Vanzant Clay Pigeon Farm, Mo. 2 Day Shotgun Event, 14-15 Apr 2023

The Vanzant Clay Pigeon Farm of Vanzant, Mo.
will be hosting a private shoot for
INVITED GUESTS
Apr 14-15, 2023
SAFETY BRIEFS: 3PM Friday & 9AM & NOON Saturday
1st FLIGHTS 4pm Friday & 10am Saturday
RAIN OR SHINE
Bring at Least 12 Boxes of Ammo, 2 assigned Small Gift Prizes, and an assigned Pot Luck Dish (if held)
ANY GUN
ANY GAUGE
Event Cost is a suggested 100.00 for early sign up prior to 1 Mar and 125.00 for late sign up. (an unheard of bargain for a 300 bird match)
Tickets are transferable but not refundable. No carryovers.
The Days Events Will Be:
3pm - Friday Intro/Waivers/Gun Insp.
4pm - Field 1 & 2 Open for practice
Boxes 1-5 = Friday Flights
6pm - Open kitchen. Fend for yourselves
7-10pm - Night Birds

9am - Saturday Intro/Waivers/Gun Insp.
10am - Shooting Begins
Box 6 = 16yd ATA Trap
Box 7 = 21yd Handicap Trap
Box 8 = Skeet
12 Noon = Lunch
Box 9 = Turkey Shoot/Polish Duck Blind
Box 10-11 = Annie Oakley
3pm - Box 12 = Trophy Match, Shoot Offs,
4pm - Wildcard Calcutta, and Awards
6pm - Club 60 Meal in Town
NO EXPERIENCE NEEDED
FREE TRAINING
FREE RUSTIC CAMPING. Bathroom in club.
50 YD TROPHY MATCH IS A TRAP WALK BACK TO 50YDS WITH HOA, ANNIE, TURKEY SQUAD AND DUCK BLIND WINNERS.
RANGE OWNER SHOOTS IN PROXY FOR LOW SCORE AS WELL.
LAST MAN STANDING WINS.
Extra games available at the counter.
Call to be invited and reserve a spot. 757-923-3553 till 31 Mar or 417-948-0095 afterwards.

 

anyone care to donate for the Apr trophy? pm me. you don't need to attend to donate for it.

 

the wildcard calcutta is an optional game after the match. make sure to bring extra ammo for it if you chose to play it!

 

and once again, we wont be offering ammo at the counter due to the shortage. make sure to bring at least 12 boxes. most bring 20.
ammo seems be showing up more often in stores now, but holy cow! the cost of it is sky high. plan accordingly.

 

2023 is including a new shoot policy. since 99% of my attendees bypass night birds, i have a choice. either make it a 1 day shoot or give an incentive to come friday as well. so, lets go with the incentive first. if you come friday night and shoot a game of skeet or trap. and the score you log during night birds is higher than the main event score on sat, you can use the higher of the 2. a lot of time and energy is expended for too small a crowd. i will do this if it draws 5 shooters friday. if it doesnt pan out, im going to cancel night birds and make my shoot a 1 day event in the future.

 

many say im crazy for what im doing by holding my shoots with little to no attendance.
but understand, i have the highest respect for those that DO attend. thank you for coming.
we consider those that come to be our friends visiting, not customers. please remember that. some have pool parties, horse shoe parties, tupperware parties, block or cookout parties. i have shooting parties. our goal is always 10. aim for 10 to come! ask your buddies too.
call or pm me to be invited!

 

ok, brett and his friend dave signed up. we have 2!

 

need 5 for night birds folks!

 

bob and jim just signed up! we have 4!

 

Looking forward to night birds for sure.

 

welcome jim! good to have you on board. this is where all the updates are posted, so check in often.
keep in mind....needing 5 shooters for night birds is going to be tuff. it takes a lot just to GET 5 shooters and many coming these days are the old guard, and many dont camp or want to spend a night in town, so its tuff getting 5 to actually stand on line to shoot. in the glory days when we had 10+ coming it was easy. blame biden is all i can say.

 

It will still be alright to camp on Friday?

 

always! got any buddies you know that would like to come?

 

Trying. No definates yet

 

we have a donor for the trophy. in to town i go!

 

here it is! come and win it!

 

You know I will be there. I will get my ticket purchased after the first of the year but before the early bird deadline. I have a new (to me) .410 O/U that I can't wait to try out for skeet. Unless I shoot it better than I expect, the .410 skeet rounds will just be practice and the 20 Gauge will get the nod for the skeet rounds that count! I also plan on coming Friday and bringing my camping trailer. I have a buddy at work who is trying to get a couple of his buddies together to come. So a possible 3 more but not set in stone by any means.

 

remember the 410 night shoot at the moon?

we may pull off a good size shoot. its been years. 2 squads to me is successful! lol.

if we get 10, pot luck is a go, gang!

 

Robert,
Here I am after a long absence. Thinking about making the trip down from Michigan again. However I will be opting for the late sign up as I am a spure of the moment person. Been shooting a local league and ATA more frequently now since Henry left for Japan so it would be a great way to kick off the 2023 season. I am certain that at least I would bring another person with me because I doubt I’m coming alone. I’ll keep you abreast of my intentions.

 

ok, we have 4 confirmed and a whole bunch of maybes.
tickets talk! pm me and get one today!
hopefully we will have ourselves an old fashion meet with a crowd!

 

rex is now a serious maybe due to scheduled surgery.

 

heres how the maybes stack up.....i figure 7 solid shooters in apr with 15 as wishful thinking.
still...it would be an encouraging upward curve if any of this happened.

4 have paid. the rest are 2 birds in the bush.

 

all we need is just 1 MORE for night birds. who will sign up early?

 

brian just signed up. we now have night birds confirmed if the 5 signed up actually come to shoot friday!

 

Awsome can't wait.

 

frank is recovering from eye surgery. odds are he will be a no or a strong maybe.
kick the bushes folks!
tickets talk!

 

ok, here is the list im working.........

those that have tickets are:
bob L
brett
dave
jim L

still waiting for brians check to arrive, for 5 total.

maybe are:
brians 3 friends
jeff in mich
jeffs buddy

strong maybes but most likely no's are:
phil, if he hasn't moved yet
rex, if his eyes heal
frank, if his eyes heal
stan, if his hip or legs heal

sure wish people on this website would sign up!! heck, im still waiting for the first one!

website sign ups of new interested shooters has dropped off completely, the sport is hurting.

I haven't netted one shooter on over 25 gun websites in 2 years. the only new people have been friends of friends who have come at least once.

 

brians in. we have 5.
if we get 10, i'll faint.

 

those that have tickets are:
bob L
brett
dave
jim L
brian


jim and brian are bringing trailers. so that's 2 for night birds.
dave and brett are coming with bob L, but its not clear if they'll be shooting night birds and camping.

so.....see? its not easy to get 5. the bar is set. we need a confirmed commit 5 for night birds.

in the old days it was easy. 10 or 15 would sign up and only 5 would show for night birds for the Friday event.
600 watts bulbs burning for 3 hours isn't cheap folks. its 5 or none.

 

my first nibble on ATS just called.
rn3 is a maybe from this website.
its a first.
hope he can come.

 

joe, jeff, cliff, randy and son, the turnbull boys, the odom family, the ftf crowd, larry, and kenton are off the radar. I don't even bother calling them anymore.

not even a hello how are you call from any of them over the years. oh well. time marches on.

 

maybes are:

brians 3 friends
jeff in mich
jeffs buddy
rn3
-------------

maybes... but most likely no's are:

phil, if he hasn't moved yet
rex, if his eyes heal
frank, if his eyes heal
stan, if his hip or legs heal

 

approaching the early bird deadline for discount tickets folks. 2 weeks to go. sign up today!

 

if anyone has stans number, give him a buzz and see if he can come! maybe he'll come if others call, besides me. he hasnt posted on ruger forum for 2 years.

 

hey brian! any word on your 3 buddies?

 

jeff in mich and his buddy are going to wait until the last minute. sure would like to be able to plan in advance. waiting makes everyone sit in pins and needles wondering. jeff! chime in and give us an update!

 

i just heard from colo bob over on 24hr campfire. maybe he will chime in soon.

 

Not yet. They will probably be a last minute decision unfortunately.

 

ok, as you know, over time ive learned to count last minute maybes as no's.
thanks for the update.

 

we have 5 officially paid and 11 maybes.

 

7 days left for early bird discount tickets....

 

I need a road trip. I'm in. PM me over at 24hour with the address where to send the check. Maybe I can use those vouchers & learn how to shoot skeet. Bob

 

pm sent! well gang....we have 6!

 

colo bob is locked in. looks like he'll be the last one to make it under the radar for early bird tickets! they go up tomorrow!

 

tickets now... a suggested125.00.

 

byron backed out...again. im not asking him anymore.

 

kick those bushes guys! if all the maybe come, we will have 16 shooters.

 

rex is out. his eye surgery is 6 apr.
15 possible maybes now.

 

a year ago i posted this. time to repost it...
--------------

just remember folks, canceling may be easy on your end and it may be truly needed, but on this end, it hurts the prizes, the pot luck, and the others who come to socialize to meet friends and new faces. many travel long distances to attend. its a miracle many come as far as they do, for just 4 to 5 people at a match. we owe it to everyone to work at making it worth coming. keeping me on the hook until the last few days to decide if youre coming, or ignoring emails and pm's isn't fair to management either. man up and sign up early or give me a firm no before i leave for the farm. maybes in my book have always been considered no's. planning issues force us practice it. tickets talk.
anyone who has coordinated a match knows is hard enough, let alone being the host who travels 1500 miles to hold it. I like the sport enough to do it. but others would certainly say im insane for what I do on my vacation time.

 

rn3 is out. i will call him in oct. maybe then.
down to 14 hopefuls.

 

just a reminder that i posted further up the thread........

2023 is including a new shoot policy. since 99% of my attendees bypass night birds, i have a choice. either make it a 1 day shoot or give an incentive to come friday as well. so, lets go with the incentive first. if you come friday night and shoot a game of skeet or trap. and the score you log during night birds is higher than the main event score on sat, you can use the higher of the 2. a lot of time and energy is expended for too small a crowd. i will do this if it draws 5 shooters friday. if it doesnt pan out, im going to cancel night birds and make my shoot a 1 day event in the future.
--------------------
jim and brian are bringing trailers. so that's 2 for night birds.
dave and brett are coming with bob L, but its not clear if they'll be shooting night birds and camping.
colo bob will most likely be dead tired after driving from durango, so odds are he will check into a motel friday and crash till sat morn. if he shoots friday night, he will be superman in my eyes.

so.....see? its not easy to get 5. the bar is set. we need a confirmed 5 to commit for night birds.

in the old days it was easy. 10 or 15 would sign up and only 5 would show for night birds for the Friday event.
4-600 watts bulbs burning for 3 hours isn't cheap folks. its 5 or none.

even though we have 6 signed up, everyone needs to shoot night birds or night birds at VCPF is toast. and since not everyone firms up and emails me intentions in advance, im left hanging with no ability to plan.
breaks my heart, but the economy has killed my range.....again. so much so that my clays are rotting in the houses.

 

even to this day, stats dont lie. i maintain a 33% no show rate. even with only 5 or 8 signing up.

its not easy to get 15 people all in one place at one time. now, i can barely get 5.
makes one realize how amazing the U.S. MILITARY is. imagine trying to fight a war with the people calling in sick, quitting, debating logic, or tired all the time? lol..

 

please take time to look at my pro-shop inventory and tell me if anything catches your eye, guys.
i need to know before i leave va for the farm 1 apr, so i can load it. a lot of this stuff is spread across 3 states. lmk!
https://www.americantrapshooter.com/threads/buy-me-out-my-entire-pro-shop-gun-inventory.16986/

 

just 4 more guys and we have a pot luck! im hungry. lets do this!

 

classic...........

so much for a pot luck. heck i aint even setting up the club tables or chairs outside.

brett and dave canceled.

WE ARE DOWN TO 4 SHOOTERS.

nice.

 

see how those stats work? had 6, 2 canceled.
33% no show rate.
never fails.

 

heading to ct gang.....

 

back in ct for 2 weeks then off to mo!

 

stan is out. he's travelling that weekend.

 

its all up to phil if hes hasnt moved yet,
jeff and his buddy,
and brians 3 buddies.



no new internet blood for years.
sad.

 

if jeff really comes with a buddy, and brians 3 buddies really come...we will have 10. if not, we are hoping for cameo appearances from shooters to walk in, to hope for 10.

 

a lot rides on this next meet. I am honestly at a point where I may have to go to a 1 day match,1 match a year, end the meets, or go back to range card passes only and open just for drifters when im in town. I tapped danced to everyones favorite song. nothing I do is panning out. what a shame.

the sport is dead for the little guys, but its still alive for deep pockets.

I will make a decision by the end of the year.

 

Bad news......my possibles are now officially no shows. He said that none of his buddies wanted to go. He has already made other plans for that weekend.

 

ok, 3 buddies are out. no pot luck.
thanks for asking them.

 

hoping for jeff now to have just one friggin squad.

 

sadly, this may be the last time vcpf offers night birds....which will make oct's shoot a one day match.

 

moms in the hospital.
new aid double dosed her heart meds.

every horror story you may have heard about poor nursing home or home care in america......is true.

 

moms body fought off the meds. she came back from the brink overnight and is now back to normal. ER did a stellar job. she comes home soon, as if nothing happened. strange how drugs work.
prayer works.
all just 5 days from leaving for mo.

 

im in the process of retraining the new stupid aid. if she passes my training, im on my way to va sunday.
once there, I will be having my mail held.
for those that always give me a maybe and leave me hanging, it forces me to gamble on where the ticket check goes. if I have the shooters send it to va, it sits in the p.o until I return in may. if I tell them send it to mo, and I don't get there before the mo p.o forwards it to va., it sits in va until may. we don't have a bank acct in mo so we cant accept checks at the clubhouse.
so, if you are still not sure and if you can, please tell me now!
im telling everyone this who may think im pushy on signing up. im not. im just want those that wait until the last minute to realize it makes my life confusing...to plan the 1500 mile trip, on top of trying to care for mom and sarah holding down the fort 500 miles away.
if I had 10 or more people coming to this shoot, I wouldn't mind. but in a sense, I don't really have a match anymore.

I just have close friends who like knowing us and my farm and faithfully come.

the best way to explain my shoot would be like having a kegger. everyone tells me they will come, so I order the keg.....and my 4 closest friends show up all the time and everyone else never shows. the 4 of us have a great time, but I end up tossing out a keg of leftover beer.
then I learn who my real friends are. they are the ones who schedule their busy lives around the party.
and no one else can say they didn't know when it was going to held. its plastered all over the net' and my phone still works.
yet, like an old faithful hunting dog, I go russle the internet bushes hoping to stir up a dove. I get a few that walk in circles, but none of them take flight.
maybe I should just curl up to a fire and relax instead. this old dog is getting tired of trying. maybe I should wait until the world improves.
or maybe I am nuts afterall. it never use to be this hard to make shooting friends.
...never.

 

colo-bob........any word on any of your buddies helping you drive from Durango?

 

farmboy was last seen here jan 23. hope hes ok. I never heard back from him.

 

new aid passed the life saving training points, barely.
though she forgot some other basic house chores....she will do.
im off to va. sunday.

 

im in va. if anyone needs to call me, use the va number.

 

and now the nail biting begins. i have 5 days to prep va for the trip. if i get a call saying mom is ill or the aids quit, i will have to cancel the match, delay my trip, and refund you guys.

why am i telling you this?
because im a responsible host. i dont leave anyone wondering. you all know my next move before it happens. for my friends who know me, you now know the pins and needles sarah and i are on when we are at our cabin. though hard, we try to relax and enjoy a peaceful respite and do some shooting with you all.
we are pretty simple folks. this is another reason we dont get tied up by smart phone stuff. scams, spam, text this text that....not our cup of tea.
email, real phone calls from phones that ring on the wall, website forums, is about as high tech we want to be. and i have brian to thank for that. thanks brian.

 

Haven't had any bites. I pm'ed WeimsnKs over at 24hour. He shot there the last time I shot. How about Rusty Zipper?

 

we will take anyone who wants to come! last time i asked rusty -z he claimed financial hardship, covid, and family.
jeff would rather golf with wife. claimed ammo is too expensive.
larry h will never decide until the day before and then never shows.
i dont want to come across as begging, so i stopped trying.
kenton is working larry to join him but again..the day before we will know.
kenton never comes alone. he always decides based on larry.
feel free yourself. maybe you can get them.

and feel free to post an open invite to 24hr but odds are youll get the cold shoulder like i did.
i called/pm'd 172 locals in the tri-state area from the 24hr membership roster and they all passed on it. i gave up on 24hr. none of the ones i called want to know fellow shotgunners and most are 1/2 dead surfing the forums from a wheelchair. had one guy from springfield on 24hr say vanzant was too far. lol.

 

in mo. no phone. have limited net'. cant dial out but can recieve.

 

phones working now.

 

kenton and larry are out. just got a call on my answering machine saying hes got too much work and larrys cows are dropping calves.
oh well.

 

10 day forecast is insane. no rain for 9 days straight!
then, 80% chance on saturday, the match day. go figure.

 

just sitting here watching the grass grow today. really.

 

1 week to go. looks like its going to be a 4 guy meet, AGAIN.
i'd put money on jeff not coming.
usually those coming from long distances would be asking for details on travel and stay info by now.

 

ok, the weather report isnt budging. its calling for 80% rain on saturday.

now..........if you guys want to come friday and have the match early, TELL ME NOW. personally, im getting tired of rain and mud matches.
i dont need to remind you all of tire ruts either. again...the work involved in fixing it all for 4 guys isnt worth my time anymore.
so, if you want to hold this match early, at least we can get some night birds in before it rains. if the rain holds, saturday can be some left over games with no pressure to shoot in between cloud bursts. and brian....we can do the printer work saturday out of the rain.

LMK!

 

brian was coming early on friday anyway, to help out on the farms computers, so he will be here to shoot his games. if jim comes to set up, the 2 of them can get their match out of the way friday.
leaving bob and bobL to shoot their match.

 

ok...update, 80% sat is down to 30% starting 8am to 4pm. it will pour sat around 5pm now.
im still giving you all the option to shoot the match friday.
and, your friday night bird scores can be used towards your final score.

 

update.....bob L's son is toying with coming sat. that will give us 5 shooters. not sure if he wants to shoot fri night birds and camp out yet.

 

bob colo will be here fri.
bob L will be here fri
brian will be here fri

waiting on jim and bob's son dave to decide.


phil is out. he has a girlfriend now. there goes shooting for him! lol.

 

if we shoot all the events friday except the 50yd shoot off, bobs son dave is going to have to take a zero for annie oakley if he doesnt come fri. he cant compete against himself.
remember, the whole reason im offering a friday match to avoid a rain event.
if you guys would all rather shoot the match and gamble on sat being wet, fine with me.

 

ok, right now....sat morning is 24-34% chance for rain.
42% by 1pm. we need to get all shooting done by 1pm sat. last event we shot in a 42% prediction...it rained and we got wet.

 

jim - brian, i suggest you turn your campers and face em out the driveway so you wont have to 3 point jockey em in mud when you leave and its raining.

 

ok, jim will be here fri.

that means only one still not sure about is dave.
i can push him thru sat morn before the shootoff. you guys can shoot extra games with him to make him feel part of the match.
remember guys...........this whole idea of shooting early was to keep you guys dry! if you all want to get wet sat, fine with me. but i might suggest getting your scores in friday dry, shoot night birds dry, have a shoot off sat morn dry, and be shooting fun games when it starts raining.

needless to say, unless you hang out until sat night club 60 is up in the air.

 

remember, it was never my intention to cancel sat shooting. im just suggesting to everyone to beat the rain. its still a 2 day event.

 

I'm headed your way. I bought my rain gear just encase. 4 cases of shot shells. I'll check in on the road a couple of times. I'm up for night birds. I'll shoot them by myself if need be. They are fun---like watching fireworks when they break. Bob

Bob--my phone # is over at 24hour campfire

FYI----That trophy is coming back to Colorado

 

great!
and, just got word that dave can come friday. that means everyone is shooting the match friday plus the shootoff, plus night birds.........and saturday will be extra games. if some prefer to leave friday and pass on sat shooting, again, i understand, but i will have the range open sat until it rains.

 

time line update:

arrival times:
bob colo = thurs 12 noonish
jim = fri 1pm
brian = fri 4pm
bob L = fri noon
dave = fri noon
with only one squad, we will be done by 5. shoot off for trophy by 6-7pm.
darkness around 8pm. nite birds till 10pm.
camp over for more shooting sat or leave.
either or.
no club 60 unless everyone hangs around sat till 5pm...which i doubt highly.

 

im watching the weather and i see it being updated to start raining 11:30 fri night 47%.
its inching towards a wet fri night folks. we may just get night birds in...before rain.

 

My arrival time may be later. Like 3:00 - 4:00.

 

ok.

 

23% rain sat 10am. be advised.

 

friday still looks good. 3% for match day.
23% sat morning.
43% by 1pm sat. be advised.