GOSHEN COUNTY – The Goshen County Sportsmen Club and Goshen County Rooster Boosters hosted their 15th annual Uncle Dave’s Youth Shoot on Sunday. Young men and women walked the grounds of the trap range sporting orange shirts provided to them by the event organizers to celebrate the occasion.
The event began in 2006 to honor David Eaton, a former president of the Goshen County Sportsmen Club, who died in 2010.
After signing in, completing a mandatory safety course and being briefed on the day’s events, the youth were invited to the firing line where they were shown the proper handling and functioning of each firearm. The youths were then given two boxes of shotgun shells to shoot at clay pigeons.
“We teamed up with Rooster Boosters to promote firearm safety,” sportsmen club board member Gary Olson said. “Rooster Boosters furnishes the ammo and we, the sportsmen club, furnish the pigeons.”
During the annual event, the range is opened to the public and instruction is available to those who wish to learn the proper safe handling and utilization of firearms.
“Safety is a priority,” Olson said.
In addition to trap shooting, Goshen County 4-H Shooting Sports team furnished air rifles and targets for youths, especially those too young to shoot shotguns, to have an opportunity to learn firearm safety and get a chance to shoot the air rifles.
After spending a couple of hours on the firing line, shooters and their family were provided with a cream can luncheon courtesy of the club.
Additionally, participants had a chance to observe a local shooting sports club, the Goshen County Action Shooters, compete in a United States Practical Shooting Association (USPSA) competition at the range.
These competitors drew their firearm, fired at several targets around a barricade, moved to a new location and firing position, relocated again, reloaded and then engaged more targets, all in rapid succession.
Though they were moving quickly and firing rapidly, safety was always at the forefront of the competition.
“We are stringent on the safety,” competitor Mike Lulow said. “We can’t have it any other way.”
Aside from experiencing the world of shooting sports and learning firearms safety, participants were offered the chance to win a .22 caliber rifle or a lifetime hunting and fishing license provided by the Wyoming Game and Fish Department.
About the Goshen County Sportsmen Club
The club has the largest trap shooting facility in Wyoming, boasting 18 fields with automatic traps, electronic voice pulls, league shoots and Amateur Trapshooting Association (ATA) shoots. The club also has a rifle range with eight covered shooting benches for shooting from 25 yards to 300 yards. The club’s three pistol ranges are covered and are available for .22 caliber shooting and centerfire calibers shooting, depending upon the range. For archers, there is an archery range with both standard and animal targets for members to use. The range also features an indoor 8-lane 25-yard pistol range. The indoor range is heated, air conditioned and lighted for shooting in all conditions. For those interested in membership, visit Ron Miller, TDS Main Office or Gary’s Gun Shop. Learn more by vising gcsportsmenclub.com.
