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#465261 - 11/04/08 08:48 PM Birthday sporting clays
JTD Offline
River Nutrients

Registered: 03/08/99
Posts: 3007
Loc: Browns Point,Wa. USA
My son, Jake had a birthday on Halloween that was spend with his mother. So this morning I drove over and waited in the driveway for him to leave for school. When he came out I told him I was driving him to school for his birthday present which he bought- maybe he was not awake yet? So I drive him to school, which I NEVER do and proceed to continue the swing through the parking lot and back out to the exit. He got a little excited like I had lost my mind when I told him he wasn't going to school today. He at first was worried that his mom didn't know but calmed down soon enough.

For the next hour and a half he tried to guess where we were headed, he actually made a list that included guesses like bungee jumping (as if!), making raisins (?), golfing (again I have no idea where that came from), bowling, paintballing, rock climbing, squid fishing and waterskiing. Six months ago which was the first and only time he had shot clays before, he had said it was one of the best days of his life. So that was one of my clues- you said it was one of the best days of your life. That still didn't help... the whole guessing game did make the two hour drive to Sequim shorter though.

If you shoot clays at all and haven't been to Sunnydell, you are missing out. the stations are set up more like games than just hunting situations and Chuck and Matt Dryke are excellent coaches and patient hosts. Matt now has helped Jake with his shooting twice- it isn't everyday you get an Olympic Gold Medalist as a personal shooting coach. I am pretty sure that Matt is half of the reason Jake wanted to go back there specifically.

For the next four hours we burned twenty two boxes of shells between us and honestly had an excellent day. I have a few picts to share- not exactly hunting per se for this forum but until he finishes hunter ed it is as close as we can get. Next year for sure!


Attachments
38.jpg

Description: Arrival!

39.jpg

Description: Jake is ready- he is using an Ithaca SXS that was given to me as my first gun

40.jpg

Description: A quail course- like a standard trap range but the trap is underneath the platform and ocillates so it is unpredictable left and right

41.jpg

Description: I am taking targets from nine houses surrounding this pond. Half if not more of the traps also oscillate so targets and doulbe combinations are probably infinite

42.jpg

Description: Jake is on a target coming off the ramp- the picture is small but you might be able to see it just over the water


_________________________
In the legend of King Arthur, the Fisher King was a renowned angler whose errant ways caused him to be struck dumb in the presence of the sacred chalice. I am no great fisherman, and a steelhead is not the covenant of Christ, but with each of these fish I am rendered speechless.

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#465264 - 11/04/08 08:56 PM Re: Birthday sporting clays [Re: JTD]
JTD Offline
River Nutrients

Registered: 03/08/99
Posts: 3007
Loc: Browns Point,Wa. USA
There are another six or so stations I didn't get pictures of-
The Bus Station- mostly high incomers and long crossers.
The Bat and the Rat- a Black rabbit and a black midi scream out of a culvert and you shoot down on them off of a shed roof.
Ground Hogs- There is a huge pile of dirt and you only get a glimpse of the target before it is blocked from view and a NARROW window to break it when it flies out.
Quail and Rabbit- Just as named- singles and doulbes of each.
There are a couple more that to my knowledge are not named. Jake loved a tower platform overlooking seven traps surrounding what looks like a meadow.


I just want to say- Thank you Chuck and Matt! I suspect Jake has caught this bug and it will be a ghost to chase for the rest of his life.
_________________________
In the legend of King Arthur, the Fisher King was a renowned angler whose errant ways caused him to be struck dumb in the presence of the sacred chalice. I am no great fisherman, and a steelhead is not the covenant of Christ, but with each of these fish I am rendered speechless.

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#465273 - 11/04/08 09:35 PM Re: Birthday sporting clays [Re: JTD]
seastrike Offline
Hey Man....It's cool...

Registered: 08/18/02
Posts: 4242
Loc: seattle
Great birthday present from dad! I agree the Drykes rule. I need to get back out there.

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#465767 - 11/06/08 01:28 PM Re: Birthday sporting clays [Re: seastrike]
Irie Offline
River Nutrients

Registered: 11/26/06
Posts: 4317
Loc: South Sound
Looks like fun! I'll have to check it out!

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#465788 - 11/06/08 02:29 PM Re: Birthday sporting clays [Re: Irie]
jadeball1 Offline
Smolt

Registered: 06/20/08
Posts: 90
Loc: poulsbo, wa
Thats sweet! cant wait to get junior up there myself. Do they have discounts for junior instruction? I see its 300 bones for half a day. Not sure if I am ready to dish that kind of money out for lessons quite yet.
_________________________
What we need is more cow bell

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#465798 - 11/06/08 02:59 PM Re: Birthday sporting clays [Re: jadeball1]
snit Offline
Three Time Spawner

Registered: 03/08/99
Posts: 1817
Loc: Wenatchee, WA
WAY KEWL!!!! Good for you guys! I used to shoot alot of trap "back in the day", and when I tried out for the Olympic squad that's where I first learned to shoot bunker. Chuck is a CLASS ACT!!!!!!
_________________________
..."the clock looked at me just like the devil in disguise"...

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#465962 - 11/06/08 08:36 PM Re: Birthday sporting clays [Re: snit]
JTD Offline
River Nutrients

Registered: 03/08/99
Posts: 3007
Loc: Browns Point,Wa. USA
Irie- It is definitely a lot of fun. My efforts of description don't do justice to the energy these guys put into making it a great experience! Do yourself a favor!

Jadeball- If the money for instruction is too much just go shoot for the day. You can coach you son yourself and just pay for clays which was six dollars for each box of shells you use- definitely reasonable. That said- if someone spent three hundred dollars on me at say fourteen, I would be remarkably better now, a different shooter even. Bad habits are easier prevented than trained away. Two of the guys I normally shoot with spent the money for lessons with Chuck himself. They did that because I was consistently beating them on a standard course. Well now those two "cheaters" blow me away and the difference/ improvement was amazing.

Snit- I agree. Class is a good choice of words for these guys. Of all the clubs I have visited, maybe a dozen or so from Nevada, California and Washington, this is the most relaxed, most realistic and by far the most fun. I find it frustrating when a clays course is set up with nothing but long crossers. A typical score for me would be 65 to 77 maybe depending on who knows what (?) but you go to one of these clubs that cater to the pros and my score drops to the 40s maybe. I don't shoot professionally obviously and I was never in the Olympics but of all the courses I have been lucky enough to shoot, this is by far the best.

For sure it was a lot of fun for both of us. I can't think of what else we could have done that would have been more fun or turned out better.
_________________________
In the legend of King Arthur, the Fisher King was a renowned angler whose errant ways caused him to be struck dumb in the presence of the sacred chalice. I am no great fisherman, and a steelhead is not the covenant of Christ, but with each of these fish I am rendered speechless.

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#466300 - 11/07/08 07:13 PM Re: Birthday sporting clays [Re: JTD]
Coho Offline
River Nutrients

Registered: 03/09/99
Posts: 2566
Loc: Muk
Good Job Dad!

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#466891 - 11/10/08 08:42 PM Re: Birthday sporting clays [Re: Coho]
RowVsWade Offline
River Nutrients

Registered: 11/08/06
Posts: 3359
Loc: Island Time
Chuck, Mike and Ellen are old friends of ours and are top notch people. They have an awesome facility and are great hosts. They are the reason we have an one of their English Spaniels.

Cool way to spend a B-day.
_________________________
"...the pool hall I loved as a kid is now a 7-11..."

If you don't like our prices bring your wife down and we'll dicker.

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#467062 - 11/11/08 05:37 PM Re: Birthday sporting clays [Re: RowVsWade]
NOFISH Offline
River Nutrients

Registered: 03/15/00
Posts: 2952
Loc: Olalla, WA
Do any of you guys know if that gunsmith is still there at Dryke's? My old man has an old Browning autoloader I'd like to get cleaned up professionally for him.

+1 on the quality of this facility! Bucket took me up there once, and just hanging out in the clubhouse and BS'ing was fun!
_________________________
Does anyone know where the love of God goes when the waves turn the minutes to hours......Gordon Lightfoot

Damn Stam!
Remember, Ask yourself "What would Stam do?" smile

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#467074 - 11/11/08 06:21 PM Re: Birthday sporting clays [Re: NOFISH]
JTD Offline
River Nutrients

Registered: 03/08/99
Posts: 3007
Loc: Browns Point,Wa. USA
RvW- I have a Springer also- they are great dogs. Mine came from Arizona but the stud was from Olympia and is a National Field Trial Champion. I have never run my dog in a trial but after watching a few I bet she is better than half of those in the Masters class. She is steady to flush now but I don't hold her for steady to shot- it sometimes works out as an advantage on a cripple and it never seemed important to me.

Nofish- The gunsmith is open, he just finished replacing one of the firing pins in my son's Ithaca.
_________________________
In the legend of King Arthur, the Fisher King was a renowned angler whose errant ways caused him to be struck dumb in the presence of the sacred chalice. I am no great fisherman, and a steelhead is not the covenant of Christ, but with each of these fish I am rendered speechless.

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#467268 - 11/12/08 01:39 PM Re: Birthday sporting clays [Re: JTD]
cowlitzkiller Offline
Spawner

Registered: 09/21/05
Posts: 829
Loc: on the water
Looks like a Lot of Fun..
_________________________
NOW BOOKING: 2018 Spring salmon and winter Steelhead!!!! I also have great Alaskan adventure packages, Contact me for details,
www.wcafish.com 360 219 3863

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