Howe shooting his way to the top

Erick J. Starkey
Posted 6/6/18

Southeast freshman Hunter Howe currently sits third in the American Trapshooting Association national standings, with sights on finishing atop the standings.

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Howe shooting his way to the top

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TORRINGTON – Southeast freshman Hunter Howe currently sits third in the American Trapshooting Association national standings, with sights on finishing atop the standings.

Howe is no stranger to the top of the standings. At the end of last year, he sat seventh in the rankings with 1,463 points and he wasn’t focused on rising the rankings a year ago.

“That’s my top goal is to be first this year,” Howe said, noting that he is focusing on the standings this year. “When I got on to looking and I found out I was first for a while, I was excited. This year, I want to go to the top.”

Like Howe mentioned, he flirted with the top spot in the country at the Sub Junior level, which is for anyone younger than 14 by Sept. 1, earlier this season. He missed a weekend of competition to shoot in the 4-H ranks and slipped to third, but he does not expect to stay in the bronze-medal position for much longer.

The points for the standings are based off how well a competitor shoots, and what competition they are in. The bigger the competition and the more shooters to compete against, the more points possible at the end of the shooting event. 

Howe is looking to hit those big events in an effort to earn more points to make up the difference. He is currently third in the standings behind Kentucky’s Drew Wyatt (1,131 points) and Gillette’s Dylan Brown (1,002 points). Throughout his shooting career, Howe has been to events all across this half of the country, competing in Wyoming, Nebraska, Illinois, Arizona, North Dakota, South Dakota and Utah. He has return trips to several of those states this summer to continue shooting.

Howe’s most recent shoot came at the Cornhusker Cup, which is the state shoot for Nebraska, where he took the top spot out of more than 1,200 competitors in the senior division. In the handicap event, where he shot from 25 yards, he hit 72-of-75 targets to tie for the lead. Through the shootout process, he won first overall in the event. He also snagged the top spot in the singles competition, hitting 74-of-75 and winning another shoot off.

“I try not to think about anything really because the more you think about something else, the more you pay attention to that and not what you’re supposed to be doing – shooting,” Howe said of himself as a shooter. “I just try and focus in on what I’m supposed to be doing and clear my head.”

Despite the cool demeanor, Howe said that he does feel the pressure and nerves during shoot off situations, where the top spot is on the line. He noted that his experience shooting, which he started doing when he was six, has helped him manage those nerves and pull out the close contests.

“(Your mentality) is honestly one of the biggest factors because anyone can shoot any gun and can shoot a gun well, but it’s all in your head,” Howe said. “You’re head plays the biggest role in all of this.”

The Cornhusker Cup, which was in Doniphan, Neb., was a 4-H event and did not add points to his score in the ATA standings, but starting in June, Howe will be chasing the top spot. He said that almost every week throughout the summer he will be hitting the road for an ATA shoot to look to better his score. 

Heading into the heart of the season, Howe will continue to blast through his shells, hoping practice makes perfect.

“When I practice and I get into a weird fluke, most kids would stop and take a break, but I just shoot through it,” Howe said. “Some kids would stop and think, but you’ve got to just shoot through it and figure out what you’re doing as you go.”