THE PRESIDENT S CORNER by Gary Wipperfurth Hello fellow Club Members, ANNUAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING will be held Saturday - January 2, 2010

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1 Welcome to the 2009 Edition of the Annual SPT&S Newsletter. This issue reviews the Club s yearly events, discusses progress and current issues, and reminds members of the necessity of volunteering for all Club functions. There were several significant changes for shooters beginning last year and many new events are coming in Enjoy! THE PRESIDENT S CORNER by Gary Wipperfurth Hello fellow Club Members, Remember this Date - January 2, it is the annual meeting of your SAUK PRAIRE TRAP & SKEET CLUB. Plan now to be present. Come and see your remodeled clubhouse. Have a burger and beverage and join in the fun with your fellow club members. It is that time of year that the newsletter comes out again. There have been many things going on this past year: 1st - Land Purchase: First and biggest is your Club has purchased the 40 acres of vacant land immediately west of the Club with the Middleton merger funds. It is a very important purchase as it is protection from development. 2 nd - Lead Reclamation: The lead reclaimers are finally finished. The total funds that your Club received are quite substantial and the full amount will be disclosed at the annual meeting. Some of the reseeding of the fields has been completed and all the rest of the reseeding will be done in the spring. 3 rd - Trap Houses: The trap houses will or have stairs installed. This is a great improvement for maintenance and ease of target loading by any club member. 4 th - Maintenance: Club maintenance is at a high level due to our many volunteers. If you can give an hour or two on Sauk Prairie Trap & Skeet Club s ANNUAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING will be held Saturday - January 2, 2010 The meeting starts promptly at 1 PM any given day it would be much appreciated. Volunteering will help keep the rising costs down. 5 th Apprecation: I would like to thank the many volunteers who helped in any way to open and close the club, those who worked on the trap house stairs, and anyone who helped on any maintenance at your Club. It is very much appreciated. 6 th Safety: I would like to address safety again. Safety is a thing that we all take for granted but needs to be practiced diligently. Waving of guns, guns pointed in the wrong direction, and loading multiple shells at one time name just a few of the problems. Most infractions by the experienced shooters are due to not thinking. Infractions by the new or one-time shooters can be handled by a little education and the problems are fixed. I hope when anybody spots an infraction that they will approach the person and explain the safety rules in a kind manner. 7 th - Dues: ALL CLUB MEMBERSHIPS EXPIRE ON December 31, Please come and support your club and pay your dues at the annual meeting. If your dues are paid early you can buy targets in bulk at a reduced price of 30 rounds for $105, which is $3.50 per round. Regular rounds are $4.00 and $6.00 for nonmembers. Hopefully, these prices will be good all year. 8 th - Target System: The target management system is now in full force. No one can shoot without a key, which is good for the club, as all rounds will now be paid for. Pay your membership dues and you will get an orange key with your name on it and you can buy targets Looking for a Holiday gift for your shooting buddies? Buy a SPT&S sweatshirt, T-shirt, cap, or several boxes of shells in the clubhouse and support the Club with your gifts to friends. - -

2 at the reduced rate or at member rates. Add them to your key and you are set for your shooting enjoyment. The club adds 2 targets for every round that you shoot for breakage. Remember these extras are for BREAKAGE ONLY and belong to the club. Some people think that they have paid for them but this is not true. When you are done shooting, there is a key in the key box to reset and remove all the extra targets that were not used. Please do this when you are done with every shooting session. 9 th Volunteering: I try to touch on this every year. It is very important that everyone who can volunteer does so. There are many jobs that can be done. Offering to keep the Club open for the winter months is very helpful. Keep thinking of VOLUNTEERING. 10 th Thank you: I would like to express my heartfelt thank you to everyone on the Board of Directors. Without their many hours of dedicated service, the Club would not operate or be in the good financial situation we are in. Make it a duty of yours to express your gratefulness to each and every board member you see. Without them your club would not exist. Remember a little THANK YOU goes a long way. Happy Holiday Season - Gary A. Wipperfurth, President The Vice-PRESIDENT S STUMP by Al Lathrop Dear Members and Friends, We talk often about how important volunteers are to the Club. So let me acknowledge the many who have stepped forward during the past year. We couldn t have done without them. How about those individuals who keep the club open for the rest of us by opening and closing on a daily basis during the week? These volunteers include Mike Kukawica, Mark Reichow, Gary Wehlage, Doug Stebbins, Al Hamstra, Phil Wechter, Tom Bader, Bob Hutter, and Bob St. Clair. The SPT&S Annual Gun Show is a growing success. Thank you to Vic Whalen, who manages the youth group, and to his wife Kathy, who was in charge of the kitchen, to Christy and Mike Bradley for table procurement and set up, and to Bob Hutter who provided security and spent two sleepless nights guarding the show. Thanks to Tim Beach for paying the bills, Fritz Thistle for club promotion, Paul Friesen for designing the show flyer, and to all the parents and youth members involved in set up, clean up, and kitchen work at the show. Youth education is an important mission for our Club. The 2009 State Youth Shoot in June was well attended. Thanks to Dale and Gina Bauer for administrative duties and to the coaches, parents, and kids who scored, loaded The SPT&S Gun Club fosters competition, training, and sportsmanship for trap and skeet shooting for youth and adults. The Club s new sign welcomes all shooters and their families. houses, ran food stands, and helped clean up after a very successful program, including Vic Whalen, Chris Christy, and Tom Bradley. This year once again the Outdoor Pursuits Class at East High in Madison made it out to the Club to learn the fine art of shotgunning, firearms safety, and the joy of shooting with friends. Club members who helped these kids included Lee Thomas, Jim Wipperfurth, Bob Hutter, Mark Reichow, Doug Stebbins, Steve Raisbeck, and others. Recob s provided the shells, SPT&S provided targets, and several club members bought the kids lunch that day at the Club. This year was also our second for hosting DNR Hunter Safety classes at SPT&S. Two courses are held each year and I would like to thank all members who have made this program a big success. The Jackpot Trap and ATA shoots wouldn t have happened without Kathy Whalen and Jan Vertein, who registered participants, scored, posted results, and provided behind-the-scene work. Tim Thompson was in charge of all the registered ATA shoots. Thanks Tim! Dwight Fitzsimmon, Todd Meyer, Jeff Vertein, and Tyler Vertein set the traps. Jeff did extra duty as grill master, which is why he has lost so many hairs on his arms. A special thanks goes out to Charlie Hilgendorf who helped maintain our traps and makes them the best in the State. Todd and Kathy Meyer represented SPT&S and helped coordinate the Quad County Chain Shoot for this fall and winter. A group of six clubs worked together to organize these winter chain shoots with the goal of eliminating competing dates. RENEW YOUR 2010 ANNUAL SPT&S MEMBERSHIP (membership forms are available in the clubhouse) Individual membership $25.00 Family membership $

3 The Ham Bruhn Memorial Shoot returned this past summer. Jim Schommer and Chuck Doring were responsible for bringing back the shoot from the Middleton Gun Club. Thanks to Gerry Zingg, who did a lion s share of work at the shoot. This event, which features both trap and skeet, will be repeated in Also, thanks to Jim and Chuck for managing the Middleton/SPT&S endowment, used this year for the Club s land purchase. Members should be aware that Paul Friesen and Gary Wipperfuth arranged and ran the winter skeet shoots and all the registered skeet shoots this past year, including the Multiple Sclerosis Charity Shoot, the Bald Eagle, Bald Eaglet, Milt McPike Spring Opener, Last Chance, and the Wisconsin State Skeet Tournament. Tim Beach and Gary Wehlage helped organize the State Skeet Shoot. Throughout the year, Beth Maginnis provided office administration, computer entry, and posting of scores. Brian Outhouse helped with early morning shoot preparations. Tom Maginnis, Eric Wipperfurth, Gary Williams, Rick Berry, Bob Hutter, Jack Duwe, Jim Wipperfurth, Jim Riphon, Becca Manor, Bob St. Clair, Lee Thomas, and Jessica Whalen pulled and scored for skeet shoots. A special thanks to Gary Williams who organized pullers and ran the line at the State Skeet Championships. Lee Thomas took photos then, many of which are found in this newsletter. Thanks to Tom Bader for arranging, managing, and running the trap league; also to Gary Wipperfurth and Paul Friesen who provided the same services for the skeet league. To Dave Shaw for the beautiful new club signs and to Vic Whalen and Mike Bradley for installation of the sign. Thanks to Dave Shaw for building and installing all panels for the Long Range Target system, and to Gerry Zingg who SPT&S Volunteer, Beth Magginis, enters scores at the 2009 WI State Skeet Tournament. Beth and husband Tom are regular vounteers throughout the year for many SPT&S events. helped install the Long Range equipment and provided the data work involved with the software. A big thanks goes to Tim Beach for managing the club s finances and paying all the bills. Also thanks to Sandy Connery and Paul Friesen for maintaining our webpage and producing this newsletter. Thanks to Deb Bower for serving as Secretary of our Board of Directors. Dennis Smith kindly donated food throughout the year too. Have you noticed the new walk-in trap houses? I d like to thank Steve Raisbeck and Butch Frosch for digging the holes, Butch Frosch, and Tim Thompson for building the doors, and Dennis Slaght and Dale Luther for installing the stairs. Let s not forget to thank Bob Hutter for keeping the houses full of targets Butch Frosch and Steve Raisbeck did an excellent job of keeping all equipment up and running, making our Club look pristine. Butch deserves special acknowledgment because he provides a one-man landscaping team by mowing and snowplowing throughout the year. A big thanks goes to all volunteers who showed up for SPT&S Volunteer, Gary Williams, served as shoot and field manager for the cold, three-day 2009 WI State Skeet Tournament in August. New for 2009, SPT&S installed a clay target manager consisting of a key for each shooter (top left), the key box at each field (center), and cordless skeet target puller or trap target voice activator (right)

4 the club clean-up day, including parents of the youth group who provided tree trimming and cutting. I especially want to thank Heidi, Tiff, Bob Hutter, and Dawn Procter who have done an outstanding job of providing food and beverage services for the Club. I know I ve missed some people - there are so many to thank. Forgive me if I ve overlooked you. Lastly, thanks to everyone who came out to break birds at SPT&S. Without you, we wouldn t have a club! - Al Lathrop, Vice-President SPT&S Volunteer Opportunities Our Club requires the efforts of many individual volunteers to serve on a variety of committees or to perform certain jobs. Please volunteer to work in one or more of these areas: Weekday Managers Building & Grounds Skeet Competition Trap Competition Supply/Kitchen Finances Communications Public relations SPT&S BOARD OF DIRECTORS (2009) Gary Wipperfurth wippsfarm@merr.com Al Lathrop albt209@yahoo.com Tim Beach sptstreasurer@yahoo.com Debra Bower sbnana98@charter.net Paul Friesen Steve Raisbeck David Shaw Phil Wechter Vic Whalen 2009 Club Membership President Vice-President Treasurer Secretary pfriesen@wisc.edu claybird@earthlink.net 90tee@charter.net sktshot@yahoo.com vkwhalen@centurytel.net At the end of October, our Club had a total of just over 400 members. Of these individuals, approximately 100 are Life Members, having joined as such during the merger with the Middleton Gun Club. Compared to last year at this time, we have lost about 100 individuals or 25% of our membership. These individuals did not pay their 2009 membership dues, but could easily be invited back for Please invite your friends to join. The dues ($25 per individual; $35 per family) are the least expensive for any trap and skeet club in southern Wisconsin. Remember that your Club membership is only valid for the calendar year, which ends December 31. The Club requests that you complete a membership application each year to update your personal contact information, including address. It is important that we have your address for timely announcements The recently renovated SPT&S Clubhouse has served our membership and the general public well. Target keys are purchased here. of Club functions and competitions. Pick up an application and fill it out at the Annual Meeting the first week of January. A membership card is issued at the time of payment. Please carry your card when visiting the club you may be asked to present your card. In addition, the membership list will be passed around at the Annual meeting. Please update your contact information then. If you are aware of changes in the status or contact information of a club member, please inform the Club so that we can update the membership records. It is important that the club s membership roll be accurate for tax purposes. Thank you to Al Lathrop and Gerry Zingg for maintaining the Club s membership roster. GUN SAFETY ON THE SPT&S RANGE Firearm safety should be the most important issue for everyone at the gun club. Safety must be foremost in the mind of every shooter from the time he or she uncases their shotgun, steps onto the shooting pad, and finally places that firearm back into their vehicle. Unfortunately, it is all too easy to take gun safety for granted, especially when you re having fun. For the experienced shooters at our Club it is good to be reminded of these safety rules and why they are important. Experienced shooters should also accept the responsibility of promoting gun safety on the range by talking, teaching, and instructing the newer and inexperienced shooters that they meet at the Club. Most safety infractions are the result of new shooters never having been told about the range rules. For example, visiting shooters have been observed to load their gun, walk to the target key box to insert their target key, and then stroll back over to the firing line to shoot! Children of visiting shooters have been seen on the skeet field pulling for dad or mom without eye or ear protection! All shooters and visitors at the club must know and practice the range rules and firearm safety. It is important to read and review these safety rules with your kids, spouse, and every friend who accompanies you to the gun club. Remember - -

5 - most accidents occur within the shooting party itself. Let s work hard to have a safe year at Sauk Prairie Trap & Skeet. The Editor SPT&S RANGE RULES Treat every gun as if it were loaded. ALWAYS keep the gun pointed in a safe direction and down range. Never point your gun at anyone, even when unloaded. Prove that your gun is empty by carrying it open and visible to others at all times. ALWAYS keep the gun unloaded until ready to use. No gun shall be loaded until the shooter is standing on the shooting station. Children on the club grounds must be supervised by an adult at all times. Eye protection is required. Be sure the gun is safe to operate. Regular cleaning is required for safe operation. Never use alcohol or over-the-counter prescription drugs before or while shooting. Help out a new shooter by politely reminding or instructing them about range safety. Report any and all safety violations to the club manager. Think gun safety at all times while at the gun range. ALWAYS keep your finger off the trigger until ready to fire at the target. Know your target and what is beyond. Open the chamber to your gun before you move off the station. NEVER EVER walk out to the trap house without checking for shooters who may be firing in your direction from an adjacent skeet field. Use only the correct ammunition for your gun. Keep ammunition of different gauges separate. If you have a misfire or gun malfunction, keep your gun pointed down range for 10 seconds before opening. Check your gun for barrel obstruction prior to each use and immediately after each low report. Eye & ear protection is required for all shooters, spectators, trap personnel, and referees on and off the range. All juniors (younger than 18 years old) who shoot targets must be supervised by a parent or guardian who knows and practices all rules of firearm safety Sauk Prairie Trap & Skeet s ANNUAL GUN SHOW February 6 and 7, 2010 Saturday-Sunday Sauk City Community Center 730 Monroe Street Sauk City, WI Table reservations are now being taken! CONTACT: AL LATHROP cell

6 2009 Multiple Sclerosis Benefit Shoot SPT&S member Jessica Whalen proudly displays her prestigious 2009 Amateur Trapshooting Association (ATA) Youth Recognition Award - congratulations! SPT&S Member Recognition Jessica Whalen, daughter of Vic and Kathy Whalen (Baraboo, WI) and long-time members of SPT&S, has won the 2009 Youth Recognition Award (second place) from the Amateur Trapshooting Association. The ATA Youth Recognition Award was established in 2008 to recognize youngsters who take an active part in their community and the shooting sports through individual participation, educational pursuits, and accomplishments. To qualify, youth must complete seven core requirements and a minimum of seven elective requirements. Applicants must be ATA members and must have fired 1,000 or more registered targets in the last two years, plus they must submit their school transcript, three letters of recommendation and an essay on the subject of What the shooting sports have taught me. In their announcement of this prestigious award, the ATA wrote, Jessica Whalen, a rising high school junior at Baraboo High School, has been shooting trap for five years. Her career goal is to become a teacher and she knows dedication to good grades will get her there and allow her to continue to shoot trap. She s already well on her way in her role as a teacher as she is a Wisconsin DNR Junior Hunter Safety Instructor, teaching two classes a year since 2005 at Delton Sportsmen s Club. Since 2008, she has been Youth Director for the Sauk County Youth Shooting Program and volunteered earlier this year at the Sauk County Health Fair working a booth to promote gun safety in the home. She capped her 2008 target year being named to the Wisconsin All State Sub Junior Team. Jessica is known in her club as a leader and a mentor to new shooters coming into the program. She writes, If I could tell my father one thing it would be Thank You for everything. Congratulations Jessica the Club and its members are proud of you! Keep up the good work. Sauk Prairie Trap & Skeet hosted the 3 rd Annual Multiple Sclerosis Benefit Shoot on Saturday, April 11. This year both trap and skeet shooters were invited to participate in this the only charity shoot at our Club. Accordingly, there was an enthusiastic response among Club members, including many SCTP youth shooters, as 61 competitors took to the trap and skeet fields, a record high for this event. As a result, the Club raised a record high $1,500 to help fight multiple sclerosis (MS). Our donation went to the Wisconsin MS Society, which in turn uses the money for research and to help care for patients in Wisconsin who suffer from this progressive disease. MS is a chronic and debilitating neural affliction for nearly one-half million Americans. Federal funding for MS research is shrinking thus, private donations like that of our Club are important for maintaining the fight against this disease. Over the three years, our Club has raised over $3,500 for MS. It is impressive to note that most of the winners, including the scholastic youth shooters, donated all of their purse winnings to the MS Society. In addition, several business owners, who are members of the Club, made additional donations to the MS cause. These businesses included Master Hearing Plan, Renk Seeds, Mt. Horeb Truck Parts, Recob s Target Shop, and Sauk Piggly Wiggly. Thank you. Shooting conditions at the MS Benefit were nearly ideal considering it was early spring in Wisconsin. The scores were high. In fact, there were several perfect scores in both 50 and 100 target events. The winners included Logan Christy (High Trap), Dwight Fitzsimons (High Trap, High Handicap Trap), Jeff Renk (High Skeet 50 target), Paul Friesen (High Skeet -100 target, High Doubles Skeet, High Sk-trap), Gary Wipperfurth (High.410 bore Skeet), Gary Wehlage (High Combined Trap-Skeet). Importantly, shooters had a lot of fun, including those in the youth program who shot their first ever charity targets. Thank you to all those who participated in the MS Benefit Shoot, including the many volunteers who helped run the shoot. We did a great job in moving closer to a cure. Charity events like this one give the Club an important opportunity to give back to the community. - Paul Friesen SCHOLASTIC YOUTH SHOOTERS Each year, our Club helps sponsor a team of youth shooters, consisting of kids from around our area. These youngsters practice their trap skills throughout the year at the Club to prepare for several major competitions, including the Grand American in Sparta, Illinois. As usual, our Youth Team had an outstanding year as described here by Jessica Whalen, a member of the team. A thank you goes out to the coaches and parents of these young shooters, who are the future of clay shooting sports. The Editor - -

7 Youth Shooters: Year-in-Review by Jessica Whalen What can we say about our youth program this year? Well, how about two-time State Champs and National Runner-up? Yes, as always we had great scores, but this year we brought home the club decorations. As every year begins, we started with helping at the Sauk Prairie Trap & Skeet Gun Show. This year, however, we had a record crowd that turned out to be the major fundraiser for the Club! Everyone was very pleased and the show ran as smooth as ever. Thanks to the moms who worked the kitchen and made awesome food! We would also like to personally thank Curt Diehl for the use of his trailer for the tables and everyone who came to help. As far as trapshooting went in early spring, we can just say the weather was flat-out crappy. We did take 21 kids to our first shoot of the year at Spring Green, where teams were finalized and squad names determined. Shortly following that shoot, we came home to work and shoot at the Club s Memorial 400. The Southwest Zone Shoot in Janesville came after that. It was one of our most impressive shoots of the year, where five youth member participated and captured over five major titles, including Champion and High Lady in the Handicap Championship. Fifteen year-old Ryan Vorndran, standing at the 19-yard line, ran out a 97 and captured Champ, followed closely by Jessica Whalen with a score of 96. Both shooters received their first punches at this event. The SCTP State Shoot, held here at Sauk Prairie Trap and Skeet on June 20, 2009, turned out to be an extremely successful shoot for the Club along with our youth. We had two 1 st place team titles and seven individuals placed. The Wisconsin State shoot held in Waukesha every year was a much-anticipated event. We took home numerous trophies and participated in shoot-offs just about every night. The most impressive event came during Saturday s 200 singles where we shot AIM targets. Out of varsity and junior varsity (the only places given), we brought home the plaque for 1 st place junior varsity. Also, at the State Awards Banquet Logan Christy [Captain] and Jessica Whalen were honored as part of the Sub-junior all-state team. During these chaotic months, we had another clean-up day where the kids and parents loaded targets in all houses, painted new numbers, edged the pads, raked all gravel, put down bark, and thanks to Vic Whalen and Mike Bradley, who placed the new Club sign at the end of the driveway. Thank you so much to everyone who turned out to help. We hope more members show up next year to keep our Club looking neat and impressionable. What am I missing? Ah yes, the Grand! Many of you The Sauk-Prairie Youth Team and coaches at the 2009 Grand American at the World Shooting and Recreational Complex in Sparta, IL. know the weather was bearable which made the trip (we all caravanned down together) and the stay that much better. Standing out in our green and blue shirts our kids could be seen doing the traditional things such as shopping and taking pictures. One group even took a road trip to go see the St. Louis Arch. While shooting sporting clays one night, we cheered on Mike Bradley as he represented the team in a coach s shoot off as a sub-junior coach. And the team cheered as I received my youth recognition award. The loudest cheers, however, came as Ryan Vorndran, Matt Baier, Logan Christy, Ryan Schwartz, and Cody Sandstrom received the trophy for 2 nd place in the nation in sub-junior class. Out of about 945 kids, we made a pretty good showing for Wisconsin! Congrats to them and way to kick butt! Finally in October we held our awards banquet where we welcomed club members to shoot our 5-stand that was set-up and run by Anthony and June Snyder. Thanks to them we got one final laugh together as a team! That night after the rain cleared, Curt Diehl put on an amazing fireworks display for everyone to enjoy! Thank you so much to everyone who supported our team, especially the parents and coaches. We really could not have had this great of a season without your help! And, one final congrats to everyone on an excellent season and let s keep bringing home the decorations! - Jessica Whalen 2009 AIM National Subjunior Champion Runner-Up Squad: Ryan Vorndran, Cody Sandstrom, Logan Christy, Ryan Schwartz, and Matt Baier. This photo was was published in Trap & Field magazine! - -

8 2009 Subjunior All-State team (ATA): Logan Christy, captain and Jessica Whalen, runner-up. Both teammates are SPT&S members. SKEET NEWS By Paul Friesen In 2009 at SPT&S, we had an excellent skeet season, including several highs and lows. On one hand, we had a record year for shooter participation in our registered skeet shoots and our winter fun shoots, which included the Multiple Sclerosis Benefit Shoot. On the other hand, we had the lowest participation in five years for our skeet leagues. Also on the bright side, our skeet program continues to be supported by a small core group of dedicated volunteers, who donate their time and energy to help with pulling-scoring, loading houses with targets, running the computer, making the clubhouse friendly and hospitable to visiting shooters, and maintaining/renovating our 7 working skeet houses. I want to thank those skeet volunteers, who contributed to the success of our skeet program at SPT&S, which included hosting the 2009 Wisconsin State Skeet Championship Tournament. On the downside, that core group of volunteers continues to shrink. It is not clear that the club will be able to offer as many skeet events in the coming year as in the past unless more shooters are willing to step up to the plate and help organize and run our skeet shoots. At present, our Club hosts more skeet fun shoots and registered competitions than any other club in the state of Wisconsin. That honor will change in the absence of club members sharing the workload a team effort is required. Winter Skeet Fun Shoots: In 2009, SPT&S hosted five winter fun shoots, one each month and ending with the Multiple Sclerosis Benefit Shoot in April. For two consecutive years, the shoots always seemed to fall on the coldest or wettest day of the month. The number of participating shooters was about the same as previous years, but fewer events were entered and fewer targets were shot all because of the nasty weather. Nonetheless, shooters came as far way as Green Bay and Waukesha to burn powder at these Saturday battles. Attendance ranged from 47 shooters for the largest to down to 5 shooters for the smallest (and it rained steadily all day on those 5 poor souls). The all-day fun shoots consisted of multiple skeet events in which everyone had a chance to win a monetary prize. Events included 50-target regular skeet, 100-target regular skeet, Doubles skeet, and.410 bore events. Despite the cold and rain, many perfect scores were recorded a testament to the skill of our winter shooters and the quality of SPT&S skeet machines. The results of each of these fun shooters is posted on the SPT&S website go to the Club s calendar, and click on RESULTS for each competition. High overall (HOA) winners, included Brian Outhouse (Oregon), Jack Tans (Waukesha), Paul Friesen (Madison), Gary Wipperfurth (Roxbury), and Gary Wehlage (Portage). The schedule for 2010 Winter Fun Shoots has not been decided check the Club s web site. I want to thank all the volunteers who braved the elements to help with these fun shoots, especially Beth and Tom Maginnis who also ran registration and scored for most of the shoots! Skeet Leagues: The Club held a total of seven different Skeet Leagues this past year, including a new vintage shotgun league during the 6-week fall session. The strategy was to offer more leagues (regular, doubles, and.410) to attract more shooters. Unfortunately, even fewer shooters participated this year (64) than last (88). This all-time-low compares to 124 total shooters in 2005, a 50% drop. There is no clear answer as to the steady decline in skeet league participation. Possible explanations include more and more summertime activities that compete with Tuesday evenings, less time for recreation during the recession, high fuel prices for driving to the Club, expensive shooting components, increased cost of targets, etc. Some how, some way the Club needs to bring shooters back on Tuesday evening. Ideas are welcome. See Gary Wipperfurth. Registered Skeet: Our five registered skeet shoots represented a highlight of the 2009 season. These competitions included the McPike Spring Opener (April), The Bald Eaglet (May), the Bald Eagle (July), the Last Chance (August), and Wisconsin State Skeet Championship Tournament (August). SPT&S hosted more registered shoots than any of the NSSA-sanctioned skeet clubs in Wisconsin and, we threw a record number of registered targets. The season started with the 1 st Annual Milt McPike Spring Opener on Saturday, April 25. This shoot was held in honor of the late Milt McPike, who was a longtime skeet enthusiast and SPT&S member. A heavy spring rain greeted the 25 shooters as they started with the first of five 50-target events. But by day s end, the scores were impressive considering that this was the first registered shoot of the 2009 season for many. Eleven perfect 50 s were recorded during the SPT&S President Gary Wipperfurth won Top Gun at the Club-sponsored Milt McPike Spring Opener and the Bald Eaglet registered 5x50 skeet shoots in Congrats, Mr. President!

9 day. In the end, SPT&S s own President, Gary Wipperfurth, was High All Around Champion with a score of 247/250; he had to earn the title by outlasting HOA Champ, Matthew Riffe, in a shoot-off. Gary s outstanding marksmanship was rewarded with a beautiful engraved leather shell pouch provided by the McPike Family in Milt s memory. The gift was a fitting way to cap off a fun day of clay targets to honor our skeet friend. The Bald Eagle was the largest SPT&S shoot of the year, excluding the State Tournament in August. Held Saturday-Sunday, July 25-26, a total of 35 shooters attended the 5x100-target competition. There were several highlights for the weekend. For example, junior shooter Joey Schweppe (DeForest) won his first major gun title in the 12G event by firing his first ever 100-straight, the only perfect score recorded during the weekend. Also, SPT&S member Doug Stebbins won his first gun title at a major shoot by outlasting HOA- and HAA-winner and All-American Gary Wehlage in the 28G shoot-off. Event winners included Joey Schweppe (12G), Mark Reichow (20G), Doug Stebbins (28G), Jack Tans (.410 event), and Jim Decker (Doubles). For fun at the end of competition, we held a Shoot-for-a- Stool handicap competition. Collegiate All-American Mike Peterson outlasted the pack and won a Winchester chair donated by Recob s Target Shop, while runner-up Jeff Renk was awarded a special Bald Eagle commemorative cake. A hearty dinner was served Saturday night for all the shooters and their families, thanks to the efforts of Mary Ann and Gary Wipperfurth, Anna Friesen, and Al Lathrop, SPT&S champion griller. Thanks to all who volunteered to make the 2009 skeet season a success. - Paul Friesen SPT&S Skeet Shooters had a good year in 2009 Many SPT&S shooters distinguished themselves on the skeet fields this year. Six members earned positions on the Wisconsin State Skeet Teams. In addition, many club members (listed below) did well at the 2009 State Skeet Championships held in August at our Club Bald Eagle Skeet Winners: Jack Tans, Doug Stebbins, Mark Reichow, and Gary Wehlage (L to R). All are SPT&S members WISCONSIN STATE TOURNAMENT by Jeff Renk, WSSA Board Member and North Bristol Skeet Director Wisconsin shooters wrapped up the 2009 shooting season at SPT&S August for the state shoot. Friday weather was ideal for shooting doubles, clear skies, light breeze and moderate temps. Despite the weather the best scores posted were a pair of 97 s by Wausau shooters Mike Peterson and Al Opal. Peterson, the Collegiate concurrent champion, impressed upon the gathered Friday reception celebrants the benefit of youth dispatching the Senior concurrent champion after only a few stations of shoot off doubles. Blake Hanson and Mark Reichow weighed in with 95 s, Blake taking AA3 and sub-sub-senior champion while former doubles world champion Reichow settled for A3 and sub-senior runner up. Bill Lensch posted 94 for B1 and Lee Thomas took D1 with an 89. Saturday morning was very cool, even for Wisconsin, overcast and windy. The shooting fields looked more like a fall waterfowl outing than an August skeet shoot. Perennial 2009 WISCONSIN STATE SKEET TEAMS Second Team - Open Jack Tans-Captain Mark Reichow Gary Wehlage Gary Wipperfurth Concurrents - Paul Friesen Sub-Senior Tim Beach Sub-Sub-Senior Henry Duwe Collegiate RENEW YOUR 2010 ANNUAL SPT&S MEMBERSHIP (membership forms are available in the clubhouse) Individual membership $25.00 Family membership $35.00

10 Tim Beach, SPT&S Treasurer (left), won the 28G Champship at the 2009 WI State Skeet Tournament over RU Blake Hanson. Tim s victory was his first State Gun Championship. Congrats, Mr. Treasurer! projectile powers Blake Hanson and Mark Reichow posted 100 s in the morning 20G event. The shoot off was the highlight of the 2009 state shoot, lasting nearly 2 boxes. Reichow dug out a wind blown second bird of a shoot-off pair, a shot few mortal skeet shooters could make, to briefly seize momentum but eventually succumbed to the steady and efficient Hanson. Gary Wehlage and Tim Beach posted A class 98 s with Wehlage prevailing in the shoot off for A2 and Veteran champ. 98 s posted by Bill Lensch and Craig Storm shot off for B1 with Lensch taking the honor and Senior champion. 94 s from Scott Zabel and Aaron Reichow shot off for C2. Sub-senior Zabel took the honor from the much younger shooter. Dan Bubolz, taking advantage of his Crossfire membership, posted 93 for D1. Blake Hanson posted his second 100 Saturday afternoon in the 28G event. Tim Beach matched with his first career 100 and proceeded to the shoot off field with his very ventilated trophy. Hanson had prevailed in a two-box shoot off only a few minutes before and frankly only Tim Beach liked Beach s chances. In a stunning upset Beach prevailed after a short shoot off to claim the 28G event and sub-sub-senior honor. Wisconsin tradition dictates that first time state gun champions sacrifice a hat, and not one that s already been shot. Beach claimed his second ventilated trophy for his 28G efforts. Four 97 s put up by Gary Wehlage, Brian Outhouse, Jeff Renk, and Randy Riehle shot off for A3. Wehlage first dispatched the sub-sub-senior shooters Outhouse and Renk before prevailing over sub-senior Riehle, claiming the class placement and Veteran champion. Sunday was a little warmer and merely breezy for the 12G and 410 events, most shooters were able to drop one layer of waterfowl gear. Wausau shooters Mike Peterson and Al Opal again showed they were ready turning in the only 100 s. Al reversed the results of the doubles shoot off and claimed his first state gun title with the surprising upset of the Collegiate concurrent Peterson. Mike settled for AA1, leaving Blake Hanson to claim AA2 with a 97. Jack Tans, Mark Reichow, and Gary Wipperfurth posted A class 99 s with Tans taking A1 in the shoot-off. Mark Reichow settled for A2, leaving Gary A3. Four sub-sub-seniors marched out to the field after shooting matching 97 s. Blake Hanson was clearly the favorite but departed after three stations. Jeff Renk exited after the fifth station, leaving Brian Outhouse and hot shooting Tim Beach to settle the matter. Outhouse outlasted Beach on one of the longer shoot offs of the state shoot weekend. Bob St. Clair shot 96 for D1 Green Bay shooters dominated the 410 event with 98 s from Jim Decker and Blake Hanson. Hanson claimed his second state gun title in the shoot-off. Mark Reichow settled for AA3 with a 97. Paul Friesen came in with 95 for A1. B class collected a lot of 410 shooters this year and Bill Lensch claimed B1 with a 97 to Ken Schmirler s 96 for B2. Bob St. Clair shot off with Jeff Renk for B3 over a pair of 95 s with St. Clair lasting the longest. Blake Hanson took HOA and HAA honors with 395 and 490 respectively, with Mark Reichow only one bird behind in both events at 394 and 489. Jim Decker stayed ahead of Mike Peterson with a 392 HOA for AA3 and 488 HAA for AA2. Tim Beach rode his first 100 to A1 HOA honors with a 389, Gary Wipperfurth was A2 with 386. Al Opal made the best of his 100 taking A2 HAA with a 482 versus Jack Tans at 475 for A3. Four shooters with 385 s settled HOA B2 and B3 on the shoot-off field. Craig Storm outlasted Jeff Renk, Bill Lensch, and Al Opal with Opal dropping last to grab B3. Bill Lensch and Jeff Renk tied with 479 s shot off for B2 HAA with Lensch extending Renk s weekend shoot-off woes. Wisconsin shooters annually honor a member of our group with the Bill Spear Service Award. Ken Schmirler is the 2009 recipient for his efforts working shoots at the Wausau gun club. Ken spearheads the preparation of the prime rib featured at the Bushwacker Skeet Shoot in Wausau, by far the best Saturday night dinner in Wisconsin. Schmirler is a fixture in our state, one of our most gregarious members and there is always a party at his trailer on shoot weekends. Ken was quick to recognize his wife Kathy at the awards ceremony for serving the skeet community at his side and making his skeet weekends possible. 78th WI STATE SKEET WINNERS SPT&S members Tim Beach 28G CHAMPION (100), 28G Sub-Sub-Senior Champ, HOA Class A Champ (389) Dan Bubolz 20G Class D Champ (93) Eric Wipperfurth, a regular volunteer at SPT&S, pulls for the North Bristol squad (Jeff Renk, Greg Schweppe, Jenny Notstad, and Joe Schweppe) at the 2009 WI State Skeet Tournament at SPT&S

11 Paul Friesen.410 Class A Champ (95), 20G and 28G 2- Man Team Champ Bill Lensch 20G Class B Champ (98),.410 Class B Champ (97), Dbls Class B Champ (94), 20G,.410, Dbls Senior Champ Mark Reichow 12G Runner-up (100), HOA (394) Runnerup, HAA (489) Runner-up, 12G, 20G, HOA, and HAA Sub- Senior Champ Bob St. Clair 12G Class D Champ (96) Jack Tans 12G Class A Champ (99) Lee Thomas Dbls Class D Champ (89) Gary Wehlage Veteran Champion Gary Wipperfurth 20G and 28G 2-Man Team Champ Schedule of 2010 SPT&S SKEET EVENTS No shoots have been scheduled at this time check Club s web site for future dates SAUK PRAIRIE TRAP LEAGUE By Tom Bader The 2009 Sauk Prairie Trap League was completed August 26 th after two eight-week halves (leagues). The League started on May 6 th with a bye week between the two halves. This schedule was a small change from the two nineweek leagues in previous years and was implemented so as to have the league conclude before Labor Day. Another change for this year was that the shooting members scored for the other teams, which provided a considerable savings to the Club for hired trap help. All in all, from comments received, it seems to have worked out well. This year there were ten teams for both halves, which was an increase from the previous year. The teams were broken into three classes with places within each class. The league consisted of shooting 50 targets a week, including yard and 25 handicap targets. The handicap is based on the total targets hit at the 16-yard line. Each shooter shoots a total of 400 targets for each eight-week league for a team total of 2,000 targets. In the first half, 1 st place for Class A went to team BUD ONE with a total score of 1,852 or an individual weekly average of Members of that team were Will Billhorn, Jack Duwe, Kathy Meyer, Todd Meyer and Dwight Fitzsimmons. 1 st place for Class B went to THE TEAM with a total team score of 1,758. Shooting for THE TEAM were Dale Bauer, Mike Kukawica, Del Slaght, Tom Bader, and Charlie Allen. 1 st place for Class C went to the CLAY CRUSHERS with a total team score of 1,740. Shooting for that team were Dave Gervasi, Keith Hackl, John Clementi, Tim Beach, and Bill Lensch. The second half league results were very similar to first half with BUD ONE again taking 1 st place for Class A with the same shooters and a team score of 1, st place for Class B was won by MADISON SPRINGS with a score of 1,789, which knocked out THE TEAM. Shooting for that team were Bob Drake, Bill Fitzgibbons, Marilen Slydow, Aaron Schwartz, and Glenn Melius. 1 st place for Class C was again taken by the CLAY CRUSHERS with a score of 1,732. Other teams participating in the league were LUTHER BLDG. SERVICES - Dale Luther, Captain; SPELLMAN MONUMENT - Paul Miller, Captain; SWEET Ts, aka: Team Beretta - Steve Raisbeck, Captain; DEPPE TRUCKING - Lynn Vandenburg, Captain; MUELLER SPORTS MEDICINE - Larry Powers, Captain; BUTCH S BLASTERS - Butch Frosch, Captain. Cash prizes were awarded to each place in all three classes for each half of the league. In addition to the team scores, there was also an individual option available to each shooter. This option is based on a Lewis Class system where each shooter is ranked based on total targets hit. There were a total of 48 shooters who participated in this individual option. Tying for high overall shooter for the first half were Brad Suchla and Dave Gervasi with tied scores of 382 x 400. The next two places went to Tyler Vertein with 378 and Will Billhorn shooting 377. The second half league individual high gun again went to Brad Suchla with a score of 387. The next two high shooters were Will Billhorn with a 376 and Dwight Fitzsimmons scoring 375. A special thanks goes to all league members for their participation and support of the Trap League. As mentioned above, this year the shooters provided the scorers for each other and this help was very much appreciated by the Club. Everyone jumped in to do his or her part. THANK YOU!! By doing this, the Club was able to reduce the trap help thereby reducing cost to the Club, which also helped keep shooter s cost down. SPT&S member Lee Thomas provided many of the photos included in this 2009 SPT&S Newsletter. Thank you, Lee.

12 With the exception of only a couple weeks, the weather cooperated beautifully and this year s league was completed on time. Also, as usual, the summer went by too quickly. As a finale to the league, a party was held on the 19 th of August for all league shooters and their guests. Providing the sweet corn and preparing it was Larry Haack, ably assisted by Al Lathrop. Complimenting the corn was bratwurst donated by Dennis Smith. Each member also brought a dish to pass. All in all, a feast fit for a king. Thanks to these fellows as well as all who donated their culinary skills. The Club is looking forward to next summer s league and hope that all the shooters will return. If you did not shoot in the league this past summer but would like to, it s not too early to start talking to others to form a team for next summer. Questions or comments concerning league rules, dates, prices, etc. may be directed to me, Tom Bader, at the Club phone ( ) or my home phone ( ). I look forward to seeing you for next summer s trap league. - Tom Bader ATA TRAP SHOOTING NEWS By Tim Thompson 2009 was a pretty good year for SPT&S as far as ATA shooting went. We threw 89,000 registered targets this past year, which included over 17,000 for the State SCTP Shoot in June, which is described by Jessica Whalen in this newsletter. Our Memorial 400 shoot on Memorial Day weekend continues to get bigger each year. This year there were 96 shooters at this shoot, which is the biggest turnout yet for this annual event. Our September shoots were helped by great weather each day and our Friday marathons continue to be popular. Some of the highlights from our past year involved a couple of shooters from the Northeast part of the state. At the Memorial 400, Mike May from Green Bay shot his second 200x200 in 16-yard in two days. He had accomplished his first ever on Saturday and then did the same on Sunday. His shooting even made the cover of TRAP & FIELD magazine with our Club mentioned. Another fine display of shooting was by Chad Blanke (Elkhart Lake), who hit 399 of yard targets at a Friday marathon shoot! Nice shooting to both competitors. We have a real big year lined up for 2010 as we once again will hold the Memorial 400 on the 30 th and the following weekend on the 5 th and 6 th it is our turn to host the Wisconsin SW Zone Championships. Friday the 4 th will feature a Pre-Zone warmup marathon shoot. We have also been selected to be the Wisconsin Host Club for the ATA Central Zone in late July (see article below). We will also have our usual September shoots and the pre-state Friday marathon. There will be notices posted around the clubhouse to indicate when there will be no open shooting on these dates. As usual, running an ATA shoot takes a lot of people to make it run smoothly. I cannot thank enough the following people who help out to make it all happen: Al Lathrop (both by keeping the traps running smoothly and preparing menus for the shoots), Jeff, Jan, and Tyler Vertein, Vic, Kathy, and Jessica Whalen, Charles Hilgendorf, Dwight Fitzsimmons, Todd Meyer, Mike Bradley, Heidi and Tyff behind the bar, Steve and Ellie Raisbeck, the SPT&S Board of Directors, Butch Frosch, and last but certainly not least, the coaches, parents and shooters of our Youth Group who really make it work on our bigger shoots by basically running the trap line. These volunteers put our Club on the map as a great place to shoot. If I missed anyone who helped out this past year, please accept my apologies. We can always use more man- and woman-power in helping out at our shoots. Help by scoring or running score sheets or filling houses is always welcome. If anyone has some basic computer skills and can run a userfriendly program, we would welcome you behind the shoot desk. Please let me know if you can help out. I can be contacted at See you on the trapline! - Tim Thompson 2010 SPT&S Trap Program Sun. May 30 - Memorial 400 Fri. June 4 - Pre-Zone Warm-up marathon targets Sat.-Sun. June 5 & 6 - SW Zone Championships Fri. July 9 - Friday marathon targets Thurs. July 29 - Central Zone warm-up marathon targets Fri.-Sun. July 30- Aug. 1 - ATA Central Zone Championship Sun. Sept handicaps Sun. Sept singles All registered shoots are pending approval by the WTA. SPT&S members make good at 2009 WI Trap Shooters Assoc. State Shoot On July the Wisconsin State Trap Shoot was held on the grounds of the Waukesha Gun Club. Our Club was well represented on the trophy lists, which is included below: Paul Baumgarten: President s Handicap-Junior 2 nd, Kolar Arms Handicap-Junior 1 st Jeff Benesh: Singles Championship-Class B 2 nd, High All- Around-Class B 2 nd

13 Logan Christy: SPC Intro 100-Sub-Junior 1 st, D.G. Taylor Const. Handicap yd. 1 st, Waukesha Gun Club Doubles-Sub-Junior 1 st, Milwaukee Gun Club Doubles Class Championship- Class B 1 st, WTA Hall of Fame Handicap-Runner-up, Doubles Championship-Sub- Junior Champ, Handicap Championship-Sub-Junior, 1 st, High All-Around-Sub-Junior Champ, High Over All-Sub- Junior Champ Tim Curtin: Waukesha Gun Club Doubles-Class AAA 2 nd Dwight Fitzsimmons: Waukesha Gun Club Doubles- Class AA 1 st Dennis Gervasi: Handicap Championship-Veteran Champ Todd Meyer: Doubles Championship-Class AAA 1 st, High All Around-Class A Champ Darryl Montague: SPC Intro 100-Class AAA 1st Cody Sandstrom: Singles Championship- Class D 2 nd, High All Around-Class D 2 nd Fritz Thistle: Doubles Championship-Veteran 2 nd Tyler Vertein: Waukesha Gun Club Doubles-Junior 1 st, Milwaukee Gun Club Doubles Class Championship- Junior Champ, Badger White Flyer 200 Singles Class Championship-Junior Open Champ, Doubles Championship-Junior Champ, Handicap Championship- Junior runner-up, High All Around-Junior Champ, High Over All-Junior Champ Ryan Vorndran: Kolar Arms Preliminary Handicap-Sub- Junior 2 nd, Handicap Championship- Sub-Junior 2 nd, High Over All- Class B 2 nd Congratulations to all shooters who did well! - Tim Thompson SPT&S to host the 2010 ATA Central Zone Shoot Club to many out-of-state shooters. I could really use extra manpower for this shoot, especially in the area of working on the trap line, scoring, running score sheets, filling houses, etc. If you feel you could lend a hand on any or all of three days, I could certainly use your assistance. I can be contacted at anytime if you have any questions about this or our other ATA shoots. - Tim Thompson WINTER TRAP SHOOTS: Looking to shoot competitive trap this winter? Try out the very new Quad County Chain Shoots. These jackpot shoots travel between local gun clubs, including our own, all winter long. To obtain shoot details and the schedule, check out flyers in the clubhouse or go to our club website: www. sauktrapandskt.com. SPT&S Web Site SPT&S member Sandy Connery runs our club s web site. This important service provides up-to-date club hours, shoot schedules, shoot results, and other important information about SPT&S. Go to: com. Thank you to Sandy for all her efforts in running and updating our web site! I am happy to announce that our Club has been chosen by the WTA to be the Wisconsin Host Club for the 2010 ATA Central Zone Shoot. The Zone is a telephonic shoot that will be held at clubs in South Dakota and Ohio in addition to our Club. The shoot will be a three-day affair on July and Aug. 1. We will also be holding a marathon-type shoot on Thursday the 29 th. Since the Zone is scheduled immediately after the Iowa State Shoot and before The Grand, I expect we will get a lot of shooters heading from Iowa to this shoot and this will give them a chance to shoot some targets here before the competition begins on Friday. I expect that this Zone Shoot will be one of the largest trap shoots that SPT&S has held. First, it is a shoot that gives out All-American points so that means there will be many toplevel shooters from neighboring states such as Iowa, Illinois, and Minnesota. According to our ATA delegate, we will have at least as many squads as we do for the SW Zone shoot (>30). Needless to say, to make this shoot run smoothly will be a huge undertaking. We have a chance to showcase our For Event s Calendar, Shoot Results, Club hours, and Club announcements, see the SPT&S web site:

14 Adventures of SPT&S Members From skeet to grouse and woodcock By Mike Plesha As best we can figure, Karl Hansen, Jim Riphon, and I have been shooting summer skeet league together at SPT&S for the last 17 years. Seems like each year the summer goes by a little faster, the targets fly a little quicker, and the late afternoon sun on the station 8 high-house is a little brighter. One happy constant in all of this has been the great clubhouse cheeseburgers and fries! Anyway, summer is over and it s time to think of the colors of autumn, crisp weather, and grouse and woodcock. For the last 7 or 8 years, Karl, Jim and I have been going on a long weekend grouse and woodcock hunt, staying at Karl s family cabin near Minocqua. We pick a weekend during the end of September to about the third week of October - times when there should be woodcock in plentiful numbers. Woodcock are migratory birds with a reputation for being here one day, and gone the next. Every time I think I have them figured out, they seem to give me some schooling. Grouse are non-migratory, and their population shows a cyclic variation over about a 10-year period. Based on spring drumming counts and flush rates reported by hunters over the last several years, the grouse population in Wisconsin has been increasing and will probably peak in another year or two. Karl, Jim and I were anxious to see if indeed the grouse numbers would be up and if the woodcock would be waiting. Our usual canine companions on these trips are my two English Setters, Ike and Belle, and one of Jim s Springer Spaniels, Mandi. However, this time it was just Ike and Belle making the trip with us. Both Ike and Belle are out of Dan Pempek s Alderwood Kennel, near Athens in Marathon County. Many years ago, I had the opportunity to hunt with Tim Asp, who s also a member at SPT&S. At that time, Tim had a big English Setter named Broady, and I found hunting behind him to the coolest thing. So, here I am with two setters of my own. Ike is almost 11 years old now, and sadly he s slowing down quite a bit. Belle is 5 years old now, and has boundless energy. It s the end of September, and my small vehicle is packed to the gills with Karl, Jim, me, and two dogs. I figure that the end of September in northern Wisconsin is about the time just before the local woodcock begin moving out and the flight birds begin moving through. The north country Jim Riphon, Karl Hansen, and author Mike Plesha, with Mike s English setters, Belle and Ike, pose with their three limits of woodcock and two grouse harvested on their trip up north. had been extremely dry in September... zero precipitation for the entire month in the Minocqua area prior to our trip. Fortunately, we had heavy fog for the morning of our first day of hunting, and some measurable rain the evening before our next two days of hunting. Dogs need some moisture in the air to be able to scent birds, and to be able to accurately judge the distance at which to point them. If it s too dry, like when the leaves in the woods crunch under your feet, the dogs get too close, and the birds (especially grouse) flush wild. Nonetheless, the woods were still pretty dry, so it was clear that we needed to concentrate our efforts on areas adjacent to the swamps and streams. So, we did most of our hunting right along the edge of the tag alders, and indeed, that s where we found most of the birds, especially the woodcock. Every trip with Karl and Jim has some memorable hunting moments (not to mention the memorable moments after the hunt, enjoying cold beer while we solve the world s problems). This year, one of those hunting moments was when Ike had a point, I went in to flush it, and both a woodcock and a grouse went up, and Jim shot both of them. There were also a couple of instances when Ike or Belle would have a point, and the other dog would be honoring the point - I have always been amazed at what dogs can do. But, the most memorable moment was late in the weekend, when Ike had a point with his usual laser-beam intensity, with every one of his aged muscles tensed. Karl and Jim were a little too far off, so I went in to flush the bird, and shoot it, and after a little help from Ike to find it, I placed it in my vest. This is all pretty routine - the way it s supposed to be, and the way it s played out for hundreds of birds over Ike s 11 years of age. But, at that moment, this bird was special, because I don t know how many more times Ike will be able to do this before his hunting days are over. One thing for sure, the life span of a dog is too short Woodcock recipe: Woodcock have dark, rich breast meat. Some people find that they taste too much like liver for their liking. Here s a recipe from Scott Bradley, who is a

15 Sauk Prairie Trap & Skeet s ANNUAL GUN SHOW February 6 and 7, 2010 Saturday-Sunday Sauk City Community Center 730 Monroe Street Sauk City, WI Tuckered out after traipsing for timberdoodle - veteran Ike and the youngster Belle take a much deserved rest after the hunt. frequent shooter at SPT&S, that s sure to make them a delicious treat. Filet the breasts and marinate them in teriyaki marinade for at least an hour (overnight is better). Wrap each breast with a short piece of bacon, secured with a toothpick. Grill over medium-high heat for about two minutes per side. Yum... Mike Plesha Table reservations are now being taken! CONTACT: AL LATHROP cell Youth Education One of the most important goals of SPT&S is to provide opportunities for education, training, and mentoring of youth and adults in the safe, ethical, and responsible use of firearms for competition, recreation, and hunting (SPT&S Mission Statement). For the past several years, the Outdoors Pursuit Class taught by Madison East High physical education teacher Gary Calhoun has traveled to our club to learn firearm safety and shooting skills. Lee Thomas and Milt McPike, who were principals at East High, started this longstanding tradition. This year, the class excursion took place in October. A large group of dedicated adults from our Club volunteered to help once again. The East High kids always send a big thank you back to the club look for it on the clubhouse bulletin board. Editor s Note: A special thanks to all members who contributed articles for this SPT&S Newsletter. It is important to remember that our CLUB safeguards your right to enjoy the shooting sports the Club NEEDS your participation and support. Happy Holidays and practice safe shooting! Paul Friesen Sauk Prairie Trap & Skeet Club s ANNUAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING will be held Saturday - January 2, 2010 The meeting starts promptly at 1 PM