Nationals 2019
Well, it’s been a while since I told you what we’ve been up to, so here goes. It’s been a busy fall!
We went to NSCA Nationals and as usual, we had a blast. This is the only tournament that we shoot all year, and it’s really fun for us to go and see everyone.
We didn’t have much time to prepare and practice, so we did the Saturday and Sunday rotation to practice and get our timing back. Then Monday through Thursday, we did Super Sporting, Kreighoff Kup, 20- & 28-gauge event, and FITASC. Unlike last year, we shot all these events. Last year we didn’t shoot the 28-gauge because it was raining cats and dogs.
We enjoy renting an RV and staying on the grounds, which makes it a little more relaxing.
We have a standing quail hunt at the 74 Ranch from Friday afternoon to Sunday. A cold front blew through on Friday morning. We choose not to go hunting and had them put those birds out on Saturday and Sunday. When the wind blows, the advantage goes to the birds.
We had a great hunt Saturday and Sunday afternoon. Then we made our way home to unload the cars and repack for another hunt with an old friend at 74 Ranch from Tuesday noon to Wednesday noon. And we had to pack for the following 12 days after that hunt.
On Wednesday we left the ranch to drive to Plainview, Texas, which is north of Lubbock, and a seven-hour drive from the ranch. We got into Plainview and checked into our hotel. The next day we went out to find the lodge and waited for the rest of the hunters.
We hunted for sandhill cranes, pigeons and doves. The first morning we went sandhill crane hunting. The temperature was 22 degrees and windy. Fortunately, the crane blind had sides to block the wind, so it was cozy.
We got eight cranes that morning then went on to the pigeon hunt. We did this until Monday morning and everyone headed home except us since we were going to go to Lubbock for a day or so until we needed to go to Midland for a weekend clinic.
On Wednesday we went out to the Midland Shooters Association’s new range to find their new location. While we planned to go out to shoot Thursday, it rained for hours the next morning. Kaye from MSA called and told us not to come out because they were closing.
MSA is at the end of a very long dirt road, so traveling that road is messy. We found out Friday just how messy and treacherous it was after a good rain. My poor car was covered in mud from top to bottom, and we had to drive very slowly so we wouldn’t slide into the ditch. The next two days were better as the wind dried the muck up a bit.
The Saturday and Sunday clinics were with youth athletes and coaches from several different counties. We had a ball and were amazed at how fast those kids pick up our system and ran with it. It was a pleasure to see them go from being confused to knowing what to do and correct the miss.
The only downfall was the sighting of two rattlesnakes. The first one we saw on the road coming in and chose to run over him. But the second one was on the course right in front of us.
The kid who was riding with me got out and started walking towards the snake with his gun. I told him to shoot the snake, PLEASE. He did, and one of the other kids wanted the rattles, so we took care of that. The whole club came out to see the snake, so it was a little chaotic, but all ended well.
We had a great time and will be going back to Midland in March next year. We are building our 2020 schedule right now. Check out our schedule and come see us.
