Celebrating Independence Day

“Please rise for the playing of the National Anthem,” a voice over the speaker system said. “Oh, say can you see . . . . .”

This started the events at the Eau Claire Rod and Gun Club two Saturdays ago on the first of the two Independence Day weekends. A fitting start, and a nice touch on the part of the staff from the gun club.

A reminder that the week of Independence Day holds far more importance than a day off, cookouts, and fireworks. A reminder that all of those Americans that signed the Declaration of Independence paid a huge price and made huge sacrifices. A reminder that the struggle for independence from tyranny saw many sacrifices of great proportions and that many involved gave all, so that we today live in a country based upon freedoms.

By reading this, you pay honor to one of those freedoms granted by the Constitution, and those that shot with us two weekends ago honored a couple more.

The Eau Claire Rod and Gun Club hosted the Chippewa Valley Chapter of the Ruffed Grouse Society 2024 Conservation Shoot for habitat at their range. The event allowed shooters to shoot trap, skeet, and 5-Stand clay games. Shooters ranged in age from teens to retirees, male and female, and with young children watching their mother’s shoot.

The chapter members working with their sponsors like Leinenkugel’s, Purina, and Woods and Meadows Sporting Clays started the process of protecting habitat for countless species of wildlife and wild places. This fall and next spring projects start with funds raised by events like this. Protecting rural habitats for generations to come.

That’s the reason you hold an event like this. Its not the reason people come to it. People come to have a good time. A good time shooting at and breaking clay targets – one shooter broke 142 out of 150 clay targets. People come to have a good time with friends and make new friends. And the fun of maybe winning some loot on a raffle makes it a touch more exciting. People come to enjoy themselves.

Friends came to shoot with friends from a long ways away and to spend time together. Our group of friends planned an entire weekend of clays games. One gentlemen spent his morning shooting sporting clays at a side by side classic event held at Woods and Meadows and then drove up to support this event. A nice weekend day for an outdoorsman.

Our small group of friends left the next day’s activities up to the people traveling the furthest. Since one person spent a full day fishing on Michigan the past Monday, he wanted to shoot sporting clays on Sunday. Sunday morning saw us trekking to Woods and Meadows. My commander-in-chief told me she wanted to come along and score for us, and Josh said he wanted to throw for the group. A family day on top of shooting sporting clays. Yet every time I go to a sporting clays range, I see exactly that, a family out shooting sporting clays together, enjoying a great day, laughing, joking, coaching, and a burger and brew after the shooting. We enjoyed one of the best days of sporting clays shooting in a long time. Perfect temperatures, light winds, sunny skies and good friends. Everyone shot well. A couple people on the way home got to watch a heard of elk cross the road. We all saw a range of wildlife deer to turkeys with poults. Geese with goslings, ducks with ducklings, and sandhills with chicks. One guy saw a bear. Clays broke that day. Some when they hit the ground, but we never get them all. At one station, our entire squad swept it – a fairly difficult station. We all felt pretty good and decided to toast the occaision after the shooting.

The next station showed us a pair with a gimme and a difficult target. I missed all three of the gimmes and broke the three hard targets. Just when you think you’re flying high, sporting clays brings you back to the ground. Maybe this means I hit the hard grouse shots this fall.

I turned Monday into a fishing day. The fish hit hard with a south wind and fronts on the way. Got off the lake ahead of the strong winds. Best way to do it.

“And the home of the Brave!” I hope you all enjoyed your Independence Day Celebration!

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CHUCK K OLAR LOCAL OUTDOORSMAN