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FEBRUARY 2002 NEWSLETTER
© Bruce Buck, editor

MID-WINTER MARTYRDOM
East Mountain, January 20, 2002
by Bruce Buck

We had our first real snowfall of the year the night before. Not too
much, mind you. Mother Nature sides with the Travelers. It was just
enough so that the trees on the mountainside had a nice covering and
glowed golden in the low winter sun. When birds were shot in front of
the trees, the snow cascaded down in little showers. There wasn’t a
breath of wind. The skies were that crystal blue that you only get in
winter. By the end of the shoot, it was warm enough to pull off a
sweater or two. In short, it was perfect. We had gotten exactly what
we deserved! It’s a good omen for another great year.

A breakfast surprise awaited the 89 shooters. Instead of the usual
Drunkin Dreadnought Belly Bombs washed down with gallons of
coffee-colored av-gas, we had stacks of pancakes and sausage swimming
in heated maple surple. Oh, frabjous joy! It was a present from the
“East Mountain Family” and “Chef on Call” Marc D’Andrea. What a way
to start the year!

The course was a bit different from what we have been shooting in the
past. Winter course design is a particular challenge. Courses are
always circular (yes, you can go home again), so some shots must be
towards the sun. Winter sun is very low in the sky and “sun shots”
can be in issue. Go ahead- you try to design a circular course in the
winter. You’ll see. Additionally, strong winter sun and snow glare
make birds that start in shadow and emerge into sun particularly
difficult to see. It’s always challenge and winter conditions take
real expertise in course design. John Mohler, Bruce Galotto and Al
Anglace did a commendable job.

The key to “sun shots” in the winter is to keep the bird very low or
throw it so that it can be taken before or after it enters the sun
glare. Both techniques were used. Sun should be treated like any
other visual obstacle. It may force the target to be thrown in a
certain way and it may also force the shooter to deal with the target
in a way he would prefer not to. Just because a target involves the
sun doesn’t mean it’s unfair. It’s only unfair if it can’t possibly
be shot in a way that avoids the sun. It’s the same thing with trees,
bushes and short windows. A good course designer may not let you
shoot the bird when and where you would like to, but he will give you
a fair chance at it in some way. The poor course designer gives you
no options.

We had 12 manual traps to work with. That means 12 single trap
stations. Sounds booorrrring now that we are so used to 15 stations
with two traps each. Well, not to worry. This is the Travelers after
all. We are going back to the old ways! Yup. We are going back to
multiple presentations at many stations. It’s mini-FITASC. It’s the
way it ought to be. Oh double frabjous joy! In the coming year the
Travelers are going to make the effort to have as many stations as
possible offer at least two different shots. This was one of the
points discussed at the Board of Directors meeting on January 5th.

At most stations on this course, we hope to be able to offer at least
two different sequences. Due to having a single manual at each
station, at this shoot we usually had report pairs followed by simo
pairs. A couple of stations did have singles (full use of the gun-
two shots), report and then simo pairs. This gave the shooter the
maximum variety possible at each station.

In the past it was felt that this extra variety would slow the shoot
down too much. Not true. We found that this shoot with only 12
stations and a mixed format actually went faster than a previous one
with 15 stations and the old format.

Mixing target sequences absolutely requires good trapper
communication. This was managed perfectly because each station had
walkie-talkie link to the trapper. If there was a no bird, it was
easy to tell the trapper to back up no matter how far away the trap
was. It worked like a charm.

You are going to see more of this style of course as the year
progresses. We hope that Travelers leadership in this area will
influence other courses. It certainly makes shooting more fun.

The course had a number of memorable stations. You could always tell
when you were approaching one. There was ice on the ground. You see,
when people cry, they shed tears. Tears freeze and form ice. When you
see ice on a stand, get ready. It’s the same thing with mud in the
summer. I’m not going to tell you how to shoot those tough stations
because I couldn’t figure them out either. So there.

That said, was the course any kinder and more sensitive than before?
Well, yes and no. At the top end, no. We still had only five shooters
in the 80s, and low 80s at that. On the other side, the average was
higher. The class VI winners were all over 50%, something that isn’t
always the case. The overall scores were sort of bunched in the
middle. This indicates that some stations were much easier than
others. Usually, we strive for a course where all the shots are
moderately difficult. This time we had a course with mostly medium
stations and a few really tough ones.

Obviously, the easy way to bring up the bottom of the roster is to
have eight gimme stations, one hard station and one impossible
station. That way you will raise everyone’s scores, but the best
shooter will still win. Those who aren’t bored to death will be
pleased. Fortunately, no decent course designer does this any more.
Certainly not at Travelers shoots. It’s always a balancing act. The
experienced shooters want to be challenged with new and innovative
presentations. The newer shooters want to hit enough to have fun.
Multiple presentations from each station may be a way to please both
groups. It’s worth another try.

HOA Zaid Siddig 83*
I-1 Paul Elia 83 (20 ga)
I-2 Joe Maresca 82
I-3 Vin Salvo 80
II-1 Ted Robinson 77*
II-2 Bob Barlow 77
II-3 Phil Steinkraus 76
III-1 John Mohler 70*
III-2 Owen Morrissey 70
III-3 Al Anglace 69
IV-1 Anna Maria Collins 64*
IV-2 Fred Roesslein 64
IV-3 Ted Burke 64
V-1 Frank Horodyski 59
V-2 Henry Dyson 58
V-3 Tony Restivo 57
VI-1 Dick Malin 52*
VI-2 Joe Sproviero 52
VI-3 Peter Hoffman 51
Ldy-1 Cyndi Dalena 66
Ldy-2 Estella Vaden 55
Ldy-3 Carol Roesslein 48
Vet-1 Bruce Buck 72
Vet-2 Peter McCree 71
Vet-3 Jasen Jasensky 67
SVet Jim Henion 68
Jr-1 Luke Sproviero 30*
Jr-2 Trevor Brunelle 30
Jr-3 Christie Schmoeger 17
Guest Mike Russo 71
*ties decided by tie-breaker stations


WINTER CLEATS…

The Technoid’s habitual diet of Twinkies and Jolt Cola, coupled with
months on end in his shop in the bowels of the colossal Reload!
complex, has not produced the most athletic hominid specimen
possible. In comparison, the portly Judge is surprisingly agile. The
wiry Miss Manners has the speed of a mongoose and temperament to
match. But the Technoid is, well, the Technoid.

When he does emerge from his den, blinking in the winter’s light like
Punxatawny Phil, he tends to move cautiously. This is especially true
when navigating snow and ice covered sporting clays courses.

With a gun in one hand and a gear bag in the other, there are very
few hands left to break the inevitable fall on an icy path.

To this end, and because it involves buying extra gear (always a good
thing in Mr. T’s eyes), the Technoid wears ice cleats when shooting.

There are all sorts of cleats available. Some come as tungsten
inserts in the soles of Swedish rubber boots. Others are clamp-on or
strap-on sandals. STABILicer (search the net) is a good one, but
there are others too. There are metal cleats for fishing on slippery
rocks that would work well for snow and ice. There are rubber spider
webs wrapped with wire. There is a little strap-on cleat that just
fits under the arch.

The point is, use something. Rubber cleats alone are not enough. Ice
is nasty stuff and you want to get even. Be rough! Be tough! Use
metal. Nice guys with slippery boots finish prone or supine. But not
upright.

Listen to the Technoid on this one. Who you gonna trust? Some dweeb
who lives on tofu and twigs or a real meister mechanico revved up on
Twinkies and Jolt.

MISS MANNERS AND THE CLOVEN CHUTNEYGOUT...

There it was. Gleaming in the gun dealer's case where the really
good stuff was displayed. A London Best twelve bore side by side
Smythington Chutneygout! It called to Norbert Nimrod the same way
that the Sirens called to Odysseus. The big difference was that
Norbert was not tied to the mast and his crew (wife Natalia) did not
need to stop her ears and block the siren song. One glance at the
Smythington and Norbert was smitten. One glance at Natalia and he
knew that his being smitten by the gun could most definitely result
in his later being smitten by his enraged little wifelet snookems
bunny.

But even the Casper Milquetoasts and Walter Mittys of the world can
dream and scheme. Norbert thought of the crafty Odysseus. How would
he have sneaked this one by? How should Norbert deal with his
conjugal Polyphemus? The Greek's rough treatment of the Cyclops had
gone a bit further than even rampant gun lust would carry him. Then
again, Polyphemus' treatment of the Greeks had not been in the best
of taste either. Well, perhaps it was if you think about it.

"Now children", said the prim and practical Miss Manners whilst
looking out over her eager class of little Travelers, "we do not
normally countenance sly and crafty behavior. We should live our
lives in upright honesty. There are only three situations in which
outright lying is acceptable: 1) in mentioning your age; 2) in
pursuit of elected office and; 3) when doing whatever is necessary to
obtain a new gun. Heed this story of Norbert Nimrod and profit from
it."

Norbert surveyed his options. Natalia had never permitted him to
have any real money beyond his weekly allowance. She felt that she
was the only family member capable of responsible purchasing. She
knew that Norbert would waste every nickel he had on shooting,
instead of more important purchases like Diors and Guccis. She was
more than willing to use her ferret-like intuition to preclude any
profligate expenditure on his part.

Norbert was no fool, but early in their marriage Norbert had made
some errors. When he bought the house, he had not considered an
outside cellar entrance to be important. This was a major
miscalculation in the life of a stealth purchaser. He had cleverly
gotten around this on his Big Shell Deal. The local dealer had
offered a real bargain and Norbert bought 100 cases- several years of
shooting bliss. He borrowed a friend's truck to bring them home.
Natalia arched an eyebrow, but Norbert quickly said that he was just
storing the shells for his pal as they had no room in their cellar.
"See", he said, "that is why he loaned me his truck." Since Natalia
never let anyone, including Norbert, drive her car it seemed
plausible to her. It had worked, but it was shaky.

The Smythington Chutneygout needed, nay - deserved, a new and higher
level of duplicity. Not only must the gun pass muster with
"herself", but it must also get paid for somehow.

Norbert knew that Natalia was at her weakest when in the throes her
Saturday shopping frenzy. Part of the marital contract that he
signed when he wed the former Miss Crushhope required Norbert to
accompany her on these weekly hegiras to the Meccas of the marts.
Norbert would patiently endure the purgatory of standing about while
Natalia tried on dress after dress after dress and shoe after shoe.
Shoes were a particular problem due to her cloven feet. (The
Crushhope fortune and familial pedal deformity were said to have
jointly arisen due to an unfortunate netherworld bargain made by one
of Natalia's more imprudent medieval ancestors.) The shopping would
end only when she was sure that the day had lost enough light to make
it impossible for Norbert to go shooting. Sated with the pungent
attar of melted credit cards, Natalia would sometimes permit Norbert
to run small personal errands afterwards. This would be his chance.

But how to do it? How could he get the new gun past her? Norbert
remembered that the assassin in The Day of the Jackal fashioned his
take-down sniper rifle into a crutch that was used in his disguise.
The Smythington was hardly crutch material though. James Bond's Aston
Martin hid all sorts of interesting stuff and surely the Smythington
could replace one of the Browning .30 caliber machine guns in the
front fender. Unfortunately, Aston Martins used the more expensive
high test gas so Natalia would not let him have one. Norbert smiled
for a moment when he thought of the ejecting passenger seat and the
little yelp that Natalia would make.

Perhaps some more ancient tactic might work. The wily Odysseus had
his men don sheepskins and escape the blind Polyphemus' cave amid a
herd of sheep. Alas, in Norbert's part of the suburbs, flocks of
sheep had been replaced by prides of Range Rovers so that was out.
What else? The Trojan horse had been done to death.

Then it came to him. Shazaam!, he Marveled. The answer dawned on him
like the roseate glow of a crisp fall morn. Norbert quickly called
the gunshop and said that he would buy the gun and pay for it later.
He requested that the Smythington Chutneygout be sent to a certain
engraver. The engraver was told to send it later to the Ye Olde
Antique Shoppe in Norbert's hometown, there to await developments.

It would be unfair to say that Natalia was a snob. Unfair to the
snobs, that is. They deserve better company. It would also be
inaccurate to say that she was only marginally aware of her
ancestors. She was positively bloated with pride in her antecedents.
Someone in Natalia's family had come over in the Mayflower. That
this ancestor had later been burned as a witch by those right
thinking souls mattered not at all. Natalia was as Mayflower as any
Madam and quick to let you know about it too. Their house was
chockablock full of bric-a-brac, kitsch and little gorgeosities
attributable, she hoped, to her Pilgrim ancestors. Pinchbeck
buckles, an old reading primer, spinning wheel, some pewter ware and
various other antiques all gave visitors the excuse to ask Natalia
about her Pilgrim heritage. The only pimple on this nose of
perfection was that none of the memorabilia was actually inscribed
with Natalia's surname of Crushhope. Her link to the Pilgrims was
not quite as obvious as she would like. Some of her bridge partners
actually hinted at having doubts of her provenance. Her Plymouth was
rocky.

That Saturday, Norbert and Natalia were returning from a particularly
fruitful expedition at Madam Fifi's Tutus and Froo Froos. They
passed the antique shop and Natalia, not yet entirely sated, decided
to stop.

Once inside her expert eye quickly scanned all and sundry for any
Pilgrim jetsam. There in the corner, covered with a fresh coat of
dust, stood the Smythington Chutneygout London Best side by side 12
bore. The shopkeeper, his letter of instructions and crispy new
Benjy Franklin crinkling in his pocket, suggested that she might find
it interesting. She harrumphed that only mouth breathers and
sub-lethal cretins like her husband were interested in guns. She
quickly changed her tune when the shop man said that this was almost
certainly a Pilgrim's gun. Why, it might well have been used to
obtain that first Thanksgiving turkey.

Her eyes lit up, but then quickly narrowed as she handled the
firearm. "This gun has two barrels. The Pilgrims used guns with one
barrel and sort of a funnel at the end. This is a fake!" she crowed
triumphantly.

"Not so, madam" urged the obsequious clerk. "This gun was the first
of its kind and its advanced design is attributed to a particular
pedal deformity of the inventor. It was said that he had cloven feet
and thus made his guns with two barrels." Natalia unconsciously
wiggled her four big toes and looked more closely at the gun. Her
heart was racing. Sure enough, there was her family's coat of arms-
a cloven foot rampant on the back of a serf. Underneath the
escutcheon was faintly inscribed the name "Clovis Crushhope", her
great, great, great, etc grandfather! Not only was she of Pilgrim
descent, but her forefathers were great gun designers and artisans-
not the usual Pilgrim expatriate rabble. Oh, legitimate rapture!

She quickly purchased the Smyhthington in spite of the considerable
cost, took it home and proudly hung it above the fireplace (with a
little museum mirror angled under it to permit the worshipful throng
to see the family crest and name).

It was about two weeks later when Norbert casually suggested that he
take the gun out shooting. Natalia was aghast until Norbert
mentioned that the gun was too important to be kept at home. How
else would the public be able to see and appreciate its Pilgrim
greatness? How else would an adoring shooting world realize the debt
they owed to Natalia Crushhope and her cloven foot ancestor! She
agreed and the rest is history (or a facsimile thereof).

"Therefore, class", continued Miss M, our prim paradigm of perfect
politeness, "let that be a lesson to you. There is such a thing as
stealth with honor. And remember, just deserts are often just
desserts."

(Copyright Bruce Buck. Reprinted from the November 1996 Reload!. Has
it been that long?)


*** 2002 CONNECTICUT TRAVELERS SHOOT SCHEDULE ***
If there are changes to this schedule, we’ll list them as they occur.

FEB 17 EAST MOUNTAIN, NY-ANNUAL MEETING
MAR 17 MID HUDSON TRAP & SKEET, NY-MARCH MADNESS
APR 12~14 SPRING TRIP TO MARYLAND, MD-NORTH SOUTH SKIRMISH
APR 21 OLD NEWGATE COON CLUB, CT-TAX TIME REVOLT
MAY 5* EAST MOUNTAIN, NY-COURTING CLAYS
MAY 19 TAMARACK PRESERVE, NY-MAY MINUET
MY 31~JU2 PEACE DALE PRESERVE, RI-TRAVELERS FITASC CHAMPIONSHIPS
JUN 23 TAMARACK, NY-NAT’L WILD TURKEY FED CONCURRENT SHOOT
JUL 21 SANDANONA/ORVIS, NY-SUMMERTIME, SUMMERTIME
AUG 9~11 ADDIEVILLE EAST, RI-GREAT EASTERN LOBSTER CLASSIC
SEP 15 FAIRFIELD COUNTY F&G, CT-SMALL GAUGE CHAMPIONSHIPS
OCT 5~7* SITE PENDING-FALL TRIP
OCT 20 MILLBROOK ROD & GUN, NY- OKTOBERSCHUTZENFEST
NOV 17 EAST MOUNTAIN, NY-CLUB CHAMPIONSHIPS
DEC 1 EAST MOUNTAIN, NY-KOEHLER SOC. FUNDRAISER THREE SHOT
DEC 15 MID-COUNTY, NY-DICK LOSEE MEMORIAL CHRISTMAS PARTY

*** OTHER SHOOTS OF INTEREST ***
ALWAYS, ALWAYS, CALL AHEAD TO CONFIRM

FEB 9,10 MID-HUDSON, NY (845-255-7460) FITASC 3 PARCOURS, SAT or SUN
MAR 29 NEWGATE COON CLUB, CT (860-738-3619)- EASTER SHOOT
APR 28 FAIFIELD COUNTY F&G, CT (203-426-8508) GATOR SHOOT II
APR 28 MID-COUNTY, NY (845-677-5736) NSCA REGISTERED FUN SHOOT
JUNE 1,2 MID-COUNTY, NY (845-677-5736) EMPIRE STATE CUP- NSCA
SEPT 8 MID-COUNTY, NY (845-677-5736) NSCA REGISTERED FUN SHOOT



**** THE UPCOMING TRAVELERS MONTHLY SHOOT ****

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2002
ANNUAL MEETING AND FUN SHOOT
EAST MOUNTAIN PRESERVE
DOVER PLAINS, NY

Our Annual Meeting, always held in February, is not really a shoot,
but naturally, being Travelers, when the meeting is over you’ll have
the chance to yank the trigger and watch 'em smoke. The Annual
Meeting will start in the East Mountain clubhouse at 9:00 AM sharp.
Please be on time or come a little early to lobby for your favorite
projects and scarf up some of those diet doughnuts and high test
coffee (two of the recommended basic five food groups- beer, pizza
and Hagen Daz being the other three). The meeting will last until
about noon. We will hear from President Anglace about how
magnificently the Travelers did in 2001, elect officers and then
discuss where we will go in 2002. Member participation is highly
encouraged. If you don’t attend, don’t complain later. Well,
actually, whiners automatically become committee chairmen. It’s the
rule of the jungle.

At mid-day Chef Mark will serve us a catered roast beef luncheon.
Thereafter we will break up into squads and shoot a friendly round of
casual sporting. If you would like some coaching, we will squad you
with other shooters of equal ability and send along an experienced
Travelers Mentor coach to help you out with the usual bad advice. It
is a nice chance to get in a little shooting and perhaps improve your
game.

The fee for luncheon and the shooting (formal course, informal
scorekeeping) is $40. If you just want to come to the meeting and
skip the luncheon and shooting, there is no charge. Please consider
attending and send in your paid reservation so that it arrives by
Thursday, February 14. That’s Valentine’s Day guys. After you mail
that reservation, go buy her some flowers for putting up with you all
these years.

As a member-run club the Travelers have been very, very successful.
We want to make sure that we continue to do what you want us to do.
We can’t do that unless you come and share your thoughts. THE ANNUAL
MEETING AND SHOOTING IS FOR MEMBERS ONLY. Please, no guests this
month. New members are encouraged to attend.

Directions to East Mountain Preserve, Dover Plains, NY:

At the junction of Rte 84 and NY Rte 22, take Rte 22 North for about
27 miles to the town of Dover Plains. Turn Right at the first
traffic light in Dover Plains and go straight for one mile directly
into the East Mountain driveway. If lost call East Mountain Preserve
at 914-877-6274.

REMEMBER, EYE AND EAR PROTECTION IS MANDATORY AT ALL TRAVELERS’
SHOOTS!