Alumni Class 2015 This was a great assembly of shooters from around the country who came to test their skills, in the wilds of northeast Wyoming near the Montana border.

 

I'm always excited to make the two-day drive from Oregon to the Bliss Ranch in Weston, Wyoming.  These dedicated students are from varied backgrounds and their shooting experience varies as well.  Most importantly, they are striving to improve their skill under real-world conditions, and few places around the country offer such variety in wind and terrain.

Unless they come as a team with another shooter, as was the case with "TEAM BROS," I try to match shooters with partners who will benefit from each other's experience or inexperience, as is often the case.  

This year's theme was Preparedness and Shooter/Spotter communication.  Most of the shooters were pretty well squared around, however, their communication skills were in need of practice. I always find the way shooters communicate quite interesting.  I give a briefing on communication skills in hopes of minimizing the chatter that always seems to be present.

On day two, most shooters were doing much better and hits were very consistent in winds ranging from 7-25 mph.  The terrain is always a challenge with canyons, hills and undulations presenting a different set of problems.

Gene Kelly, from AGI, managed to make it out on short notice.  It had been awhile since Gene had done much long-range work and he was a bit rusty on day one.  His 308 performed well enough and on day two he showed considerable improvement.  It was good to spend a few days with him.  Gene attended our first Shooting School roughly 12 years ago and has been a big help in promoting the benefits of attending a school like ours.

Paul Zuelke flew his MAULE out from Missoula, MT.  Mr. "B" and I picked him up in the wheat field where he landed, just north of the lodge.  Paul is an accomplished pilot and had a good time dodging thunder and lightning enroute to the shoot. I was impressed with the amount of gear he could haul in his plane. Flying cross-country can really shorten travel time. As much as I'm on the road, a plane may be in my future one of these days.

TEAM BROS drove out from central California and were very well prepared from day one.  Tom senior is quite the hunter and verbal sparing was a daily, if not hourly event. Both he and his son TOM have a great sense of humor and are excellent shots.

They ended up taking home a majority of the prizes. I find father-and-son teams a rewarding experience, especially when they are as competitive as these two are.  I hope they attend next year's shoot and we'll see if their magic continues

TEAM MARSELLA came all the way from Bedfrod, New York and did quite well.  Alex had good math skills and was soon making some very accurate calculations in the wind with his 7-08.  His father Ed was shooting a 280 and made the best first-round hit at 1000 yds. in a switchy wind condition.

We did a 4:30am wake-up call on a pair of high-value targets early one morning.  It was interesting to see who was the first in line and prepared for the early bird shot.  That AWARD went to Todd Fisher, who was Johnny-on-the-Spot in roughly 2-2.5 minutes and well ahead of the rest of the crowd!!!!  Well done Todd!  A few shooters found that bringing all the rifle's components to the line was vital in being able to make the shot. We had a 40-50% success rate on both targets, and adding a bit of stress to the mix allowed shooters to see their weaknesses.

Cliff Neuse from Missouri had a chance to try out his new Holland Rifles and killed a prairie dog with his 223, at 615 yds. on the 2nd shot.  I used his 284 and narrowly missed a prairie dog at 977 yds with several shots. IF, he would have laid down I might have hit him 4-5 times. It simply was NOT HIS DAY TO DIE...

 

Ed Marsella with the "BEST" first-round hit at 1008 yds.  He used a Holland 280 loaded with  160 gr. Nosler Accu-bonds.

Mike Trenholm and Paul Zuelke with the awards for the "BEST" reticle range-finding skills.  Both being accomplished pilots, I felt they would make a good team and have like interests.

Our Host Mr. Frank Bliss was "VOTED" best dressed by those in attendance.  As usual, the Bliss clan did an excellent job of providing great meals, comfortable accommodations and plenty of Wyoming hospitality. Mr. "B" was always dressed in full attire: pistol, knife, radio and of course his SITKA gear.  He was voted "BEST DRESSED" by all of the students....  Well done(dressed) Mr. "B"!

Tom Jr.  with the coveted "TOP GUN" trophy.  Tom Jr. and his father shot VERY well and were a pleasure to be around.  They brought their "A" game to Wyoming and it showed. Both father and son are avid mule deer hunters and have killed some real nice bucks.

"Tom Senior,"  who was constantly complaining about his scope (a Leupold 12x target), in spite of shooting quite well, won the coveted Bender und Schmidt & Associates rifle scope.  Many shooters were envious of this award and felt it more deserving for themselves...  Oh well, as the saying goes:  The squeaky wheel gets the grease!!!

Todd Fisher exercising intense focus on a prairie dog with his 6mm BR and 95 gr. Bergers. Todd smoked a prairie dog at 585 yds. with this combination.

Wyoming Alumni 2015 Farthest Prairie Dog Award went to  Team Bros.  Range 765 yds.

You can always tell a guy from Missouri, but you can't tell him much.  Cliff Neuse with is NEW 223. His smile says it all!  He killed a prairie dog at 615 yds on the second shot with this classy rig.  The 5-25 Schmidt & Bender was the "cat's meow" under these conditions.  The Radial Baffle Brake made spotting the hits child's play.

Gentlemen,  many "thanks" for attending!  I had a GREAT time with everyone!

WINCHESTER

LARGE RIFLE MAGNUM

PRIMERS  $30.00 per 1000

Thought for the day:

We move forward by keeping our eyes on the horizon!

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