I enjoy looking at the others weapons.  There were some single shot pistols at the match.  These are a real challenge to shoot  in a match where you are allowed to shoot 10 times at six targets.  Unless you are really really good at using a speed loader, you might as well just shoot your six shots, and if your good you take all six down. If not, you take a 3 second penalty for each pin still standing.  After your six shots at the pins (7 yards away) the timer stops. You then reload and start the run on the bowling pin plates (15 yds away).  It's a good challenge.  I did it twice last year, and I am thinking about doing it again this year with my Colt Python .357 mag.

My husband came in 1st in the .22 with 8.23 seconds.  Really a nice run for him.  He came in second in the center fire at 13.45 seconds.  So much better than me.  He is the one that I am judging my performance on.  Looks like I need more practice.

Take care.  Good hunting and good shooting.
M.

8th Week of the Spring Trap League

Hi;

The leagues shooting is now over.  We had 8 weeks of very diverse weather.  The first week I was bundled up in my long johns, thick pants, two shirts, my hunting coat and gloves.  The last week of the league I was in a t-shirt, light weight pants, and sneakers.  I had fun this time around and I'm looking forward to the Fall Trap League.  That is if my mule deer hunt in late October can be accommodated.  I will be on the hunt during the last week of the league.  I think the rules will allow me to 'shoot ahead', meaning that I can shoot my two rounds of trap a few days before I leave on my hunt and have it count as my last week league shoot.

This season I came in first in the ladies division with a total score of 298.   I am happy to report this is 16 points better than my totals in last years fall league. With ammo in short supply (still!), I was pleased that the prize was 5 boxes of shot gun shells.  During the off season I will have to practice trap and be ready to improve my scores.

My husband also did well.  He came in as high person for the league.  He also won 5 boxes of shot gun shells.  He is ready for the next league to begin, and would be happy as a clam if the league started next week.  He's just going to have to wait.

During the off season, we are going to try our hand at the 5-stand shot gun shoot.  I talked about this in my last post.  It looks very challenging, and my husband said it is difficult.  But, with practice and dexterity I think we could have a fun time at this game.

As for the mule deer hunt, we both drew buck/doe tags in our preferred area of Colorado.  Nice to have friends that own land out there.  We have our plane tickets already, courtesy of frequent flyer miles.  In a couple of months I'll be looking at Priceline for a rental car or SUV.  I'll keep you posted on my progress.

Take care,
Good shooting and good hunting.
M.

7th week of the Spring Trap Leauge

Hi,

The next to last week of the Spring Trap League.  I had a good night. Despite the windy conditions, gusts and breezes up to 25 MPH, I shot a 21 and a 19.  On a few of my shots the wind picked up the clay bird and carried it out of the way of my shot.  My husband had a 20 and a 22.  The others on the team did fairly well.  So much so that for the week we came in third.  Nice news but also bad news.  The bad news it that for next weeks shoot we have to shoot from the 17 yard line instead of the normal 16 yard line. I have a plan to help me shoot well from the further distance.  I've decided that I will use the no. 7 1/2 shots, a little more power should help me out.

One of our team members decided to shoot his Remington 870 pump.  He had had it out earlier in the day for fun, shooting trap and he did very well.  Good idea, to bad it did not pan out for him.  He shot one of his worst rounds of the season.  He is a good shot, so even though it was bad for him, it really was not bad shooting from my perspective.

Looking forward to next week which is the last for this league.  I'm still in first place for the ladies.  I've looked at my competition, and unless I do not show up and shoot at all, I should win.  In this time of short to non existent inventory of shells, winning 5 boxes of shotgun shells is pretty good.

My husband is shooting in a fun match over the Memorial Day weekend at the club.  He will be shooting two types of games that he has never done before.  The five station and wobble trap. He may find a new game for us to play.

Wishing everyone a wonderful holiday weekend.  Keep our troupes in your thoughts this Memorial Day weekend.  Without them we would not be free.

Take care,  good shooting and good hunting.
M.

Week 6 of the Trap League

Hi;

Unusual circumstances occurred Wednesday night.  One of our team members had a substitute set up to shoot in his stead.  The substitute had to bow out at the last minute.  We could not find anyone to step in. That meant that our team score would be so much lower because we were without one shooter!!  I really was expecting that we would be in 12th place (last) because of this.  I just found out that we are in 9th place. I am shocked.

I had an excellent evening, as did the three others on my team.  That helped our scores a lot, but it should not have been enough to only drop us one place.  The other teams must have had a really lousy night.

I shot a 20 on the first round and a 22 on the second.  I was and am very happy about that.  I was using a different load that night.  In the past I had been shooting a number 7 1/2 shot load.  This week I was using a number 8 load.  I'm going to have to use them again next week to see if it was a fluke (I sure hope not) or if I do shoot better with the lighter load.  We'll see.

The weather was wonderful on Wednesday, a slight breeze and around 78 degrees.  The humidity died down too.

Well that's it for this week.
Take care, good shooting and good hunting.
M.

Rained out

Hi!

Well, the down pours and steady rain on Wednesday caused the cancellation of our Trap League shoot.  I must say I am glad not to have had to shoot in the pouring down rain.  We got ready though.  The rain coats were in the car along with our hats. The biggest change would have been our guns.  No way were we going to subject our nice shotguns to that kind of weather.  My husband pulled out and got ready my Remington 1100, and his Remington 870.  Fortunately about an hour before the league was to begin we got the call.
Now our league will go one week more, which is okay.  That would be the week of Memorial Day.  I do hope we do not have team members going out of town that week. If they do they are allowed to shoot ahead some time between Friday and Tuesday. This means they can get someone neutral to score their rounds and the scores will count as if they shot on Wednesday evening.  But, I guess with our teams overall ranking, it really may not matter if we do not have a full squad, lol.

I am aiming for top lady and my husband is aiming for second in the men's.  If he can shoot a few 25's before the end, it is possible he may take the number one spot.  I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

Take care, good shooting and good hunting.
M.

Rifle practice, getting ready for mule deer

Hi,

Yesterday we took advantage of a beautiful day and went rifle shooting.  I wanted to practice with my two rifles.  My husband thought that was a very good idea.  He too would bring his two rifles.

We are going to Colorado to mule deer hunt on a friends ranch in October.  Or at least we are pretty sure we will be hunting in October this year.  In Colorado you have to enter your name into a drawing for a deer tag.  If your name is picked then you can hunt in the section of Colorado you asked to hunt in.  In past years the section where our friend lives has been under subscribed.  Meaning there are more tags available than there are hunters.  So, we are pretty sure we'll be hunting mule deer this year.

Because I could take a shot of 300 yards or more at this ranch I feel that I need to practice at those distances a few time this summer.  My furthest shot in Colorado so far was at 289 yards, and my husbands was at 370 yards.  My closest shot was as 189 yards, my husbands was at 60 yards.  He only got this close a shot because the deer came up over the rise from a blind side at where he was hunting.  Other wise I'm sure my husband would not have let the deer get that close before getting a shot at it.

I took my Remington Model 7, both my rifles are a Model 7, 7mm08 and 270 WSM.  My husband took his 7mm and his 7mm08.  We started at 100 yards. With just a few adjustments to the scopes we were both shooting the targets about 1 inch high to the bulls-eye   Just were we wanted to hit.  Then we moved out to 200 yards.  My scope on the 270 has the marked redical for 100 yard increments.  The 7mm08 does not, so I'll have to make a mental adjustment for the further shots.  I shot both rifles very well.  There would be dead deer on the ground.  Same at 300 yards.  My husband did just as well. Our groups of three shots were with in 1 inch, and my husband had one group of 3 where they were touching each other.  We had a great time at the range.

I will probable take the 270 and my husband is planning on taking the 7mm to Colorado.  They are both good cartridges for out west. I am already excited and looking forward to our hunting trip.

Take care,  good hunting and good shooting.
M.

Trap League Week 5

Hi !!

I did it!  I finally shot more that a 19.  My second round on Wednesday was a 21.  I am so happy.  Now I can set my next goal:  a score of 23.

I have to tell you about my shotgun.  It was brand new last fall.  A Browning Citori Lighting double barrel. The gun is now fairly well broke in.  I remember last year it took time to break it in, get the parts smoothed out.  Originally it was difficult to break open the action.  It was difficult to take the fore arm off the barrels, and I had a sore palm from forcing the gun to open to eject the shells after shooting .  I did expect this because it was brand new.  It took about 20 outings with the shotgun, putting it through its paces before it became comfortable for me to operate.  Now I have no trouble taking down the gun for storage and cleaning.  I can easily open the action after shooting.  I do not feel like a dork any longer.  I just know that last year people were watching me struggle with the gun and wondering why I do not know how to operate it.  Now it is just second nature to load, shoot, unload and disassemble it.  I really do love this shotgun.

My husband had; in his words, a dismal night.  He shot a 23 and a 20.

My other team members on the second round also shot 20, 18, 13 and 20.  So, that means that I was top scorer for that round on my team.  LOL.  I am also still top lady in the league. But, my team is in 9th place.  We are only 2 points out of 8th place and 4 points out of 7th.  We can pull off a big move in positions at next weeks shoot.  Wish us luck.

Take care,  good shooting and good hunting.
M.

Trap League, week 4 of the spring league

Hi!!

I've had such a busy week since the last Wednesday Night Spring Trap League shoot.  The ranking finally came out over the weekend.  My team has moved into a tie for 7th place out of 12 teams.

I had a good evening, shooting an 18 on the first round and a 19 on the second.  I must protest a bit on the 19 score.  I was very sure I hit another clay bird.  I did not hear the scorer call out a miss, or I could have asked for a review.  A review would have consisted of asking my team members if they saw a hit or miss, plus my view on the hit.  But, after completing the round, it seemed to me to be to hard to ask for a review of something that happened many rounds ago.  My error I guess in not listening better to the scorer.  Stupid ear plugs! But the good news is I am high scorer overall for the ladies.

My husband shot a 22 and a 23.  He is still looking for that round of 25.  I sure hope he gets it at least once during this season.  Several would be ideal.  We'll see.

Our team mate with the skeet barrel shot gun did not get the new trap barrel in time for this week shoot.  He shot a bit better for him this week. He now knew that he must be much quicker on pulling the trigger, since the shot pattern from the skeet barrel is not ideal for trap.  I know the new trap barrel with the correct choke should help him with his scores.  I hope that he has it by next week.

We want good weather and excellent shooting for the rest of the league. I cannot believe we are halfway through the spring league's season.  I am having a good time.

If you get the chance to shoot trap or skeet do so.  It is challenging and fun all at the same time.

Side note:  I saw a turkey in full strut and fanned tail feathers in the woods this past weekend.  It was a wonderus sight.

Take care, good shooting and good hunting.
M.

Trap Shooting Week 3 of the League

Hi;

Week three of the league saw me do not so well in the first round.  I was a bit upset over the misses.  My scores for the two rounds were a 15, and a 19.  Fortunately I managed to recover in the second round.  My husband shot a 21 and a 24. He was okay, but not totally happy with his shooting.  We both were shooting behind on the clay targets.  I'm sure I will get the hang of it with enough practice.

I remember when I started out on the bowling league many years ago.  I was not very good. In the first year of the league my score per game averaged in the 80's.  Before the next season began my dad gave me a book on bowling techniques. I did better the next year with my average, bringing it up to around 110.  By the time I stopped bowling my average was around 135.  For Trap I am listening to the help I am being given.  I am going to look for a book or tips on the internet.  Something that can give me a boost in my game.

My team moved up in the standings.  We are now in seventh place.  Our team member that did so badly last week, shot with his repaired gun, and he did so much better.  He did order a trap barrel to replace the skeet barrel he currently has on his shotgun.  That too should help him with his scores.

It was a pleasant night, around 70 degrees with a light wind. So, the weather was not a factor in shooting tonight.  I love getting out in weather like this. But, I know hot and humid is coming!!

Take care,  good shooting and good hunting.
M.

Bowling Pin Shoot April 2013

Hi;

Sundays April 2013 Bowling Pin shoot was a fun time.  The day was a bit chilly, but the sunshine made it bearable.  There was a nice size crowd.  I believe everyone shot several rounds. This is typical, because it is so much fun to run the round of 6 bowling pins at 7 yards, then 6 bowling pin steel plates at 15 yards.

I posted this event on the Shooting Diva's web site, trying to get more women to participate.  It worked.  There were nine ladies, plus one lady brought her teenage daughter.  The daughter told me she was having a great time and excited shooting her .22.  One of the men let the teen try his .22 with a dot scope.  She did so well, I think I see a new scope being bought before the next match.  I heard from many of the ladies that they enjoyed the day, spending time with the other women and men there, plus getting to shoot at a fun event.
Below you can see that we also had a youngster shooting his .22 very well.  His score was 16.94 sec.

 

I had a great day.  Everything fell into place as I was shooting.  My .22 score was 10.86 sec. and my 9mm score was 16.51 sec.  I've shaved off 2 - 3 seconds on my .22 time from last year.  And, on the 9mm I've reduced my time by around 6 - 8 seconds.  I love my new Springfield Arms 1911 9mm.  The extra weight of it over the Glock I used last year makes it so much easier for me to recover from the recoil and sight in on the next bowling pin.  The better .22 time is just due to practice.  I came in first in both the rim fire and center fire ladies category.  But, because I was helping with running the match this time, I was not eligible for any prize. One of the men who would have helped with the event had a commitment at a 3 gun shoot. He had forgotten about it.  So, my husband asked if I would help them with running the timer. 

Everyone I talked with was lamenting the shortage of ammo.  They could not practice like they want to, or just go out for a good time at the range.

My next event is the Wednesday Night Trap League.  I would really like to shoot a 20 or 21.

Take care, good shooting and good hunting.
M.

Trap Shooting this week

Hi.

Trap league shooting this week, weather wise, was so 180 !  Last week I needed long johns, gloves, hat and heavy coat.  This week I needed shorts and a t-shirt.  It was around 82 degrees while shooting.

I did well.  My first round was a 19.  I really thought I'd shot a 20 but the score keeper said otherwise.  My second round was an 18.  I realized a bit to late to pick up a better score, but I was leading the bird to far. That is unusual for me.  If I miss it is usually because I am behind on the clay bird.  Maybe the nicer, warmer weather made me limber and I was swinging too fast.  Who knows??  I will keep it in mind for next week's round.  I do know that I was concentrating much more on keeping the barrel down by sighting the gun where I could only see the bead.  That has been one big improvement in my success ratio.  Last year I sighted down the barrel where I could see some of the barrel rib as well as the bead.  Turns out that is not to correct way to sight and shoot.  That style of sighting does well for squirrel and rabbit hunting, but not nearly as accurate as it needs to be for a clay bird.

My husband had two rounds of 23.  He has not yet determined why he is missing. Personally right now, I would be happy to have a score of 23.  I am working on it, and I'll be very happy the day that that happens!

Unfortunately one of my team members had a really, really bad night.  Two low scores (10 and 10), and a broken shotgun.  He finished the last station by using my husbands gun. The good news is he shot 4 out of 5 on the last station with the borrowed gun.  The bad news is the barrel on the broken shotgun is a 'skeet' barrel.  Not appropriated at all for 'trap' shooting.  The choke on a skeet barrel throws a wider pattern of shot, where the trap barrel will keep the shot in a tighter group.  The tighter group will have a much better chance of hitting the target.  My husband is taking with him about getting a new barrel.  Oh by the way, my husband fixed the broken shotgun.

Take care,  good shooting and good hunting.
M.

Spring Trap League Begins!

Hi;

Last Wednesday night was the beginning of the eight week Spring Trap league.  Well, we thought it was Spring, but the weather was Winter with a big W.  Cold and blustery.  It made for a challenging two rounds of Trap.  About 40 degrees at dusk when we started and probably 33 degrees when we finished.  The winds were blowing pretty hard at times.  The wind caused the clay birds to wobble and float up or down.  I think this type of challenge is part of what the game is about. The better your shooting skills the better you adapt to the conditions you have no control over.

I had a fun evening. I was bundled up with long johns, heavy socks, heavy boots and my hunting coat. Only my face was cold.  Everyone was in the same boat so there was no advantage gained or lost.

In my first round I shot an 18, which for me is good.  I was happy with that.  Last year my average was 16, so I am improving. My husband did better by shooting a 22 that round.  There are five on my team, the other three guys did well shooting in the 14 to 18 range. Now in the second round we were all really ready to get out of the cold, so no fooling around. We got down to business.  I shot a 19!! My husband really had a great round, a 24.  He was a bit upset that the missed shot was the second to last shot.  He is really looking forward to getting a perfect score of 25.  I am confident that he will get that score this season. The other three team members did well.

My scores gave me high lady for the night.  I'd like to keep that going for the whole season.  This year there are 5 ladies, vs last year during the Fall Trap league when there were only 3.

Out of the 12 teams we came in 5th place.  This is so much better than last year.  We did no better that 8th place and I think we ended the season in 10th.  Maybe I shouldn't say anything.  It is only the first shoot, and with seven more to go, we will see our standing change several times, I'm sure.

Well, I'm looking forward to next weeks shoot.  I'll let you know how it goes.  Keep your fingers crossed for us.

Take care, good shooting and good hunting.
M.

Trap Shooting practice

Hi;

The Spring Wednesday Night Trap League begins on April 3rd.  It came up so fast.
My husband and I had to get out and practice asap!

It has been cold, as you can see I have my heavy camo coat on under my shooting vest.  Fortunately yesterday and the day before were beautiful sunny days, even if it did only get into the low 50's.

After two day's of practice I think I am getting back into the swing of things, literally and figuratively. Swinging the shotgun to shoot at the clay bird, and in my mind swinging the gun to catch up to the bird.  I need to make sure I know where the bead placement is when I sight down the barrel.  I also do not want the stock of the gun to high on my cheek, or I'll shoot over my target.  We did not keep track of hits and misses.

We were mainly concentrating on form.  We felt pretty good about our shooting, there were more hits than misses.  I think I'm ready for the league to begin.

We got the list of team members and which field my husband and I will be shooting on for opening day.
I peeked ahead on AccuWeather.  I hope I can believe them, the early evening is looking very nice. Low wind, mid 50's and sunny.
The trap league will run for 8 weeks.  By the time this one end at the end of May, I'll probably be wearing shorts, tee shirt and defiantly no heavy jacket!  Cannot wait for warmer weather.

(just a note:  no one was harmed in the taking of the above photographs:  Safety is number one with us.)

Take care.  Good shooting and good hunting.
M.

Bowling Pin Shooting begins again !

Hi;

First day of the season for the Bowling Pin shooting match.  Hopefully I can make it to all of them this year.  The matches run the second Sunday from March thru October.

It was very cold this morning, maybe 36 degrees.  Fortunately no wind.  Clear blue skies allowed the sun to do it's warm up job and by the time I left it was in the lower 50's.

Here's the scoop if you have not read my blog before.  There are 6 bowling pins (real regulation pins) set up on a wood table set up at 10 yards.  The shooter has 10 rounds to take down the six pins.  The pins must fall off the table to count, if not there is a 3 sec. penalty added to your time for each pin left on the table.  The object is to shoot the least amount of shots in the shortest amount of time.
I had a fantastic run with my Ruger 22 Auto. I shot 6 rounds knocking all the pins off the table in 4.1 seconds.  I was very happy!!
The second round is to shoot 6 plates at 15 yards.  The plates are shaped like bowling pins, and are regulation size.  But, at 15 yards they look a lot smaller :(  Same object, shoot up to 10 rounds at the six plates, knocking them all backwards.  Any plate standing adds a 3 second penalty to your time.
I did well on the plates.  On one plate I missed the first time I shot at it. So, I ended up shooting 7 times to take down 6 plates in a total of 8.2 seconds.
The two run times are added together to get your total score.  I was very happy with my score.  It surpassed last years best run. I believe I will come in first for the ladies.  I am not sure where I will come in if I were in the men's group.  Some time this week the scores will be posted.

Now for my bad run.  I bought a Springfield 9mm 1911 a few week back.  I bought it for bowling pin shooting because the recoil is so much less than my 9mm Glock.  I have been happy with the gun in practice.  I have had some issues with it not liking all ammo.  I thought I figured out which brand it likes, but I had a jam during my run :(  Although I did well during the first round at the real bowling pins, 6.56 seconds, my second round at the plates was dismal.  My time was 8.3 seconds, but I left 3 plates standing after my gun jammed.  It was better for me to take the 9 second penalty than to take the time to clear the jam and shoot the rest of the plates.  I think if I had done that my time to do that would have been more than the penalty time. Oh well!!  There is always next month.

I will be practicing with a few more brands of ammo, if I can find any ammo at the gun stores.  As you know ammo is becoming a scare commodity these days.

On the bright side of things.  I had a great time, and I will be at the next bowling pin shoot in April
Take care, good shooting and good hunting
M.

New semi-auto for the bowling pin shoots

Hi,

I bought a Springfield 1911 9mm for this years bowling pin shoots.  I tried my husbands Springfield at the range about two weeks ago.  I really liked the point of the gun and the low recoil when compared to my Glock 9mm.  At that practice I went back and forth shooting the Springfield and the Glock.  I was so impressed with the low recoil and speed at which I could reacquire the next target that I had to make a change in guns.

After buying the new gun, it was off to the range.  I am in love with it!!  I had some very good runs on the metal plates.  Under 6 seconds is really good for me and a 9mm.  Last year I think my best time was around 7.4 seconds.  One more practice day, then the matches begin, March 10th.  A new sponsor is running the shoot this year.  Prizes will be some free runs at the pins during the next months match, and your name in the club bulletin as one of the high scorers.  My 15 minutes of fame.

I am looking forward to it.
Good shooting and good hunting.
M.

Super Bowl was awsome

Hi;

I hope all you football fans enjoyed a great game yesterday.  Unusual with the long lights out delay.  I think that helped the 49ers in their amazing (almost) come back.  That made the game very exciting. I loved that it came down to the last minute, 5 yard line and 4 downs to get into the end zone.

I enjoyed watching a good back and forth third and fourth quarter.  That is what makes the game exciting!
The commercials were good, some much better than others. The half time show was better than most in recent history.  I wished though that the mixing of sound had been clearer.  There were many time the sound was low and soft.  Don't know if that was the stadium acoustics or the sound guy.  Any way I enjoyed the show.

Take care, good shooting and good hunting.
M.  

Great day to practice for the Bowling Pin Shoot

Hi,

The weather has been unseasonable warm the past few days.  I took advantage of it, and went shooting Wednesday.

Bowling Pin matches begin in March.  I cannot wait : )  I've had a lot of fun at the matches, and I've met some very nice people. There are several ladies from a local shooting club that show up for most matches.  It is fun to discuss weapons, shooting techniques, optics, and hunting with them.
 
My shooting on Wednesday was very good.  I could only hope my time on the pins will be as good as it was in practice.  I was taking down 6 plates with the .22 Ruger in about 4.05 seconds.  The 9mm is a bit longer because of the recoil and having to reacquire the target after each shot.  I was running around 10.45 seconds.  There is just something intimidating about shooting in front of a group and with the timer person standing next to me, that makes me nervous. I think about what I will feel like when I miss, what the crowd may say, things that don't really matter but they play on my mind.   Then I think too much about some of the things that do matter like will I bring the gun up quick enough when the buzzer goes off, will I assume I hit a target and move to the next, then come back for any I miss. All kinds a thoughts in a split second that hamper my speed.

I've decided in this years practice to do drills on the first shot.  I have my husband call out the ready command and beep, I raise the gun from the ready position and shoot the first target.  Then repeat until I feel comfortable, and ready to shoot with out all of other cluttering thoughts.  Muscle repetition is what I hear this is called. We'll see.

I'll let you know how it goes after the first match of 2013.
Taker care, good shooting and good hunting.
M.

A little bit of target shooting

Hi,

Hunting season is over!

I was out this morning in the fog and mist to pistol shoot.  I need to start practicing for the Bowling Pin matches that start the second weekend in March.  I shot a .22 cal Ruger SR22.  Very nice.  I was happy with my shooting at the metal plates.  I am practicing on speed of shots between targets.  Moving the gun to the next target, bringing the gun under control after a shot (which is very easy with a .22 cal) and shooting accurately.  Later I will work on bringing the gun for the ready position (barrel on the table) to the first target, acquiring the target and shooting.  This motion is where I find I need the most work on, which will being down my overall time.  I will have to decide which of my .22 to use for the matches.

I also shot my husbands newest revolver.  The 7 shot .357 S&W.  It is very accurate.  I had a good time shooting it single action.  When I tried the double action pull, I felt that the trigger sat to far forward.  My finger did not sit fulling on the trigger pull.  Bruce had no problem with the double action and was kidding me about my complaint.  Well!  he's got a bigger hand, what can I say??  Plus it is his gun.  I am not worried.

Take care, good shooting and good hunting.
M.

Last day of the deer season

Hi;

Well the final day of deer hunting for us arrived last Saturday.  The weather was a little warmer than I might have liked, but okay, no breeze and partly cloudy.  We got to the property around 2 pm.  I went off to the front woods and got up in the stand. I've seen deer in this area almost every time I've been hunting there.  Unfortunalty today was one of the off days.  I did see plenty of squirrels and a fox.  Nice looking bushy tailed red fox.  My season ended this year with a good size doe, a 4 point and a really nice 8 point buck.  I am very happy with my success this year.

My husband took his dad to two spots to hunt today.  First was at a creek bed with lots of bramble and cover.  As they walked to the spot, there was a deer.  Bruce pointed it out to his dad.   Jim saw it, then raised his rifle.  He could not find the deer in the scope.  The deer walked off.  Frustration!  Later they moved over into a cow field with several islands of trees and bramble. They got within 30 yards of the island they wanted to stand in when Bruce saw a big doe in that island staring at them.  They stopped.  Jim could not see the deer.  Bruce is trying desperately to point out the deer, yet not make to much noise or movement.  The deer is broad side to the two of them, head turned to watch them both.  Again, Jim could not get the deer in the scope of the gun.  That was it for Jim's hunting season.  No deer.  We are going to have to figure out why Jim could not see the deer in the scope, so he can be ready for next season.

My husband had a really good year.  He took 6 does and 3 nice bucks.  He's happy.

We were able to give venison to many friends and to Hunters for the Hungry, plus stock our own freezer for the next year.

Now I will be working on my trap shooting and bowling pin shooting.  The trap team shoot starts in April, and the monthly Bowling Pin shoot starts in March.  I am looking forward to both.

Take care, good hunting and good shooting,
M.

Not many hunting days left this season

Hi,

We are still trying to get my father-in-law a deer.  A few days ago we tried again.  My husband took his dad to a location where we have seen deer every time we've been there.  He was standing right beside a thicket. We expected the deer to come up or down the small valley to his right.  Bruce left Jim and walked over to where he wanted to hunt. I went to the front woods hoping to kick up a few deer and have them run Jim's way.

Bruce on his walk to the tree stand did kick up several deer, which ran towards Jim, but no shots were fired by Jim. Bruce got up in the tree stand and settled in for the afternoon.  Around 4pm 3 yearlings and 4 big does came into Bruce's view.  The little ones played around while the big ones bedded down.  Bruce could just see the head of one of the bedded deer, the rest were out of sight.  So, he waited. This was the same location that Jim had hunted four times this year.

In the mean time, I jumped up one doe which ran to the fence on the property line.  It would have been about a 160 yd shot, which I could do, but I just knew the deer would run onto the neighbors property where I would not be allowed to retrieve it.  I watched as she turned away from me and trotted down the fence line out of sight.  I found a nice tree to stand by and surveyed a small valley and hill side about 100 yards inside the tree line of the woods.  Nice spot.  Now I just waited for the big one to come by.

Bruce's deer finally got up and started milling around, then walking diagonally right to left, away from Bruce.  While he was waiting for them to get up, he ranged the bedded deer.  They were about 130 yards away.  Bruce watched the first big doe walk through a clear spot.  The second doe walked into the clear spot.  It was a bit bigger.  Bruce shot and it went straight down. Nice shot!  Now for the surprise. The third doe walked right by the dead doe.  It did not look at the dead doe, it did not run from the sound of the shot, or have any reaction.  It was as if Bruce had not shot at all.  Then the three small deer came prancing by the downed doe, and they did not care that the doe was lying there.  Very odd.  The bunch of deer did not run until Bruce was down out of the tree stand and started walking over to the doe.  Of course they ran in Jim's direction.

Jim did not see any of those deer.

I talked to Bruce on the radio to find out what he shot.  Knowing he had a big doe down, let me feel okay about not shooting a doe today.  We are giving this deer to a friend.  About 10 minutes after talking to Bruce, I had three deer come by at about 80 yards. An okay size and two small does.  I put the binoculars on them to verify that they were or were not shooters today.  In my opinion they get to live another day.  I was surprised to even see them as they came from Jim's direction.  I thought he surely should have seen them and shot.  But, no, he did not see them.  Oh well.

Jim did see three does.  He watched them for over half an hour, just willing them to step on our hunting property.  They must has some sixth sense, because they would come close to the property line, then turn. They'd come back and turn again. He soooo wanted them to cross over the line.  What a frustrating day.  Reminds me of my last hunt were the deer just would not cross over the line.

We have one more hunting day this season.  I'll let you know if Jim get a deer this year.

Take care, good hunting and good shooting.
M.