TORRINGTON – What initially began to showcase the hunting, landscape and people of Goshen County in 1988, by the Economic Development Project, the 2Shot Goose Hunt consists of an entire series of events which focus on goose hunting. According to research, the idea itself has been credited to many local residents but it has become a county-wide event many claims as their own. In the first few years, the event was held in conjunction with Ducks Unlimited banquet, however, increased involvement in both organizations eventually led them to hold two separate events. The hunt takes place on the second Saturday each December, and it is open to approximately 40 hunting teams each year, which has increased from the original 20 teams. 

The hunt is conducted according to the rules of the Wyoming Game and Fish regulations. 

“Each team consists of two hunters who are allowed two shots each to bag their geese. Each hunter must shoot his own shells and then the team with the most geese wins the contest,” the 2Shot Goose Hunt website explained. “In the case of a tie, the overall weight of the geese is used to determine the winner.”

Each team is guided by local and experienced guides. Heated hunting blinds or pits are provided by local landowners. Each bird must be shot in mid-flight and the hunt ends at 1 p.m. Saturday, regardless of the hunter’s success or lack thereof.

According to Wheaton Kremke, 2Shot board treasurer, the hunt is capped out at 40 hunters each year even though well over 50 teams applied to take part in the annual goose hunt. Kremke also explained the registration period ended for teams to enter on September 1. 

“It used to be in May with the registration deadline, but then stuff would come up over the summer,” Kremke said. “We kind of pushed it out to September, just so that way it was closer to the event.”

The event kicks off this year at the Goshen County Fair Ground on Friday, December 13 although hunting doesn’t begin until Saturday morning. 

“Essentially, it starts Friday at noon,” Kremke explained. “The hunters can check in from 12 p.m. to 6 p.m. at the rendezvous center. That’s also when the artists can show up and set up their booths at the rendezvous center.”

During the festivities on Friday evening, there is a Calcutta for the hunting teams and pits are then chosen.

“Essentially, then the guides all line up and they draw out of a bucket who their hunters are,” Kremke explained. “So it is totally random who hunts with which guide and where.”

Friday evening also features 2Shot Goose Hunt auctions and raffles. Kremke expressed the event will showcase the works of 10 artist and craftsman such as Kelsey Vaughn and Casey Hunter.

“We also have a taxidermist from Potter, Nebraska that’s coming. We’ve got a couple of guys that do wood carving, decoy carving. We have a guy that’s a custom knife maker that’s coming,” Kremke said. “We also have guys that make custom goose calls coming out of Colorado. We’ve got a little bit of everything.”

“We have gun raffles throughout the night. We auction off one spot for the hunt this year, so we fill 39 spots and then the 40th spot is auctioned off that night,” Kremke said. 

The event also auctions off a fly-fishing trip, an Alaskan fishing trip and a spot for next year’s hunt. 

Saturday morning, according to Kremke, hunters will check in for breakfast, meet their hunting guides and hit the pits until 1 p.m. or all shells have been fired. The hunters will then have the birds weighed during the luncheon and the winners will be announced during the banquet that evening. 

“Essentially, the four heaviest geese win the competition. It’s all kept kind of secret, as far as who the winner is, until it’s announced at the banquet,” Kremke said.

Proceeds of the event are split up between different local causes. 

“Hunter Safety education is a priority for the 2Shot. Several surrounding counties have received funds from the event to support Hunter Safety courses for Wyoming youth,” the website explained. “The 2Shot also sponsors three scholarships each year to Eastern Wyoming College in Torrington.” 

The organization also fucuses on habitat projects, Kremke said.

“We do habitat, which that’s probably where the majority of it is, different habitat projects throughout the community,” Kremke explained. “For example, last year, our big project was we worked with the game and fish and we built hunting blinds that are out at Bump Sullivan and Springer, one of which is ADA (American with Disabilities Act).”

The ADA blind provides a hunting opportunity for those with disabilities.  

“That was like, we did about $10,000 toward that last year. That was one of our bigger projects last year,” Kremke said. “This year, I think we’re going to work on a big goose nesting project, get all the new nests put in and hung up.

Of course, the 2Shot hunt also gives back to the community through youth sporting actives.

“We just did a $1,000 to the middle school girls wrestling program to help them get started,” Kremke said.  

“Since we’ve been keeping track in 1992, it’s like right at $516,000 that have gone back to the community,” Kremke explained.

This year, hunters are arriving from Texas, Alaska, Georgia, Maryland, North Carolina, Florida, Washington, Colorado, Montana and of course other areas of Wyoming, according the Kremke’s shooter list. 

Kremke mentioned the event could not be possible without the support of the county. 

“We have to reach out to the community so we could get 40 local guides and landowners to put their pits in. They do that just as a volunteer. The outfitters are a big help. They each put several pits in to help us get the spots full,” Kremke explained.