Several of our Old Skagit shooters (and club shareholders) attended the Grand Pacific.  All reported having a fun time and a few came home with trophies.  For those of you who aren't familiar with this event it is held annually (except for COVID in 2020) and draws PITA shooters from all across the western states and Canada.  Two of our juniors competed and brought home trophies and scholarship money from the PITA YES program.  Roland Thompson took the sub-junior class in the doubles championship and Colton Thompson won his shoot-off to take B class runner-up in the singles championship.  Chuck Manning and Wayne Ottem also won in the doubles championship with Chuck taking veteran and Wayne B class.  David Lang won B class in the Northwest Shot singles and also took elder in the Stanfill Homes handicap.  (David is a shareholder in MOSGC and used to shoot more often at the gun club prior to his move to the east side of the state.)  In addition, Old Skagit Lady shooter Debbie Kelly also made the PITA All-Star Team.  (See our "PITA Events Results" webpage for scores and more pictures.)

Congratulations to all the winners and participants. 

Old Skagit shooters also did very well over all in the 2020 PITA shooting year.  (Even with the craziness of the COVID epidemic.)  Debbie Kelly earned her way onto the All Star Ladies Team for PITA* while shooting the most targets of any lady from the State of Washington.  Shooters who earned the Washington State PITA High Average Teams* were Debbie Kelly in Ladies Team Singles, Handicap, and Doubles, and Barbara Carlson Ladies Team Handicap; and Michael King for Veterans Team Singles and Charles Manning for Veterans Team Doubles.
*PITA All Star Team members are selected from all PITA members based on a set criteria which include an individual's scores shot at various PITA shoots throughout the target year.  State High Average Teams are selected from PITA members registered in that state.

Old Skagit Gun Club was well represented in Olympia at Evergreen Sportsman's Club for the State Shoot on July 7 through 11.  Several of our shooters did very well and brought home lots of trophies to show for their efforts.  All events (except for one doubles event) had in excess of 100 shooters participating!

High Over All Winners (L to R)--Dustin Rindal D Class, Eric Thompson C Class, Debbie Kelly Lady, Jack Kennedy B Class, Roland Thompson Sub Junior.  Dustin Rindal and Eric Thompson were also High All Around in their respective classes.  And Jack Kennedy shot 100 straight for a perfect score in one of the singles events.

See the "PITA Events--PITA Shoot Results" webpage for additional pictures and the event-by-event scores for Old Skagit shooters.  

Congratulations to all of you for the most successful event in our 15 year history.  April 17th was a beautiful spring day here in Skagit County which enhanced our endeavor to raise funds for those in need of this Benevolent Program.
Moose Old Skagit Gun Club hosted a Turkey Shoot designed to have fun & foster camaraderie while making a contribution to our community.  A collective effort by many companies & organizations made this success possible.
Anacortes has a young lady named Pam Johnson, who single handily collected thousands of dollars for the cause. 
Local businesses supported our efforts greatly; Reisner Distributor, Welch Brothers Construction, S.R.V. Construction, Quantum Construction & Pacific Tank and Body all saw the need & responded.  Moose Lodge #1640 from Mount Vernon did a super job of feeding all the participants with a traditional & tasty turkey dinner.  Then the Masons from District #9 came out in record numbers to stand with us. 
We welcomed the Farm & Family Missions Church who took on duties to assist in our undertaking.
Granite Falls Sportsman Club mustered a contingent to come up & bolstered our efforts.  Although, I think it had more to do with whipping us Skagit folks, they did not succeed.  Our very own Brendon Toyama led the winning Pig Shoot Team which is always great fun & fierce competition. 
At the end of the day our Pay Master drafted a check to Meals on Wheels for $7600.00, an all-time record high.  It would be a real understatement to say we’re in tough times; however, a protest of this nature was a breath of fresh air (NO MASK) in our community.
Thank all you shooters for a job well done.

​Submitted by Chuck Manning, MOSGC President

Updated information on both of the above has now been posted.
The Social Purpose Report and Plans for the Year are on the "About" webpage.
The Turkey Shoot information is located on the "Meals on Wheels" webpage.

Time to get ready for the Meals on Wheels fundraiser Turkey Shoot to be held on April 17, starting at 10 a.m.  For those of you who haven't attended before, this is a fun day of shooting while raising money for the Skagit County Meals on Wheel Program.  Last year, due to COVID, this event had to be cancelled.  However, thanks to everybody's generosity, the club was still able to donate over $3000 to this project.  Come on out on the 17th and help to increase this year's donation amount!

Saturday was the Annual Shareholders' Meeting for Moose Old Skagit Gun Club.  The Gun Club is a Social Purpose Corporation in the State of Washington.  At the meeting recognition was made of the contributions by shareholders, members, shooters, and various companies--all which make it possible for the club to continue to operate and thrive.  (Particularly given the circumstances of the past year.)  Thank you everybody!  (More information regarding the accomplishments of the club in 2020 and the plans for 2021 will be listed in the Social Purpose Report for 2020 which will be posted shortly on the "About" webpage.)

Also on Saturday, at practice, a special thing happened.  Colton Thompson broke 75 straight targets (a personal best for him) and then continued on to hit 100 straight.  Congratulations and good shooting!! 

Spring looks like it might be on the horizon.  The Winter Handicap Series has been completed for the year.  Congratulations and thank you to all the shooters that participated and the volunteers who helped to make this a successful event.  See the "Winter Handicap Series" webpage for a list of the results.

The weather is improving and the days are getting longer so it is starting to get busy at the club.  Next weekend is our PITA spring shoot.  Saturday will be the singles marathon with three events, each with 100 singles targets.  (You can shoot any of the three events if you aren't ready yet for 300 birds in one day.)  Sunday will be doubles and handicap targets.  (Sorry--there will be no practice traps available.)  So far the weather report is good for Saturday although Sunday is still in question.  See the "Pita Events" webpage for a full program.

There are also two fun shoot "leagues" that have started.  These are open to all shooters and are a chance for some friendly competition.  More information is posted on the "Fun Shoot" webpage.

April will be here quickly and the annual "Meals on Wheels" Turkey Shoot is in the planning stages for the 17th.  This is a fun day and raises money for a valuable service to our community.

Check the calendar as this time of the year it is frequently updated.  

(As of this time the shareholders' meeting is planned for April 3.  Information and any changes in the date will be posted if it becomes necessary due to COVID restrictions.)

Take advantage of a unique opportunity to improve your trapshooting skills when Nora Ross returns to Old Skagit for another instructional clinic.  Twice before Nora has come to the club to offer her expertise during a two-day instructional clinic.  Attendees at the previous clinics all expressed how pleasant and informative Nora was in helping them to better understand and improve their skill.  Whether you have been shooting for years or are relatively new to the sport this can be a chance to receive instruction from an exceptionally knowledgeable and   talented trap shooter.  Check out the "Nora Ross Clinic" webpage for more information.
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Another year is upon us and hopefully a year with improvement in everything related to the COVID virus.  We have been in a holding pattern much too long.

A reminder that January is the time to renew your membership, if you haven't already done so.  Shareholders also need to update their information and sign a new "Range Use Agreement" form.  We have added many new members this year and overall the year has been a success and the club remains financially secure.  The success of Old Skagit has always been driven by the commitment of the members and shareholders to see that the club survives and thrives.  Uncounted hours of volunteer labor and monetary donations go into keeping the club functioning and in good condition.  This past year, thanks to the generosity of shooters, members, and shareholders, we were able to replace our old, worn out voice call speakers with new BRB wirelesss voice calls for all four fields.  We don't say it often enough but THANKS TO ALL OF YOU FOR MAKING THIS CLUB A SUCCESS!!

This month the Winter Handicap Series continues.  It is a tight race to see who will get top honors for the total score for the series.  (See the standings on our WHS webpage.)  This series continues through March.  We should also be starting the International League this month, however it has been cancelled (for now) due to the border crossing restrictions.  There is a slight possibility that something might be scheduled for later this year should the situation change.  

Our next PITA shoot is scheduled for March and PITA Multiplex shoots continue to be held monthly.  The Multiplex is a good opportunity for new shooters to get started in PITA competition or to pick up some registered targets for continuing PITA shooters.  The Washington State Shoot and PITA Grand are on the schedule for July and both will be held at Evergreen Sportsmen's Club here in Washington.  (Think positive that these events won't need to be cancelled again this year!)

Understandably our PITA shoot numbers were down this year, partly because it was necessary to cancel our regular December shoot.  This shoot was traditionally a time for us to recognize all of the friends of the club that we had lost during the previous year.  Unfortunately, this year there were several and their presence is greatly missed.  Recognition of their passing will occur sometime later this year.  

​Stay safe and keep shooting!

If you are planning on attending the PITA State Shoot or PITA Grand and staying in your RV at Evergreen, it is now possible to make reservations on line.  See the PITA website for more information.

Unfortunately, due to the current situation in the state, the December PITA Shoot at Old Skagit has been cancelled.  This was a last minute decision and we are sorry for any inconvenience that this cancellation may cause.  Hopefully things will improve and we will see you at the regularly scheduled PITA shoot in March.

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"What a fabulous success is all I can say about our Annual Toys for Tots Turkey shoot on Saturday November 14 . The weather man forecast wind and rain, we had virtually no publicity and more threats of COVID shut downs; in addition, electricity at the club was nonexistent. None of these are a big problem for our club, generators powered the traps and a coffee pot. The volunteer kitchen staff just packed up there goodies and went down to the Moose lodge and cooked the turkey dinner and brought it back right on time. Great meal, great accomplishment, bless you Mt. Vernon Moose lodge.
Our very own Jack Kennedy and Don Reimers, a Granite Falls refugee, took the honor of being the last team standing in our famous Pig 🐖 Shoot, Congratulations!
Fortunately the weather didn’t read the forecast and it stayed dry and calm throughout our event . There is no way that we can begin to appropriately acknowledge all the people that contributed or in some way volunteered to make this all happen so smoothly when confronted by the adversities we encountered.
Our check to Toys for Tots 🧸🎁 will be north of $6000.00 an all time high while the load of toys is clearly more than ever before with out a doubt. Bless all of you who participated to make this a successful protest."

​Contributed by Chuck Manning, Moose Old Skagit Gun Club President

Fall is passing by quickly and Thanksgiving will be here before we are ready.  Last Saturday was the second Winter Handicap Shoot as well as the MultiPlex and next Saturday will be the Toys for Tots Turkey Shoot.  The Turkey Shoot is always fun and raises money and toys to make the holidays a happier occasion for many children.  If you can't make the shoot, donations are always welcome at the front desk.  If you do attend, be sure to observe Covid safety protocols.

October is here and the Winter Handicap Series has started.  Usually we would also be well into the FFA Trap Shooting Team Competition by now; however, this event had to be cancelled by the schools due to the Covid-19 restrictions.  The WH Series will continue on the first Saturday of the Month through March when the "Champion of Champions" shootoff will be held.  Monthly, on the same day, the PITA Multiplex will also be held but will start an hour earlier.  It is possible to shoot both events with a little bit of coordination in squadding.  
October 17th was the PITA Doubles Marathon.  Our event was also the last for the year in the Washington State PITA Doubles League.  Other than the monthly Multiplex, the next PITA event at Old Skagit will be in December.
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"Old Skagit Gun Club Doubles Marathon was held today.  Great day to shoot doubles, calm to mild winds with consistent grey over cast . No breakdowns or holdups which allowed a good even pace for the whole event . Snow geese milling around overhead on this opening day of hunting season provided beautiful sights for entertainment. Our ladies in the kitchen made a great lasagna soup which was oh so tasty on this fall day . We can’t thank those people who scored nearly as much as they warrant, what a generous contribution ."
      Contributed by Chuck Manning, President of Moose Old Skagit Gun Club

Last Saturday was the PITA Shooter Appreciation Shoot.  This special shoot is held annually and recognizes all of our PITA shooters and workers with a complimentary salmon and oyster BBQ.  Two handicap events are shot and the winners receive trophy buckles.  There are also buckles for overall high total scores.  (See the "Pita Events--PITA Shoot Results" webpage for pictures and full results.)  This shoot could not be held without the work of many volunteers.  Clarence and Angela Marcoff, neighbors of our club president Chuck Manning, pitched in with the kitchen work and preparation of the salmon and oysters.  Don and Mary McMoran worked with the food preparation as well.  Don McMoran, Don Alvis, Caron Grasso, Bill Harmon and Creige Scribner pitched in as scorekeepers.  I am sure there were many others that I haven't mentioned who helped out as well.  As has been said many times over, this club would not exist except by the efforts of the many members and friends who graciously provide uncountable hours of volunteer labor!!

The shooting continued on Sunday with the Buddy Backer.  This fun shoot is for a team of two shooters that work together to "kill" clay targets.  After 120 targets Jim Cleave and Gary Cooper had missed only 3 birds and won for a second consecutive year.  Dustin Rindal and Jason Kennedy battled it out with them and were only one target short of forcing a shootoff.

This about winds up September but October 3 will be the start of the Winter Handicap Series.  Be sure to check this out if you are interested in some fun competition.  It is shot on the first Saturday of the month from October through March starting at 10 a.m. There are two 50-bird handicap events on each of the Saturdays.  It is not necessary to shoot both events nor is it required to shoot every month.  See the "Winter Handicap Series" webpage for more information.