Trap shooters happy to compete

Father's Day for many means going fishing, camping or just sitting around and watching football with dad, but for more than 100 people this Father's Day weekend it meant the annual Amateur Trapshooting Association (ATA) trap shoot in Plains. The participation rate this year was well over twice that of 2019, and set a record for the trap club. According to Cookie Kunzer, from the Plains Trap Club, "This was the first year we have had all six traps running." They had just recently put in the new trap houses last year and got the traps themselves put in just in time for this shoot. According to Kunzer, the trap club ended up needing them with how many people showed up. Kunzer talked about how they had also just put in new camping spaces with hook-ups. She added that the two hotels in Plains were full.

One thing that several participants attributed the record participation to was the closure due to the outbreak of COVID-19. According to Ciaran O'Neil, a trap shooter from Kalispell, "Regardless if you believe in the virus or not, people are just tired of sitting around and want to get out." He went on to talk about the club he is a part of, in Kalispell, that just re-opened. That club is also planning a couple shoots within the next few months.

The shotgun shoot drew people from across the northwest and is considered a favorite to many. Competitors ranged from over 80 years old to as young as 11. They could compete in three different events. The first was the single shoot, which was held at the 16-yard-line. The second was the handicap event, which took the longest and in which the competitors move around based on their skill level at any given time. Finally, the shooters competed in a doubles competition where two targets were simultaneously released, and the participants had two shots to hit both targets.

The participants were split into squads, and this year there were over 20 squads, as compared to last year's 14. All the trap workers who handled the scoring and set off the traps for the shooters were local youth that are themselves interested in shooting. One young lady, 17-year-old Chloe French, has been shooting with the 4-H trap club for nearly seven years. She has also been working the ATA shoots in Plains for four years.

The Trap club has been around since 1999, when the facility was constructed, and has hosted these shoots for over 10 years. The ATA event cost participants a $32 entrance fee and an extra $3 ATA fee per day they competed. Participants also had the option to pay in to win larger pots of money, depending on their performances. Severl of the prizes were well over $1,000. The prizes for the competition this year were Kunzer Memorial belt buckles.