August 8, 2012 (Washington, DC) – Over two hundred beginner and experienced shooters joined the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation (CSF) for a day of friendly shooting competition at the Prince George’s County Trap and Skeet Center in Glenn Dale, Maryland.
The August Recess Shoot brings Congressional staff together with the outdoor recreational community to enjoy a fun day out of the office with hands on opportunities to shoot skeet, trap and sporting clays. This year’s event had the largest attendance of any prior August Recess Shoot as many new faces joined the CSF for a great day of shooting.
“CSF hosts the August Recess Shoot every year to build interest in the shooting sports and to keep Congressional staffers informed on the importance of the outdoor industry. Events like these showcase how sportsmen and women can come together to enjoy the outdoors and promote our important traditions,” said Jeff Crane, CSF president.
The beginner level shooters took part in one-on-one lessons in firearm safety and shooting skills from the Skeet Center’s professional instructors. The more experienced shooters competed in a series of skeet, trap and sporting clays to determine the best shot.
The top beginner awards were given to Kevin O’Hanlon from Representative Heath Shuler’s office, Casey Smedile from Representative Austin Scott’s office and Nicole Rohr from Representative Mike Thompson’s office.
The top gun for the 2012 August Recess Shoot-Out was Graham Hill of IceMiller Strategies. The Top Gun female award went to Tara Smith from the Senate Agriculture Committee. The top Republican staff shooter was Josh Baggett from Representative Adam Kinzinger’s office and the top Democratic staff shooter was Chris Layloff from Senator Dick Durbin’s office. The top skeet award went to Jason Kratovil from the Independent Community Bankers Association. The top trap award went to Jim Baker of the National Rifle Association and Jared Mott from the Bull Moose Sportsmen’s Alliance won top sporting clay honors.
The 2012 Recess Shoot was sponsored by Alpha Natural Resources, ExxonMobil and Natural Resource Results. The event was hosted by Amgen, ATK, Cabela’s, Ernst & Young, Independent Petroleum Association of America, ITC Holdings, the National Shooting Sports Foundation, the National Rifle Association, Oracle, Remington, Richard Childress Racing, SCI, Shimano, and Winchester. The Shoot was co-hosted by the American Gas Association, Carpenter’s District Council of Greater St. Louis and Vicinity, CropLife, Hearing Industries Association, IceMiller Strategies, and the National Ocean Industries Association.
Studies conducted at both the state and federal level have found that the number of hunters and trappers have been on a generally declining trend over the past several decades. To increase recruitment, retention, and reactivation (R3) of hunters and trappers, which initiative do you think would have the greatest impact?
