An Abundance of Long Targets for July Match

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(Match Report by Tyler Patner) July 19, 2026

28 Shooters joined us on a beautiful Sunday for some field target. Temps were in the mid-70s to 80s for most of the day, and the woods kept us a bit cooler. While it may have been cooler, the bugs were certainly out in full force, constantly trying shooter patience. In addition to the bugs providing a small challenge, there was also some wind coming through the woods about halfway through the match. And while on many courses, the wind's impact would depend on where you were in the course when it hit, we set up one of the most challenging layouts we’ve done to date.

The course was LONG, even by our own standards. 19/30 targets beyond 40 yards, 14 of them over 45. There were also a number of mid-range reduced targets that required extra precision, especially as that wind came through. The troyer ended up being a 34.8T for the day, without wind or other environmental factors built in. It’s very likely a similar setup will be used for the Burning River 120 in September. Thanks to a great suggestion from Paul Nickerson, we re-ordered some of the lanes, to lessen the walk from 15 back to lane 1. I think everyone may have been a bit confused by this at first, but ultimately appreciated the shorter jaunt.

I distinctly recall, about 4 lanes in, walking by Lucas and asking him how he was doing. His response “I thought you said this was going to be a tough course”...I laughed and told him I was glad he was finding it easy. With just a lane or two left, our paths crossed again. I asked if he still thought it was easy, the shaking of his head told me all I needed to know. He spoke too soon.

As shooters came in and scores were tabulated, it seemed like a lot of folks shot very good scores, with about half the field posting scores above 45. Though maybe without the wind, and a few more forgiving kill zones, those same shooters would have been at 50 or above. In WFTF PCP, Tyler Patner posted the high score with a 57. Lucas came in 3 shots behind him on 54. Also on a 54, was Tim Baylor in the Unlimited class. Our top two Hunter PCP shooters were tied, Lou Jimenez and Ryan Spanagel, both shooting 52. We broke the tie looking at positionals hit, and Ryan got the better of Lou on those two lanes, so the win for the day was his. We also had a tie between Brandon Michaud and Dale Prulhiere for 3rd place both with 51, and Brandon bested Dale on the positionals to claim 3rd.

We had two Hunter Piston shooters, with Al Duster taking the honors, turning in a 42. Roger Barker shot a 43, to take the top spot in Open PCP. And Jeff Paddock was our lone WFTF Piston shooter, throwing down a 41.

Shooters enjoyed our usual pizza lunch as they talked through the course, challenges and their performance. We distributed awards, and then descended back into the woods to tear things down. Thanks to everyone that came out and helped us set up and tear down the course. It is greatly appreciated. We hope to see everyone at the Pyramyd Air Cup in a few weeks, but if not, back here at NOA on August 23rd.