What's New: Kern County Gun Club

Sponsors needed for new Sporting Clays stands ...

Some important work is going on at our club's popular Sporting Clays facilities. We'd like to build shooting stands one at a time, but we need sponsors to help with the effort. Check out the picture of what you could sponsor at the Kern County Gun Club. Interested? Call Cyndi and the club and she will put you in touch with the right person.

Jason David brings home a state championship and busts his first 100

You could say that 12-year-old Jason David is having a good year. First, he was Intermediate Entry Level champion (with a 194) at the Scholastic Clay Target Program tournament. His team, the Oaktree Junior Claybreakers, placed second in the Intermediate Entry Level Team.

At the California State Trapshooting Championships, Jason was C Class champion, singles with a 195. That included his first 100 straight. And he won the championship with a shootoff. He was also High Overall C Class runner up.

Jason will be a seventh grader at Standard Middle School.

Jason David shines in state Scholastic Clay competition

Kudos go out to Kern County's young shooter Jason David for bringing home some top gun prizes in the California Scholastic Junior Clay Breakers Program. In the Intermediate Entry Level he was Individual State Champion. His team, the Oaktree Junior Clay Breakers, finished second in the Intermediate Entry Level Team Division.

The team practices on Wednesday nights at Oaktree Gun Club in Newhall. Next time you see Jason, extend your congratulations to this young gun.

Pacific Arms-Desatoff skeet tourney a success

The Kern County Gun Club held the PSA/Desatoff shoot May 14-16^th and one couldn’t ask for a better tournament. John Herkowitz of Pacific Sporting Arms sponsored the shoot hence the PSA portion. John generously provided awards all the way to third place in class. George Desatoff sponsored the Saturday dinner and that’s the Desatoff section. All the parts came together to blend into a perfect shoot - over 100 shooters, weather, good competition, great awards, a special fun shootoff, lots of help to keep it rolling, and a great dinner. It doesn’t get any better.

Doubles initiated the shoot on Friday. Kraig Chugg’s perfect score won over Brett McLaughlin’s (RU) to take GC. Richard Fukatsu’s 99 gave him RU-3^rd. CSSA’s President Dan Lewis won AA1, Larry Schnur A1, Brad Young B1, Buck Buchanan C1 and Anthony “Mario” Buoni picked up D1.

Our first gun Saturday is the 28 Ga. – an easy way to begin. Kent Thomas from Mesa, AZ showed the big boys how to play the game and punched out the only 100 for GC. RU went to Kraig Chugg with Dan Lewis picking up RU-3^rd. Old Ronny Hurlbert slid into AA1, young Rachel Shuford A1, Ted Church B1, Bud Onstott C1, and Vic Parachini D1.

Saturday afternoon lets everyone throw a bucket of lead at the clays with the 12 Ga. The 100’s piled up including one from Frank Buoni that was his first. Sorry about the hat. Shawn Rommel drug Brian Foley around for quite a bit until Shawn showed ‘em young eyes and reflexes don’t always win. Chris Baker’s perfect score got him RU-3^rd, Richard Fukatsu’s AA1 and Frank Buoni’s A1. Evan Binns won B1, Domini Buoni C1, Diana Riddle D1 and David Stephens E1.

Jack and Sharon McGee and the Moes –Ron, Becky and Brock lit the fire and served up the Chicken and Ribs dinner sponsored by George Desatoff. The Buoni family fixed their special green beans.

After Shootoff’s for the tournament we went on to a Devious Desatoff Shootoff. George Desatoff got over 200 boxes of shells donated. Lori and George plus Dan Lewis made it tough with special colored targets, looking into the sun, weird shoot spots. It reminded me of some of old CSSA shoots. Joe Zerr won the special event but there were lots of winners along the way.

The 410 opens the Sunday part and little Kent Thomas won over the other 99’s to pick up his second GC. Brett McLaughlin’s won RU, Chris Baker’s RU-3^rd, and Mike Anderson’s AA1. Jack Bernadi got B1, Josh Buoni C1 and Rob McCormick D1.

Our last gun is the 20 Ga. It’s supposed to be a little easier finish. A little wind didn’t bother Mike Anderson who walked off with GC and HOA GC with a 100. Carl Booher and John Nugent also posted century scores and received RU and RU-3^rd. Ron Hurlbert picked up AA1, Mark Nelson A1, Dan Shuford stole a little of his girl’s thunder with B1, Jean Berry C1 and Earl Benton D1.

For HOA, Mike Anderson’s 199 on Sunday and 395 shut the door on the field for HOA GC. Brett McLaughlin’s 394 won RU, Dan Lewis’ RU-3^rd and Ron Hurlbert’s AA1. John Kerchinski, who generously supports KCGC’s skeet program, won A1. Ted Church took home B1, Austin Elbert C1 and Vic Parachini D1. Thomas Kent was Jr. HOA champ and Emily Shuford Lady HOA champ.

All the great awards, the yummy dinner, the special shootoff and volunteer help made this shoot so special. Thanks to all.

Hoffman kills 'em all in Winter Chain Trap event

Dan Hoffman shot the only perfect 100 in the Winter Chain Trap held Saturday March 14 at the Kern County Gun Club. Hoffman's 100 allowed him to take Class AA first place, followed by Tim Bowman's 97 in Class A and Al Peterson's 96 in Class B. The results include:

Event 1: 16 yard line:

Class AA: Dan Hoffman: 100

Class A: Tim Bowman: 97

Class B: AL Peterson: 96

Class C: Norman Pence: 94

Class D: Remington Russell: 87 (Remington is one of our youth and this is her first win!)

Event 2: Handicap:

19-22 yds: Bob Wood 89

23-26 yds: Vincent Morrow: 88

27yd: Steve Smith: 93

Event 3: Doubles

Class AA: Butch McNally: 97

Class A: Tim Bowman: 94

Class B: Orville Ridenour: 91

Class C: Dennis Malefyt: 89

Class D: Jason David: 86

High Lady: Vickie Craine: 177

High Junior: Alex Reta: 180

High Veteran: Jack Wilson: 184

Sunday 3-15

Event 4: Handicap

19-22 yds: Mike Dvoran: 93

23-26 yds: Jimmy Neal: 93

27 yds: Jeff Cook: 90

Event 5: Handicap

Champion: Brandon Baggs: 94

19-22 yds: Danielle Nicovich: 94

23-26 yds: Dave Hinson: 94

27 yds: Aaron Holguin: 93

High Lady: Lisa Snelling: 171

High Junior: Jason David: 175

High Veteran: Randy Hohman: 173

Carl Booher wins Black Gold Skeet tournament

The Black Gold Open is KCGC’s first skeet shoot of the year and Carl Booher went home with the HOA honors. This year our El Nino weather came a callin’ one of the shoot days and shot back with a little rain and a few lightning bolts. We didn’t shrink or sink despite some new lakes here and there, particularly at the rv sites. We had a good time and an outstanding dinner Saturday night was prepared by the Buoni Family. A local craftsman made some unique awards from select hardwoods for the 28 Gauge and 410 events.

Thanks to Keith Key and Dale Perry for machine assistance, Bruce Binns for training the pullers who did a good job of slinging targets, Jack McGee for his usual overseeing and hooping, Cindy and Charlie for keeping the club side going, Bobby Williams and Keith Phelps for the computer and scoreboard help, John Kerchinski for his generous support and everyone else who helped load, clean, cook, score and whatever it takes to put on a shoot.

Scores are available at calskeet.com (CSSA website) so I won’t go into detail here but Dominic Buonic won the 410 event on his 18^th Birthday.

Four from Kern County Gun Club named to All-American squads

Four of our local skeet shooters have been named to the All-American squads by the National Skeet Shooting Association. This is quite an honor to have four shooters from one club honored. Kudos go out to Ben Wagoner, who made the Rookie First Team squad after shooting the lights out this year. Brian Foley also made a couple of squads, including the Open Honorable Mention Team and the Junior First Team. Congratulations also go out to Emily and Rachel Shuford. Emily was named to the Junior Honorable Mention Team and Rachel to the Sub-Junior First Team. Terrific honors for these folks and our club!

Kirkley, Cook, Linda Hoffman score big in trap shoot

Jimmy Kirkley, Jeff Cook and Linda Hoffman all scored big in a trap shoot held October 17-18 at the Kern County Gun Club. High Lady honors went to Ruby Erwin, High Junior went to Remington Russell and High Veteran to Albert Peterson. Go to "shoot results" on the yellow toolbar for complete results.

Asbill: show your support for our gun club by paying your dues today

It's time to pay your annual dues for the Kern County Gun Club. Club president Randy Asbill has issued a letter asking folks to open their checkbooks and pay today. His message follows:

"We understand with the economy the way it is right now, you may be hesitating with renewing your memberships. Everything is a little tighter and more controlled with the finances. We would like to ask you for your continued support by sending in your membership dues at this time, without the support of your membership dues it is going to be almost impossible to keep the club open and running thru this winter. We would like you to know that it is the memberships dues each year that is mainly responsible for keeping the club up and running until the annual dinner in June, then the dinner money keeps us open till the dues. Without this system we will not be able to keep the club open and running. We all like having a place that we can go and shoot, and we look forward to being able to be here for us all to have that place to shoot, so please mail your renewals to the club or come by and pay at the clubhouse.

Binns, Shuford shine in successful Fall skeet league

The Fall Skeet League was a success this year. Three hundred targets were shot over the course of 6 weeks. Each week there were boxes of shells for daily winners, and on 10/24/09, there was an awards BBQ where the 6 weeks were tallied up. Bruce Binns won HOA with a 299 and John Kerchinski was runner up with a 298. A3 went to Hal Stewart with a 292. Rachel Shuford took B1 with a 277 and won the Lady and Junior awards as well. B2 went to Dan Shuford and B3 to Steve Jennings. Steve Jennings also won the Senior Champion award. C1 was won by Tracy Edwards and his daughter, Hannaly Edwards, took C2. C3 was won by Cyndi Benson. Thank you to all who participated and donated for a successful Fall skeet league. - Pam Binns

Rachel, Emily Shuford shine in Northern Cal skeet in Stockton

Junior shooter Rachel Shuford led a group from Kern County to take home a number of awards at the Northern California (NorCal) skeet tournament in Stockton the weekend of Sept. 18-20. Shuford, a Bakersfield High School freshman, is one of the three shooting Shuford sisters who hail from Bakersfield, along with older sisters. Brooke and Emily. Emily also had a solid shoot and came home with a basket full of awards. These are not the complete results but among the local folks placing at the NorCal:

* HOA: Rachel was Sub Junior champ with a 383. She was also lady champ.

* HOA: Emily was Junior third with a 379. She was also lady runnerup.

* Rachel was Sub Junior champ in the 12 gauge with a 98.

* Jenna Buoni was Sub Junior third in the 12 gauge with an 83.

* Rachel was Sub Junior runner up and Lady runnerup in the 410 bore with a 93.

* Rachel was Sub Junior champ with a 93 in the 28 gauge.

* Jenna Buoni was Sub Junior third in 28 gauge with a 78.

* Emily Shuford was Junior Champ in 28 wityh a 95 and was also Lady runner up

* Ben Wagone was Novice Champ in the 28 with a 95

* Rachel had a 99 in 20 gauge, good eough for AA2 and Sub Junior champ.

* Emily was Junior runner up and Lady runner up with a 96 in 20 gauge.

* Ben Wagoner was Novice Champ in the 20 gauge with a 97.

Annual skeet league kicks off in September: sign up to compete!

The annual skeet league competition will get under way in September. Club member Bruce Binns will once again be coordinating the league, which will run six consecutive weekends starting Saturday, Sept. 19. We'll shoot 300 targets in total, or 50 a day over six weekends. If you miss a weekend, you can always make it up. The cost is $55. Click on the signup sheet attached to this post or call Bruce at (661) 333-4980. This is always a fun, competitive event to keep your skills sharp after the tournament season ends.

Foley wins Junior World title; Rachel Shuford claims Sub Junior Women's title

From The Bakersfield Californian

BLUE SPRINGS Brian Foley didn't think much of it when he was blasting clay targets with his "beat-up Beretta" on a neighbor's skeet shooting range at age 8.

But the young shooter from Bakersfield caught the attention of others.

"Everyone else noticed I was a good shooter before me," said Foley, now 18, who won the Junior Division high overall title Sunday at the National Skeet Shooting Association's Junior World Championship at Whitetail Ridge Outdoors. "They were pushing me to shoot in shoots.

"When I finally won something, it just took off. I thought it was cool."

Foley, who drove 30 hours to Mississippi to compete, won his division in a shootoff after posting a four-gun score of 398x400. He won the division's doubles, 12-gauge and 20-gauge gun championships. He finished runner-up in the 28-gauge. He ran 100x100 in all four events.

In the 410-bore, he connected on 98x100 targets, but lost in a shootoff.

"I shot pretty well," said Foley, who competed at Whitetail Ridge when it last hosted the Junior World shoot in 2005. "This is a nice facility."

More than 150 junior shooters in three classifications sub junior, junior and collegiate from 23 states competed Thursday through Sunday in the annual event.

Foley wasn't the only Bakersfield resident to bring back a high overall title. Bakersfield High student Rachael Shuford took first in Sub Junior Female and was Champion of Champions in her division. Shuford won three of four divisions 20-gauge, 28-gauge and 410-bore to claim the overall championship.

Foley, who has since graduated from the Beretta (the neighbor with the skeet range sold it to him for a dollar) to a $14,000 Kolar model shotgun, made his mark on the sport this year when he won the 12-gauge NSSA open division world championship in San Antonio.

He beat 13 other shooters, including two of the sport's heavyweights - former World champions Todd Bender and Wayne Mayes - in an hour-plus shootoff for the gun title.

"I did what I had to do," said Foley, who has signed to shoot collegiately next season for Lindenwood (Mo.) University, the six-time defending national skeet champion. "I guess it was just my determination that won it."

Foley said the realization of what he had accomplished on the world stage against veteran world champion shooters didn't sink in until the next day.

"Then it was overwhelming," he said. "It gave my confidence a giant boost."

The shoot's other high overall winners were: Sub Junior Male, Cameron Coggins (Ala.); Junior Female, Abby Leeder (Texas); Collegiate Male, Michael Snyder (Ga.); Collegiate Female, Tiffany Davis (N.Y.).

Foley claims second Cal State title; Riddle wins 20 gauge, Sifers 12 gauge

Brian Foley won his second straight California Skeet Championship, posting a 398 to win high overall. Another teenager, 16-year-old Richard Riddle, won a shootoff to claim the 20 gauge gun champ and Larry Sifers outlasted a large group to win gun champ in the 12 gauge event, all at the Kern County Gun Club. The shootoff involved more than a dozen shooters and went four boxes before Sifers was left standing. Bill Marble (click on headline to read more) won the 28 gauge gun, Ron Hurlburt won the 410 bore and Richard Fukatsu won the doubles even, posting the only 100 straight.. Other firsts included 13-year-old Diana Riddle shooting her first 25 straight (must run in the family), Ben Wagoner shooting his first 100 straight in 28 gauge and Richard Beene shooting his first 100 in 12 gauge. The shooters were greeted by terrific weather and good targets. Full results are now posted in the yellow toolbar under "Shoot Results."

Foley wins HOA at Orlando Memorial; Wagoner claims first 100 in 20 gauge

Brian Foley, the reigning 12 gauge world champion, won HOA honors at the 2009 Orlando Memorial Shoot at the Poor Boy Skeet Range in Pumpkin Center. Foley posted a 396 to win high overall, followed by Kern County's Ben Wagoner with a 394. Wagoner shot his first 100 straight in 20 gauge at the event. KCGC's Richard Beene won HOA in B Class and Kern County's Mike Miles won HOA in D Class, while wife Cherie won Lady's Champ.