Matthew Gay
Our friends at the Trap Talk Podcast invited me down to the Back Fence Shoot-Out at the Ohio State Trap Championship, promising to deliver a great time and plenty of opportunity to win prizes, or my favorite trophy, cash. Having converted to mostly shooting the ring games as of late, it had been roughly five years since I last pulled the trigger from the 27-yard line and my ATA membership had lapsed, but what the heck. I traveled down for the day, just to participate in this event and found it to be well worth the trip.
I was amazed at the participation. Trap shooters from one end to the other, and a pile of great prizes. The event was 100 targets from the 27-yard line and ran like clockwork thanks to SOS Clays. The Back Fence Shoot-Out drew a banner number of shooters and a record amount of available Lewis money. What is great about the structure of this event is that even if you, like me, are marginal (at best) when it comes to shooting 27-yard singles, you still have an opportunity to win…and did I mention you do not need to be registered with the ATA to participate? My substandard 77x100 squeaked in the bottom Lewis, rewarding my sub-par performance and offering a worthwhile opportunity to meet and converse with TrapShooting USA readers and shooters from all around the country.
The Back Fence Shoot-Out is the brainchild of Joe Charnigo, one of the top trap shooters in the game. His objective with this event is to give back something tangible to the sport and offer great opportunity for prizes to all levels of shooters breaking targets…from the back fence. By design, the atmosphere at this event was quite festive with camaraderie of like-minded lovers of the shooting sports being the order of the day. Shooters were treated to a pulled pork barbeque and everyone from the grandstands to the 27-yard line appeared to be having a great time celebrating this game of ours.
This event had great support from both the shooting community and industry manufacturers alike. 509 shooters participated, marking a new record for this event. Mid-State Precious Metals donated a literal pile of silver to be given away in drawings and placement prizes for shooters. Beretta USA also committed in a major way donating a 694 and an A-400 Multi-Target shotgun as prizes for participants. Other sponsors supporting this event with prizes and donations include SOS Clays, Gun & Trophy Insurance, The Trap Talk Podcast, Winchester, White Flyer, Nevada State TrapShooting Association and the Cardinal Shooting Center. Needless to say, prizes and cash were plentiful for both performance and participation. Not all winners had to shoot well in order to return home with some bounty.
Why do I like this event? Well, its simple…there were several clay shooters and wing shooters who attended this event, just because of the great opportunity to win. Not to mention a chance to meet new folks and enjoy the fellowship which comes with our shared interest. These events are being scheduled around the country, the next one of which will be held at the Nevada State Trap Shoot on the Clark County Shooting Grounds just north of Las Vegas. If nothing else, enjoy a trip to Sin City, break some targets, win some prizes and maybe hit a blackjack table or two. It’s set to be a grand event at a wonderful venue.
For more information on upcoming Back Fence Shoot-Outs keep an eye on social media or their website at: www.backfenceshootout.com
