Match Results
JULY 2010

When the Mad River Rangers lost access to our range two years ago, we figured
our annual shoot was lost to us forever. For twelve years, the Rangers put on a
pretty well attended and well-run two day shoot; most of us were kind of lost when
we were told it was over. Then last year a group of Ukiah shooters showed up on
my front lawn complete with travel trailers and tents and decided that we would
have our Timberlands anyway. If you heard about that impromptu affair, you know it
was a hoot. Well this year, things up at the Long Prairie Rifle and Archery Range
(the old Simpson range) got a little more complicated and we figured that another
gathering to celebrate the long lost Timberlands was out of the picture....ain't gonna
happen, no way, no how........................BUT...................some people are
hardheaded, some people don't know when to quit, some people can be downright
cantankerous when it comes to being told no. Gentlemen and ladies, pards and
pardettes....I introduce Will Cooner and Rico Kid.

Monday night....Cooner calls me.... we talk, Cap calls me... we talk. I call Kid
Kneestone... we talk. Cooner calls Cap...they talk. Cooner calls me...we talk some
more. Kid Kneestone calls me....we talk some more. I call Buckskin George, he calls
the powers that be at Long Prairie....they talk. And through a series of dancing
through hoops, dodging bullets, making last minute changes, total cooperation
amongst a group of  Mad River Rangers and the Rockin' Four posse we were able
to bring you the 2010 Non-Invitational Guns of the Timberlands once again.

Stages were set, shooters were on hand and Saturday dawned with six scenarios
designed on Thursday night by Rico. Speedy was on hand to direct the set up of
stages as one big posse of twenty two shooters commenced to shooting. The first
11 shooters shot, while the second batch of 11 did all the work, scoring, brass
shagging, counting misses, and running the timer; then we switched off. Using this
technique we were able to run all 22 shooters through in about an hour per stage.
We shot three stages and broke for lunch.....BBQ hamburgers and assorted sundry
vittles to go along with it. After lunch we ran the other three stages wrapping up the
affair by about 4 pm.

That evening the entire group attended a dinner at a local Mexican restaurant
dressed in our cowboy attire. We sure made the heads turn when the group of 20 +
cowfolks walked in and took over the place. Navajo Annie and I had made trophies
for the top three shooters in each category and while we waited for the folks to bring
us our dinners, we handed out them out to respective winners. The highlight of the
evening was the presentation of the state Championship buckle to our own Speedy
McDraw. Seems the folks that put on the state championships only buckled the top
female and male shooters, and not individual category winners. When Simpson
Shootist told me that Speedy hadn't gotten a buckle, Kid Kneestone and I decided
the Mad River Rangers would be proud to present our pard a buckle.

With dinner over, the crowd converged on Rico and Annie's house for a front yard
campfire and some cowboy tunes and poetry by the Zalzadene Trio (Cap, Rico and
Pack Saddle Slim). As the evening drew to a close, folks left for their own homes
and  Annie and Rico tucked in our nine house guests and turned out the lights.
"Goodnight Cap." "Goodnight Rico." "Goodnight Cooner." "Goodnight Rico."  
"Goodnight Blue......" "Goodnight Blue...."
"Blue?"......ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ!!!!!!

Sunday was Wild Bunch Day: Speedy designed four stages that were absolutely a
hoot to shoot! If you weren't shooting 1911's and were using your cowboy guns, you
had to shoot the stages in any other way than your regular category; which made
for some interesting runs. Ima Goner shot it Gunfighter.....Billy Hill shot it
Outlaw.....No Bull shot it with borrowed black powder guns......Pine Box shot it
Duelist.........Simpson shot it twice (once WB once cowboy...the gamer!!) After the
four stages most of the crowd went over for an abbreviated Shotgun Alley.

We finished up the shooting, put away the steel and the stage props, and headed
home. Annie and I stood in the driveway as the last of our house guests pulled out
and rode off into the sunset. Once again The Guns of the Timberlands lived for one
short weekend. I believe everyone had a fun time, I know Annie and I did. My thanks
go out to The Possum crew for their help, the Rangers for making this a success,
and my friends for....well being my friends.

The Guns of the Timberlands....the shoot that wouldn't die!!!!!

Vaya con Dios.....Rico Kid

PS:  A great big shout out to three pards who went above and beyond the call of
duty: Simpson Shootist, Slaughter Robinson and Kid Kneestone who spent Friday
afternoon setting up the stages, weed whacking the area and setting out bolsters
and steel. Thanks guys....it is the dedication of a few that make it fun for many.
The 2010 Non-Invitational
Guns of the Timberlands
Match Results:

Duelist:   1st....Rico Kid.............242.76
           2nd...Kid Kneestone....258.55
           3rd....Lead Nickel........264.85
           4th.....Kodiak Weasel...278.08

Wrangler:   1st....Simpson Shootist......188.14
               2nd...Beeline Bullet............246.51
               3rd....Blue Ridge Kidd........248.52
               4th.... Will Cooner..............254.99
               5th....Pine Box Peddler.......264.10
               6th....SOB.........................275.82
               7th....Slaughter Robinson ...285.77
               8th....Cap Roundtree..........295.68
               9th....Wahoo Man...............364.76
               10th...Pecos Smith.............410.20

Gunfighter:  1st....Speedy McDraw...179.49  (Match Winner)
                2nd...No Bull Gates.......292.34
                3rd...Billy Hill.................300.35

Ladies:   1st.......Redwood Rose..........246.33
           2nd......Ima Goner.................264.24
           3rd.......Navajo Annie..............269.50

Classic Cowboy:   1st....Pack Saddle Slim....371.83

Wild Bunch:  Mens:  1st....Speedy McDraw....105.20
                            2nd...Rico Kid................193.81

                Ladies:   1st....Redwood Rose....222.18
                              2nd....Navajo Annie.......355.18  

Shotgun Alley:   1st....Blue Ridge Kidd.....45.17
                      2nd...Simpson Shootist...55.36
                     3rd....Slaughter Robinson....55.38
                     4th....Speedy McDraw........58.43
                     5th....Pine Box Peddler.....61.11