History relived at the Centerburg Conservation Club

When I got into the shooting I generally thought that people just went to the range once in a while for practice. The more I got involved in Second Amendment issues I found defensive shooting leagues were really big and seemed to be growing leaps and bounds as more people obtained their concealed handgun licenses. This made sense, because in those leagues a participant is given a possible defensive scenario in which they have to engage threats and not engage no-shoot targets. All this must be done in the quickest time possible to beat your competitors.

As I became more seasoned in the shooting sports, I ran across another genre of shooting sports; cowboy action shooting. In these leagues participants dress up in their ‘Wild West Best’, with their six-guns, ten gallon hats and spurs, and engage targets similar to the one in the defensive shooting scenarios. In an offshoot - no pun intended - of Cowboy Action Shooting is the Mounted Cowboy Action Shooting league. I ran into this unique sport while honeymooning in Arizona. Each participant must shoot at targets while mounted on their best horse! Granted, the range is pretty darn big and out in the desert, but how cool is that?!

One of the last shooting genres I ran across was at the Centerburg Conservation Club, a venue that has been gracious to Buckeye Firearms Association for hosting various shooting events, and it was a shooting competition of Civil War-era muskets! The group is called the North-South Skirmish Association.

From the NSSA website (www.n-ssa.org):

The core of N-SSA shooting is the 8-man musket team match. Uniformed Union and Confederate teams compete in timed, rapid-fire events, shooting at breakable targets such as clay pigeons, ceramic tiles, and clay flower pots at ranges of 50 and 100 yards. The team with the lowest time wins.

In addition to shooting, members and their families compete for trophies in Civil War dress competitions. Men compete for the most accurate individual uniform. Union and Confederate troops compete for best-uniformed company awards. Men, women and children compete for awards in period dress - both formal and informal attire. As lovingly authentic as any of the weapons on the line, these garments add color and excitement to skirmish weekends.

The NSSA meets regularly for competitions at the 100 yard shooting range of the Centerburg Conservation Club. The club is currently the home range of the N-SSA Midwest Division and the 2nd OVI. Skirmishes are currently held three times a year.

From the Club website:

If you [are] searching for a club that has an endless dedication to the practice of your 2nd Amend skills then take a look at the CCCC. In 2000 CCCC created the Centerburg Youth Shooting Sports, Inc (CYSS). Since its creation, CYSS has introduced more than 1000 youth so the shooting sports. In addition, many of these young people compete in state and national competitions, bringing national recognition to the Centerburg Community. A sister organization, Buckeye International Junior Shooting Sports, Inc (Buckeye) was formed to foster youth in international competition. Since its foundation several local youth have earned positions on prestigious national shooting teams and shot for the USA and Germany, Cypress, and Sylvania. In 2008, Buckeye partnered with Cardinal Center Campground in Marengo to build and International Bunker. Youth from around the Midwest train on this $100,000 facility.

Through the years the club has not only worked hard to meet its conservation and outdoor heritage goals, it has worked with like minded organizations to help achieve their goals. In addition to those previously mentioned, the following are but a few of the organizations that use the clubs facilities: American Legion Post 460, Boy Scout Troop 382, Ohio Valley Muzzle Loading Gun Club, Local police, Sheriff s Departments, and the Highway Patrol, FFA, National wild Turkey Federation, Step outside, Woman in the Outdoors, and church groups.

The club currently has 829 members from all around the country. Many members are active in the day to day affairs of the club, some participate in one activity or another, and others are members as a matter of family history. Over the years members and guests have participated in coon hound races, archery tournaments, black powder target shooting, American and Olympic style trapshooting, fishing derbies, Easter egg hunts, Civil War skirmishes, various other war reenactments, shooting coach training, American Legion flag retirement ceremonies, youth groundhog hunting derbies, just to name a few. The club currently holds a pancake supper in the early spring, a club picnic in June, and a theme dinner in the fall. The club keeps a regular calendar to update members on upcoming events. Trapshooting is open to the public in Thursdays, and Protection trapshooting takes place on odd Sunday nights. A Family Membership in the club affords members access to the stocked fishing pond, rifle range, campground, trapshooting range, in addition to other club events.

For more information: www.centerburgconservationclub.com

Click Lake is a Buckeye Firearms Association Region Leader.

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