Kindred, N.D. - The Old West has been won again on a shooting range near here. Contestants knocked down targets left and right for the North Dakota Cowboy Action Shooting Championship, which began Friday and ends today.
The championship isn't like a normal shooting contest. Participants are required to don cowboy garb, preferably from the old-time shooter era.
Neil Dockter, better known as Doc Neilson at the range and one of the organizers of the event, listed off some of the forbidden accessories.
"You can't wear tennis shoes or a ball cap," Dockter said. "Everybody has a lot of fun dressing the part."
The Single Action Shooting Society requires each shooter to pick an alias and a costume based on characters, professions or Western stars from the late 19th century.
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Bryan Best, or "Yellowstone Vic," said shooters usually keep the same name at each tournament.
"It's registered," he said. "People choose their name based on a number of things. Folks choose because of their own names or their hometowns. We've got a lot of Dakotas here."
Contestants step up to a number of stages to try their hand at the revolver. The shooting clubs share in making up scenarios to go along with the livery, blacksmith shop, general store and schoolhouse that line the range. A storyteller reads the scenario before each match.
Co-organizer Diana Dockter, picked "Wild River Rose" as her alias.
"This is big-time fun for us," she said. "Part of the enjoyment is in the pretending."
But there's nothing fake about the guns. All revolvers and rifles, typical of guns from the Old West, are loaded with live ammunition.
Although the event is a competition, Best said the shooters keep camaraderie as a big priority.
"The whole purpose of this sport is to have fun," Best said. "We do require old-time shooter clothes, although sometimes we do get out the red long johns."
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An old-time shooter of eight years, Larry Akers stressed how safe the range was.
"I love to squeeze a trigger, don't get me wrong," Akers said, "but safety is absolutely paramount."
Contestants wear safety glasses and ear plugs while shooting and watching. Participants take care to load and unload guns in designated areas only.
Best said that sometimes keeping focus on shooting can prove to be difficult.
"It is a mind game," he said. "It's not easy. We've shot when it's 19 below, and it's almost 100 today."
More than 90 shooters are taking part in this weekend's event. Participants came from as far away as Florida, with most coming in from around the region.
Results were not available at the time of publication and will run in Monday's Forum.
Readers can reach Forum reporter Kim Winnegge at (701) 241-5509
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