First Rifle Challenge of year

CRESCO - Gooder Field is a busy place. Youth from Crestwood practice and call it home field for the Clay Crushers Trapshooting team and adults and youth are taking part in the Precision .22lr Rifle Challenge in 2021.

The Wildlife Club is hosting the Precision .22lr Challenge and the Northeast Iowa .22lr Marksmen Club is organizing the event under the direction of Matt Colsch.

The first of five competitions took place on April 3. Terri Webb, board member of both clubs and participant, noted there were 16 competitors, most from the Cresco area, but also from as far away as What Cheer and Wisconsin.

The Saturday match offered seven different stages, with steel targets from 25 yards out to 150 yards. Targets ranged from five-inch circles to one-inch circles, three-inch squares and rectangles, the dreaded “KYL Rack” (Know your Limit) and even a target in the shape of Sasquatch! 

“Each stage tested a variety of shooting positions — shooting prone with use of a bipod, shooting while kneeling and shooting off tank traps or  a cable spool. Shooting prone with non-dominate eye was the biggest challenge for the  competitors!” Webb explained. 

“Two local youth competitors joined the competition and The Cresco Wildlife Club highly encourages any other youth to attend, even if they don’t own a .22 rifle; most everyone in this group will gladly share and help coach them along the Course of Fire!”

The top three finishers were Josh Collister of What Cheer, Austin Kramer of Waverly and Mark Collister of What Cheer.

Future matches at Gooder Field will be held the first Saturdays of the months through September (minus July due to 4th). The next Cresco match will be May 1. 

There will also be a consecutive summer schedule being held at the Walnut Creek Range in Farmersburg on the third Saturday of each month through September. 

Both events are under the direction of Matt Colsch, President of the Northeast Iowa .22lr Marksmen Club in conjunction with the Cresco Wildlife Club. Both ranges require all competitors to attend a mandatory Safety Brief before the match begins. “This is to ensure that this already safe sport, remains safe!” stated Webb.

“We hope to have one giant awards banquet with all competitors from both ranges this fall. Everyone is free to compete at both Ranges. You must compete in at least four of the five Cresco events to be eligible for Awards and four of the six events at Farmersburg.” 

If anyone wants more info, find both the Cresco Wildlife Club and the Northeast Iowa .22lr Marksmen Club on Facebook.