Page 56 - Flathead Beacon // 1.14.15

56 | JANUARY 14, 2015
OUTDOORS
FLATHEADBEACON.COM
Youth Clay Shooting League to Start
18th Year
In Montana, the roots of hunting and shooting sports run deep, from the people who relied on the land to pro- vide food to the gunslingers who per- formed extraordinary feats of shooting to entertain.
For many, these traditions start ear- ly, often learned from family members. In the Flathead, kids not only have the important lessons from hunter’s safety courses, but also the coaching and sup- port from sport shooting leagues.
On Feb. 1, the Flathead Valley’s chap- ter of the Pheasants Forever Youth Clays Program starts its 18th year teaching the valley’s youth the intricacies and techniques involved in clay shooting.
There will be a valley-wide regis- tration day taking place at Glacier High School on Sunday, Jan. 25, at 1 p.m. for those interested in the program.
“We have a lot of kids in this valley
and they want to shoot. What this does is it gives the skills to be able to go hunt,” Wally Wilkinson, who has been in- volved with the program for
11 years, said. “Some don’t want to hunt; they just like shooting guns and enjoy- ing competition.”
Pheasants Forever is a national nonprofit group dedicated to preserv- ing pheasants, quail, and other wildlife through education, land management, habitat improvements, and general pub- lic awareness.
Part of the group’s goal is to reach out to the younger generations, to teach them about hunting and shooting clays.
In the Flathead, the Pheasants For- ever branch usually has about 50 youths ages 12 to 18 participating in the pro- gram, which lasts for eight weeks in the early part of the year.
But the numbers tend to fluctuate on trends, Wilkinson said, and 50 tends to be the lowest amount of students.
“I’ve had as many as 81,” Wilkinson said.
The shooters meet at Scotty’s Shoot-
ing Ranch south of Kalispell on Sundays for instruction and team competition. The kids come up with inventive names, such as the Kalispell Klay Krushers or Flannel Fiesta, and learn not only about responsible shooting, but also about kinship with their fellow shooters.
Wilkinson said the kids involved may not have met had it not been for the shooting range, allowing them to make friends outside of their usual circles.
For Wilkinson, shooting clays has been a family tradition for generations. His father and grandfather were both decorated shooters, and he grew to love the sport as well.
“Clay target shooting is a passion of mine; I’ve shot competitively for 25 years,” Wilkinson said. “It’s my love, I love doing it.”
Shooting competitions reward those who work hard, he said, because though teams compete against one another, it really comes down to the individual shooter performing well.
“It’s a one-man sport; you’re only as good as much as you practice,” Wilkin- son said. “When you’re competing, it’s
just you.”
The local Pheasant Forever all-star
team – made of some of the most-prom- ising shooters from the club – has per- formed well in regional tournaments, he said, with the team doing “very, very well” in Montana competitions and placing well in Wyoming and Washing- ton tournaments as well.
Anyone with an interest in shoot- ing sports is welcome to join. Wilkinson said hand-eye coordination is the big- gest asset in this sport, along with tim- ing and the ability to focus on the target.
Families of the participants are also encouraged to get involved with the club, he said. Usually, this means par- ents showing up at the shooting range with lunches or hot chocolate and chat- ting with each other.
“We prefer that the parents be there and support the kids,” he said. “There’s a lot of parents that really get involved.”
Registration at Glacier High School starts at 1 p.m. on Jan. 25. For more in- formation, visit the group’s Facebook page or call 406-253-1225.
[email protected]
Pheasants Forever Chapter Treasurer Todd Robins launches a pair of “Springing Teal” for Drew Harrison of Kalispell. COURTESY TOM HEALY
SIGN-UP FOR THE 2015 PROGRAM BEGINS JAN. 25
BY MOLLY PRIDDY