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Your WILDEST doubles shooting conditions!

2K views 17 replies 10 participants last post by  CalamitySJ 
#1 ·
Yesterday at Buffalo Gun Club's National Trapshooting Day I experienced a surreal weather experience while shooting doubles! Our line consisted of Coach, myself, a gentleman from Manitoba, Jake (one of our youth shooters), and a buddy who had never shot doubles before but is an avid hunter.

We step to the line and brace ourselves against the 30mph wind and, as soon as the first call for 'pull' is made, the weather really starts to take over. Wind gusts over 50mph, five foot leads on the right target, one foot leads INSIDE the left target because it's going right soon after leaving the house, people in the background hanging onto trees and benches to keep from falling over from the wind and their laughter, spotters calling 'INCOMING!' when boxes and various tree limbs zoom across the field while we're shooting! Ever been on a line where the birds shoot straight up, higher and higher, until they're overhead and going backwards? Or take off like little orange UFO's, back and forth, following the wind like they have minds of their own? Whenever any one of us hit the pair (rare, let me tell you) we all cheered! At one point Jake turned to me, biggest grin I've ever seen on the kid, and said, "I just saw two trees fall down by Trap 1. This is AWESOME!"

I'm not a good doubles shooter anyway but my 63 yesterday was inconsequential--we had FUN. By the time we got into the clubhouse our cheeks and sides were aching from laughing. I would have loved to have gone back out again and given it another try just for fun but others were lined up behind us to take advantage of the gale force winds and the experience of trying to hit doubles with rockets on them. It was one of the best times I've ever experienced, shooting or otherwise.

As a new shooter I'm sure this has happened to all of you before, and would love to hear your stories. I'm still grinning ear to ear today!

CSJ

PS. WS, I KNOW you took some pictures yesterday of the wind storm. Can you post some?
 
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#3 ·
ljutic73,

I went to University in Lethbridge! I lived up the hill from the University and used to tell my family that it took me 10 minutes to walk to school and 30 minutes to walk home. When I'd get through the door to my apartment I'd have to wash my face and check for cuts because the wind was so hard and fast it would throw the gravel and dirt up from the road and sidewalk and pummel your skin. I can only imagine what trapshooting would be like in Lethbridge, considering wind like that is the norm, not the exception.
 
#5 ·
Grew up in Redwater, Alberta, to University in Lethbridge, lived in San Antonio, Texas for a couple years and then up to Calgary for five. My family are in all corners of Alberta, from Pincher to Rocky to High Prairie and while it's hard to be away from such a beautiful place and family, Minnesota's my home now and I love it here. MN's a lot like Alberta but more guns and water and less (or no!) mountains--it's a trapshooter's heaven here. And certainly not that crazy southern Alberta wind!
 
#7 ·
I once read that Great Falls,MT had more wind days than any other city in the country. I lived in Mojave,CA and I know that's the windiest place I've ever been! North of there several miles is the town of Inyo-Kern where we shot trap in the most severe wind conditions I'd ever seen! According to the airport close by, we had wind gusts at 90 MPH!!!!! Getting blown off the stations happened almost every shot! Right targets wound up on the other side of the next trap and some of the lefts did too! Scores ranged from the teens to just 2 scores in the 80s! It was fun, I bought me a new shotgun with my winnings that day!! Hap

There wasn't any doubles that day!!
 
#8 ·
Hey Calamity, I was born and raised in Minnesota and shot my first ATA targets at the St.Paul Rod & Gun Club in the early 60's. I moved to Alberta in 1967 and fondly remember shooting targets in self defence at the Lethbridge Gun Club. It was so windy that there were white caps in the toilet bowls but before that a rattlesnake nested in the outhouse pit at the club. It dampened our enthusiasm just a little!
 
#9 ·
Miketmx, that's how the counselors kept us first years in residence and not running around the ******* at night--by telling us horror stories of the rattlesnakes we'd step on and all those before us who had to be carted away by ambulance.

Of course we all knew better and, one night, we helped ourselves to some 'extra' cafeteria trays and decided to go sliding down the ******* on them. First, it's NOT a smooth ride and second, when you land with cactus imbedded in your backside and a rattler looking you in the eye you learn to listen to the counselors a little closer! Calamity
 
#10 ·
Great Falls Mt, more wind days that any other place in the country? Hmmmm. We are getting to that time of the year...the wind will start blowing one of these days and then it will seem that it does blow forever. I doubt that it's the windest place in the country. What about Chicago?

We did have one spring shoot that the airport clocked the strongest gust at around 59 miles per...the scores were pretty bad and most shooters wouldn't shoot the Handicap after the singles and yes, we did shoot Dbls that day.

That may be the reason that most shooters won't shoot here. Afraid that their averages will tank.

I remember shooting Lethbridge before they turned into a bunch of Sporting Clays shooters. I really enjoyed the targets that went out over the cliff. That was something to see. Seems to me that's where I made the 27.

Rick in Mt.
 
#13 ·
Hey Rick, I will not forget the time when the State Shoot was held in Great Falls and being the Devout Cheapskate that I am, I had my trusty pup-tent pitched on the club grounds. A "Friend" found a rattlesnake skin and put it inside my tent. From now on I stay at the Alberta Motel and yeah that "friend" was from Lethbridge where they have a weird sense of humor.
 
#16 ·
My gun's still packed in the truck and I always have a few flats of shells in case of trapshooting emergency in there too, so I'm on my way! Think I'll have any trouble at the border? Ha!

And blizzard trap? Been there, done that. We shoot two leagues all winter long and I highly recommend it. If you can shoot through wind, rain and snow (straight down and sideways) you'll be a better shooter, that's for sure.
 
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