Dear Member,
The weather has been great recently and the days are getting longer. Conditions are perfect for spending more time at the club shooting. The club will be open Wednesdays from 12 to 9pm, Fridays from 12 to 6, Saturdays and Sundays from 9 to 6.
Club officers and workers have been very busy during February. We had some big fundraising special events, including the Angelwood Sporting Clays fundraising event, the APC customer event, the Safari Club Family Outing, the Athlete to Champion Charity Shoot, and the Downtown Rotary Club event.
These events were all in addition to the Fish Fry Skeet Tournament, where shooters came from 15 different states and from as far away as Great Britain. Our Fish Fry tournament is becoming one of the biggest skeet shooting tournaments in the country. Our thanks to Bud Steil for all the hard work he put in to make this event such a success.
Dr. Ed Franco was tournament chairman for the very successful International Skeet event held on February 17-18; and Jacksonville University - in conjunction with the North Florida Turkey Foundation - held a very successful Boy Scout clinic.
February also included the first of the club’s monthly Ladies' Day shooting events, where women are instructed in safe gun handling and shooting. After some shooting fun on the range, the ladies held a networking session. If you are interested in participating in this event on March 31, please contact Michele McManamon by email at michele@sandler.com.
We anticipate that March will be another busy month, with special events by Availity, Cystic Fibrosis, Ironman Outdoors, and Ducks Unlimited. On March 10 & 11 the club will host the Collegiate Spring Regional tournament and on March 18, the St. Patrick's sporting Clays tournament. The Grand Opening of the Sporting Clays Course South will be held on March 23rd.
Each month the Florida Wildlife Commission holds a Hunter Safety course at the club. Please check the Calendar for their monthly schedule.
With so much activity occurring so frequently, it is imperative that everyone observe all safety rules. Safety glasses and hearing protection are required at all times. Only shotgun shells with shot 7.5, 8 and 9 are permitted on the range. Please load one shell when shooting single targets and no more than two shells for doubles and report pairs. Our safety officers are present on the course at all times, but if you see any infringement of a safety rule please report it immediately to an officer or call the club office.
I am looking forward to seeing you at the club,
Z. Mincek
President
JCTS wishes to commend the generous support of the sponsors who assisted in the development of the new sporting clay courses. This month we would like to thank Mark and Rosalind Travis. Mark’s company, Intrepid Capital, has sponsored a station in each of the new sporting clay courses. Intrepid Capital is an investment management company established by Mark and his dad, Forrest Travis, in 1994.
Mark and Rosalind have been avid supporters of the club with their time, talent, and competitive spirit. Mark fell in love with wing-shooting as a youngster on his Dad’s cattle ranch east of Tallahassee.
He and Rosalind enjoy participating in many charitable shoots in Northeast Florida, including events for Seamark Ranch, Duck’s Unlimited, and many others. Mark says he is looking forward to the third annual JCTS Corporate Challenge on April 13 and 14th, which is one of JCTS signature events. The corporate challenge is a fantastic two-day event including a reverse draw dinner party, sporting clay contest, lunch, and award ceremony with 30 of Jacksonville’s corporate teams. Mark says, “Get your team registered, and see you out there!”
Upcoming Events
Every Wednesday Night at 6:00pm
"GRILL YOUR OWN" Steak Night
Tuesday, March 7
Availity Sporting Clays Shoot
Friday - Sunday, March 10 - 12
Collegiate Spring Regionals
Thursday, March 16
Cystic Fibrosis Foundation Sporting Clays Shoot
Saturday, March 18
St. Patrick's Day Sporting Clays Shoot NSCA
Wednesday, March 23
Osp Shooting School Flyer
Thursday, March 23
FWC Hunter Safety Course 6pm - 9pm
Saturday, March 25
FWC Safety Field Day 8:30am - 12pm
Saturday, March 25
Ironman Outdoors Sporting Clays Shoot
Thursday, March 30
Ducks Unlimited Clays For Conservation Sporting Clays Shoot
Friday, March 31
Rotary Club Sporting Clays Shoot
Friday, March 31
Ladies' Day Shoot - Belles With Shells 3:00pm
Coming Up In April:
View The Complete Calendar
Gunsmiths Inc.
Greetings Members and Guests,
As we come into March you will see a few more changes to Gunsmiths Inc. New signs with our services and hours will soon be on display. In addition we are extending our ESP Custom Molded Ear Plug special until the end of March. We will also be inviting some new items to our retail space such as shooting glasses and gun care products. See you at the Club!
Best Regards,
Kelsey L. Doleo
Gunsmiths Inc.
Skeet News
Skeet shooting at Jacksonville Clay Target Sports is alive and doing very well. The annual Dutch Dewitt Memorial, better known as the Fish Fry is in the books. It was the largest Fish Fry of all time and the biggest skeet competition held in Florida in over twenty years. One of JCTS’ members represented our club with distinction. Bolles 9th grader Emmett Kogan, two times Sub Junior world skeet champion and Krieghoff All American, had a great shoot at the Fish Fry the last weekend in February competing with over 150 shooters from around the country and Great Britain. He started on Saturday with a 95 in the 12ga event, and then really got going with a 99 in the 20ga event. He won a shoot off for Class A in 20ga and lost a great shoot off to ultimate HOA and Jr Champion Houston Deshotels for 2nd and 3rd place in the 20ga Junior Class. On Sunday Emmett really got it going and ran a perfect 100 in the 28ga and a 99 in the 410, then bettered Houston in the 28ga shoot off to win overall gun champ and Junior Class honors in 28ga for the second year in a row. Emmett won another shoot off to take overall runner-up in the 410 and Junior Class honors again, and then won a 3 way shoot off to take runner-up in the High Overall All with a 393 behind Houston's 398 HOA. The Junior Shooters dominated the Fish Fry.
SEE FF HOA SCORES
SEE FF 12GA SCORES
SEE FF 20GA SCORES
SEE FF 28GA SCORES
SEE FF 410 SCORES
SEE FF DOUBLES SCORES
Our Club Manager Bobby Turner and his staff performed flawlessly to make the competition a huge success.
Houston Deshotels and Emmet Kogan
The next big Skeet Competition at JCTS will be April 21st-23rd when we host the 2017 Florida State Championships. The program should be release in the near future. A major change will go into effect this year. The Club 5-Man Team Championship will be determined on a Handicap Basis. Clubs may field as many teams a they like. Our club skeet shooters need to get together and form at least four separate teams.
Other news from NSSA
Masters Registration Now Open
Krieghoff Masters Skeet Shoot registration is now open for returning 4-gun shooters and will open February 15 for other shooters. Forest City Gun Club in Savannah, GA will host the Krieghoff Masters on May 2-5. Find the registration form and info on our website.
Register now for Blaser Skeet Classic
Register now for the 2017 Blaser Skeet Classic, March 16-19 at the National Shooting Complex. The shoot gets underway on Thursday with the 4x50 event, which will be an All-American event this year. You can find all the info and registration form on our Blaser Skeet Classic page.
2017 Classification Cards Sent to Members
2017 NSSA classification cards have been mailed and most members should have received them by now. If you have a question about your membership or have not received yours within a few days, contact Michelle Lee at mlee@nssa-nsca.com.
Have You Renewed Your Membership?
If you haven't yet renewed your NSSA membership, there's no time like the present. Just click the link below to renew quickly online and protect your member benefits, such as the ability to register targets, your members-only discounted gun insurance, and Clay Target Nation magazine. Renew your membership online now.
Find Scoreboard, Shoot Register on Website
The NSSA Scoreboard and Shoot Register are easily accessed on our websites. Go to MyNSSA.com or ClayTargetNation.com and you'll quickly see Scoreboard and Register links. Or, just click on the sidebar link here in Target Talk for the NSSA Scoreboard.
Military Invited to Register for 2017 ASSC
Jacksonville Clay Target Sports in Jacksonville, FL, will host the 2017 Armed Services Skeet Championship, May 15-19. Participation is offered to active duty military, retired military and military veterans with an honorable discharge, as well as their dependents and spouses. Registration is now open and information is provided at www.afsashoot.com. If you have not registered your military status with NSSA, you can do so by sending documentation to Michelle Lee, mlee@nssa-nsca.com.
Rewards Redemption Now Open Year-Round
NSSA-NSCA announces a big change in the Shooting for Rewards program for 2017. Rewards redemption is now open year-round, not just during quarterly redemption periods. You can redeem your points any day of the year, 24/7, making it possible to order an award as soon as you have enough points collected and eliminating the problem of expiring points during non-redemption months. Get out and shoot and collect your rewards points for every registered target!
Do you have a suggestion for future issues of the JCTS Newsletter? Do you have a question that you think other shooters would also like an answer to? Send it to us. We welcome your feedback at any time. Contact Bud Steil at gsteil61@gmail.com
Skeet Fever-Catch it!
Bud Steil
Skeet Chairman
Sporting Clays News
The Club’s new Sporting Clay South Course is taking shape. Our latest improvement was to the entrance in front of station 1. Two palm Trees were installed, along with split rail fence, to define the entrance. Other future improvements are the Founder Sign, privacy fence between our course and adjoining property, and potential asphalt millings around entrance and station 1.
The club appreciates the support given to our new sporting clay courses. We have now thrown over 1500000 targets since opening in Feb of 2015 . That this has been accomplished with very little drop off in skeet, makes it a home run. Our staff is committed to your enjoyment of the facilities. Your thoughts on target presentation to Bobby or Tony are always appreciated.
Our next NSCA Registered Sporting Clay Event is March 18th, 2017. The normal format will be followed; with the exception of a cash drawing for members only. Members who shoot both morning and afternoon will participate in a drawing for $250. ( 2 Winners) If a winner is not present then there will be a redraw. This is the club’s way of saying “thank you “ to members as well as hopefully attracting new club shooters to this fun event. Remember if you are not a member of NSCA/NSSA you can join the day of shoot or shoot as Hunter Class (No Fees). For the member cash drawing, both hunter class and registered shooters are eligible to win. Sara can arrange your group as well as reserve a cart. We expect a good crowd.
Hope to see you at the Club
Joe Luke
Treasurer
International Skeet News
2017 International Skeet Open Slide Show
Ed Franco
International Skeet Chairman
Collegiate News
Spring Collegiate Regional Championships Coming to JAX on March 10, 11 &12
By David T. Dobson, MBA
NSCA Certified Instructor, Level III
NSSA Certified Instructor, Level III
Paragon Master Instructor
JU Faculty & Varsity Shooting Team Founder, Head Coach & Director
The 7th Spring Southeastern Collegiate Regional Championships will be held this March 10, 11 & 12 at Jacksonville Clay Target Sports. Hosted by JU and SCTP (www.shootsctp.org), 15-plus collegiate powerhouse shooting programs from around the southeast will be converging upon Jacksonville to compete for $20,000 in SCTP endowment monies which will aid their specific programs - some 165 athletes in all. Events will include American Skeet, American Trap, International Wobble Trap and Sporting Clays. JU is the Fall RU defending champion, and just took the HOA Team title at the ACUI Regionals in Savannah in a neck-and-neck race with Emmanuel College and Clemson. We need Refs and volunteers on March 11 (Saturday), so we would love to hear from you if you can help out! Please join me in wishing them great, safe shooting and a life-remembering, modifying and thrilling experience as we power into the Spring shooting season in preparation for the ACUI Nationals in San Antonio at the end of March (90 plus schools will attend – biggest ever). Safe shooting, everyone!
There are some 300+ universities and colleges with Clay Sports (Shotgun Sports) shooting programs currently across the country, and these programs boast some of the highest GPA composites in the Collegiate world. The Shooting Sports are now the fastest growing element in Collegiate Club/Varsity Sports.
Many thanks to Jacksonville Clay Target Sports, and all of the other Clubs here and around the country who have stood behind our Youth and Collegiate shooters, as they are our future. God Bless and safe shooting!
David Dobson is one of our long-term Resident (Master) Teaching Pros and life members here at JGC. He and Addie, also a NSCA Certified Instructor, live in Ponte Vedra Beach. He is President & CEO of Dobson & Associates, Inc., as well as the founder of Dobson Performance Shooting School (www.daviddobson.com), and current JU Faculty and Head Coach/Director of the JU Varsity Shooting Team, as well as Founding Head Coach for the UNF Shooting Team. He can be reached at: (904) 285-9500, or via Email at Ddobsonpvb@aol.com or ddobson1@ju.edu
Membership Report
As outlined above, JCTS continues with a very busy Spring season and full calendar. In addition to our regular weekly schedule, this Spring holds some exciting events:
March 10 – 12 Collegiate Spring Regionals
March 18 St. Patrick’s Day Sporting Clay Shoot
March 31 Ladies’ Shoot 3:00 – 5:00pm
April 13 – 14 JCTS Corporate Challenge and Reverse Draw Party
April 21 – 23 Florida Skeet Association State Skeet Championship
April 31 Ladies’ Shoot 3:00 – 5:00pm
May 12 - 14 General Pletcher Open
May 15 - 19 Armed Services Skeet Championship
Voluntarism of time and talent is welcomed at JCTS.
Please contact the club, or any one of the event organizers, if you would like to volunteer.
We look forward to seeing you at the club!
- Wednesdays Fields open: Noon – 8:30pm
Grill Your Dinner Nights
RSVP: 1-904-757-4584
- Fridays Fields open: Noon – 6:00pm
- Saturdays and Sundays Fields open: 9:00 – 6:00pm
George Prattos
Membership Chairman
JCTS is blessed to have the expertise of North Florida’s most esteemed arborists among its members.
Over 40 years ago, Early Piety had a calling to serve and protect the urban forest of Northeast Florida. Since then he has managed a successful business, Specialty Tree Surgeons, serving as consultant and advisor to municipalities, businesses, and homeowners. Early has played an important role in the management of some of Northeast Florida’s most historic trees, including the Treaty Oak at Jesse Ball Dupont Park and the Cummer Museum oaks.
Early is an avid clay target sportsman and an NSSA Certified Level I Shooting Instructor. JCTS members of all ages have benefited from Early’s shooting instructions. Early has been an integral member of the JCTS management and volunteer corps, as a board member, safety officer, and chef for many events. In addition, Early is a valued consultant and volunteer for the Duval County Extension Office.
Special talent: Early is a veritable encyclopedia of rock-n-roll lyrics.
Famous Early Piety wisdom:
“Old trees are like old dogs, old parakeets, and old horses. They’ve already got a set way that they want to do things. During a drought you give them a little more water. You only trim the dead wood, make the tree look nice, but you don’t alter the shape.”
The proper way to plant a tree: “Plant the root ball about 10% too high. Where the roots come off the bottom of the tree, that’s called the root crown area. That has to be exposed to the air. If you plant a tree and it looks like a fence post, you’ve got it too deep.”
Be sure to say “hello” to Early when you see him at the club, or schedule some lessons with him to tune up your game! Early can be reached at 904-993-7419.
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