Mac, the bottom line is.....I want everyone to have fun.
I guess I got a little spooked thinking that I was going to have forty or fifty people show up, with the expectation that they would be throwing no less than one round per minute down range. I think you'd be hard pressed to find that kind of action even in Montana or Wyoming :grin:
Bill did a good job of addressing your concerns, but I'm going to give it a shot too, because, honestly...I'd hate for you not to show up.
I am more interested in meeting different GBO members and socializing than just burning ammo out on the prairie...and somehow I don't think that I'm entirely alone in these feelings
Like I said, it won't be as much of a problem if everyone is flexible, and can tolerate moving from one field to another once or twice in a day. If you're mostly coming for the socializing, this makes it even easier on me. I just don't want anyone going away disappointed because they thought there were too many shooters there.
I've been trying to visualize how all of this will be set up...and can understand the enormity of getting 30-60 people out into a farmers fields with all those vehicles,and the commotion and such and have anytype of quality hunt..not to mention the safety issues involved as well
You bring up two important issues here......Logistics and Safety. It's true that most farmers wouldn't let me anywhere near their land again if I showed up with this many people, and drove all over their fields, killing their grass. Plus, it would be a nightmare to set up safely. Right now, I can think of no less than six decent towns, plus three smaller towns that I can shoot at. I am going to get with land owners that have good towns on their land, but that I have not shot at in the past. Getting permission is not a problem because they want the little pests off of their pastures.
The way I plan on doing this is to split everyone into groups. There may be five, ten or maybe as few as three in a group. Each group will have a dog town assigned to it for the day. You may be in a group that moves from one town to another town sometime during the day if the shooting gets slow. The last thing I want to do is put so many people in a field at one time that it gets unsafe.
Like I asked... is this going to be more of a PD hunt...or what...a-little clarification would be nice...
I've been going at this thing from the beginning as trying to provide the optimum shooting experience for everyone. More of a prairie dog shoot than a socializing event, with the socializing being more incidental. I guess I just wanted everyone to get as much bang for their "buck" so to speak, as they could. I figure if a guy drives all the way from Ohio to shoot prairie dogs, he's going to want to shoot as many of them as he can.
If, on the other hand, everyone is here more for the socializing aspect, then please come. I'm not a party planner, I'm more of a party goer :wink: I have a place for us to meet, drink, play pool and BS. The rest is up to everyone else.
will there be a location for those not wanting to shoot to hang out and socialize..and if so...how will this be set up
I don't really have any idea what to do with non shooters while every one else is out shooting. If someone is camping at the camping area, we could set up some sort of pavilion with tents and tarps where everyone could hang out, and relax in the shade. And, if the non shooters wanted to periodically go out and watch the action, they could shuttle themselves out and back. I'd even give my mobile number to them so that they could contact me through out the day and find out where everyone is.
Like I said Mac.....I just want everyone to have fun and enjoy themselves. I've been looking forward to this thing every since we decided to do it. I'm pretty easy, and I'll do it any way that the majority wants it done.
I kind of look at it this way.........
The first annual H&R/Graybeard Handi Holics Prairie Dog Shoot and Ice Cream Social is going to be a learning experience. Luckily I am a quick learner and every year after, it will get better and better :grin:
I hope this addresses all of your concerns. If it doesn't, please keep pecking at me until I do get them.
