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Dubuque, IA April 28-29 -- Mudseed!

Started by Cooper, April 29, 2012, 12:14:18 AM

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Cooper

Stolen from Millers "mudseed" thread:

This weekend's shoot was hosted by the Izaak Walton League's Dubuque chapter at their facility in Peosta, Iowa.  A pleasant little range tucked away in North-East Iowa's bluff country a stone's throw from Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Illinois.  This range had first hosted a shoot last October that I had the pleasure to attend as a shooter.  Since then there had been some changes...  Some safety concerns regarding rounds leaving the range had led to some adjusting of range rules and the modification of the berms.  All of the work was recent but a shoot in the dirt is just as fine as one in the grass.

Until it rained.
All Friday night and in to Saturday.
LBOTG and IIT ΙΧΘΥΣ had jumped on the situation and tarped over the scheduled firing lines before the rains hit which gave us a firm, if not dry, area for the weekends instruction.  Well, mostly...  One bay was completely unusable due to mud so we ended up having to pack fifteen shooters into the space we had intended for half that number.  Tight quarters for sure and difficult for the instructors to get down in the mud with the shooters but being close just meant we kept each other a tad warmer.

One further bit of initiative on ΙΧΘΥΣ's part was to communicate his concern to the Shoot Boss well in advance which allowed for some consultation and planning among the scheduled instructors.

IIT ProTip:  If you have concerns about a shoot beforehand a PM or email to your Shoot Boss can help make for a successful weekend.

Thanks in part to this tip, and based on some quick conversations with the crew as we all prepared, I got to see a fine example of one of the quirks that seems common among the Appleseed cadre.  Preparedness.  Out of every vehicle such a mass of tarps and tentage appeared on that range that one would have thought the circus had come to town.  We actually ran out of space to erect all of the E-Z-Up shelters!

IIT ProTip:  Watch the sale flyers for your local sporting goods and farm supply stores.  When they put folding tailgating canopies on clearance at the end of the season you can get a valuable piece of gear at a good price.
<< Last Edit: Yesterday at 03:27:42 PM by Miller >>
Some early pix of 35degree rain with 35mph wind... these riflemen persisted, adapted and overcame and I am VERY proud of them.  O0 O0 O0

These pix show how it began, others have pix of the Saturday outcome...  >:D

Cooper
"This Appleseed thing doesn't look like it would be for everyone, but it really is." Zac, age 7  كافر
"He who dares not offend cannot be honest." ~ Thomas Paine    "Cooper, you're an a**hole!" - recent Shoot Boss's compliment
"I don't know where "brave" leaves off and "foolish" picks up, but you've certainly got your share of courage." - FuzzyMath
"For the Rifle!, the Rifle!, in our hands will prove no trifle!" ~from the lyrics of "The Bennington Riflemen"
Understand the urgency of our mission; no amount of bailing can raise a sunken ship.
I don't want to be forced back into the darkness.
 

"Shut up and color." - slim

Miller

Appleseed comes to Elbonia.

Call me crazy but I had a blast.

And all sorts of respect for the shooters who came out despite having seen the forecast and the actuality of the weather this morning.  And walk ons!  Walk ons in a nasty mud hole in the cold rain!   :bow:


Fearful but resolute.

TheFatMan

On behalf of my son and me, a couple of the crazy walk-ons, we had a great time today. I asked him on the drive home if he had a good time today. "I sure did. The mud wasn't that bad after awhile." I learned and relearned more again today. One of the things I learned is that "waterproof" isn't always true.

I am really appreciative of our volunteer instructors - thanks for your dedication. I loved the history too. I've heard "the 3 strikes of the match" 3 times now but I learn another bit every time. As a homeschooling parent, Project Appleseed helps my wife and I on our goal to raise strong, courageous, God-fearing leaders like our founders.

Miller

#3
To all the shooters from this weekend I say thank you. 
Saturday started cold and rainy and ended in mud.
Sunday opened in mud and closed with a bitter cold rain, a few bits of sleet, and more mud.
The dedication shown by all of the men, women, and young folks on the line in the face of awful conditions absolutely humbles me.  My first 'seed was a warm and muggy June day in Montrose.  I made Rifleman on a beautifully crisp fall day in Winterset.  My path to the patch was an absolute cakewalk.  Had I woken to this sort of weather on the morning of my first shoot I don't know if I would have made it to the line. 

You folks that showed up this weekend are why we do this. 

I'm just home from the range.  Gear is drying in the garage, my loaner LTR is in a million pieces on a cleaning mat, and I'm dying for a hot meal and a hotter shower so I'll post more latter. 

For now, thank you to Cooper, Patriot Gal, BuzzG, ΙΧΘΥΣ, and OldBolts.  It was great meeting and working with all of you.

And to the shooters...
Again, I am amazed and humbled by you.
Thank you ever so much.
Fearful but resolute.

Cooper

Miller:

DITTO

Awesome shooters, dedicated instructors:  a great lesson with a TINY portion of the devotion, sufferings and persistence of those that sacrificed to give us the Liberties and Rights that we enjoy today.

May we be dedicated to preserving these precious gifts for our own posterity...

Cooper
"This Appleseed thing doesn't look like it would be for everyone, but it really is." Zac, age 7  كافر
"He who dares not offend cannot be honest." ~ Thomas Paine    "Cooper, you're an a**hole!" - recent Shoot Boss's compliment
"I don't know where "brave" leaves off and "foolish" picks up, but you've certainly got your share of courage." - FuzzyMath
"For the Rifle!, the Rifle!, in our hands will prove no trifle!" ~from the lyrics of "The Bennington Riflemen"
Understand the urgency of our mission; no amount of bailing can raise a sunken ship.
I don't want to be forced back into the darkness.
 

"Shut up and color." - slim

Cooper

Sunday pictures !
It was great to have Steve bring his sons Ben and Connor as walk ons, and to meet Chris, Sheryl, Eva, Fiona and Iowa's newest Orange Hat - Kenyon (forum name not yet determined) !!   O0 O0 O0

Come on, guys and gals! somebody has pictures for that and of Iowa's newest Rifleman, Andrew!
Andrew's first AQT score at his first Appleseed event --> --> -- >  235 !!!
   ^:)^
Congratulations, Andy!!  Having an IIT for a dad might have it's benefits...  **)
"This Appleseed thing doesn't look like it would be for everyone, but it really is." Zac, age 7  كافر
"He who dares not offend cannot be honest." ~ Thomas Paine    "Cooper, you're an a**hole!" - recent Shoot Boss's compliment
"I don't know where "brave" leaves off and "foolish" picks up, but you've certainly got your share of courage." - FuzzyMath
"For the Rifle!, the Rifle!, in our hands will prove no trifle!" ~from the lyrics of "The Bennington Riflemen"
Understand the urgency of our mission; no amount of bailing can raise a sunken ship.
I don't want to be forced back into the darkness.
 

"Shut up and color." - slim

Miller

ΙΧΘΥΣ should have more pics up soon (HINT HINT) and Patriot Gal as well.
Of all the gear I packed in I forgot a camera. :slap:

And it looks drier in those pics then I remember.
Fearful but resolute.

IXOYE

Did someone say Mudseed? Indeed! But nineteen shooters and six instructors persevered wind, rain, cold, and mud to improve their skills and demonstrate they have the stuff to be a rifleman. Thanks to everyone for a great event, particularly the instructors who drove many hours to be here. As Miller pointed out, it was much muddier than the pictures indicate. Enjoy!
The only thing necessary for evil to prosper is for good men to do nothing! (Edmund Burke)

IXOYE

More pics from Mudseed in Dubuque! Including Andrew receiving his rifleman patch.
The only thing necessary for evil to prosper is for good men to do nothing! (Edmund Burke)

IXOYE

Sorry all these pics are not in a single post. I seemed to be having problems with either too  many images or the images being too large. So I had to break them down into smaller groups. Hope everyone enjoys them.
The only thing necessary for evil to prosper is for good men to do nothing! (Edmund Burke)

IXOYE

Here is my last group of pics from the Dubuque shoot. Is that roll of smoke from the regulars launching a volley at Meriam's Corner?
The only thing necessary for evil to prosper is for good men to do nothing! (Edmund Burke)

Ithacabuff

Hello, all, My first post on the forum.  I am Ithacabuff here and also the guy that was there Saturday but did not come back Sunday.  Wanted to give a great big profound Thank You to all the volunteers for all you did for us.  I do plan on being back to an AS weekend this calendar year.  For those who might be interested I use the same handle on Rimfire Central forum and have written about my experience on Saturday in the AS thread on the forum.  Thank you again....I will be back. 

R1SGx2

WOW, nice job by all, looks like the weather worked with you. Hope all are dried out by now...

:bow: :bow: :bow:
"Eyes of the Warrior - Always open"
"What's the weather got to do with it, lets go."
"Appleseed, where good people come together to save a nation."

Cooper

Quote from: R1sgx2 on May 01, 2012, 08:10:40 AM
WOW, nice job by all, looks like the weather worked with you. Hope all are dried out by now...

Nope, still pulling things out of the 'seedmobile dripping wet... after everything is out, I'll have to hose out the inside too...

What Fun !!!   HUZZAH !!
"This Appleseed thing doesn't look like it would be for everyone, but it really is." Zac, age 7  كافر
"He who dares not offend cannot be honest." ~ Thomas Paine    "Cooper, you're an a**hole!" - recent Shoot Boss's compliment
"I don't know where "brave" leaves off and "foolish" picks up, but you've certainly got your share of courage." - FuzzyMath
"For the Rifle!, the Rifle!, in our hands will prove no trifle!" ~from the lyrics of "The Bennington Riflemen"
Understand the urgency of our mission; no amount of bailing can raise a sunken ship.
I don't want to be forced back into the darkness.
 

"Shut up and color." - slim

Miller

Same here.
The canopy is set up in the garage with  my rain gear ung from the struts and a fan blowing.
I've got saw horses set up underneath with shooting mats airing out.
And there is an LTR spread all down a table.

Fun times.
Fearful but resolute.

loves2hunt59

Cooper, Miller, Oldbolts, et al.  Great job guys.
To all the attendees, My hat is off to all of you.
Kenyon wear that Orange hat well.

Kosciusko

Quote from: Miller on April 29, 2012, 12:32:27 AM
Appleseed comes to Elbonia.

Call me crazy but I had a blast.

And all sorts of respect for the shooters who came out despite having seen the forecast and the actuality of the weather this morning.  And walk ons!  Walk ons in a nasty mud hole in the cold rain!   :bow:

were you plagued by mud weasels?

did the flags get shredded, like in Decorah ?

looks an awful lot like the first Decorah shoot, where we got the contact that led to the Dubuque shoot

Iowa shoots = wet, cold, and windy ?  hopefully not always

and you folks did a great job, as always

congrats on another successful shoot, welcome to Kenyon,   newest member of the instructor cadre

k

Miller

Quote from: Kosciusko on May 01, 2012, 02:31:32 PM


were you plagued by mud weasels?

did the flags get shredded, like in Decorah ?

looks an awful lot like the first Decorah shoot, where we got the contact that led to the Dubuque shoot

Iowa shoots = wet, cold, and windy ?  hopefully not always

and you folks did a great job, as always

congrats on another successful shoot, welcome to Kenyon,   newest member of the instructor cadre

k

Oh my five 'seeds so far....
Most of 'em were breezy at some point but this was far and away the wettest.

Also....
Mud Weasels?
Do I dare ask?
Fearful but resolute.

Cooper

No, Miller

You dare not ask.

Mud Weasels make me look like Mr Rogers in comparison.

Don't even dare to ask.  You might want to stock up on Zombie ammo, though, since you made the mistake of bringing them up and they will seek you out first.

"This Appleseed thing doesn't look like it would be for everyone, but it really is." Zac, age 7  كافر
"He who dares not offend cannot be honest." ~ Thomas Paine    "Cooper, you're an a**hole!" - recent Shoot Boss's compliment
"I don't know where "brave" leaves off and "foolish" picks up, but you've certainly got your share of courage." - FuzzyMath
"For the Rifle!, the Rifle!, in our hands will prove no trifle!" ~from the lyrics of "The Bennington Riflemen"
Understand the urgency of our mission; no amount of bailing can raise a sunken ship.
I don't want to be forced back into the darkness.
 

"Shut up and color." - slim

Ithacabuff

Just thought I would mention that, today, I registered for Oct 6-7 at same location. I am going to do some practicing on fundamentals once weekly, or more, during the interim.

Cooper

Quote from: Ithacabuff on May 02, 2012, 01:03:23 AM
Just thought I would mention that, today, I registered for Oct 6-7 at same location. I am going to do some practicing on fundamentals once weekly, or more, during the interim.

In the very least, dryfire, dryfire, dryfire !!!
The location may change to a much larger range, watch the forum for updates...

So glad you came!!
You are always welcome back...
"This Appleseed thing doesn't look like it would be for everyone, but it really is." Zac, age 7  كافر
"He who dares not offend cannot be honest." ~ Thomas Paine    "Cooper, you're an a**hole!" - recent Shoot Boss's compliment
"I don't know where "brave" leaves off and "foolish" picks up, but you've certainly got your share of courage." - FuzzyMath
"For the Rifle!, the Rifle!, in our hands will prove no trifle!" ~from the lyrics of "The Bennington Riflemen"
Understand the urgency of our mission; no amount of bailing can raise a sunken ship.
I don't want to be forced back into the darkness.
 

"Shut up and color." - slim

BuzzG

Moe
I have to echo Cooper's suggestion of dryfire practice! That's what made the difference for me. Your body gets used to the positions, your trigger squeeeeeeeze improves and if you dryfire each shot BY THE NUMBERS you will be way ahead of the pack at your next shoot.
BuzzG

Quote from: Cooper on May 02, 2012, 01:09:42 AM
Quote from: Ithacabuff on May 02, 2012, 01:03:23 AM
Just thought I would mention that, today, I registered for Oct 6-7 at same location. I am going to do some practicing on fundamentals once weekly, or more, during the interim.

In the very least, dryfire, dryfire, dryfire !!!
The location may change to a much larger range, watch the forum for updates...

So glad you came!!
You are always welcome back...

loves2hunt59

cold, wet, windy?  Sounds like Searsboro.  Iowa's initial Appleseed

vmt193

Quote from: loves2hunt59 on May 02, 2012, 11:53:05 AM
cold, wet, windy?  Sounds like Searsboro.  Iowa's initial Appleseed

I remember that!