Biltmore Sporting Clays
 

Next Friday I will be shooting at the Biltmore sporting clays range. My brother , Dale, a veterinarian in Ashville, NC, is on the board of The Mountain Area Pregnancy Services, and asked me to be on his team and be a sponsor. With Covid, we havent seen each other in about 2 years, plus Asheville is just a great place to visit. Any body shoot there before?
I am debating between shooting my WW Greener Sidelever 12 ga, or my Ithaca 4E 16. I am sure the sidelever hammer gun would get some looks if I shoot it. I dont have a Parker 12 to shoot. Dale will either be shooting a Fox Model B 20 ga that I once lent him, and now he wont give it back( no, worries, I wouldnt shoot the darn thing anyway), or a Beretta 12 ga OU that my friend Terry lent to me.

I think David Dwyer “C grade” has shot there. Not sure if David is online much anymore.

Dave is a great guy. I used to shoot with him and Buddy Marson at Drakes every year , the day before the Southern.

Shoot the gun you shoot best. You do want to outshoot your brother don't you?:)

Bragging rights and XXs is what it's all about! I agree with Daryl.

That would be the 4E Ithaca 16 then.

Then go for it and rack up those X's.:cool:

Tell Dale hey, he sure is a nice fellow. Good luck at Bitmore!

Thanks Mike, should be a fun weekend.

Harold, I’m jealous. My wife and I stayed at the Biltmore Estate in July and it’s beautiful. While staying there, I found that they have a clays course. Too bad it was booked 2 weeks out. If I’m in that area again, I’ll reserve a shoot. Can’t wait to hear your report.

Thanks Jeff, I'll try and post some pictures

Harold,

How was the shoot at the Biltmore? Any pics?

Thanks for asking John. It was an extremely foggy, misty morning, had rained all night. The views of the mountain ranges were obscured. It was a nice course, nice traps, but still I had thought would be nicer. Roy Sislers Hunting Hills is nicer IMHO, with a beautiful course and scenery of the Chestnut Ridge of the Allegheny Mtns. I shot a WW Greener 12 ga sidelever with 30 barrels. I shot quite well on the first half of the course but then fell apart on the second half. Still, I shot my average, mediocre scores in the mid 60's--there were others far better shooting dedicated SC guns, and many others far worse. I had not seen my brother in 2 years because of covid, and his twin sons, both doctors, and my sister from Charlotte came also, so had a great family reunion. Went to the seafood buffett at the Omni Grove Park Inn in Ashville, what a magnificant place.
There had been devastating floods in that area about a week before and there was much devastation in the towns along the rivers and creeks. I wish I could have stayed longer and helped my brother and his church who were doing flood relief. I know Mike McKinney lives in that area and pray you did not have any problems.

When a clays course like The Biltmore is booked weeks ahead of time, there are always dropouts. A handful of ten dollar bills go a long way to get you in place. However, I don't know whether I could stand the cost of rounds. I have spent time in Asheville and Hendersonville and I love the area. However, I never took the time to do the Biltmore tour.

Harold,

Thanks for the update. Sounds like you had a good time with family, glad to hear. I have been to that restaurant and it is very good. Hope all goes well with those in need of assistance.

John

Thanks for the well wishes! We were fine, the damage was a lot more severe in the southern and eastern parts of Haywood County which includes the town of Canton and the communities of Cruso and Bethel. It was an unusually bad storm for our mountains, I think 6 killed, houses, campers, bridges and roads washed away.

Harold. Thanks for the report sounds like time spent with the family was the highlight. I've only been to the Smoky Mountains a couple of times and the weather sure can be an issue. I'll bet it was a beautiful course. Jeff

I've never shot the course there, but the Christmas tour of the "big house" is unbelievable. Words cannot describe the decorations you will see there. I'm not big on decorating, at any occasion, but even I was "wowed". It's something you won't ever forget.

Stan, my brother, a veterinarian, lives about 15 minutes from the Biltmore, and has a season pass for it. He says it is unbelievably beautiful at Christmas.

It is, indeed. We waited on the front porch that Christmas Eve until they opened the doors for the candlelight tour, and there was a hard north wind cutting through our clothing. But, it was worth the wait. The Christmas tree in the big room has to be seen to be believed. It is HUGE! But, not just the tree, every room in that gigantic mansion is fully decorated.

For a virtual tour see this:

https://www.biltmore.com/things-to-do/events/christmas/

Best, SRH

Just curious, how much was a round of clays at Biltmore?

Don't really know. It was a fundraiser and I shot on my brother's team as a sponsor.