Fall Southern

[Mark Conrad]

I am leaving in a few minutes for The Backwoods Club in Georgetown, SC. The Fall Southern starts tomorrow and the weather looks much better than last year. I hope to see some of our members from the South there. It is one of the nicest shooting facilities around. The targets are very nice and the place has lots of room for the vendors and parking. Ric Hemingway owns the place. He has been pulling targets for the Challenge since it started.

Mark

[Josh Loewensteiner]

Mark,

I am looking forward to seeing you there tomorrow. As I understand, this is a wonderful shooting venue. I'm told "the only shells we waste at this shoot are the ones we bring home."

Safe travels and see you in the AM.

[David Dwyer]

Mark
See you there. It sounds like we will have a pretty good number of Parker shooters. I am shooting quail there in the morning then shooting then small ga
course in the afternoon. I like that they have seperate cources for 20ga and under and seperate catagories for hammer gun. I really enjoyed placing second in the 28ga hammer gun catogory last year! (yes, Mark there were only two shooters in that Catagoery!)
David

[Dean Romig]

Ahem, . . . David, was that 28 ga. hammer gun a Parker??

[David Dwyer]

Dean
I wish it was! Unfortunately it is a Belgum gun, but shoots great. I am looking for a set of 28ga barrels to put on my O frame 20 hammergun.
David

[Dean Romig]

I'm sure you'll find those barrels someday. The lug from a hammerless can be modified to fit a hammer gun. I know of a few that have been so modified and fitted.

[Bill Murphy]

The Redhead and I will leave Friday morning. We would leave today, but he is on his annual family grouse hunt and won't be back until late today. Since I am not setting up and am going mainly to support Bill and Rick, I may actually shoot in the Parker loyalty event. I had better be on because my only working barrels for the crossover PHE Trap are bored .040 in both sides. Maybe I'll shoot the RST fiber wad shells.

[Dave Suponski]

Good luck Bill,Have a great time and we expect a full report of the goings on.

[Bill Murphy]

I am willing to admit that the Fox guys are better shots as a group, but it is a long trip for the hot shots among them. I think the Parker team will prevail.

[Dean Romig]

That sounded about as much like a challenge as anything I've ever heard. I think the Fox team has been called out :corn:

[Bill Murphy]

Just heard from Frank "Silvers" on the Fox site. He is one of the hot shots and will not be coming. I don't think Mike Campbell, the hottest Fox hot shot, can do it on his own. Maybe some other Fox guys will be there, but it looks like the Parker team will be in pretty good shape. I know Roger Bain and John Allgood will be there, as well as Kevin McCormack. They are all Parker shooters. Roger shot the high qualifying score at the Challenge one year but was found to have been shooting a Becker Fox so did not make the team. He no longer owns the Becker.

[David Dwyer]

If you like to shoot you Parkers, you need to put the 2010 Fall Southern sXs on you calander!! This was the best event I have been at in years. Friday had about 100 shooters, Sat 130, a beautiful day ,and the excellant cources, small ga and then 16 ga +
The Parker shooters did well in the individual events .
David

[Dave Suponski]

Pictures David...We need pictures!

[Kevin McCormack]

David D. is absolutely right!! What a great shooting fest! Not nearly as big as the Southern SxS at Deep River, but TWICE the number of vendors as last year, the first year there. Based upon what I saw there over the weekend, I will be one of them next year!

It was absolutely great to hang out at the PGCA table with David, Bill Mullins, Mark Conrad, Jim Hall, Tom Carter, Ron Garrido, and the other PGCA "Rouges of Legend." There were indeed some spectacular guns there, as these gentlemen will attest.

I didn't personally shoot any of the courses, but those of us who did had great reviews, which I will defer to as they relate them. Good food, good whiskey, great hospitality, excellent venue with tons of room, with Georgetown and Charleston SC minutes away with the best seafood on the planet. Great Job, Bill and Tim!! We shall return!!!

[Mark Conrad]

I got home late last night and am still sorting stuff out along with e mails. The Parker team won the American Classics Challenge. I wish I had all the names of the 5 shooters but I didn't write them down. Maybe David or Tom could give us a report on how our PGCA members did and who the Parker shooters were for the American Classics Event. It was close with L. C. Smith just behind the Parker team. Any PGCA member within a days drive of this place should seriously consider this shoot for next year. The venue is the best, there are lots of guns to look at and shoot and the Back Woods Quail Club goes out of there way to make everyone welcome. I was sorry we had to come home.

By the way, Ric Hemingway is the owner of Back Woods. He also sets up the 5 stand and pulls the targets at the Challenge at Deep River. Ric and his team set the best targets for both the large and small bore coarse I have ever shot in a side by side shoot. The targets were fair, different, creative and most had blue sky in the background. How about a true pair bouncing off a trampoline. The small bore coarse was set for small bore guns and every target could be broken with a 410. I heard zero complaints about the targets.

Mark

[Bill Murphy]

I had a great time, spent time with great people, saw some great guns. Last time I looked, the team challenge was very close with the Smith guys at 100 targets of 125 for the top five shooters. The Parker shooters had 103 targets of 125. Close enough? The Smith shooters must have arrived by bus because Friday there were a dozen or more Parker scores on the board and only two Smith shooters. By late Saturday, it had equalled out. There were two large tents of vendors. I would hope that next year there will be an additional tent. There is no limit on space for vendors or parking. Quail shooting parties were coming and going, probably amazed at the activity. Kevin and I had an animated conversation with one of the guides who had worked at it for many years. The PGCA tables were well manned and decorated with many fine Parkers. A very nice local couple wandered in with a couple of Parkers they wished to sell. We had a nice visit with them and inspected their shotguns. Unfortunately, everyone seemed to be in hammer gun mode and no one seemed to notice the AAHE 32" Whitworth pigeon gun with retrofit factory vent rib or the seemingly unfired 12 gauge DHE Skeet. Everyone agreed that it was the best DHE Skeet they had ever seen. I thought it was a pretty useful pair for someone just getting into trap and skeet. Hotels and restaurants are in close by Georgetown, a twenty mile country ride from Back Woods. On the way into Georgetown, we stopped at a store to buy a bottle of wine and, good grief, they were having a free tasting, food, wine, and spirits. Kevin and I hung out there for a half hour there before we checked in to the hotel. What a way to start a great weekend. Rick put on a great show for everyone and I will be back next year.

[John Truitt]

The Fall Classic at Rick Hemingway's place is outstanding. This facility is a shooters dream and I have been to none finer for a side by side event. The people there and the locals truely live up to the reputation of southern hospitality at its finest. I feel very fortunate to have been able to make this event over the past two years and cannot wait until next year.

The Parker boys did very well in the events, both individual and the team event. I know that several of our guys brought home a few trophies each. Guys like Carl Brandt, David Collins Sr and Jr, Ron Garrido, Mark Conrad, Buddy Marson, and Tom Carter all come to mind having a lot of metal/ bling to carry home.

Not to continue to beat a dead horse, but this place and the event are just amazing. I highly recommend it to any and everyone. Try your best to make it next year if you can. You will not be disapointed.

[Bill Murphy]

"Welcome back" to Ron Garrido who somehow missed the Spring Southern and the Smith versus Parker Challenge. Somehow, he didn't think a trip from California was too far to come to see his Parker shooting buddies. Maybe next year, we can get the Fox collectors group to head south in October.

[Ron Jones]

Drove Up From Columbus,Ga.On Friday and spent The Night With My Son {never a hunter, shooter or fisherman} On Daniel's Island. The Drive From Charleston Saturday Morning Was Relaxing And Spending Quiet Time With Scott Was a Treat.
Although Not Into Shooting Sports Scott Was Very Impressed With The Facility,Organization And Congenial Manner Of Those We Met. I Do Want To Thank David ,Tom And Others We Met At The Parker Table For The Nice Things Said About My 28 Ga VH.
Best Regards,

RON JONES

[Kevin McCormack]

The awesome minty 12 ga DHE Skeet gun went home from Backwoods to a new gun cabinet. The worn but iexotic and lovely old AAH Whitworth Pigeon Gun still lurks amongst the palmettos.......

[Mark Conrad]

Here are some pics from the Fall Southern. The first shows the large grassy area for tents and parking. The picture is only covering about 30% of the parking area. The second one is showing Carl Brandt, Mike Harris and Dr. Truitt getting ready to shoot the 5 stand. The third one has Ron Garrido and Dan Christoffersen. It was nice seeing Ron. He missed the Southern at Deep River this year. The 6th one down is Ric Hemingway, owner of Back Woods Quail Club. The 8th one down is showing David Dwyer actually braking a target. The 9th one down is showing Tom Carter trying to find his gun and the last one is the PGCA display.

[John Truitt]

Scores from the Fall Classic can be found at the following site:
www.shotgunworld.com/bbs/viewtopic.php?f=95&t=196844

[Buddy Marson]

John,
Thanks for directing us to the final scores. What a great weekend! My opinon of this event is, this is better than both the Vintagers and the spring Southern. The course is the best and the food Ric provides is much better than I have had anywhere. Ric has a real jewel with this fall event. I am already looking forward to next year.

All the best!
Buddy

[Rick Hemingway]

Back Woods would like to thank everyone who attended the 09' Fall Classic and look forward to having everyone back for the 2010 Fall Classic. We have already started making plans for next year's event in hopes of making the event even better. Below are some of the pictures that were taken here during the event.

Thanks again,

Rick Hemingway

[Bill Murphy]

Rick, thanks for the shoot and the pictures and John, thanks for the link to the scores. I guess the scoreboard tells the tale about the excellent participation in this shoot. Yup, we'll be back next year if not before.

[Tom Carter]

MARK YOUR CALENDARS

I just talked to Rick Hemmingway and the 2010 Fall Classic is October 22, 23 and 24th.

See all ya'll there.

Cheers, Tom

[C Roger Giles]

From what I observed on the score card it looks like Ron Gorrido loads and locks if something is flying in the sky, what a presence, good man Ron.

I am going to make plans to attend next years way down south southern, damn good event Mr. Ric

Roger