The Marauder

Published by the Tennessee Mountain Marauders A Cowboy & Cowgirl Action Shooting Club 

Volume 4, Issue 6                                (Web Version)                              June, 2001

Well Pilgrim, We had a John Wayne Shoot in June!

    

The idea for the

John Wayne Tribute Shoot and  the original scenarios were suggested by

The Rocky Top Ranger

     Remember John Wayne?  If you say, "No".  Then you ain't a real Cowboy Shooter, and it's doubtful that you're an American.  And you sure better not admit to it at the next shoot.  Thanks to The Rocky Top Ranger, we relived some of John Wayne's shootin' scenes from his movies at our June shoot.  With six-guns, rifles, and shotguns, we became John Elder (Sons Of Katie Elder), JD Cahill (Cahill US Marshal), Rooster Cogburn (True Grit), Ethan Edwards (The Searchers), and Jacob McCandles (Big Jake).   57 shooters participated, and we had several non-shooting visitors.  We also gained a new family membership and a new individual member. 

     Word seems to be spreading, thanks to the folks at Tombstone Outfitters (Kingston, GA) and others that we're a safe shooting, fun group to play the cowboy & cowgirl action shooting game with. That means a lot.  It says that we have the right balance in our shooting: we haven't lost sight of the fun element of the game … and safety is a given. What happened at the shoot?  Well, pardner, we had some really fast shootin' times, and accurate shootin' as well.  Owlhoot Hardin, shootin' Duelist style, shot a perfect match: he didn't miss a shot.  Ole Pleasant, also shot clean and didn't miss a single target.  Unfortunately, Pleasant gathered himself a procedural to mar what would have been a perfect match.  

     Not many know it, 'cause ole Pleasant don't brag, but he has shot 4 matches in which he hasn't missed a single target: at a Wartrace Regulator shoot, at a North Alabama Regulators shoot, at a Smokey Mountain Shootist shoot, and at the June Marauders shoot.  That ain't bad shootin'.  The Top Shooter for the day was Curly Bill.  The Top 5 shooters in rank order were: (1) Curly Bill (2) Jaybird Daniel (3) Gravemaker (4) Tri and (5) Cruel Hand Luke.  Buckwitt had to leave early and only completed 2 stages, but before he left, he shot 1 clean stage without a miss.  

     Cherokee Blue Eyes had to work doubly hard at the match.  She not only had to concentrate on her shootin' so she could outshoot Doc Harleyday and Evil McNasty, but she also was appointed the judge in the Best John Wayne Presence Contest.  After much thought and cipherin', the Rev Ace Blackwater was selected as presenting the Best John Wayne Presence for portraying Rooster Cogburn … complete with eye patch.     

John Wayne as Rooster Cogburn

 

 

 

Rev Ace Blackwater as Rooster Cogburn

Would you believe that 42 (74%) of the 57 shooters shot at least 1 clean stage (a stage without missing a shot)?  

     Renegade had 2 challenges during the shoot.  He had the normal shootin' challenge, and also, he proved that he could concentrate and continue under adverse conditions.  While shooting stage 1, the bolt blew out of his rifle and hit his safety glasses.  His eye protection equipment probably saved his vision in his shootin' eye.  Please make sure you wear good quality safety shootin' glasses on the range.  In the old west, cowboys that went to town often bought new clothes and equipment with their hard-earned dollars.  That's still true of today's cowboys.  

     Several Marauders visited the Shoot Out At Mule Camp (Gainesville, GA) last month and outfitted themselves on Vendors' Row. 

Posing in new shootin' duds are (LtoR) Ocoee Red, Trooper George, Jaybird Daniel, Swampy, and Tennessee Hoss.   Ain't they purty?

     In a drawing for prizes, Gravemaker won a Cowboy Bible (which is appropriate for a gravemaker), and Cherokee Blue Eyes won a knife. (Blue Eyes hit the trail before the drawing and doesn’t know that she won)

     A business meeting was held after the shoot, and an officers’ meeting followed that.  They are reported in your printed newsletter that will arrive later by pony express.

Oklahoma Cattle Drive

by Trailbones

     As I woke to the smell of coffee and bacon, the clanking pots and pans and the distant bawling of cattle, I lay there soaking it all in, realizing that today we would push the cattle to town, and the drive would be over. No Pards, this is not the beginning of a western dime novel, but the experience I had the first of June in Oklahoma. 

     I was fortunate enough to sign on for a charity cattle drive and rodeo in Vici, Oklahoma in the northwestern part of the state. The trail we used was a section of the original northwestern cattle trail used in the 1800's to drive thousands of cattle across the Canadian River to points north, such as Dodge City and on to Montana. The prairie was beautiful this time of year with wild flowers and vistas unchanged since those days.  Not a sign of civilization in sight!  

     The first day began by cutting the cattle, which by the way did have big horns, out of their holding pens and putting them on the trail. My Tennessee walker, unfamiliar with cows up close and personal, was a bit nervous and flighty. But after a day on the trail, he began to get used to them, and he really did a good job. I only let one get by me, but we had experienced wranglers to help us greenhorns.      

Trailbones and his trail horse on an Oklahoma cattle drive

     The following days, we moved them through creeks, up and down draws and canyons, and through cedar thickets, trying to keep them moving toward our destination. It was harder than Rowdy Yates made it look. Cows don't always go straight or where you want them to go, but it was fun and a great experience. 

     I wore my shooting clothes, which added to the atmosphere of reality, and I had many compliments. I had an opportunity to share our shooting sport with my fellow drivers. We were well received as we drove the cattle through the town, which didn't take long being the town is only three blocks long, to the holding pens on the rodeo grounds. When the cattle were secure and were put up, the town cooked a good dinner for us, which included calf fries. After eating them, I was told their other names: prairie oysters or what we call mountain oysters. They were pretty good, but I wouldn't order them in a restaurant. After dinner, we had a good ranch rodeo and a dance in town. The next day, I loaded up my horse and left that town with fond memories and a greater appreciation of cowboy heritage. 

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