Coyote Droppings

Lucky to be an American

2010-03-04T06:05:00.000-08:00

We are lucky to be Americans. Baxter Black says it so well.

This is why we shoot and don't fish.

2010-02-19T08:00:00.000-08:00

It is Friday and it is time for another Fun Friday Video. This on was sent to me and labeled "This is why we shoot and don't fish." I think you will like it.

Members Only Updates

2010-02-16T09:18:00.000-08:00

Just added this morning was a new Long Hunter video on staging your pistols. This video is guaranteed to save you time. Also uploaded today are the END of TRAIL Stages for 1988-1993. We now have all EOT Stages from 1988-2009 uploaded with the exception on 1989 and 1996. I have a crack team of researchers looking for them and the stages before 1988.

Before 1988 there was no END of TRAIL program printed and the stages were either handed out the day of the match or posted the day of the match. Hope you enjoy.

By Monday I will have up a couple of Wild Bunch Tips by Pecos Clyde. I think you will enjoy them.

The SASS Southeastern Regional

2010-02-16T08:53:00.000-08:00

As most of you may have already heard the Shootout at Mule Camp will not be held this year. For 14 years the SASS Southeastern Regional has been at the Shootout At Mule Camp and it has been one of the brightest stars in the SASS National Championship program. But, sometimes good things must come to an end. SASS would like to congratulate all of the committees, volunteers, vendors and sponsors who worked so hard and added to the success of Mule Camp. Thank you for allowing so many of us to come and have fun.

So, where does the SASS Southeastern Regional go for 2010? It gives me great pleasure to announce the Geechee Gunfighters will host the SASS Southeastern Regional. The Geechee Gun Fighters have presented the Shootout at Givhans Ferry, the South Carolina SASS State Championship, for the past 14 years and have done a wonderful job. The new regional match will have a new name but still retain Givhans Ferry as part of its heritage. The dates for the match will be the same weekend as the state match, November 11-14, 2010.

I am sure you will not want to miss the first SASS Regional held in South Carolina and join me in being a part of this great match. I hope to see you in coastal South Carolina for some good seafood and good shooting.

The Passing of the Shootout At Mule Camp

2010-02-04T06:49:00.000-08:00

The Shootout at Mule Camp is no more. It is with great sadness that I inform you that the Shootout At Mule Camp will not be held this year. I was just informed yesterday of the final decision.

I would like to congratulate all that have help put this match on for the last fourteen years. It took a lot of sweat and tears to put this match on for fourteen years and it has been one of the most successful matches in SASS history. Mule Camp was the match that other regionals we patterned after and it will be missed.

The Shootout At Mule Camp has always been close to my heart because I help get it started and it was home.

Unfortunately the match has come to an end but the SASS SOUTHEASTERN REGIONAL WILL CONTINUE ON. I have already contacted a couple of clubs that may be a good fit.

SASS will make an announcement shortly as to where the Southeastern Regional will move.

Again CONGRATULATIONS to all that put forth the effort so that so many could have fun.

Coyote

Shooting USA's Scoutten Shooting Cowboy Action

2010-02-03T08:29:00.000-08:00

Sighting In With Shooting USA - The Wartrace Regulators
Tonight Shooting USA is at a local SASS club, the Wartrace Regulators in Tennessee. It's a monthly gathering of friends who enjoy Cowboy Action Shooting on one of the best local ranges yet constructed. Then we shoot the match for great fun, but definitely not for great shooting. Plus the really big guns for muzzle-loading from Friendship, Indiana. More Info...

Wednesday on Outdoor Channel

The Shooting USA Hour Block:

* Eastern Time: 4:00 PM, 8:00PM, 12:00 Midnight
* Central Time: 3:00 PM, 7:00PM, 11:00 PM
* Mountain Time: 2:00 PM, 6:00PM, 10:00 PM
* Pacific Time: 1:00 PM, 5:00PM, 9:00 PM

Contact:
Jim Scoutten JimScoutten@ShootingUSA.com

Fun Friday Video

2009-12-18T05:46:00.000-08:00

This is defiantly a Fun Friday Video. Watch and enjoy. Have a great weekend.

Supreme Court Refuses to Hear Case Against Gun Maker

2009-12-17T11:59:00.000-08:00

NEWTOWN, Conn. -- The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday handed Beretta U.S.A. and the firearms industry another victory by rejecting the Brady Center's appeal of Adames v. Beretta U.S.A. Corporation challenging the constitutionality of the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act (PLCAA).

The PLCAA is the 2005 federal law passed by Congress in response to the flood of reckless lawsuits brought by the Brady Center on behalf of anti-gun mayors seeking to hold members of the firearms industry liable for the criminal or unlawful misuse of their products.

This is now the third time this year the Supreme Court has denied a challenge to the PLCAA backed by the Brady Center. In March 2009, the Brady Center was also involved in the appeals of Lawson v. Beretta and City of New York v. Beretta, both of which the Supreme Court refused to hear. Monday's Supreme Court decision in the Adames case is another stinging setback to the Brady Center's failed anti-gun political agenda to destroy the individual right of Americans to keep and bear arms -- a right the Supreme Court declared last year in Heller was protected by the Second Amendment.

The Adames lawsuit was filed by the Brady Center on behalf of a family seeking to hold Beretta responsible for the tragic shooting death of their son, caused solely by the criminal acts of a teenage boy who gained unauthorized access to his father's unsecured service pistol. The case was originally dismissed by a Chicago trial court, subsequently reinstated in part by the Illinois Court of Appeals, and then ultimately found to be barred under the PLCAA by the Illinois Supreme Court. By its decision yesterday, the Supreme Court found it unnecessary to consider the Illinois Supreme Court's well-reasoned decision that held the PLCAA was both constitutional and clearly applicable to this lawsuit.

Representing Beretta in the case was Craig Livingston of the Livingston Law Firm, who after being notified of the Supreme Court's rejection of the appeal remarked, "And so ends a long legal battle -- from the trial court in Chicago, through the Illinois appellate courts, and all the way up to the U.S. Supreme Court -- which served only to confirm what has been known since May 5, 2001, namely that this tragic shooting death was caused not by any defect in a Cook County Corrections Officer's Beretta pistol, but rather by its reckless misuse on that fateful day by his teenage son."

Lawrence G. Keane, senior vice president and general counsel of the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF), the trade association for the firearms industry, applauded yesterday's Supreme Court rejection of the Brady Center's appeal, stating, "Frivolous and unsupported lawsuits such as Adames that attempt to force manufacturers of firearms to pay for the crimes of others over whom they have no control are precisely what the PLCAA is designed to stop."

For more information, log on to www.nssf.org.

New PBS Special on Wyatt Earp

2009-12-15T06:02:00.000-08:00

The story of Wyatt Earp and the shootout near the OK Corral has certainly been treated many times. Well, get ready for one more time. However, of interest to SASS members is the fact that several members of the Single Action Shooting Society were brought in to help with this production. The show AMERICAN EXPERIENCE: WYATT EARP will air on PBS Television at 9pm (check local listings) January 25, 2010.

The program was written, produced, and directed by New York filmmaker Rob Rapley who was involved in creating films for television including last years American Experience productions on Native American history. Rapley also wrote, produced, and directed the PBS film Buffalo Bill. PBS has also done Wild West biographies on Jesse James, Annie Oakley, and Kit Carson.

Director Rapley hired Jim Dunham (Kid Rio SASS# 2741) and Odis Flowers (TA Chance SASS # 4072) as firearms handlers for the filming of the gunfight and aftermath. A special ultra speed camera was used to create a super slow motion effect in which the projectiles can actually be seen exiting the muzzles of both Colt Peacemakers and double-barreled shotguns. Because the film people wanted to film live ball ammunition being fired, they contacted SASS personal to make sure it was a safe shoot. The shooting and filming was done on the same sets used for the filming of the movie Tombstone in Mescal, Arizona. This worked out fine for Odis and his wife Judy (Mist Chance SASS# 15392) who live in Tucson, but Dunham had to fly in from Atlanta, Georgia. A backstop of alfalfa hay bails three deep and three high was used for the firing, and of course the crew or anyone was not allowed anywhere downrange. Some very interesting special effects were used, especially to create the shooting of Morgan Earp the evening of March 18, 1882 through a glass window of Campbell and Hatch’s Tombstone billiard parlor. To make this scene work the shot was made through Hollywood breakaway glass (candy glass) using wax bullets of the kind used in Fast Draw competitions. Odis and Jim used their own guns and ammunition and the costumes were provided by nearby Old Tucson Studios.

Dunham was also used as an Old West history authority in the “talking head” section of the film and he shares time with a number of top Earp historians including Casey Tefertiller who wrote the fine Earp biography “Wyatt Earp, The Life Behind the Legend” John Wiley & Sons, 1997 and Gary Roberts who has written the definitive biography of Georgia dentist turned shootist, John Henry Holliday, “Doc Holliday, The Life and Legend” Wiley Press, 2006.

Since the early 1930s, beginning with Walter Huston in “Law and Order” through Kevin Costner in “Wyatt Earp,” the famous Tombstone street fight has been told mostly through the lens of myth. Our hope is this latest effort will bring us closer to the real story.

Jim Dunham
Director of Special Projects
Booth Western Art Museum
Cartersville, Georgia

NEW SASS WILD BUNCH WEB SITE

2009-12-11T09:43:00.000-08:00

SASS unveiled today the all new SASS Wild Bunch Action Shooting Web Site. The site is dedicated to SASS Wild Bunch Action Shooting. The hottest game in town. It has up to date information on SASS sanctioned Wild Bunch matches, the latest rules and information on the game in general.

The site can be reached in two different ways. First by going to the SASS Home Page and clicking the link for SASS Wild Bunch Shooting on the left navigation bar or by simply going to www.wildbunch.net.

For more information on sponsor links on the page or sanctioned matches call the SASS Office at 877-411-SASS (7277)

Outdoor Channel at the SASS Convention.

2009-12-10T14:21:00.000-08:00

The Eighth SASS Convention and Wild West Christmas took place at the Riviera Hotel and Convention Center in Las Vegas, December 3-6, 2009. This annual event bring together all that is Cowboy Action Shooting in an arena presented to showcase everything imaginable pertaining to the fastest growing shooting sport in the world. Many, many thanks to Tupelo Flash and Marshal Halloway and the Outdoor Chanel for giving you this look at the 8th Annual SASS Convention and Wild West Christmas.

A Look At The SASS Convention

The SASS Indoor World Championship of Cowboy Action Shooting

2009-12-10T11:36:00.000-08:00

The SASS Indoor World Championship of Cowboy Action Shooting is a three-day, nine stage shooting competition to be held during the Annual SASS Convention and Wild West Christmas at the Riviera Hotel in Las Vegas. Competitors shoot provided firearms and wax bullets at steel targets in a variety of Cowboy Action Shooting scenarios. Competitors are assigned to posses that will shoot in one of three shifts and shoot three consecutive stages per day, Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Awards are presented on Sunday at the Convention Hall Stage.

The 2009 Overall Champions this year are Hank Hills, shooting in the 49er category, and Heather Hills, shooting in the Cowgirl category. A complete list of scores may be found by downloading the following files from the links below.

Scores By Category

Scores By Overall

Territorial Governors Vote for No Change in 2010

2009-12-09T07:55:00.000-08:00

During two days of meetings in Las Vegas at the 8^th Annual SASS Convention and Wild West Christmas the SASS Territorial Governors discussed the SASS Agenda Items that lay before them. There were 154 Territorial Governors present carrying 332 total votes including proxies. After all was said and done the Territorial Governors were clear they wanted no changes for 2010. None of the agenda items collected the 66.66% or the 2/3’s majority needed to pass the item. Below is a list of how the voting went.

Keynote Speaker at the SASS Convention

2009-11-20T07:51:00.000-08:00

Ronald Schmeits, the current president of the National Rifle Association of America will deliver the Keynote Address at the SASS Convention. The keynote address will be delivered at opening ceramonies on Thursday morning, December 3rd at the Top of the Riv.

A New Mexico resident, Schmeits has been an NRA Life Member for more than 20 years and a Benefactor Member since 2005. Elected to the NRA Board of Directors in the fall of 2000, he currently serves as chairman of the Finance Committee, chairman of the Meeting Site Selection Committee, and chairman of the Task Force on Industry Relations. In addition, he serves as chairman of the Board of Trustees for the NRA Whittington Center, a 33,300-acre premiere shooting and hunting facility in Raton, New Mexico.

Schmeits is a member of the NRA Heritage Society, a committed supporter and sponsor of Friends of NRA and an active member of a variety of civic groups and community service organizations, including Elks and Rotary. A recreational shooter, an advocate of all competitive shooting disciplines and an avid hunter of all species, he is a Life Member of the Whittington Center Gun Club; a Founding Member of the New Mexico Wildlife Foundation, and a member of the Single Action Shooting Society, the Amateur Trapshooting Association, Ducks Unlimited, the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, Missouri Valley Arms Collectors Association and the Boy Scouts of America’s Philmont Inspection Team.

Long active in politics, Schmeits worked closely with New Mexico’s governor and legislature to pass the Concealed Handgun Carry Act of 2003. He has served on the Governor’s Business Advisory Committee under four different administrations – both Republican and Democrat – and he continues to maintain a personal and professional relationship with Governor Bill Richardson on various issues relating to Second Amendment rights, water distribution, investments and business. He was appointed by the governor to serve as director of the U.S.- Canadian River Compact Commission, which controls water flowage from northeastern New Mexico within the state and into Oklahoma and Texas. From 1976 to 1980, he served as mayor of Jordan, Minnesota.

Schmeits now serves as president, CEO and director of International Bank in Raton, New Mexico; CEO and chairman of the board of International Bank, Trinidad, Colorado; chairman of the board and director of Farmers and Stockmens Bank in Clayton, New Mexico; and vice president and director of Raton Capital Corporation in Raton, New Mexico. He is a past president and current member of the New Mexico Bankers Association, a past president and member of the Raton Chamber of Commerce and director of the University of New Mexico Foundation Finance Committee.

A Nebraska native, Schmeits attended the University of Nebraska and holds an MBA in bank management from Rutgers University.

Special Announcement from Roy Rogers Jr.

2009-11-11T09:15:00.000-08:00

I have been personally agonizing over how to start this letter. I guess I will start by saying thank you. Thank you for the years of love, support, prayers and loyalty to the Rogers Family. You, the fans, and our Board of Directors, are the ones who have kept our family's museum going for over 42 years. It has been a wonderful ride. After millions of visitors and countless stories of what Roy and Dale have meant to you, the Board of Directors have voted to close our doors of the Museum at the end of 2009. This has not been an easy decision. Many very emotional and financial issues have been addressed by all of us, as you can well imagine.

The decision to close the Museum has come after two years of steady decline in visitors to the Museum. A lot of factors have made our decision for us. The economy for one, people are just not traveling as much. Dad's fans are getting older, and concerned about their retirement funds. Everyone is concerned about their future in this present economy. Secondly, with our high fiscal obligations we cannot continue to accumulate debt to keep the doors open. This situation is one I have not wanted to happen. Dad always said - "If the museum starts costing you money, then liquidate everything and move on." Myself and my family have tried to hold together the Museum and collection for over 15 years, so it is very difficult to think that it will all be gone soon.

What will happen to Roy Rogers, Jr and his family? For those of you that have heard I am retiring, nothing could be farther from the truth. My company, Golden Stallion, and its show tribute to Roy and Dale, will continue. I plan on taking the show to another venue in Branson. We are looking for space now. The show will also be available to travel around the country and take the message of Roy and Dale wherever we travel. I feel that this country needs the message that Roy and Dale always put forth, not only in their professional lives, but in their private lives as well.

The Museum's last day of operation will be December 12th. We want everyone to have the opportunity to visit the Museum one last time to see the collection in its entirety. This will be your last chance to see Roy and Dale's collection. Tell your friends and encourage them to come, before we close. This will be your final chance!!

Please keep us in your thoughts and prayers. Remember, Roy Rogers and Dale Evans will live forever in our hearts and minds, and will continue to ride across the silver screen through their movies. Every time you think of Roy and Dale, that warm feeling you have always felt, will always return.

Watch our website for further announcements and special dates.

I leave you all with Dad's favorite saying- Good bye, Good luck, and may the good Lord take a likin' to ya! See you in Branson, or on the road.

Love to all of you!
Happy Trails.
Dusty and Family

This item is a reprint from Smoke Signals the news letter of High Noon Western Americana.

Members Only Updates

2009-11-02T10:33:00.000-08:00

New Action Shooting Tip and Two New Mounted Shooting Tips were added today. We will continue to add new shooting tip every week. Also, all of the END of Trail Stages from 2002 to 2009 are now on line as well as some great plans for props that can be use in Action Shooting Matches. Hope you enjoy.

The November eCowboy Chronicle

2009-10-29T14:14:00.000-07:00

The November eCowboy Chronicle is now on-line in the Members Only section of the SASS Web Site. I have also add a few new props this week along with the END of TRAIL Stages for 2008 and 2009. I will be adding a new shooting tip video on Monday along with some new mounted videos next week as well. Enjoy

The Circle of Safety

2009-10-22T12:50:00.001-07:00

Below are parts 1 and part 2 of a video made to demonstrate the the Circle of Safety concept. This is an agenda item at the Territorial Governor's Summit this year. Thanks to Black Jack Zack, EZ Shot and others that help put this together. This demonstrates the concept so Territorial Governors and clubs can make up their mind on how to vote for the agenda item. Also, the time is now to register for the SASS Convention. Sign up here.

PART 1

PART 2

SASS Members Only Web Page Opens Today.

2009-10-19T06:52:00.000-07:00

The long awaited SASS Members Only Web Page Opens today.

The site is full of shooting tip videos, mounted videos along with back issues of the SASS Chronicle, how-to's on making props, member news and our new on-line Cowboy Chronicle.

I think members will find this to be a spot they will visit often. We will be up loading new shooing tips at least once a week and up loading more back issues of the Cowboy Chronicle along with more props, stages and other file to help with monthly matches.

The new on-line version of the Cowboy Chronicle will have hyper-links to advertisers that will you directly to there web site. The on-line Cowboy Chronicle will be a very visual experence that members are sure to like.

Stop by and check it out at http://members.sassnet.com

SASS Cowboy Action Shooting Tip - Drawing from a Straight Hang holster

2009-10-16T06:00:00.000-07:00

It is Friday and Long Hunter discusses drawing from a Straight Hang Holster. This concludes the week-long Shooting Tips on my blog. But, Monday the all new SASS "Members Only " web site opens and there will be at least one new shooting tip each week. Along with the all new on-line edition of the "Cowboy Chronicle." So log in Monday and check out all the new items in the "Members Only" web site.

SASS Cowboy Action Shooting Tips - Timers

2009-10-15T06:00:00.000-07:00

Here is your daily tip leading up to the opening of the new SASS MEMBERS ONLY Site. Long Hunter discusses how important it is to practice with a timer. Check back tomorrow for another new tip and remember the new Members Only Web Site opens on Monday, October 19th.

California Governor Signs Severe Ammunition Restrictions

2009-10-14T15:21:00.001-07:00

NEW LAW REQUIRES RETAILERS TO KEEP LOG OF AMMO BUYERS . . . California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, flip-flopping on legislation he vetoed five years ago, has signed into law legislation (AB 962) that will require retailers to keep a log of ammunition buyers. "Earlier on Sunday, the governor vetoed a piece of firearms legislation, SB 41, far less burdensome to retailers than AB 962, stating it was too cumbersome and of no real value to law enforcement," said NSSF Senior Vice President and General Counsel Lawrence G. Keane. "Ironically, this is the same reason the governor used to veto ammunition registration in 2004, before he flip-flopped late Sunday night." NSSF and the California Association of Firearms Retailers were highly critical of the governor's decision to sign the bill.

SASS Tip Of The Week - Long Hunter Discusses Revolver Grip

2009-10-14T06:00:00.000-07:00

It is Wednesday and Long Hunter discusses how important your grip is to shooting your revolver. Check back tomorrow for another new tip and remember the new Members Only Web Site opens on Monday, October 19th.

SASS Tip Of The Week - Long Hunter Discusses Body Position

2009-10-13T06:00:00.000-07:00

Here is Shooting Tip #2. Long Hunter discusses how important your body position is to shooting well. Remember we will have a new tip every day this week leading up to the opening of the new Members Only Web Site on Monday, October 19th.

Members Only Shooting Tips - Sight Alignment

2009-10-12T06:00:00.000-07:00

As promised here is the first shooting tip. It is from Long Hunter and discusses proper sight alignment. Remember we will have a new tip every day this week leading up to the opening of the new Members Only Web Site on Monday, October 19th.