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Volume 4, Issue No. 12                                               December, 2006

IS SANTA CLAUS A COWBOY ACTION SHOOTER?

L-R:  Double Eagle, Bad Eye Tom & Deadeye Daisy

Ho-Ho-Ho! Merry Christmas. And it was a Merry Christmas at the Ocoee Rangers’ 4th Annual Christmas Shoot & Family Event. And for a while, we thought Santa was visiting to shoot with us.  Double Eagle saw “Santa” and jogged over to tell him that he’d been a real good boy and expected to be remembered on Christmas. Deadeye Daisy looked skeptical when she heard the comment. Then Bad Eye Tom, the cowboy who looked like Santa, just chuckled.  Evidently, both he and Daisy had doubts about Double Eagle. 

The Christmas Shoot is always special, because lots of cowboys & cowgirls dress a bit more spiffy than usual. And then there are the festivities after the shoot. 52 shooters ventured out to shoot 3 stages.  And the Christmas spirit started there.  Our sponsor, the Cleveland Hunting Rifle and Pistol Club, approved a free shoot for December. And it was also a bit unique because lots of shooters decided to shoot black powder, like Owlhoot Hardin who technically shot Sr. Black Powder Duelist. And the weather  ….. It was absolutely great: sunny and warm.

L-R: Bittercreek Jack, Owlhoot Hardin & Dustin Clays

L-R: Dead Beat & Tin Pot

The Top Gun was Dustin Clays and the Top Cowgirl Shooter was Yazoo City Gal.  The Top 10 Shooters were: (1) Dustin Clays (2) Pleasant (3) Rusty Spur Slim (4) Unpleasant (5) Fiddleback (6) Ocoee Red (7) Polecat Carl (8) Lightning McCoy (9) Barn Scoop and (10) Cool Waters. 2 shooters shot matches with no misses:  Pleasant and Lightning McCoy.  In the Buffalo Shoot, Marshal Too Tall won the Long Range Single Shot Rifle and the .22 Cal. competition and Fast Harley placed 1st in the Long Range Lever Action Rifle Shoot.

SHOOT RESULTS

TOP GUN – Dustin Clays … TOP COWGIRL – Yazoo City Gal … BUFFALO SHOOT – Long Range Single Shot Rifle – Marshal Too Tall … Long Range Lever Action Rife – Fast Harley … .22 Cal – Marshal Too Tall

49er

1. Ocoee Red

Outlaw

1. Marshal Too Tall

NEXT SHOOT – JANUARY 27

The Buffalo Shoot begins 8:00 am. Registration 8:30 am  –  Posse Leader walk-through 9:15 am  – Safety meeting 9:45 am  –  Shooting follows  – All times are Eastern Time.

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The Ocoee Ranger page 2                                                December 2006

2006 Annual Awards Presented At After Shoot Luncheon

After the December Shoot, cowboys and cowgirls got together at the Golden Corral in Cleveland, TN for lunch and after action festivities.  At that function, Ocoee Red presented the 2006 Annual Awards. 

The first award presented was the Annual Spirit of the Game Award. It went to Last Kiss. This award is presented to a cowboy or cowgirl who has consistently demonstrated a positive image on the range and otherwise conducted himself or herself in such manner to be a role model for others. 

L-R: Marshal Too Tall, Ocoee Red and Last Kiss

The 2006 Top Gun Award went to Marshal Too Tall. Dustin Clays received the award as the 2006 Most Accurate Shooter. The 2006 Top Cowgirl Shooter Award was presented to Last Kiss.

Other award winners were as follows:

2006 TOP TEN SHOOTERS – places 2-10

The Top 5 Most Accurate Shooters of 2006 are at right and below

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The Ocoee Ranger page 3                          December 2006

VENDOR SPONSORS OF THE 4TH ANNUAL OCOCEE RANGER CHRISTMAS SHOOT & FAMILY EVENT

PLEASE REMEMBER THESE GOOD FRIENDS WHEN YOU PURCHASE THINGS FOR YOURSELF OR FRIENDS IN 2007.   WHEN ORDERING, PLEASE INCLUDE A BRIEF NOTE THANKING THEM FOR SUPPORTING US.

Brownells, Inc.

200 South Front Street,

Montezuma, Iowa 50171-1000

Phone: 1-800-741-0015

www.brownells.com

Gun parts, cleaning stuff, cowboy gun leather, etc.

West Creation

7916 FM 1241

Hamilton, TX 76531-3129

www.westcreations.com

email: westcreation@htcomp.net

Cowboy kitchen silverware, dinner-ware, glass ware and other western related products

Starline Brass

1300 W. Henry St.,

Sedalia, MO 65301

Phone: 800-280-6660   

Phone: 660-827-6640

FAX: 660-827-6650

info@starlinebrass.com

Top Quality reloading brass.

True West Magazine

P.O. Box 8008

Cave Creek, Arizona 85327

Phone: (408)575-1881

www.TRUEWESTMAGAZINE.COM

Subscriptions!  Call    888-687-1881

RG2 Digital Media

1140 Reynolds St.,

Covington, GA 30014

Mail P.O. Box 628,

Covington, GA 30015

Personal Trading Cards and other professional printing

Shoot! Magazine

7154 W. State Street,

Boise, Idaho 83714

Subscriptions! 

Call  1-800-342-0904

Or:   www.shootmagazine.com

Hamilton Dry Goods

Ron & Donna Hamilton

4075 Roberts Matthews Hwy,

Sparta, TN 38583

Phone – Store: 931-739-6061

Home: 931-528-6061

www.hamiltondrygoods.com

email: hamiltondrygoods@miltipro.com

Cowboy & Civil War Period Clothing and Merchandise

The Fort Western Store

Gene Vergurg

903 Central Ave.,

Nebraska City, Nebraska 68410

Catalog western wear and other items.

Saddlebag Bullets

(Cool Waters)

Randy Gothart

13 Collins St.

Woodville, AL  35776

Phone: 256-776-4909

All popular sizes Hard Cast, Sized & Lubed Bullets. Powder & other reloading supplies

Benton Shooters

Highway 411

Benton, TN  37307

(423) 338-2008

www.Bentonshooters.com

Guns, hunting, fishing – all sporting equipment

Outrider’s Leather Products

Richard J. Leonard

123 Woods Lake Way

Cleveland, TN  37323

Phone: 423-479-8942

Email: Outrider@bellsouth.net

Terry’s Toys

Terry Eischen

6101 Welworth Ave.

East Ridge, TN  37412-3651

Phone: 423-889-9807

Cowboy guns

Coon Dawg

Michael F. Coon

412 Christions Bend Road

Church Hill, TN  37642

Phone: 423-357-1150

Clothing & other items

Other Sponsors

River Bend Rough Riders Cowboy Action Shooting Club

Canton, GA area

Contact:  Sheriff Donald 

Phone: 770 –  607-0794

sheriffdonald@hotmail.com

Pleasant & Dustin Clays

Mesquite Millie & Deadman

OCOEE RANGER CONTACTS – 

Ocoee Red 423-476-5303 ocoeered@charter.net ….. 

Sundance 423-479-8465 jneyman8465@charter.net ….

Pleasant 423-476-6865 pleasant2@charter.net ….

Deadman & Mesquite Millie  770- 889-0934 jedalton@mindspring.com

Horseshoe John .. 706-866-5372  horseshoejohn@bellsouth.net

SHOOT RESULTS – NOVEMBER 2006

SHOOT RESULTS BY CLASS

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Volume 4, Issue No. 11                                 November, 2006

NOVEMBER – THE RANGE WAS COVERED WITH TURKEYS

Attendance was down at this years’ November after Thanksgiving shoot. In each of the 2 previous years, we had 70 shooters, but this year only 51 brave shooters ventured out – and 1 had a family emergency and had to leave.  But for those who participated – it was a warm, sunny, generally terrific day. The shoot was geared toward turkeys. After all, Thanksgiving is associated with turkeys.  And the script writer is a ……, you get the picture.  It was a fun day.

“Is it time to Shoot yet?”  – Roma Jane and Long Gulch listen to possible rules changes during the pre-shoot meeting.

Big, ready to shoot for the turkey. He was a Winner last year.

Each posse had a turkey shoot stage.  Look below and see the turkeys who won the turkeys.

The Top Gun was Marshal Too Tall and the Top Cowgirl Shooter was Last Kiss, shooting gunfighter.  The Top 10 Shooters were: (1) Marshal Too Tall (2) Festus D. Deputy (3) Dustin Clays  (4) Polecat Carl (5) Ocoee Red (6) Pleasant (7) Rusty Spur Slim (8) Cherokee Maddog (9) Horseshoe John and (10) Pyro. 3 shooters shot matches with no misses:  Dustin Clays, Outrider and Marshal Too Tall.  In the Buffalo Shoot, Marshal Too Tall won the Long Range Lever Action Rifle & Single Shot Rifle competition and the .22 Cal. class and Sundance McNeyman placed 1st in the Long Range Pistol Shoot.

Winners of the Turkey Shoots

L – R:  Rawhide Rex, Tennessee Mongo, Polecat Carl and Sheriff Donald

SHOOT RESULTS

TOP GUN – Marshal Too Tall … TOP COWGIRL – Last Kiss …

BUFFALO SHOOT – Long Range Pistol – Sundance McNeyaman … Long Range Single Shot Rifle – Marshal Too Tall … Long Range Lever Action Rife – Marshal Too Tall … .22 Cal – Marshal Too Tall

Outlaw

1. Curly Bill

2. Badlands Beck

3. Rawhide Rex

Wranglers (non shooting award):

Cherokee Maddog, Bittercreek Jack, Sheriff Donald, Fast Harley, Lightning McCoy

Wranglers are folks who put forth extra effort in helping their posses conduct the shoot

DECEMBER ANNUAL CHRISTMAS SHOOT & FAMILY EVENT  DECEMBER 16

Bring your family or special other and let them meet your cowboy & cowgirl shootin’ pardners.

See page 2 for more information.

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The Ocoee Ranger page 2                      November, 2006

THE REeL WEST & the real west

THE REeL WEST – HARRY CAREY 

(1878 – 1947)

Henry DeWitt “Harry” Carey II was a silver screen cowboy in both the silent and sound eras. But, he wasn’t native a westerner. Nope.  Ol’ Harry hailed from New York City.  While attending law school, he had a boating accident, and while recuperating, he wrote a play.  When he recovered, he convinced someone to put his play on stage.  Of course he had to play the lead.  It was a big success.  So, his law career was forgotten.  He gave up the courtroom for the floodlights.  Of course you could say that he gave up acting in front of a jury to take up acting in front of a paying audience.

Harry Carey

After his 2nd play flopped, Harry joined a movie stock company, and when it moved to Hollywood, he went along. In 1915, he appeared in THE BATTLE AT ELDERBUSH GULCH, a Western. During his career, Harry appeared in a lot of Westerns and in other stuff as well.  And he did well in all his roles.  In 1920, he began the most important role of his career: he met and married Olive Golden, and they became lifetime partners.

How good was Harry?  Well, by 1919, he was earning $1,200 a week. And he continued making Western movies: solid, realistic movies.  But the public’s taste changed.  They became more interested in the glitz and dash of Westerns featuring Tom Mix and Hoot Gibson and others.  Still, Harry kept making good films and real good money.

Sound came, and Harry kept right on going, just like the Energizer Bunny.  He bought a ranch and livestock, and kept making movies. Then in 1939, he was nominated for an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor, but he lost to Thomas Mitchell for his performance as Doc Boone in John Ford’s STAGECOACH. In the years that followed, Harry appeared in a number of Westerns.  He appeared with John Wayne in ANGEL AND THE BAD MAN, and again with him in SHEPHERD OF THE HILLS and in THE SPOILERS and in RED RIVER.

Harry died in 1947, and was buried in his cowboy outfit. How about that? But Harry really didn’t die. As long as folks watch John Wayne Westerns, he never will.  You’ll see him directly in some of the Duke’s Westerns.  But you’ll see him indirectly in about all of them, if you watch John Wayne. John Wayne adopted some of the gestures that Harry used in his performances. Among others, he copied a certain slouch sitting in the saddle. And in the SEARCHERS, when he’s framed in the doorway in the final scene, you’ll see the Duke walking away, holding his left arm with his right.  Harry often did that. Oh yeah, Olive Carey also appeared in the SEARCHERS: she played Vera Miles’ mom.  And Harry Jr. played Vera’s brother.

Trooper John W. Vermillion

THE REAL WEST –

JOHN W. “TEXAS JACK” VERMILLION  (1842 – 1911)

John Wilson “Texas Jack” Vermillion was born in 1842 in Russell Co. Virginia.  In 1861, John did as many other Virginians did after the Yankees invaded the South in their War of Northern Aggression:  he joined General JEB Stuart’s cavalry of gray riders.

After God turned away from the South and allowed the Yankees to win the war, old John headed west.  In Indiana, he married a Yankee gal.  He probably thought that if he couldn’t lick’em, he might as well join ‘em. Then the newly weds moved to Missouri, where John became a lawman for several years. But tragedy struck and his wife and 2 small children died of diphtheria. Devastated by his loss, John tossed his badge and went further west, finally arriving in Dodge City, Kansas.  On the Western frontier, he began a different life.  He became a whiskey drinkin’, sixgun packin’, quick shootin’ gambler.

Somewhere in his western rambling, John became “Texas Jack” and met and apparently became friends with another southern gambler, John Henry “Doc” Holiday.  And like Holiday, he got involved in several violent encounters in saloons in various places.  In 1881, he was in Tombstone, Arizona. That was about the time when the Earps and Doc Holiday were involved in the OK Corral street fight and the aftermath shootings.  Evidently because of his friendship with Holiday, “Texas Jack” rode with Wyatt Earp on his vendetta ride in 1882, after Morgan Earp was killed. 

When the Earp posse left Arizona, Jack rode up to Kansas, where he plied his skills at the gambling tables there.  Before long, he got involved in a gambling fight and shot and killed one of his card cheatin’ opponents.  Then, he left the country and returned east to Virginia.

In 1883, John married Nannie Fleenor. But somehow, he couldn’t stay away from the west.  So, he took his family to Idaho.  In 1888, he became involved with the Soapy Smith gang and got involved in a shoot-out with another gang.  2 years later, in 1890, he killed a feller in another gunfight.  It was a fair fight, but “Texas Jack” hung up his spurs and moved back to Big Stone Gap, Virginia, for good. Guess what he did for a livin’ in Virginia to support Nannie, his 2 kids and himself?  He became, believe it or not, a Methodist Minister. In 1911, “Texas Jack” Vermillion died in his sleep.

Annual Christmas shoot & family event December 16

Don’t miss our Ocoee Rangers Christmas Shoot & Family Event on December 16th.  We’ll shoot 3 stages at the range and then meet at the Golden Corral Restaurant in Cleveland for lunch and activities:  presentation of annual awards; drawings for prizes, provided by

event sponsors; and cowboy & cowgirl gift exchange.  We always have a lot of fun.  If for some reason you can’t shoot, come to the after shoot activities anyway. Participation in the gift exchange is optional:  if you want to do it, ok; if you don’t, that’s also ok. Only folks who have shot in at least 1 match during 2006 –even if it’s that morning – are eligible for the drawings for gifts provided by sponsors.  Anyone, shooters & non-shooters, can participate in the gift exchange. If you want to participate in the gift swap, bring an unwrapped gift and put it on the gift table.  Prizes should be somewhat related to cowboy shooting or a western theme and should not cost more than $10 – $20.

The Christmas event is a good time to dress up in cowboy/cowgirl finery – shooters & non-shooters.  Mesquite Millie & Deadman will have their camera ready to take pictures of anyone (individual or family or special pardner) who wants their picture taken at the shoot.  No, it won’t cost nothing to get your picture took.

COME & PLAY WITH US IN DECEMBER.  AND BRING YOUR FAMILY. LET’EM MEET YOUR PLAYMATES

SCORES & RANKING – October 28, 2006