SEPTEMBER 2005 NEWSLETTER
© Phil Steinkraus, Editor
HELLISH HEAT CAN’T SPOIL OUR FUN
By Phil Steinkraus
It was Saturday night at the Great Eastern Lobster Classic. The
seafood feast was over, the cigars had been passed around and a couple
of hundred, very satiated Travelers stepped out into the warm night to
watch the fireworks show Addieville East Farms always treats us to. Al
Anglace pulled a chair out onto the lawn and held court in this
kiddy-pool of humanity. I asked him, “Do you ever feel like you’re the
father of a very large family?” He smiled warmly: “Every day of my
life” was his response.
The Connecticut Travelers held their Great Eastern Lobster Classic
over the August 13th -14th weekend at Addieville East Farm in
Mapleville, RI and drew a field of just under three hundred guns to
this signature championship. Hellishly hot weather made for three
pretty uncomfortable days of shooting but as any New Englander can
tell you, August is a crapshoot with loaded dice that usually come up
Heat and Humidity. I heard reports of temperatures of well over 100
degrees—I never saw a thermometer, but can report it’s the hottest
I’ve been since my wife took the swim-suite issue away from me! Summer
in the ocean state is a time to rejoice and what better way to
celebrate than with a twelve-gauge in your hands. Event sponsors
Sturm-Ruger of Southport, Connecticut and Caesar Guerini provided
generous support for this event.
My weekend started on Friday with the old-style FITASC, over three
parcours. I get around to the shoots and usually focus my undivided
attention on FITASC, so when I say this side event was as good as
anything I’ve shot this side of the Atlantic in the last couple of
years, I’m using an accurate yardstick. I started on parcour three,
supposedly the user-friendliest of the troika. Many shooters think
FITASC and they think long targets and long targets only. This parcour
had some lengthy stuff but it also had shoot-the-beak-off birds as
well.
What I enjoyed about this layout was the transformation of target
flavor from peg to peg—something that was a cinch from one turned into
a screaming-Mimi at three, and vice versa. Peg one had a quartering
climber from the left that was just a matter of sticking the gun in
the right place and popping it right off the arm. By peg three this
thing had transmogrified to a big, bad 50-yard, high crosser, buzzing
tree-tops. The low stinger of a trap target from two that just cried
out to be missed over the top became a much more benign crosser from
three. The high, overhead, right-to-left midi from the tower that was
easy to miss off line at one became a much easier high outgoer from
three.
Parcour one felt like something out of Lawrence of Arabia. It was on
the side of a hill but the sun was overwhelming and there wasn’t a
breath of air. You’d think shooting off the rim of a valley you’d get
some sort of thermal breeze effect, but no. It was like being on the
inside of one of those motel bathroom cups with the plastic wrap still
on. The targets, however, were nothing short of heroic. We Americans
suffer from a reluctance bordering on phobia to set targets over
interesting, challenging terrain. Shooting targets below your feet is
such a rarity that I would have gladly paid for another go on this
layout. Favorite targets here included a springing teal that seemed to
magically materialize air just above a massive tree and a bouncing
bunny that was so long and unpredictable that breaking it required the
same leap of faith that I reserve for my anti-lock brakes when
stopping on ice! Another serious challenge was the flat quartering
bird off the tower. This thing streaked across the horizon, like a
meteor, finally settling into the tree line bordering the valley. I
poked and prodded at it from all three pegs, with practically no
success. I can also report this target was very difficult to pick up
and I can only imagine the frustration some of our more senior
shooters must have felt. Unfortunately, several targets on this
parcour qualified it as the proverbial eyesight contest.
Parcour two was my favorite. It wasn’t just that we were back on flat
ground and shooting in the shade. It was that in as much as we think
of FITASC as a game to be played in the wide-open spaces, this parcour
was a real woods layout. The lush, green background of this timber-cut
made for some visual challenges FITASC shooters don’t usually
encounter in the US. First off, a lot of these targets were headed for
the pitch-black shadows of the tree line, so while you could track
them perfectly in their flight across swaths of direct sunlight you
lost them in the darkness of the trees -- just like someone turning
off the headlights of your car while you’re cruising the interstate at
night. The midis were what made this layout so clever. Experienced
shooters don’t usually make a big fuss over the difference between
shooting a midi and a standard, but these 90’s were so deceptive,
killing them meant intentionally putting less lead on them than would
seem prudent. Particularly cunning targets here included a low,
left-to-right blur of a midi, that gave you the double whammy of
requiring plenty of gun speed but not too much lead. Another favorite
was the explosive, quartering midi-chandelle that gave you the
opportunity of one good shot—the second barrel might as well have been
loaded with chalk! The kicker was the high climbing standard that
stalled in that blacked-out tree line. I don’t know how those refs
called lost or dead in darkness that complete, but they sure as hell
earned their pay on that layout!
If FITASC is like sex and Pizza – even when it’s bad, it’s still
pretty good – then traveling trap man Chuck Frasier gets my nomination
for best new pizza baker and FITASC course designer. I wasn’t aware
that Chuck was a target setter until I came away so impressed by his
targets for the same event here last year. Designing courses is
definitely an art form that requires intelligence, experience and
creativity. In a crowded field where it seems everyone calls
themselves experts, Chuck Frazier is the real deal--a master target
setter worthy of top-class venues. Well done, Chuck!
It’s a nice compliment when the best shooter in the country comes to
your party and that’s just what happened when National Champion and
Jersey boy Joe Carey and his brothers, Ray and Jim graced us with
their presence. If anyone ever wondered how the cream of the Travelers
crop would stack up against a National Champion, ask no more. Our own
adopted French Connecticut Yankee, Jean du Lau D’Allemans went
head-to-head against the Champ in a shootoff for FITASC High-Over-All
(both tied on 63) and came within a whisker’s breadth of winning. Jean
led most of the parcour and looked ready to serve the coup de grace
but the third peg was his undoing. Joe carried both, the peg and the
day, claiming the title with the magnanimous good will and
sportsmanship worthy of the best shooter in the country.
Congratulations go to both.
My 200-target main event kicked off on the Ruger course. I must
confess, I don’t usually enjoy shooting woods courses—they typically
tend toward narrow window shots and stalling, dropping presentations.
What I love about Addieville is that it gives you properly managed
woods. Stations have been trimmed, cleared and cut back. You may
encounter a window here or there but they aren’t of the
now-you-see-it, now-you-don’t variety – positive proof of why god gave
man a brain big enough to invent the chain saw! What elevated both
courses of this two-day event to superior status was the
uncompromising assessment on the part of in-house course designers
Jack O’Brien and Geoff Gaebe regarding target visibility. This is an
event for all shooters, both young and old, and if you missed a
target, they wanted to make damned sure it wasn’t because you couldn’t
see it.
What I appreciated about Ruger was that the stations seemed to ebb and
flow with themed sequences, from easy to hard. My squad started at
station 10 on what seemed like plain-Jane, straightforward targets.
The nice and easy theme continued till we rounded the horn and came
back to station one and that’s when the “rack and the iron maiden”
were dusted off and we were subjected to some first-rate torture. One
gave us a long, climbing left-to-right, quartering bird followed
on-report by a left-to-right climber from the trees. Both of these
targets were long, high and fast and it was so easy to be off-line and
behind, I was just happy to come off this station without a Morse code
line of dashes through the first box on my scorecard! If one was sheer
agony, two added a little ecstasy. Yes, this pair of long battues,
right-to-left followed by left-to-right, both thrown off high towers
seemed intimidating to the casual observer but when we consider they
were both face-on and stalling—it just became a matter of slapping on
the right lead and timing it correctly—easier said than done, right?
I like timing-oriented shots that require you to kill the first target
in a fairly specific rhythm in order to get you to the second one on
time. Station three was exactly this case as the little bunny
hippity-hopped it’s way in front of you, from left-to-right, and if
you waited that extra beat before firing, it put you in position to
come right out on that long, quartering, right-to-left, trap bird.
Another favorite on Ruger was our last station, nine, which gave us a
very long, true pair of high climbing and then stalling teal. I’m
always impressed when you can discern a notable lag-time between
firing the shot and the breaking of the target and this was one of
those stations.
Day two brought us to the Caesar Guerini course. Those fresh, clean
score cards gave my squad optimism and hope—a new day is a new chance.
I was lead-off shooter at station ten, a true pair of an on-edge
battue in combination with a climbing, stalling 110. I could blame my
gun (a side-by-side) my shells (one-ounce FITASC thumpers that jarred
jaw, back and brain) and the dodgy light conditions, but it was the
six-inch void between my ears that made me goose egg my first station
of the day! Shake it off Steinkraus—get back in the game and forget it
ever happened! Station two was one of my favorites because it required
patience, poise and determination. The low, slow, stalling
left-to-right crosser just crested over the second trap, which threw a
very long, ever-so-slightly-off-center trap target. What I loved about
this station was it played on squad group psychology. No one thought
you could break that second target consistently until someone did it
and then suddenly we were seeing fives and sixes out of eight rather
than the previous strings of twos or threes!
Station four had my FITASC Jones working as the long, looping,
left-to-right battue, seemed to afford you all the time in the
world—until you realize that once it peaked at apex it was dropping
like a stone! The second target thrown on report was a very high,
left-to-right, overhead crosser. I can’t tell you the number of times
I saw shooters break one but not the other, or kill the first pair
with authority only to miss the rest! If I were to put money on it,
I’d bet most shooters missed the bat over the top and the midi either
in front or off-line.
Station seven was the best of this sporting clays event. It combined
the dichotomy of a very long battue that flew edge-on for a spell and
required very deliberate choreography on the part of the shooter.
Eventually it rolled over full-face but it was a distant target that
called for a very precise insertion point and a lot of gun movement.
The second target was thrown on-report and was a long, slow incomer
that started settling at 45-yards. This thing was a waiting game if I
ever saw one! Fire too early and you’re likely to get the lead wrong
on that continuously changing angle. Fire too late and now you’re
contending with leads, both horizontal and vertical. By the way,
remember to keep your head on the gun while you’re doing all this!
It seems to me the idea of “Travelers tough” targets has been a pretty
elastic concept over the years. Sometimes, we’ve taken false pride in
soft courses that were hardly worthy of the moniker. Other times we
gritted our teeth and shot our way through choppy, unimaginative,
poorly laid out courses and just slapped the “Travelers tough” stamp
of approval on it like it was a badge of honor. “Travelers tough” to
me means it’s got something for everyone, world-class shooters and
weekend warriors alike. “Travelers tough” ought to mean the course
design is superior – not just adequate, and the test should be of a
shooter’s overall abilities and not just his patience with unreliable
traps and course back-ups. It is for this reason that I propose that
the Great Eastern Lobster Classic become our new gold standard for the
definition of “Travelers tough”. Geoff Gaebe deserves our praise and
admiration for reminding us just how much fun this game can be. I hope
The Connecticut Travelers will continue to build on our successful
relationship with Addieville East Farm for the years to come. Well
Done Geoff and staff!
National Champion Joe Carey made the most of this weekend capturing
the High-Over-All for the main event with scores of 89 and 91 for a
combined total of 180 in addition to his already impressive FITASC
victory. Our boy from the Garden State is on fire going into the
Nationals this September and your cousins from the Nutmeg State wish
you all the best in San Antonio. Give ‘em hell, Joe!
Mark Kiddie is one of our sport’s great gentleman shooter’s and
deserves our congratulations for his big weekend, finishing Runner-Up
in the Prelim to pro shooter and former British Open Champion, Gary
Phillips, and then coming second to National Champion, Joe Carey with
a 177 in the main event. Mark has been diligently working toward this
kind of success for a long time, and Lord knows, it couldn’t happen to
a nicer guy!
HiDef Prelim
HOA Gary Phillips 92
M1 Mark Kiddie 92
AA1 Andrew Kent 86
A1 Don Meckstroth 84
B1 Earl Crowley 85
C1 David Seymore 79
D1 William Bretschger 82
E1 Stephen Edwards 72
Ladies Fran Gallogly 78
Sub-Junior Adam Kayhoe 82
Junior Michael Luongo 78
Veterans Mark Kiddie 92
Super-Vet Mark Abbott 81
FITASC
HOA Joseph Carey 63
M1 Jean du Lau 63
AA1 Christophe Hyams 59
A1 Steve Cambria 58
B1 Dennis Dillon 55
C1 David Seymore 53
D1 Walter Fell 42
E1 Albert Noyes 36
Ladies Patti Mastroianni 49
Junior Ben Slome 40
Veteran Richard Frisella 60
Super-Vet Edward Couture 58
Main Event
HOA Joseph Carey 180
RU Mark Kiddie 177
M1 Jean du Lau 173
AA1 Chris Hyams 164
A1 Ricky Fung-A-Fat 163
B1 Adam Kayhoe 162
C1 Brad Newell 149
D1 Ralph Whelihan 145
E1 Kurt Willinger 135
Ladies Patti Mastroianni 158
Sub-Junior Adam Kahoe 162
Junior Michael Luongo 149
Silver Cup
HOA Mark Kiddie 177
RU Jack Concannon 167
M1 Mike Bittmann 164
AA1 Nick Fedoroff 156
A1 George Ostrander 158
B1 Dan Walter 150
C1 Douglas Girard 138
D1 George Parsons 130
E1 Kurt Willinger 135
A Remembrance
It is with sadness that we report the loss of Ralph Conroy who died
suddenly at his home in Pittsfield on July 30. He leaves his wife
Jeanne, son Michael, and daughter, Karen as well as his brother Frank,
and three grandchildren.
We saw Ralph and Jeanne all too infrequently at occasional Traveler
events, and always at the Vintager/Sandanona extravaganza, which he
enjoyed enormously. I remember one of our times together with great
pleasure: It was last year at the FITASC World Championships in
Signes, France. Preston and Paula Moore and I had just finished a
couple of vicious parcours; we were feeling a little grim, and there
was one final day of shooting ahead. We were limping back into the
international melee at the clubhouse, and there, to our great and
happy surprise, were Ralph and Jeanne. Hugs and kisses all around and
we headed for some food, shade and a chance to catch up with old
friends. Once under the main tent and out of the sun, Ralph, as
always, produced a very fine bottle of a Provencal red, which he had
searched out locally. He and Jeanne were not shooting but had included
a trip to Signes as part of a French vacation. He had competed often
at the world level, and loved Fitasc, but seemed to be enjoying being
there as a spectator as much as if he were competing. The wine went
perfectly with our pizza, and the trials and tribulations of the event
were slipping away, eased by the good company. Ralph loved good
conversation and he used words with such skill and grace that I always
wished I had a tape recorder running. He would speak of World Cup
soccer, military history, champagne, and Hemingway with equal ease and
expertise. Andy Duffy stopped by to say hello, and Ralph delighted in
reporting to him some information regarding a distant relative of
Andy’s that he had researched.
One always came away from time with Ralph knowing a little more and
feeling grateful. We all parted that Saturday in Provence looking
forward, eagerly, to the next time we would share a glass and some
time……that time will now have to wait.
Lans Christensen
CLUB HISTORIAN
Our Club Historian John Hachmann is on vacation this month… so here is
the abbreviated version:
The Great Eastern Lobster Classic Mean Score
Class Mean St. Dev. Shooters
M 156 11.56 38
AA 143 12.3 41
A 141 9.4 23
B 131 12.8 37
C 124 16.5 36
D 112 15.6 44
E 102 20.1 29
ALL 130 22.4 252
The defending champion for the upcoming Septemberschutzenfest, aka
Octoberschutzenfest, is: DOUG MOORE with a score of 76.
CONNECTICUT STATE CHAMPIONSHIP
By Lans Christensen
In a repeat of last year, The Fairfield County Fish & Game Club in
Newtown, CT hosted our State Championship. With a 100 bird preliminary
on Saturday, the main event on Sunday, and available side games and
practice stands, the club presented this full program well. It took
plenty of volunteer work to pull it off, and they should be commended
for their hospitality and hard work. I did not shoot the preliminary,
but heard lots of positive comments on the course and scores indicated
that the main event was of comparable difficulty. I thought that they
were the best targets I have seen at Fairfield in many years, and were
up to State Championship standards in every way.
Constant improvements in the course layout have taken Fairfield away
from the “woodsy” characterization and toward top-level target
presentations. There was great variety: Fast crossers, pace-changing
simos, and some l-o-n-g shots. “Close” is not always “easy” and there
was a rabbit at barely 20 yards that confounded many shooters, as well
as a fast going-away battue that showed nothing but sliver-thin-edge
at close range. Scoring for these shoots is always difficult with all
those resident and non-resident scores to tabulate and separate, but
after lengthy calculation, all was well and Dom Uliano presented the
awards. A fine lunch kept the waiting crowd at rest. Fairfield is a
rapidly improving facility, and as we go to print, a new clubhouse is
in its first stage and some exciting new stations are in place. I fear
that adequate parking may be a problem as attendance grows for the
bigger events.
All in all, it goes down as a super shoot, and we are grateful for
having official NSCA targets thrown in our home state.
Main Event, over-all result:
HOA Russ Tagliarini 85
RU Jean Du Lau (CT) 83
M Christian Suter (CT) 81
AA Dave McHugh (CT) 79
A Scott De Mario 79
B Ed Schine (CT) 74
C Ed Terry (CT) 73
D George Parsons (CT) 69
E Joseph Caselli (CT) 62
Lady Patty Mastroianni 74
Vet Bob Danaher (CT) 74
S Vet Dom Russello (CT) 69
CTSCA DISCOUNT FOR VINTAGE CUP WALK-INS
The corn is as sweet as sugar, the melons so delicious they make you
want to cry and I’m running an assembly line in my kitchen to create
and freeze fresh tomato sauce for the upcoming winter. It can only
mean one thing – It’s Vintage Cup time.
I know this championship doesn’t directly relate to Travelers
activities but this is the biggest shoot currently being run in our
area, and I know a large contingent of our membership will be involved
in this event, held September 22nd-25th at Orvis Sandanona in
Millbrook.
There may be one or two of you left out there who are wondering just
what the Vintage Cup is. It’s correct title is the Vintage Cup World
Side-By-Side Championship and Exhibition. It was created by the
Vintagers (a.k.a. the Order of Edwardian Gunners) an organization
dedicated to the worship of fine old-double guns—specifically the kind
with the barrels laid horizontally. They are in love with the golden
era of English, driven shooting; the period during the reign of
England’s King Edward and those antique firearms used in pursuit of
said sport (if you’re wondering about the funny outfits, just remember
they are just doing their Edwardian best to “keep it real.” )
The Travelers handicap system encourages competitors to shoot the SxS,
granting them a generous, five targets on top of their raw score at
our monthly shoots. The Vintage Cup, in addition to its three days of
championship clays and rifle competitions, is also nothing less than
one of the nation’s largest exhibitions of fine and antique firearms
of every sort. I suggest that anyone who even has a mild interest in
guns and hunting should come see our good friends over at Orvis
Sandanona for this event. Did I mention there will be thousands of new
and used guns for sale on display?
Make no mistake, this shoot ain’t cheap. Vintagers founder Ray
Poudrier has realized his vision for this championship by setting and
maintaining the highest standards. The entry fee for the main event is
$200 for 130 targets but for the first time this year, a flat fee of
$500 buys you unlimited entry into all events. Don’t expect cutting
edge course design—this event has always placed a premium on
participation and comradery rather than competition.
Ray Poudrier has very graciously extended 50% off the gate price for
exhibition walk-ins to all Connecticut Traveler members and their
spouses. That means instead of paying the projected full-freight,
daily rate of $20 per person, we’ll all be oogling the armorer’s
art-form for a mere $10. Clip the coupon in this issue and present it
at the gate for your discount. Look for coverage of the Vintage Cup in
October’s issue of Reload. For more info or the registration form go
to: www.vintagers.org
CHARGE IT WITH CHARLES
When you make the pilgrimage to Orvis Sandanona for the Vintage Cup to
gawk at all that eye-candy, let’s not forget our good friends, fellow
Travelers Margaret and Charles Schneible and their British Sporting
Arms on Route 44 in Mabbetsville (left out the Sandanona gates,
continue through stop sign onto Rt. 44 for a total distance of about
four miles. Shop is on right and flies the Union Jack.) In addition to
exhibiting at their abbreviated booth on-site at Sandanona, they’ll be
bringing in boxcars of guns, goods and men’s and women’s country
clothing to their shop just for this event.
Charles also reports his booth at the Vintage Cup will be manned by an
Argentine gent by the name of Fernando Del Carril, who’s claim to fame
for the last dozen or so years, has been to guide shooting instructor
Charlie Conger and hundreds of other guests through the Argentinean
dove fields. Del Carril provides traveling shooters with a
comprehensive package—all meals, lodging and guiding included. You’re
only responsible for your airfare. He also handles all gun permits.
Schneible has shot with Fernando personally, and urges, if you’ve ever
dreamed of doing a South American Dove trip, you really want to talk
to this guy.
DOG DAYS GIVE WAY TO AUTUMN AFTERNOONS
By Phil Steinkraus
In the spring a young man’s fancy lightly turns to thoughts of love,
but in autumn a middle-aged man’s fancy heavily turns to thoughts of
hunting. Yes, it’s that time again—time to pull out granddad’s old
double and give it a good cleaning. Time to think about washing those
nasty old brush pants your wife has been trying to sneak out with the
garbage for the last decade. How about a new pair of boots? Maybe one
of those waxed cotton coats? Yup, when the preserve bird hunting
season opens, you’ll be ready for it, dressed in Orvis’s greatest hits
and toting that lead-pipe of an old Parker. Trouble is, all too often
gear and guns are all that ever comes to mind in the preparation
leading up to hunting season. If you’ve got an overweight,
out-of-shape dog sleeping at your feet as you read this and are
planning on going upland hunting in late September or October, you’ve
got your work cut out for you.
The advice I’m about to give will undoubtedly come as elementary to
the dog people in our ranks—elementary to the point of being obvious
to any reasonably intelligent person—but people do stupid things, so
just to err on the side of caution I’ll go ahead and state the
obvious.
A lot of area clubs attract all sorts of members. All too often new
members join, who, for all intents and purposes, have absolutely no
experience in the field. They can shoot a little perhaps, and maybe
they’ve been out a couple of times with the sponsor who’s proposing
them for membership, but many come into the club as rank-novices. Very
often they buy a fully trained or “made” dog and think because they’ve
paid all that money, the hard work must be over. Wrong!
Ask any good dog trainer they’ll tell you the more work a dog gets the
better they’ll go. That work can be in the form of training or actual
hunting, but regular steady work is essential. With regular work, even
a mediocre dog can be elevated to star status and without steady work,
a national champion will look like a bum inside of a year. The key is
work and conditioning. Any good dog person will also tell you that
heat is probably the biggest risk to the health and well-being of a
working dog. September and October in the Northeast are warm months
and it has been my usual habit not to start hunting my dog in Dutchess
County, NY until November or the first hard frost—whichever comes
first. I know from experience that before then the cover will be too
heavy and the heat will be too big a threat to my dog.
Dogs sweat and dissipate heat through their tongues and feet. That’s
why they pant and their tongues drip when it’s hot out. One of the
best things we can do to help them stay cool in the early season is to
clip their coats short. Yes, I realize that coat also provides
protection against rough cover—but my advice is to either clip them to
keep them cool or be patient and wait until colder weather arrives.
Another smart thing you can do in the early season is to only hunt
your dog near water they can easily access to cool off.
Always observe the conditions you’re hunting under. If the temperature
is 60 degrees and sunny I’m usually hunting in shirt sleeves or even a
T-shirt. If I lie flat on the ground in the middle of the bird fields
between the feeder strips, that comfortable 60 degrees combined with
direct sunlight and dead-still air (so close to the ground) can turn
up the temperature by another 20 degrees (for this reason 65 is really
the warmest temperature at which I ever want to hunt my dog.) The
single best edge we can give our dog in combating warm, early season
temperatures is to condition them for it. That doesn’t mean a
leash-walk twice around the block every other day, or a stroll through
the park after dinner while your wife does the dishes. Conditioning
for hunting season means the dog has to get out a minimum of three
days a week and be run under conditions similar to what they’ll
experience in the field. I know this is a tall order for many hunters
living in the “burbs,” but it is the first responsibility of a hunting
dog owner. If you can’t handle keeping your dog in condition, perhaps
you should pay a pro trainer to get the dog ready for you in the
pre-season. Another option is to forgo dog ownership altogether and
simply pay a guide for his expertise and the use of his dogs. Charles
C. Norris, M.D. writes in his book Eastern Upland Shooting (Copyright
1946, J.B. Lippencott Co.) “If a dog is to be kept, he is entitled to
proper care. If a man does not wish to accept this responsibility, he
should not keep one. Justice, as well as common sense, demands that he
be given adequate attention.”
I’m lucky—living in the Millbrook area, I have access to a farm that
exactly mimics the conditions I hunt my dog under. I let my dog run
and hunt these acres of fields just as hard as she likes, only
insisting she regularly check back with me. Add to this the stray game
birds that start showing up in October and I’m usually able to work my
bitch over a point or two each day for a month going into November. I
usually run her at dusk, when it has cooled down, for between an hour
and an hour and a half, four or five days a week. At the end of these
six weeks, my dog is fit and toned, and has a real base-line of
conditioning to begin the season from. We’ve also gotten thoroughly
reacquainted with our working relationship.
I know most people don’t have the luxury of this option, but fitness
can also be achieved by a technique known as “roading” in which the
dog is placed in a body harness with a check cord attached to it. The
handler rides a horse, ATV or even a bicycle. The dog will naturally
want to pull in the roading harness and it’s your job to vary the
speed and pace enough to build stamina and strength without wearing
them out, while not running them over in the process.
So what if you still run into trouble on a warm late October day in
the field. My late Aunt, Marjory Stoneridge, a recognized dog expert
wrote in her book, A Dog of Your Own, (Copyright 1979, Doubleday &
Co.) that a dog in the throws of heat stroke will pant uncontrollably,
stagger when walking and eventually collapse, falling into
unconsciousness. They’ll have starey, blank eyes and perhaps a
purplish tongue. Noted sporting dog authority Charles Devinne, DVM
(co-author of the informative book The Orvis Field Guide to First Aide
for Sporting Dogs, Willow Creek Press, Copyright 2000—available
through Orvis) was consulted for this article and adds that by the
time a dog has collapsed with hypothermia and is unable to stand or
drink, the excessive body temperature begins to damage the dog’s
internal organs and the integrity of the circulatory system.
Specifically, the red blood cells can burst and platelets cease to
function properly. Disseminated intravascular coagulation is the
medical term for this condition. The animal now has diminished oxygen,
energy and resistance to bleeding.
At this point it’s critical to lower their body temperature. The best
way to do this is to wade with them into a cool body of water,
submerse them almost completely—and let them drink--but cool is the
operative word here. If it’s piss-warm pond water, think of something
else. Livestock always have watering troughs, maybe that’ll be cooler.
Is there a hose, shower or bathtub nearby? Bags of ice on the dog’s
belly will also quickly lower their temperature—if you don’t have ice,
use alcohol – rubbing or drinking – on their belly to help relieve the
heat. A pro-trainer I spoke with recently also recommended putting
honey under the dog’s tongue to help bring them out of it. I cannot
over-emphasize, however, that if your dog suffers a full-blown heat
stroke, it’s a life and death situation that requires immediate
emergency veterinary attention.
FIRST-TIME DOG OWNERS
Also, if you’re a first time dog owner this coming season don’t try to
use a shock collar until you’ve had proper instruction in the correct
way to do it. Don’t drag a puppy or young dog out to the gun club and
leave them tied to a post for the afternoon—all it’ll do is upset
them. No dog appreciates loud noises without any purpose--this becomes
very apparent during a violent thunderstorm. What we want to do is
have a dog associate the blast of the gun with the pleasurable
experience of hunting and the only way to do that is through patient
and careful training in the field. Don’t take your young dog hunting
with another poorly behaved or unruly dog—they learn from each other.
If a training session is going badly, stop before you do something
you’ll both regret later. Don’t allow guests to shoot low birds too
near to your dog, and it’s not a good idea to allow more than three
guns to hunt over a dog at once.
Always be mindful that dogs are intelligent, conscious beings capable
of some surprisingly sophisticated, deductive reasoning. They take
good and bad lessons from everything and it is your responsibility as
owner/trainer to try to steer your dog toward as many good experiences
as possible.
My best advice is to read up on your dog work and don’t be afraid to
ask the advice of an old hand. Best wishes for a safe and successful
hunting season.
Fall 2005 PA Shoot
It’s time to get your information in on our annual fall trip,
September 30, Oct 1 & 2, 2005.
This year, as last, our headquarters will be Montrose PA (west on I84,
north on I81). Friday and Saturday cocktails and dinners will be at
the Montrose House, S Main Street, Montrose PA.
I have reserved all the rooms at the Montrose House (570-278-1124) as
well as all the rooms at the Rosemont next door (570-278-7600). This
gives us 20 rooms.
With the uncertainty of the future of Rock Mountain I have had to skip
it this year. Friday we will shoot at Pocono Manor, sporting clays and
5-stand (south of I84 before I81 for those coming on 84; north of I380
for those using I80, NY & NJ. You will have to do some squadding here
to insure we have enough trappers.
All day Saturday at Ernie Hausmans’ Hidden Hollow sporting with long
lunch. During lunch we will shoot games, 5-stand, flush, wobble and I
understand, a rabbit flush. 100 clays in the am and 100 clays in the
afternoon. No moving—what’s better than that! 200 clays, games and
lunch all in one place!
Sunday it’s Binghampton Gun Club, just north of Montrose in NY. Clays
and if you are really out to test your skills, bunker trap. Both
Hausman’s and Binghampton are automatics so grab your auto
release/counter and go.
This is an interesting area for the ladies with art, antiques,
shopping and wineries. Peege is looking forward to a return trip to
the Sea Hag Arts & Crafts Barn in Brackney!
Enclosed is the usual mail-in form. How many to shoot and what to eat.
Make your own accommodations. If the Montrose House and Rosemont are
full go on-line to www.susquehanna-pa.com or
www.hiddenhollowsportingclays.com for other choices. I have had to
raise the price of the food to $35.00 per person/per night to meet the
cost of the dining room rental and bartender. If we meet the minimum
I’ll use the extra money to buy cocktails. See you there.
captdonnie@yahoo.com
CONTACTING THE TRAVELERS...
CTSCA Home Office: Al Anglace, email <aaa738@aol.com> (by far the best
way) or telephone 860-354-9351 if you absolutely must. Editor: Phil
Steinkraus, email philistein@aol.com Membership, Address Changes and
Shooting Class status: Contact Cyndi Dalena at Email
<shotguncyndi@prodigy.net>. Guide Book questions, Dick Orenstein
<oren@umich.edu> or call 203-226-5251. Past issues of “Reload! are
available online at www.ShotgunReport.com.
*** 2005 CTSCA SHOOTING CALENDAR ***
SEPT. 18 – “Septemberschutzenfest” – Millbrook Rod & Gun Club, Millbrook, NY
SEPT. 30 – OCT. 2 – Annual Fall Trip – PA. & NY weekend tour featuring Pocono
Manor, Hidden Haven and Binghampton Gun Club targets and great food.
See application form in this issue of Reload!. Info: captdonnie@yahoo.com or
203 888-5869.
OCT. 16 – SMALL GAUGE CLUB CHAMPIONSHIPS – Fairfield County Fish &
Game Club, Newtown, CT.
NOV. 13 - Old Newgate Coon Club -
NOV. 27 – Harold Koehler Society Fundraiser – Venue to be announced.
DEC. 18 – DICK LOSEE MEMORIAL CHRISTMAS PARTY SHOOT – Mid County
Rod and Gun Club, LaGrangeville, NY.
- - - OTHER 2005 SHOOTS OF INTEREST - - -
Always call ahead to confirm.
SEPT. 10 - 5TH Annual “Thinkfirst” Sporting Clays Freedom Shoot, Pawling Mtn. Club,
Pawling, NY. More info: www.THINKFIRST.ORG.
Coon Club Clays – 6th Annual Coon Club Classis - Old Newgate Coon Club,
Norfolk, CT Joe Gimelli 860 738-3619 - coonclubclays@earthlink.net.
SEPT. 11 - Mid County Fall Classic – Mid County Rod & Gun Club, LaGrangeville, NY
845 677-5736
- Rivers Edge NE Ruffed Grouse Soc. S/C Shoot – Addieville East Farm,
Mapleville , RI – 401 568-3185.
SEPT. 25 - “SPAGHETTI OPEN” – Addieville East Farm, Mapleville, RI – 401 568-3185.
- DU Fundraiser – Old Newgate Coon Club, Norfolk, CT Joe Gimelli 860 738-3619.
OCT. 8 - Three Shot Tournament – Addieville East Farm, Mapleville, RI –
401 568-3185.
OCT. 9 - WOMEN IN THE OUTDOORS COUPLES SHOOT – Addieville East
Farm, Mapleville, RI – 401 568-3185.
OCT. 23 - The Fall Blast S/C Charity Fun Shoot. Miele Field, Britten Road, Green
Village (Chatham Township), NJ. Info.: Steve Roman 973 808-1580 –
kobrom@rcn.com.
*** THE UPCOMING TRAVELERS MONTHLY SHOOT ****
“SEPTEMBERSCHUTZEN FEST”
MILLBROOK ROD AND GUN CLUB
Woodstock Road, Millbrook, New York
Sunday, September 18, 2005
“Octoberschutzen Fest” is now the “Septemberschutzenfest” due to the
building of the new clubhouse at Fairfield County Fish and Game Club.
For this year we switched our September and October shoots to
accommodate the raising of the old clubhouse. But you can bet that the
barrels of foam will be replaced with barrels of fun just as in the
past Millbrook Rod and Gun hosted shoots. Bruce Buck left behind a
pair of his designer lederhosen to help celebrate the occasion. First
come first served on the lederhosen.
The usual drill, pre-registration by Wednesday, September 14, $60.00
entry fee, check in by nine and small gauge handicaps will be in
order. Guests are welcome at the $60.00 entry fee.
NSCA target registration and memberships will be available at this
shoot.