OCOEE RANGERS

SCORES & RANKING – April 22, 2006

Overall Score = The total of Rank of all stages    Overall Rank = The ranking of shooters by overall score  Overall Time = The sum of scores of stages       Misses = Total shots missed on all stages     Total Stages = Number of stages with no recorded missed shots  Red type indicates a clean match (In the event of ties in Overall Score, the tied shooter with the lowest Overall Time is ranked higher)

Page 1

Volume 4, Issue No. 4                                                    April  2006

BLUE SKIES AFTER THE RAIN, AND 57 SHOOTERS HAD A GREAT DAY SHOOTIN’

It started wet.  And when the Rev. Adam Jones arrived, someone said, “You’re fallin’ down on the job.  You’re in charge of weather.”  Then the Rev. smiled and said, “I am, and it’ll be sunny by 10:00 or 10:30.” And it was. It was a beautiful day, and to emphasize the colors of spring, Emerald Isle was decked out in a nifty red bonnet, with flowers and feathers, but she was still wearing her trademark, a green tie.

During the pre-shoot meeting and presentation of certificates, Fiddleback made an announcement:  he and Donsie Darlin’ are going to be married in November. That’s plum nifty.

Donsie Darlin’ (L) & Fiddleback (R) to be married in November

Loose Cinch observes Emerald Isle unload.

14 shooters shot no-miss matches: Marshal Too Tall, Pleasant, Festus D. Deputy, Tarantula Jack, Moab Mangus, Horseshoe John, Wildcat Wilkey, Sundance McNeyman, Grey Rider, Owlhoot Hardin, Tar Heel, Deadman and Tennessee Jake.  Last Kiss shot as a Gunfighter and was the top cowgirl shooter. And Deadfoot showed what a classy cowboy he is.  On his 2nd stage, 1 of his pistols fell from its holster, and he received a match DQ.  But he stayed with his posse and worked to help his pardners shoot the rest of the match, demonstrating “the Spirit of the Game.”

Marshal Too Tall was the Top Gun of the day, finishing 1st in 4 of the 5 stages shot.  And T-Bone Angus put together 5 fun stages to shoot. Once again, Owlhoot Hardin placed 1st in the Duelist category and shot a clean match while doing it. In all, 57 cowgirl and cowboy shooters participated in the April shoot.  The Top 10 Shooters were: (1) Marshal Too Tall, (2) Ocoee Red (3) Double Eagle (4) Unpleasant (5) Pleasant (6) Festus D. Deputy (7) Polecat Carl (8) Fiddleback (9) Tarantula Jack and (10) Widowmaker.

The Catoosa Kid and his Bisley Ruger smoke up the range shootin’

steel cowboys.

SHOOT RESULTS: 

§         Top Gun – Marshal Too Tall  

§         Buffalo Shoot:  .22 cal –   Outrider

§         Buffalo Shoot Long Range Lever Action & Long Range  Single Shot –  Marshal Too Tall §         Long Range Pistol – Sundance McNeyman

Page 2

Page 2

The Ocoee Ranger page 2                                                           April 2006

The Reel West, The Real West and the West of Our Imagination

THE REEL WEST –  Ray Whitley   1901 – 1979

Ray Whitley

Ray Whitley.  Have you ever heard that name?  Probably not, but Ray made a lasting impact on the Western movie business, in country western music, and in the musical instrument business.  That ain’t bad for a boy born in Atlanta, GA and raised on a farm in Alabama.  After Ray left the farm, he worked at various jobs, served in the Navy, did other jobs, and then picked up a guitar and became a professional singer and songwriter. Eventually, Ray went to California and played Hopalong Cassidy’s sidekick in Hopalong Cassidy Returns.  During his movie career, he would play supporting parts, usually singing, after all this was the singing cowboy era.  He made movies with Bill “Hopalong Cassidy” Boyd, George O’Brien, Tim Holt, Rod Cameron and others and, with his cowboy band, he made 18 musical shorts for RKO. He was even in a Big Budget Film once:  he played the ranch manager in Giant, the Liz Taylor – James Dean film.

As a songwriter, Ray wrote a lot of songs that he recorded and songs that became successes for other singers. Good Bye Old Paint is 1 of Ray’s songs. Probably his best-known song is Back In The Saddle Again.  He wrote the original song real quick.  At  5:00 am one morning, the studio he was working for called and told him they needed a western song for the movie he was in, Border G-Men. So, he sat on the side of the bed and wrote “Back In The Saddle Again”, then sang it in the movie.  Gene Autry heard the song, liked it, and contacted Ray.  Gene made a few changes in the song, used it in 2 of his movies, and it became his theme song for the remainder of his career. In 2004, National Public Radio put together a list of the 100 most important songs of all time.  Ray and Gene’s version of Back In The Saddle Again was in that 100-song group.

Oh yeah, 1 other little tidbit.  Ray designed the SJ-200 guitar series for the Gibson Guitar Co., and that model became the standard instrument for many years for country western performers. 

THE WEST OF OUR IMAGINATION – the CATOOSA KID

The Catoosa Kid

The Catoosa Kid is one of our core-group of shooters who began cowboy shooting at Guns & Stuff, in Whitwell, TN.  That was back in 1998. When Catoosa started, he shot against Deadfoot and TN Jake and Tellico and T-Bone and Deadman.  And then Horseshoe John rode into camp, and then ….  You get the picture. Catoosa’s SASS No. is 18,541.  SASS is giving away numbers in the 70 thousands today.

Every cowboy shooter gets involved some how.  Deadfoot got Catoosa to go with him and try it out.  He did.  And they’ve both been cowboy shooters ever since.  Of course Catoosa shoots better today then he did way back then. All of them early shooters do, except for Deadman and Deadfoot.  That’s probably why they’re Dead-something.

What does Catoosa shoot?  . 44 Mags.  He started out shootin’ Traditional, “but T-Bone talked me into shooting Black Powder.”  That’s what he shoots now. How’d he select his alias?  Here’s what he said. “Well, I live in Catoosa County, GA.  So, I became the Catoosa Kid.  But for a while there was another one.  We both showed up to shoot, and both of us had Catoosa Kid as an alias.  T-Bone asked if either of us was in SASS.  I was, so the other fella had to use a different name.”  If you know Catoosa, you know that he doesn’t talk much.  This was a long story for him.

When he’s not cowboy shootin’, Catoosa has another hobby:  he flies his own airplane.  And he recently bought another plane.  He said, “It looks liked a small P-51 mustang.  It needs some work done on it.  It’s in my basement now.”

Who’s his favorite silver screen cowboy?  John Wayne of course.  Shootin’ .44’s and watching John Wayne means the Catoosa Kid is a real cowboy.

THE REAL WEST –  Edward Zane Carroll Judson   1823 – 1886

Edward Z. C. Judson

Edward Zane Carroll Judson was many things in his lifetime:  sailor, sergeant, womanizer, husband shooter, shady-dealer, writer, playwright, actor and creator of legends.  Although born in Stamford, NY, Ed is remembered for his contribution to creating the myth and legend that became the “historical” Wild West.  As a boy, Ed ran away from home and went to sea.  After getting into trouble, he left to pursue other activities, such as giving temperance lectures, between periods of drunkenness.  He also married many times, sometimes to more than 1 gal at a time.  Of course marriage wasn’t required; he fooled around with married women too.  Shucks, he had to shoot 1 gal’s husband as he beat a retreat:  Ed was good at running. He started a magazine, but that didn’t last long.  Somewhere in all his various lives, he served in the Union Army as a sergeant, for a while. Then he was busted to private. But that title didn’t fit his image.  So, he promoted himself to “Colonel”, and that’s how he became know in later years.

Eventually, Ed went west and met a 23 year old scout named Bill Cody.  Bill was full of hot air and tall tales, and Ed was the same.  So, they swapped yarns.  Then Ed went back east and wrote a story called Buffalo Bill: King of the Border Men. And then he wrote other stories about Bill.  It didn’t matter to either of them that the stuff written was fiction.  Ed had created an honest to gosh legendary figure.  Then he wrote a play called Scouts of the Plains, in 4 whole hours.  The Chicago audiences loved it, although the plot was the pits and the acting was wooden and awful.  Shucks, they got to see the real Buffalo Bill Cody, and Texas Jack Omohundro, and Ed, appearing as a fictional scout. And the rest is history. Myth replaced truth.  Legend replaced fact, and together Bill and Ed created the Western Myth of the Wild West and supported that image for years.

Oh yeah, you probably don’t know Ed by his real name.  You know him as Ned Buntline, author of dime novels.

Page 3

Page 3

The Ocoee Ranger page 3                                     April 2006

DOUBLE EAGLE FINISHES 1ST IN TN MODERN CLASS AT THE KENTUCKY – TENNESSEE STATE BLACKPOWDER CHAMPIONSHIP

Double Eagle

Double Eagle ventured up to Possum Trot on the Tennessee Kentucky border and shot in the Blackpowder championship, placing 1st in the Tennessee Modern Class. When asked about his feat, he said, “You know, that was the 1st time I ever shot blackpowder. I didn’t know what class I was going to shoot in.  But I had 7 sets of guns, so I just decided to shoot Modern.”  Standing near by, Ocoee Red laughed and said, “He hung around and picked the class he thought he could win somethin’ in.”

However he decided what to shoot, he shot good.  And that’s what counts.

WIDOWMAKER HOLDS WORLD GUNFIGHTER RECORD

Widowmaker

Did you know that Widowmaker is a World Record Holder? It’s true. He holds the record for, from a standing position with his hands touching his pistols, drawing and firing 10 shots gunfighter style and hitting a steel target.  He did that in 1.99 seconds.

How’d he prove it?  Well, to be considered for a record position, a shooter has to perform the action, complying with the rules, on video with each shot clearly shown and with a timer clearly shown in the picture. Then, the videotape has to be sent to Lead Dispenser and Doc Shapiro for evaluation.   So, Widowmaker did his thing, sent in the evidence, and now it’s official.  At the April shoot, he gave a demonstration of his fast shooting ability. He can shoot 10 shots faster than this word scratcher can even think about doing it.

COWGIRLS ON THE RANGE

L – R:  Mesquite Millie (Scorekeeper & Asst. Newsletter Editor), Last Kiss (lady gunfighter and Posse Leader) and Santa Fe (Score keeper and better half of Loose Cinch)

PHOTOGENIC COWBOYS

Have you ever noticed how some cowboys seem more photogenic than others?  Do you know 1 of the reasons?  No, it ain’t necessarily because they’re prettier.  It’s color: a colored shirt or vest or simply wearing a colorful bandana with a white shirt.  White shirts and white hats don’t show well. 

Coffee Joe Demonstrates color

APRIL WRANGLERS

Being awarded Wrangler status for a monthly shoot is an honor bestowed on cowgirls and cowboys who work a bit beyond the norm to help their posse to conduct a match. A Wrangler can be a shooter or a non-shooter, as long as she/he is dressed Western and earns the distinction of the award.  Here are the folks recognized as Wranglers at the April Shoot:

                    Tennessee Tombstone                        Fast Harley

               Tennessee Jake                                          Double Eagle

                                                       Deadfoot

OCOEE RANGERS

SCORES & RANKING – March 25, 2006

Overall Score = The total of Rank of all stages    Overall Rank = The ranking of shooters by overall score  Overall Time = The sum of scores of stages       Misses = Total shots missed on all stages     Total Stages = Number of stages with no recorded missed shots  Red type indicates a clean match (In the event of ties in Overall Score, the tied shooter with the lowest Overall Time is ranked higher)

Page 1

Volume 4, Issue No. 3                     March 25,  2006

65 SHOOTERS, INCLUDING 8 COWGIRLS, BRAVED THE COLD AT MARCH 25TH SHOOT

What could you say about the March 25th shoot? How about, “cold”?  That just about describes it.  But the turn out was good.  65 daring cowfolk showed up to battle the Clang Gang.  And 8 of them good guys were cowgirls.  Clint Eastwood was well represented.  Hombre Sin Nombre showed up decked out as Eastwood’s “man with no name” character, complete with hat, serape, mini-cigar, gun-rig and beard stubble.  (Hombre Sin Nombre in Spanish means man with no name.) But it didn’t end there.  Dustin Clays was sportin’ a Josey Wales hat.  Old Clint would have smiled at them and have said, “You boys made my day.” Or maybe he’d have wondered off to watch the cowgirls shoot and have ignored both of them. 

The Eastwood Cowboys. 

L – R: Dustin Clays & Hombre sin Nombre

The cowgirls shot real good.  (Professor Owlhoot Hardin would have said they shot well.) Killin’ Time was the top cowgirl shooter, shooting Lady Duelist. She also shot a match with no misses.  Other shooters who shot no miss matches were: Double Eagle, Marshal Too Tall, Festus D. Deputy, Pleasant, Cool Waters, Owlhoot Hardin, Tennessee Ted and Hombre Sin Nombre,  

Double Eagle was the Top Gun, followed closely by Marshal Too Tall.

In the Buffalo shoot/pre match side shoot, Pleasant and Marshal Too Tall had to shoot 2 shoot-offs before Too Tall, King of the Side Match, won the Long Range Lever Action Rifle Shoot.  He also won the .22 cal. and the Single Shot Long Range Rifle Shoot.  Mad Mike won the Long Range Pistol competition, then he had to ride real fast and hard to get to work.

OUT ON THE RANGE

Barn Scoop shoots yellow boy, black powder style.

Emerald Isle loads & Ocoee Red times.

Adios, Whiskey River Nelson

Unfortunately, this is the last regular Ocoee Rangers match for Whiskey River Nelson.  Like a lot of cowboys of the silver screen and in real life, he’s headed to Texas. Our loss is their gain.

If you lost a hatband at the shoot, see Mesquite Millie at the next shoot.

SHOOT RESULTS:  Top Gun – Double Eagle

Buffalo Shoot:  .22 cal –   Marshal Too Tall

Long Range Lever Action – Marshal Too Tall

Long Range Pistol – Mad Mike

Long Range Single Shot –  Marshal Too Tall

NEXT SHOOT – APRIL 22

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.

Page 2

Page 2

The Ocoee Ranger page 2                  March 25, 2006

The Reel West, The Real West and the West of Our Imagination

THE REEL WEST –  R. G. Armstrong

R. G. Armstrong

Robert Golden Armstrong is an actor who helped make Western movies good. Born in Birmingham, Alabama, he graduated from college at the University of North Carolina, and then headed to New York where he appeared in many stage productions.  But, in time, Bob headed west to appear in movies.  And, in addition to many other roles, he appeared in a lot of Western movies and Western TV shows. Sometimes he was a good guy, but usually, he was a bad guy, sometimes a very sanctimonious sounding bad guy. 

During his career, Bob appeared in HAVE GUN, WILL TRAVEL, THE RIFLEMAN, ZANE GREY THEATER, and many other small screen outings.  But he also appeared in big screen movies. Shucks, he was in one that the critics recognize as a Western movie classic, RIDE THE HIGH COUNTRY.  That movie stared Randolph Scott and Joel McCrea.  Bob played the father of the gal who ran away from home to get away from him and to pursue a no good miner.  He also appeared with Kris Kristofferson in PAT GARRETT AND BILLY THE KID.  Bob was the deputy who harassed & threatened Billy with a shotgun and told him that the shells were loaded with dimes.  The Kid shoots him with the shotgun and says, “Keep the change, Bob.” That was his name in the movie, Bob.

Bob ’s acting career spanned 60 years. In his various roles, he was very good. He could play guys that you liked, and he could very convincingly play villains and others that you didn’t like.  In short, Bob could play a major character, or back up the hero as a good guy, or make the hero look good when playing a villain. He was versatile. But this sounds like he’s gone, and he isn’t. He’s just retired. Do you think Bob ever considered getting into Cowboy Action Shooting? That’s what Linc and Owlhoot Hardin do, and they’re retired.

THE WEST OF OUR IMAGINATION – KEYSTONE and DAGNABIT DEB

Keystone and Dagnabit Deb Keystone has been cowboy shooting for 3 ½ years.  Introduced to the sport by a work associate, Tennessee Hawk, he started shooting as a double Duelist, with a pair of Ruger .357 magnum pistols.  But he knew from the start that he was going to shoot Gunfighter. And real Gunfighters shoot .45’s.  So about a year ago, Keystone bought a pair of 7½ inch barrel Ruger .45’s.  What does a cowboy do with a set of pistols that he’s out-grown? Sell them, of course.  So, Keystone entertained the idea of selling them to Fiddleback.  But sometimes plans change.  His better half, who had been thinking about getting into the game, decided she’d better move before the .357’s found a new home. And she did.  So for the last year, there has been both a cowboy and a cowgirl shooter in the family.

How’d they get their aliases?  Well, Keystone is from Pennsylvania. He could have been the Peppermint Patty Kid (Peppermint Patty candy was made in his home town), but he chose “Keystone”, from the Keystone state.  Deb sorta earned her name.  When she and Keystone went out to practice and she did something Keystone thought she should do differently, he’d say, “Dag nabit, Deb”: her name is Debbie.  So, Dagnabit Deb was born.  Her goal is to out shoot Keystone.

What does Keystone like best about cowboy shooting? “The people and having a good time.  What have you ever done that’s more fun than cowboy shooting with the 2 groups we shoot with (Knoxville and Cleveland)?”

THE REAL WEST –  ANNIE RODGERS

Annie Rodgers & Harvey Logan

Annie Rodgers was born as Della Moore in Texas and grew up to become a career woman: a lady of pleasure.  For you sheltered cowboys, that means that Annie was a prostitute.  She worked in saloons and cathouses, including Fanny Porter’s house of pleasure in San Antonio.  Annie was a slim, dark haired, attractive gal, and when Butch Cassidy’s Wild Bunch came calling at Miss Fanny’s, Annie consorted with them. They were young, wild, not bad looking and had plenty of money, while they were there. Eventually, she took a shine to Harvey Logan, aka Kid Curry, became his woman and traveled a bit with him, sometimes posing as his wife.

Annie wasn’t a robber, but she did perform a useful service for the boys.  No, not that. She fenced the stuff that the boys robbed.

In 1901, Harvey and a few friends robbed a Great Northern train near Wagner, Montana.  After the robbery, they scattered. They had taken a lot of large denomination bills, the kind that attracted attention when they’d try to cash one, and a lot of bank notes, which hadn’t been signed and were technically not legal tender. Harvey solved that problem: he signed some of the banknotes himself.  Then, he had Annie try to convert large bills to small stuff and pass some of the bank notes.

Bingo!  Annie was caught trying to trade large bills for small ones, was arrested and was taken to jail…..in Nashville, TN.  Annie didn’t talk, and she kept her appearance top shape. The attractive young woman got a lot of newspaper coverage, and a businessman in Nashville became her benefactor and paid her legal bills.  At that time, her feller, Harvey Logan, was a guest in the Knox County jail in Knoxville.  He didn’t talk either.

Annie went to trial and was found not guilty by a sympathetic jury, who observed the trials and tribulations of the attractive young woman.  She left town and departed Tennessee.  A short time later, Harvey escaped from the Knox County jail.  A year later, Harvey was dead, following a piddley-dip robbery. Annie disappeared.