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It was called a turkey shoot, but the targets were pigeons and the prizes were chickens, hams, and bacon.

Between 35-40 people participated in the Plains Trap Club Spring Turkey Shoot Saturday, competing in 48 squads of seven different classes of competition – ladies, junior, doubles, mixed, buddy shoot, Annie Oakley, and the final event of the day, the "5X40."

"This is the toughest one here," said Plains resident James Jermyn of the 5X40 contest. Each person put $5 into the kitty and took five shots from 40 yards. The shooter with the most hits took the money. However, if the highest score was a tie, all shooters put another $5 into the pot and went again. Fourteen people signed up for the first round, including Helen Durgin, the only woman, and A.J. Jermyn, 16, the only junior.

Henry Miller of Hamilton won by hitting three of five times. Joe Buchanan of Hot Springs, and Barry Gilpin and Tanner Colombo, both of Plains, hit two of five. In the second round, five of the seven shooters hit the clay birds twice, resulting in a second try for all, which saw Ansel Pedersen of Plains winning with two strikes.

The turkey shoot ran from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and included participants from Plains, Paradise, Hot Springs, Thompson Falls, and Hamilton. Each event cost $4 to enter, except for doubles, which was $8. Shooters ranged from 11-year-old Tyler Lyscio to an 80-year-old Plains man. Cindi Gallagher, one of the competition coordinators, said there were fewer shooters than usual; she believed the bad weather was to blame. Throughout the day, shooters had to content with snow, rain and wind, and oftentimes a combination of snow and rain, but always wind.

Seven women, including four juniors, participated in the competition. In addition, eight members of the South Side Sparks 4-H club competed. "The kids had a great time and they're good shots," said Mike Blake, who started the 4-H shooting program six years ago. The 4-H'ers captured a dozen prizes. Cody Hanson nabbed the most with seven prizes.

Cookie Kunzer, the chief organizer of the event, gave away 24 hams, 24 chickens, and 64 packs of bacon by the time the competition was over.

In the first Annie Oakley competition, which began with 24 shooters, three of the four finalists were juniors, including Cody Hanson, 15, Austin Hanson, 13, and Cade Stinnett, 15. The adult winner was Allen Richards.

In the Annie Oakley contest, shooters lined up and shot three at a time. If the first shooter hit the target, the other two competed with the next one or ones in line. If one or two of the three missed and the third got the bird, the first two were out. The competition continued until it was down to the final four or five, depending on the number of shooters.

Ed Moreth

TAKING AIM – Lance Schoeman zeroes in on a clay bird during the Plains Trap Club Spring Turkey Shoot. He won.

Competitors ranged from novice to veteran shooters and most signed up for multiple squads. Barry Gilpin, who helped build the trap clubhouse, started competitive shooting in 1971 and has taken home countless prizes from throughout Montana. Jermyn, a veteran trap competitor, started with the club in 2002 and travels around Montana. His son, A.J., has been competing for four years. "I only let him compete against adults because of the caliber of shooter he is," said James.

The clay pigeons are 4 3/16 of an inch wide and travel 40-45 mph, randomly leaving the trap house left, right or straight. Shooters Saturday said the wind was constantly pushing the birds downward.

The next Plains Trap Club competition is the Hack 'n' Blast, which includes shooting and golfing, and is scheduled for May 19. The Tom Kunzer Memorial Shoot is slated for June 16-17 and the Bruce Frye Memorial Shoot will take place Aug. 4-5.