BUCKET LIST UPDATE No. 466: Went to a 'turkey shoot'

Shooters take their place on the firing line at Saturday's 'turkey shoot'

I did something on Saturday that I’ve never done before. I went to a “turkey shoot.” Not the kind where you shoot real turkeys, but the kind where you shoot at paper targets in hopes of winning a prize.

A week or so ago, my old friend Hill Harper brought a flyer by the newspaper office to let us know that they were having a “turkey shoot” at the Beat 8 fire station on Saturday to raise money for the fire department. I’d never been to one of these events before but I’d always wanted to go to one. I told my 11-year-old son about it later that night, and that pretty much sealed the deal: We were going.

The event officially began at 8:30 a.m. on Saturday, but we didn’t get there until around 9:30 a.m. There were already a bunch of vehicles in the parking lot and a host of people on hand. There was also a long line of shotguns lined up against the wall of the fire station, where shooters had left them between rounds.

As I mentioned before, I’d never been to one of these events before, so it took me a few minutes to get the lay of the land and figure out what was going on. As it turns out, it’s pretty simple. Each participant buys a shotgun shell for $4 and then takes his place on a firing line with 11 other shooters. Fifty or so yards down range are numbered posts with 8-1/2 x 11-inch sheets of white paper stapled to the top of the post.

Once the “fire in the hole” is given, shooters blast away at their “turkey” and once everyone is done shooting, the white targets are taken down and examined by the judges. The shooter whose shot gets the closest to the center of the paper wins that round. On Saturday, the winner of each round got to draw out of a bucket for some pretty nice prizes.

My son and I took part in several rounds on Saturday and while we didn’t win anything, we did get to help the fire department. Anytime you get to help our local fire departments, you should do so. You never know when you will need their help.

Hill told me later that Saturday’s crowd was the best they’d ever had at a turkey shoot, and they ended up raising around $800 for the fire department.

“On behalf of the Beat 8 Volunteer Fire Department, I would like to express our sincere thanks and appreciation to everyone that came and supported us Saturday morning at the turkey shoot,” Hill said. “It seemed like everyone had a good time and came ready to shoot. We would also like to thank all the businesses and individuals that made our shoot and fundraising efforts a success.”

Hill also tipped his hat to the volunteers from the fire departments at Herbert and Flat Rock, who also assisted in making Saturday’s shoot a big success.

In the end, I really enjoyed going to my first “turkey shoot,” and now that I know how it works, I’ll probably find time to go to more of them. It’s not only good clean fun, but it’s also a great way to support a good cause. Plus, if you’re a good enough shot – or just plain lucky – you might even take home a nice prize.