As this year is quickly coming to and end, I'd like to thank our membership for another successful year. This fishing derby was the best one yet. New dock, working on the 22 range, rifle matches, shotgun shoot and the chukar hunt.
A special thanks goes out to the people that support and compete in our shoots and derby. Many of you travel some distance to compete at them.
Karen and I want to wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
Our Winter matches are less than a month away. We have indoor benches and covered 100 and 200 yard back stops. All matches are shot at 200 yards.
The match in February will be our inaugural "kill phill" match. Targets will be a groundhog.
Congratulations to member Greg Yutzey and his daughter, Amy Yutzey-Snyder, on a very successful New Mexico elk hunt. Greg harvested a cow elk at 200 yards and Amy showed him how it's done by dropping a 6X6 bull at 300 yards. Both were 1 shot kills.
They sure look happy, don't they? Can't wait to hear the stories.
Ok shooters, here it is, the Winter Match schedule.
A few changes this year, the most significant one is February and April matches will be 200 yard Groundhog targets. I February it will be called "The Kill Phil Match". My wife will be making a special for the Custom Class winner.
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to ask me.
Thanks and see you then.
We held our last Deer Target match of the season, and final match for the year today, 10/16.
There was a great turnout, 25 shooters.
Jeff Gates, of Altoona, had the hot gun in Custom Class, firing a 98 out of 100 possible points. He collected a $100 payday, plus an additional $50 donated by Blake Whaley of AAR Outdoors in Delmont, PA. Second place was a tie between Jeremiah Keefe, of Hastings, and Mike Huth of Punxsutawney, each man winning $50.
Bob Marshall, of Loganton, won the Factory Varmint Class. Factory Varmint Wide Class winner was David Shaw, of Curwensville, and second was Ed Rethi of Dixonville. The Deer Rifle Class winner was Jeremiah Keefe and second was Steve Strouse.
The side group match came down to a difference of .094". Delmas Burkett, of Burkett Hollow, shot a 5 shot group at 400 yards that measured 1.199" edging out a 1.293" group fired by Austin Tressler of Loganton.
Pictured are, back row; Shaw, Rethi, Marshall and Keefe. Front row; Gates, Burkett and Huth.
We held out final Groundhog Match of the year, today 10/9.
Delmas Burkett, of Burkett Hollow Road, dethroned Jeremiah Keefe, of Hastings, by posting a score of 196 to Keefe's 190. Third place went to the young gun, Marshall Tressler of Loganton, with a score of 188.
David Shaw of Curwensville, took first in the Factory Wide Class followed by Joe Lash of Hillsdale. Steve Strouse, of Reynoldsville, won the Factory Varmint Class and Jack Balon, of Ebensburg, was the Custom Wide Class winner.
The side group match was also won by Burkett, with a 5 shot group at 400 yards that measured 1.653".
Pictured are front row, Lash, Strouse and Burkett. Back row, Shaw,Tressler, Keefe and bal.
We held our monthly Deer Target match today, 9/18, and the temperature was great. Winds, not so great.
Jeremiah Keefe, of Hastings, continues his hot streak by winning the Custom Class. Second was Jeff Gates of Altoona and third was a tie between Gene Delp of Summerville and Austin Tressler of Loganton. Factory Varmint Wide Class winner was Joe Lash of Hillsdale.
The side group match was won by Delmas Burkett of Burkett Hollow Road, with a 5 shot group at 400 yards, that measured 1.119".
Pictured is Lash, Gates, Delp, Burkett, Tressler and Keefe.
We had our monthly Groundhog Match today, 9/11. Mother nature was not kind. The rain never stopped, winds came in and Walt, Jeff and I were soaked.
Regardless, 18 competitors showed up.
Jeremiah Keefe, of Hastings, continues to be a dominant competitor taking first place in the Custom Class. Jeff Raybuck of Sligo and Jack Balon of Ebensburg tied for second only one point behind Keefe.
Factory Varmint Wide Class winner was Ed Rethi of Dixonville, second went to David Shaw of Curwensville and third was Joe Lash of Hillsdale. Custom Wide Class winner was Balon. Balon also won the group match with a 5 shot group, at 300 yards, that measured .749".
Pictured is Raybuck, Shaw, Lash, Rethi, Balon and Keefe.
We held our monthly Deer Target match today, 8/21. The weather was not favorable. The target crew, Walt and Tom, were thoroughly soaked.
Custom Class top shot was Jeff Gates of Altoona. 2nd place was a tie between Gene Delp of Knoxdale and Alvin Lee of Duncanville.
Factory Varmint Modified Class was won by Joe Lash of Hillsdale and second went to David Shaw of Curwensville. Custom Modified winner was Jim Wonders of Johnstown followed by Don Renner of Rockton. AR Class went to Ed Rethi of Dixonville.
The group match was won by Bob Horton of Windbur with a 5 shot group, at 400 yards, that measured 1.492 inches.
Pictured is Lee, Delp, Gates, Shaw, Lash, Rethi, Wonders, Horton and Renner.
We held our monthly UBR match on Saturday the 6th. Here are the results.
Rimfire Class: Joe Lash of Hillsdale
Factory Class: Brian Baird of Dubois, David Shaw of Curwensville and Joe Lash
Custom Class: Bob Horton of Windbur, Jeff Gates of Altoona and Brian Miller of Mayport
Unlimited Class: Frank Carrier of Summerville, Bob Horton and Gene Delp of Summerville
Pictured are Lash, Delp, Carrier, Miller, Shaw, Horton and Baird.
We held our first Tack Driver Match. It was a great time, although the winds were bad.
Coming out on top was Jeremiah Keefe of Hastings, second place went to Brandon O'Donnell of Ebensburg, and Jack Balon rounded off the top three.
Marshall Tressler, of Loganton, had an incredible 5 shot group, at 400 yards, that measured 1.356". That group won the side match.
Pictured is Keefe, Tressler and O'Donnell.
We held our monthly Groundhog Match today, 7/10. Temperature was great but winds were tricky.
Top gun in the Custom Class was Jeff Gates of Altoona, second went to Jeremiah Keefe of Hastings and 3rd was Jack Balon of Ebensburg. Factory Varmint Class winner was Joel Dutra of Grampian and second was David Shaw of Curwensville. FVM was won by Joe Lash of Hillsdale. The Custom Wide Class was won by Jack Balon.
The side group match was won by Jeremiah Keefe with a 5 shot group @ 300 yards that measured 1.115".
Pictured is Lash, Shaw, Gates, Keefe, Dutra and Balon.
WHAT A DERBY!
It was a great day, 52 young anglers came to the club and had a ball.
The bigger bass were not biting, but Lenox Howell landed 14 1/2" large mouth bass and won 1st place.
Age group winners were:
4 & Under, Nolan Platt 13 1/2"
5 & 6, Harper McNeel 13"
7 & 8, Dakota Deason &buy Greyson McCoy 14"
9 & 10, Derek Shaffer 14"
11 & 12, Caleb Gibson
Pictured is 1st place winner Lenox Howell.
Want to thank Deason's Bait and Tackle shop for donating the bait.
We held our monthly Deer Target 🦌 match today, 6/19. Winds were brutal.
Top dogs in the Custom Class were Jeff Gates of Altoona and Alvin Lee of Duncanville with identical scores of 84 out of a possible 100. 2nd place went to Frank Carrier of Summerville. Factory Varmint Class was won by David Shaw of Curwensville and the Factory Varmint Modified Class went to Joe Lash of Hillsdale.
The side group match was won by Jim Wonders of Johnstown with a 5 shot group, at 400 yards, that measured 1.530".
Pictured is Lash, Lee, Carrier, Gates, Shaw and Wonders.
We will be holding a Tack Driver Lite Match on Saturday, July 30th. These matches are very popular down south and we are always looking for new ways to have shooting competitions.
As always, the public is welcome to attend.
We held our monthly Groundhog Match today, 6/12. One of the calmest days anyone can remember.
Winner of the Custom Class was Mike Hagan of Rimersburg. Second place was a tie between Jeff Gates of Altoona and Frank Carrier of Summerville. The Factory Varmint Class was won by Dave Shaw of Curwensville and the Custom Wide Class was won by Steve Strouse of Reynoldsville. Hagan also won the side group match firing a 5 shot group at 300 yards that measured .687".
Pictured is Strouse, Shaw, Hagan, Carrier and Gates.
Work party this Saturday, 6/18, at 8 AM. We will be getting the pond ready for the derby.
Prizes donations can be dropped off anytime, put them in the shooting room.
2 weeks until our annual kid's fishing derby! It's is open to ANY child, accompanied by an adult, 12 and under. Lots of food and prizes!
We held our monthly UBR match today, 6/4.
Coming out on top of the Custom Class was Jeremiah Keefe of Hastings, 2nd went to Jim Wonders of Johnstown and 3rd went to Jeff Gates of. Top shot in the Unlimited Class was Frank Carrier of Summerville and Gary Felege of Erie was second.
Factory Varmint Class winner was David Shaw of Curwensville. Factory Varmint Modified Class was won by Ed Rethi of Dixonville and 2nd was Joe Lash of Hillsdale.
Pictured is Rethi, Lash, Shaw, Keefe, Wonders, Carrier and Gates.
Members are encouraged to start weedeating, cutting back trees and any improvements at the pond,
The derby is 1 month away.
Our first 400 yard deer target match is in the books. Wind was a dominating factor today, 5/22.
Top gun in the Custom Class was Jeremiah Keefe of Hastings, 2nd went to Jim Wonders of Johnstown and Al Croft of Johnstown finished 3rd.
Factory Varmint Class was won by David Shaw of Curwensville and the Factory Varmint Modified Class was won by Joe Lash of Hillsdale.
The side group match was won by Keefe with a 10 shot group at 400 yards that measured 2.688".
Pictured is Lash, Shaw, Croft, Wonders and Keefe.
We will be holding our first 400 yard deer target match tomorrow, 5/22.
Sight in period starts at 9 and the match begins at 10.
2 deer targets, 10 shots each. 20 shots total for score. The public is encouraged to participate.
Our annual kid's fishing derby is a little over a month away.
It is going to be held on Saturday, June 25th, beginning at 10:00 AM till noon. Registration will begin at 9:00 AM.
The derby is open to any child 12 and under, accompanied by an adult,
The club will provide hot dogs, chips and drinks. As always it is FREE! Lots of prizes.
We held our first Groundhog match of the year today, 5/15. Temperature was great, but the wind caught most competitors off guard on a shot or two.
The Custom Class was a 3 way tie between Brian Miller of Mayport, Jeremiah Keefe of Hastings and Al "pop pop" Croft of Johnstown.
Top guns in the Factory Varmint Class and the Factory Varmint Modified Class were David Shaw of Curwensville and Ed Rethi of Dixonville.
The side group match was won by Jeremiah Keefe, with a 5 shot group at 200 yards that measured .554".
Pictured are Shaw, Croft, Rethi, Miller and Keefe.
Jeremiah Keefe, of Hastings, is presented with his "Perfect Score" trophy from Brian Miller of Charles Machine Shop in Summerville.
Unlimited Class was won by John Shoeman of Altoona. Second and third went to Brian Miller of Mayport and Steve Strouse of Reynoldsville.
Custom Class winner was Jeff Gates of Altoona. Second place was Jim Wonders of Johnstown and third went to Frank Carrier of Summerville.
The Factory Varmint Class winner was Dave Shaw of Curwensville.
Pictured is Strouse, Shaw, Carrier, Miller, Shoeman, Wonders and Gates.
We will be holding our first UBR match of the year, this Saturday, May 7th. It will a 100 yard match. Gates open at 8 AM and the match starts at 10.
On 4/9, Jeremiah Keefe, of Hastings, became our first "perfect match" in 4 years. He kept 20 out of 20 in the 10 ring.
Competitor Brian Miller will be making him an aluminum loading block, with all the info from the match, at his machine shop as a trophy.
We held our last Winter Match of the year on Saturday, 4/9.
There were 18 competitors.
First place in the Custom Class was a tie between Jeremiah Keefe, of Hastings and Jeff Gates, of Altoona. Second place went to Mike Redin of Madisonburg.
Top shot in the Factory Varmint Class was Dave Shaw of Curwensville. Second place was taken by first time shooter Lyndsay Lee of Troutville, following in third was Brian A. Kunselman of Punxsutawney.
The group match winner was Delmas Burkett of Burkett Hollow Road, with a 5 shot group, at 200 yards, measuring .516".
Pictured are: Burkett, Shaw, Lee, Keefe, Gates and Redin.
Our outdoor benchrest matches start in May. We have 3 a month and the public is encouraged to participate.
With the impending snow storm, 45 mph winds and the fact that I'm having surgery on Friday, we are canceling the Winter Match on Saturday.
See you in April.
Due to the rising number of competitors, we have decided to start the remaining 2 Winter Matches at 10:00 AM.
With some very good help, we were able to unload a 2000 lb dock kit from the Vice President, Jeremy Smith's trailer.
A work party to assemble it will at a later, and warmer, date.
The new dock for the pond is ordered!!! It is made of aluminum, with cedar planks.
Thanks go to an anonymous member, that donated $1500.00, the dock committee of Dave McNeel, Andrew Chimenti, Andy Gibson and vice president Jeremy Smith who was able to order it and secure free shipping.
