At over 7,000 feet elevation, clouds occasionally descended upon the beautiful terrain and the shotgun shooting venues at the NRA Whittington Center near Raton, New Mexico. That was the case during the NSCA Fun Shoot held May 2-3, 2009, as a little but much needed rain fell. New shotgun facility manager and friendliest man west of the Pecos, Steve Williams, did an outstanding job in all respects, including having to set targets in the fog. Shooters attended from Pennsylvania, Minnesota, North Dakota, Arizona, Colorado, and New Mexico. Colorado Master-class shooter, Bruce Jones, was the big winner for the weekend, winning the 28-ga. event and M1 in the .410 event on Saturday morning, tying for second in the 12-ga. event in the afternoon, and winning the main event on Sunday with a fine 89. Sam Wortham, a shooting gentleman from Santa Fe, won the .410 event with an outstanding 41 under difficult conditions and M1 in the 20-ga. event. The high score in the 20-ga. event was Harry Wiley’s 41, which earned him AA1.
Rick Camuglia dominated Saturday’s main event with 91 for M1, eight birds better than Bruce Jones and Gerald Quinn at 83. Harry Wiley won AA1 with 81, Pat Patterson took A1 with 77, John Stroud’s 80 earned B1, Tom Reeves won C with 79, Debra Jones was D1 with 74, and Richard Jones took E with 69.
The fog lifted just in time for Sunday’s main event, won by Bruce Jones as previously mentioned. AA1 winner was Lewis Roberts with 83, Doug Shambarger won A1 with 84, John Stroud took B1 with 73, Tom Reeves won C with 79, Don Boehmer was D winner with 67, and Richard Jones took E with 67.
The NRA Whittington Center is a worthwhile destination for everyone who likes to shoot. It is a world-class facility for rifle, pistol, and shotgun events with onsite lodging, hearty food, beautiful vistas filled with deer and pronghorn antelope, and a very friendly and competent staff. When you visit, don’t miss the Firearms Museum Library and Gift Store because each is very worthwhile.
