Vandalia Grand and the TRI-STATE. The two greatest trapshoots ever! There was the excitement of the largest shoot on the planet....and then came the TRI-STATE! It was the Mardi Gras of trapshooting. Who remembers?
Trapshooting and Gambling, what could be better? 98 in the Doubles. Shoot off for 1st with fellow member Shamus. Best man at my wedding and I at his. I can still see the ones I missed for runner up. When the trophies were Silver belt buckles with Gold Pesos and not flashlights. Mine was smaller. LOL
The walkways / shooting pads were often only wide enough for one foot. You could straddle it, or use one foot. But, which foot? One foot could be 3 inches higher. Strategery.
Brad, I do not remember anyone complaining about the targets. Not only in your pocket almost kicking you in the back. We had a different breed of shooter back then. God how I loved it back then. Roger C.
Every trap field was different the first one had that camper in the background about 100 yards away and the last one the ground went up hill so that a ten foot target looked about 2 feet high on the right. I remember that when you were shooting in front of the club house from the 27 you might have someone run into you as they tried to pass between the porch and the guy shooting handicap. I also remember good food, pies I think that were home made. No one complained about the targets, wouldn't have done any good.
For sure. I remember the money shooters that used to show up. Nice guys, but they would take your last nickel if you had it in the options or the Calcutta. They sure as hell weren't there because, as some of the newer shooters like to say, I don't care about the money. I'm there to make friends and just enjoy breaking targets". Those guys back then didn't take any prisoners. LOL The Golden Age Possumskinner, I only hit the like button once on your post because I can't hit it twice.
Back then we were like the gun fighters of the old west. The gun didn't come out of the case unless money was involved. My belt buckles were 10 dollar and 5 dollar 1893 1895 gold US coins.
As we used to say, Get the women and kids off the street, the gunfighters are in town. I wondered why my runner up coin was a Gold Peso. You got the American money. LOL I told this story before but it's too good not to post it again The day before the doubles Shamus here said he wasn't shooting doubles, just the caps. When I showed up he had his 3200 with him. WTF? says I. He said he decided in the morning and since it was long before cell phones he couldn't call me to tell me to bring mine. I didn't bring my 3200 That's no problem we'll borrow one. And he found someone to loan me their 3200. I didn't bring shells. OK, we'll find someone with extra's And he did. I, uh, didn't bring enough money For Christs sake, I'll loan you the money And he did. Then I tied him. Hahahahaha We were going to flip for it until I said I really beat him because the girl called the 2nd target on station five lost by mistake. As we were discussing it that jerkoff we didn't know on station 2 chimed in with No, you missed it. No one else saw it so it was scored lost. When I said I had really had a 99 Shamus said Hang onto that gun. You're going to need it for the shoot off Probably karma that I lost the shoot off by a target. LOL As the late great Roger Smith said, The Golden Age PS: That 3200 of mine? I had just gotten a like new one from Leo Cerar the week before and he said , Take it and pay me when you can. I paid him the next day with the winnings from that 98. The way targets are set now that score probably wouldn't pay enough to buy a flat of shells