The Yorkton Wildlife Federation (YWF) Trap Club hosted its annual Hooty Owl Trap Shoot over the weekend.
YWF treasurer and trap club house manager Barry Signarowski notes that it's the 30th annual Hooty Owl Shoot. The event is a provincial registered shoot during the day with the actual Hooty Owl competition, a night shoot, taking place Saturday evening, Signarowski points out.
Yorkton is the only trap club in the province to host such an event. It has become quite popular with trap shooters in Saskatchewan and Manitoba and the Hooty Owl trophy has become highly prized.
The weekend saw 34 shooters registered in the competition in all classes.
The Hooty Owl shoot effectively winds up the season for the Yorkton club.
Signarowski says four local shooters were entered in the event, including Norm Lutcher, Donna Gorecki, Dave Gorecki, and Kevin Lovelace.
The original Hooty Owl shoot was the idea of Elaine Lutcher who suggested the name for a novelty event to go along with the provincial shoot 30 years ago.
The Yorkton Trap Club had just installed lights for night shooting, Lutcher recalls. "That gave us the idea that we should have a night shoot. And, because it's at night, and owls see at night, we thought we'd call it the Hooty Owl Shoot," she explains.
Norm Lutcher's daughter Karen Woroschuk designed the first posters which we sent out to clubs all around the province to invite them to the Hooty Owl Shoot in September, Lutcher relates. "It was always the second weekend after the long weekend and that date has been for the last 30 years," she says.
The first owls were made by the Abilities Centre. "We've had a variety of owls," Lutcher notes. Owls are hard to get now that the Abilities Centre no longer makes them, she says. The pottery shop in Theodore supplied ceramic owls for awhile. Those were replaced by white owls from Weber's. This year the owls were mounted wooden scroll cut figures made by a woodcarver in Canora which are kind of unique for the 30th anniversary of the shoot, Lutcher suggests.
Don Cannon started giving a leather jacket to the winner of the Hooty Owl shoot five years ago, Lutcher points out. Each year there is a winner and a runner up who receive the sought after trophies.
Local competitor and scorekeeper Donna Gorecki, a former national champion trap shooter, exp-lains the competition features singles, doubles and handicap events.
Singles are shot from the 16 yard line. Doubles are also shot from the 16 yard lines but a pair of targets fly out at once. Handicap is shot from various yard lines with 19 yards being the shortest up to 27 yards based on a shooter's average over time.
Each shooter shoots 25 target per round for four rounds for 100 shots, Gorecki explains.
It takes practise, patience, skill and the ability to concentrate and block everything else out of one's mind to be a top trap shooter, Gorecki lists.
While the gun is important as well, it isn't a main consideration at this level, she says. "All the serious shooters will use trap guns," she adds.
Curently there a many younger people taking up trap shooting. Yorkton has a number of youngsters who shoot. Regina and Saskatoon have great youth programs where they give youth free targets to get them involved in the program. In some cases trap shooting is a family sport.
The Hooty Owl Shoot had an 11 year old younbgster competing. The oldest shooter is turning 83 years at the end of the month, Gorecki notes.
This was one of the best shoots the club has hosted. The conditions were perfect for trap shooting with no wind, no rain and hot weather which attracted shooters from all over, Gorecki closes.
Dori Jones, an 11 year-old from Arborg, Manito-ba was the youngest competitor at the recent Hooty Owl Trap Shoot. He's been trap shooting for about a year and a half. "I started shooting on the farm at home. My dad was teaching me. I shot a 20 gauge (shotgun)," Jones explains.
Jones says he shoots his 20 gauge for doubles and uses a 12 gauge shotgun for handicap and singles shooting.
Weekend trap shooting results were: Event 1, 100 Singles: Class A, Gerald Whitehead of Kelvington (99/100); Class B, Dennis Cherpin of Radville (99/100); Class C, Nicole DeCorby Brown of Allan (95/100). Event 2, 100 Pair Doubles: Class A, Gerald Whitehead of Kelvington (194/200); Class B, Rodney Stuart of Virden, Man. (190/200); Class C, Vern Rempel of Winnipeg, Man. (189/200). Event 3, 200 Singles: Class A Gerald Whitehead of Kelvington (197/200); Class B, John Jones of Arborg, Man. (193/200); Class C, Jon Grobben of Virden (192/200); Vet, Francis Zichy of Saskatoon (109/200); Sr. Vet, Bill Putland of Churchbridge (176/200); Lady, Nicole DeCorby Brown of Allan (186/200); Jr./Sub Jr, Eric Pedwell of Yorkton (171/200). Event 4, 100 Handicap: Campion, Brian Johnson of Arborg (96/100); Short Ydge, Kevin Lovelace of Melville and Volker Tobias of Oxbow (95/100); Med Ydge, Katie Jones of Arborg (90/100); Long Ydge, Matt Stuart (94/100). Hooty Owl Night Shoot: Following a shootoff - Champion, Gerald Whitehead of Kelvington (28/30); Runner-up, Rod Boll of Filmore (28/30). Event 5, 200 Singles: Class A, Gerald Whitehead of Kelvington (197/200); Class B, Matt Stuart of Virden (191/200); Class C, Lance Barret of Oxbow (184/200); Vet, Doug Harrower of Gimli, Man. (185/200); Sr. Vet, Bill Putland of Churchbridge (181/200); Lady, Nicole DeCorby Brown of Allan (184/200); Jr./SubJr., Dori Jones of Arborg (148/200). Event 6, 100 Handicap: Champion, Kevin Lovelace Melville (96/100); Short Ydge, Volker Tobias (94/100); Mid Ydge, Bill Putland of Churchbridge (90/100); Long Ydge, Ed Kuzyk of Hudson Bay (95/100). Mag Purse winners, Kevin Lovelace and Brian Johnson.
