May 15, 2013 (Washington, DC) – The Republican team of marksmen outdueled their Democratic counterparts yesterday at the Congressional Shoot-Out held at the Prince George’s County Trap and Skeet Center in Glenn Dale, Maryland.
A record bipartisan turnout of Congressional Sportsmen’s Caucus (CSC) members put partisanship aside to enjoy a friendly competition shooting rounds of trap, skeet and sporting clays.
“The bipartisan members of the CSC are committed to protecting and advancing the sportsmen’s heritage in the halls of Congress. This year’s event set a record for CSC member’s attendance, solidifying their commitment to sportsmen and women,” Jeff Crane, President of the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation (CSF) stated.
Current CSC Co-Chair and team captain Representative Bob Latta (R-OH) was joined by his co-captain, CSC Vice-Chair Representative Rob Wittman (R-VA) as they accepted the trophy on behalf of team Republican, who edged out the Democrats by a score of 242 to 201 to take the Member Trophy for a second consecutive year. Team Democrat was lead by current CSC Co-Chair, Representative Bennie Thompson (D-MS) and Vice-Chair, Representative Tim Walz (D-MN).
CSC Co-Chair Rep. Bob Latta expressed his passion for the outdoors and the importance of the CSC. “The shoot-out is a great opportunity to highlight the issues that are important to the outdoor community, while at the same time coming together to promote effective bipartisan collaboration on these crucial issues.” CSC Co-Chair Bennie Thompson also addressed the crowd, “This is a special event that allows the bipartisan members of the CSC to enjoy the great outdoors and compete in a friendly competition.”
In the individual category, Representative Jeff Duncan (R-SC) was named the overall Top Gun Member of Congress. The Top Gun from team Democrat was Representative Collin Peterson (D-MN) and the Top Gun from team Republican was Representative John Kline (R-MN). The Top Skeet shooter was Representative Bill Huizenga (R-MI); Representative Steve Southerland (R-FL) won the Top Trap competition and Representative Steve Pearce (R-NM) won Top Sporting Clays.
Also in attendance were members of the sportsmen’s community who competed in three categories: Elite, Experienced and Beginner. In the Elite Category, Jamie Gray of USA Shooting won Top Skeet; Randy Moeller of Cabela’s won Top Trap; Charlie Conger of Remington won Top Sporting Clays and Frank Thompson of USA Shooting was awarded Top Gun.
In the Experienced Category, Chairman of the CSF Board of Directors, Bob Model won Top Skeet honors; Bill Poole of the National Rifle Association (NRA) won the Top Trap award; Dawson Hobbs of the Wine and Spirits Wholesalers Association (WSWA) won Top Sporting Clays, Drew Goodlin of ATK won the Top Gun honors and Brielle Eaton of Cabela’s won Top Gun in the Female Category. In the Beginners Category, Libby Yranski of American Sportfishing Association and Jeff Werner of Daimler won Top Beginners honors.
On Monday, CSF also hosted the annual Industry Challenge at Prince George’s County Trap and Skeet Center, which coincides every year with the Congressional Shoot-Out. The First Place Team was team Remington made up of Charlie Conger, Ryan Cleckner and Kris Carson. Second Place was team Cabela’s/USA Shooting made up of Randy Moeller, Frank Thompson and Jamie Gray. Third Place went to team ATK which included: Drew Goodlin, Ryan Bronson and Forrest Wilson.
In the Elite Category of the competition; Randy Moeller of Cabela’s won Top Skeet; Charlie Conger of Remington won Top Trap; Frank Thompson of USA Shooting won Top Sporting Clays and Scott Robertson of the Outdoor Channel won the Top Gun honors.
In the Experienced Category, Ben Carter of Dallas Safari Club won Top Skeet; Ryan Cleckner of Remington won Top Trap; John Winters of Bass Pro Shops won Top Sporting Clays and Jens Krogh of Benelli took home the Top Gun honors.
Title Sponsors of the Congressional Shoot-Out were Alpha Natural Resources, ATK, Hornady Manufacturing and Outdoor Channel.
The Host Sponsors were Cabela’s, Cabela’s Outdoor Fund, NRA, National Shooting Sports Foundation, Remington and Winchester Ammunition.
Co-Hosts were Amgen, Anheuser-Busch, Ash Grove Cement Company, Bass Pro Shops, the Boone & Crockett Club, Carpenters’ District Council of Greater St. Louis and Vicinity, Coca-Cola Company, CropLife America, Dallas Safari Club, Diageo, Exxon Mobil, Hearing Industries Association, JC Larkin Company, L.L.C., National Pork Producers Council, Old Virginia Tobacco, Oracle, Richard Childress Racing, Safari Club International, Shimano, Sports South L.L.C., Swab-Its, White Flyer and Yamaha.
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?
