What type of BONUS Targets does your Club use?

[Cold Lake Kid, SASS # 51474]

We've used thrown knives, small gongs, with a reload on the clock, using the main match rifle, even candy suckers and playing cards, using SAA's or rifles with a reload on the clock.

Derringer from a table to a shirt front cardboard target. A .45-70 Buffalo gun on a small gong, using a reduced load.

I'm working on one using my Spencer just for giggles and to irritate some of our rifle speed shooters like Red Storm, Regulator, Johny Cheater, and our Territorial Governor, His Excellency, Rooster Corrigan

One recent series of three matches required golf skill for potential bonuses, while another required an ability with a lasso.

[Father Kit Cool Gun Garth]

7 hours ago, Cold Lake Kid, SASS # 51474 said:

We've used thrown knives, small gongs, with a reload on the clock, using the main match rifle, even candy suckers and playing cards, using SAA's or rifles with a reload on the clock.

Derringer from a table to a shirt front cardboard target. A .45-70 Buffalo gun on a small gong, using a reduced load.

I'm working on one using my Spencer just for giggles and to irritate some of our rifle speed shooters like Red Storm, Regulator, Johny Cheater, and our Territorial Governor, His Excellency, Rooster Corrigan

One recent series of three matches required golf skill for potential bonuses, while another required an ability with a lasso.

 

Cold Lake Kid:

     Sounds like you guys really mix it up.

     These are fun things to add at the end of a stage run so that those who aren't interested in participating can still concentrate on their shooting skills and have an accurate time for their shooting stage.

[Cowboy Junky]

I think bonus targets are a great why to increase the fun factor with low risk IF you balance out the time. IOW many people can't win the match but they have goals to shoot clean. Bonus targets give them the opportunity to shoot clean but still have fun/challenging targets. 

 

The match winners need to hit them because the extra time is needed and can't be squandered. But IMO they should be able to as well. The people out there fun for, clean matches or just to enjoy shooting get to have some fun with low risk to their scores. 

 

The only issues are if they aren't done correctly they can be too time heavy and effect the match too greatly or too confusing and spoil the fun factor.....but again IMO if they are done right most people seem to like em'. 

[Cold Lake Kid, SASS # 51474]

14 minutes ago, Father Kit Cool Gun Garth said:

 

Cold Lake Kid:

     Sounds like you guys really mix it up.

     These are fun things to add at the end of a stage run so that those who aren't interested in participating can still concentrate on their shooting skills and have an accurate time for their shooting stage.

 Actually,  in some cases, we make them part and the start of the stage. You must must at least attempt the feat or earn a "P".

Examples: At the beep; a knife thrown at a hay bale to start the stage - bonus if it sticks in; "Lefty" (a dummy we have with a hook for a hand) to start the stage carried to the pig pen on the clock ; in The Tom Horn Match we had to try to stop the hanging by shooting a plate that stopped the drop; standing at a card table, holding cards, at the beep open a cigar box and retrieve a Derringer with which you must shoot a shirt front cardboard target, before engaging the cheating gamblers cronies. Many things come to our demented minds,

Johny Cheater, a high school teacher in his other life has the shop classes building all sorts of funny things, while Red Storm takes staff off repairing aircraft to do builds.

We feel it's a way to challenge the shooter while adding a few more laughs.

Our times are often slow in comparison to other clubs and shooters we see on here, but we're having fun shooting cowboy rather than IPSIC.

[Father Kit Cool Gun Garth]

5 minutes ago, Cold Lake Kid, SASS # 51474 said:

{previous text removed ONLY to conserve space}

We feel it's a way to challenge the shooter while adding a few more laughs.

Our times are often slow in comparison to other clubs and shooters we see on here, but we're having fun shooting cowboy rather than IPSIC.

 

Kid:

    Currently looking online for the first flight out of Florida to Canada. When's the next match?

[Chili Pepper Jack]

44 minutes ago, Cold Lake Kid, SASS # 51474 said:

 Actually,  in some cases, we make them part and the start of the stage. You must must at least attempt the feat or earn a "P".

Examples: At the beep; a knife thrown at a hay bale to start the stage - bonus if it sticks in; "Lefty" (a dummy we have with a hook for a hand) to start the stage carried to the pig pen on the clock ; in The Tom Horn Match we had to try to stop the hanging by shooting a plate that stopped the drop; standing at a card table, holding cards, at the beep open a cigar box and retrieve a Derringer with which you must shoot a shirt front cardboard target, before engaging the cheating gamblers cronies. Many things come to our demented minds,

Johny Cheater, a high school teacher in his other life has the shop classes building all sorts of funny things, while Red Storm takes staff off repairing aircraft to do builds.

We feel it's a way to challenge the shooter while adding a few more laughs.

Our times are often slow in comparison to other clubs and shooters we see on here, but we're having fun shooting cowboy rather than IPSIC.

That sounds fun! I know some people don't like things like that but I think it would be fun doing stuff like that maybe not on every stage but one fun thing a match would be a hoot. It sounds like something I was reading about, years ago from what I understand they did things like this all the time. 

[Cold Lake Kid, SASS # 51474]

Well Father, we have a match at Cornwall this coming Saturday, August 5. Don't know what Ruff has schemed dreamed up, but I just saw the match booklet for The Wild Turkey "NOTHING" match at the Grenville Fish and Game Club August 12. Stage four has a hazard that will cost you all your hits if you put a shot through a wall while a swinger keeps popping out. Stage 5 sees a pistol one shot reload on the clock, that can earn you a 10 second bonus if you make it. You must try the shot or you earn a "P" and if you miss, it's counted as a miss.

See www.grenvillefishandgame.com/wild-turkey-posse for copies of the match booklets, scores and pictures of our mayhem and www.ovmcowboys.ca for the Ottawa Valley Marauders pictures and scores.

[Father Kit Cool Gun Garth]

1 hour ago, Cold Lake Kid, SASS # 51474 said:

Well Father, we have a match at Cornwall this coming Saturday, August 5. Don't know what Ruff has schemed dreamed up, but I just saw the match booklet for The Wild Turkey "NOTHING" match at the Grenville Fish and Game Club August 12. Stage four has a hazard that will cost you all your hits if you put a shot through a wall while a swinger keeps popping out. Stage 5 sees a pistol one shot reload on the clock, that can earn you a 10 second bonus if you make it. You must try the shot or you earn a "P" and if you miss, it's counted as a miss.

See www.grenvillefishandgame.com/wild-turkey-posse for copies of the match booklets, scores and pictures of our mayhem and www.ovmcowboys.ca for the Ottawa Valley Marauders pictures and scores.

 

Cold Lake Kid:

     Went to your website and placed it as a Favorite in my SASS Folder.

     Took a look at a few of the Match booklets that Tumbleweed Tom did up,

      and all I can say is they are........

                                  .

 

     His imagination in creating such detailed and elaborate Match booklets (which get printed and handed out to the shooters even) is mind boggling.

     I only got to Frankensteins' Ranch and Westworld and had to stop to soak it all in.

     Pard's, if you haven't checked out their websites,  you are missing out on something special.

     The Wild Turkey Posse take their Cowboy Action Shooting seriously.

    

[Fast Enuff]

We use bonuses all the time, we just try to be careful HOW they are used.  For instance a plate rack where you alternate between a solid target and the plates for 10 rounds.  There are no extra shots available if you miss a plate.  What do you do?  Give a full miss during a monthly and make people miserable?  Use a complicated and slow shotgun make-up?  Instead, for years now we have been making the plates a no-miss 1 second bonus.  Yes, it minimizes the value.  It seems too low.  But it isn't.  You still have to fire the shot.  If you jack it out you have to replace it under the unfired round penalty (scored as a miss if you don't).  So the shooters are still required to put the round downrange at it.  It's just 10x more fun for the bulk of shooters that way.  Works good for texas stars also.

 

The end result is that if the hotshots wipe the plates or whatever at super speed and others are much slower and also don't hit a couple of them at all you don't end up destroying a shooter's match due to lack of bonus AND misses on targets that are non-standard in size.  And the maximum difference on a stage for say 5 plates is only 5 seconds in bonus for all of the plates, plus whatever time they spent shooting at them.  It still provides a solid reward for getting them all quickly but not some huge match winning event on the score sheet.

 

For the classic long range bonus shot... I agree completely with the above.  Keep it to 5 seconds, or even 3.  Because as others have noted a 5 second no-miss bonus is still essentially a miss if you don't hit it.  You're 5 seconds behind the next person who got it.  Plus the extra time to line it up.  You have to balance the target distance and difficulty and make the bonus value just barely high enough to justify actually trying to hit it... and no more.

 

To me the bonus values are not about "bonus" but instead about restricting the damage done to shooters for a shot that is difficult.  The more you do that, the more fun everyone will have with the tougher targets and the more they'll be smiling after a match that uses them.

[Assassin]

Our club does not use bonus targets, and none of the other clubs we frequent use bonus targets. Have not seen one for years. 

[Bullett Sass 19707]

Many years ago we used a onion sack filled with something to make it heavy and tied it up on the gallows.  Shot 10 with the rifle was to cut the rope and save Tuco.   Most people used mostly 45s. in those days.   You got 5sec bonus for saving Tuco.    Bullett 19707

[Cowboy Junky]

14 hours ago, Assassin said:

Our club does not use bonus targets, and none of the other clubs we frequent use bonus targets. Have not seen one for years. 

I hate that for ya'..........lol

[Father Kit Cool Gun Garth]

14 hours ago, Assassin said:

Our club does not use bonus targets, and none of the other clubs we frequent use bonus targets. Have not seen one for years. 

 

8 minutes ago, Cowboy Junky said:

I hate that for ya'..........lol

 

Cowboy Junky:

    Me too............

 

[Creeker, SASS #43022]

On ‎7‎/‎31‎/‎2017 at 11:16 AM, Cold Lake Kid, SASS # 51474 said:

Well Father, we have a match at Cornwall this coming Saturday, August 5. Don't know what Ruff has schemed dreamed up, but I just saw the match booklet for The Wild Turkey "NOTHING" match at the Grenville Fish and Game Club August 12. Stage four has a hazard that will cost you all your hits if you put a shot through a wall while a swinger keeps popping out. Stage 5 sees a pistol one shot reload on the clock, that can earn you a 10 second bonus if you make it. You must try the shot or you earn a "P" and if you miss, it's counted as a miss.

See www.grenvillefishandgame.com/wild-turkey-posse for copies of the match booklets, scores and pictures of our mayhem and www.ovmcowboys.ca for the Ottawa Valley Marauders pictures and scores.

More power to you, if this is what you enjoy.

But your post is a PERFECT example of why "bonuses" are disliked by many.

 

Stage four - a SINGLE miss can cost you 15 seconds (loss of all your hits {possible 3} on the swinger).

Stage five - a SINGLE miss can cost you 15 seconds relative to your competition - 5 seconds for your miss and 10 seconds for their bonus.

 

A single shot SHOULD not be able to decide a match - and in a LOT of matches; against a lot of competitors - 15 seconds can be an insurmountable obstacle.

 

 

[Cold Lake Kid, SASS # 51474]

4 minutes ago, Creeker, SASS #43022 said:

More power to you, if this is what you enjoy.

But your post is a PERFECT example of why "bonuses" are disliked by many.

 

Stage four - a SINGLE miss can cost you 15 seconds (loss of all your hits {possible 3} on the swinger).

Stage five - a SINGLE miss can cost you 15 seconds relative to your competition - 5 seconds for your miss and 10 seconds for their bonus.

 

A single shot SHOULD not be able to decide a match - and in a LOT of matches; against a lot of competitors - 15 seconds can be an insurmountable obstacle.

 

 

Challenging ain't it?

Slows folks down and makes 'em aim!

We love them!

[Colorado Coffinmaker]

Folks up Cold Lake's way ought consider using the Match Director as the "Bonus Target"   

[Slow Mo Dern]

We have a plate rack with 5 small plates and a big square dump target mounted under the plate rack.  You have 10 pistol rounds to hit 5 plates. 

After the top 5 plates are down, you dump your remaining rounds on the big square under the plate rack.

 

It's a counted as a miss only if you miss the dump target.  If any plates are left standing after 10 pistol rounds,  shoot'em down with your shotgun.

 

It's almost impossible to goof on this part of the stage so I think this might qualify as a bonus in a different way.

 

We also have some longer range rifle bonuses for 5 seconds.  Some of the people like shooting long, it keeps them in practice.

 

I like Allie Mo's suggestion about shooting the rifle targets with the pistols and everybody gets a bonus!

 

Mo

 

 

[Cowboy Junky]

18 hours ago, Creeker, SASS #43022 said:

More power to you, if this is what you enjoy.

But your post is a PERFECT example of why "bonuses" are disliked by many.

 

Stage four - a SINGLE miss can cost you 15 seconds (loss of all your hits {possible 3} on the swinger).

Stage five - a SINGLE miss can cost you 15 seconds relative to your competition - 5 seconds for your miss and 10 seconds for their bonus.

 

A single shot SHOULD not be able to decide a match - and in a LOT of matches; against a lot of competitors - 15 seconds can be an insurmountable obstacle.

 

 

I agree with this......(not that means anything) but if you make the bonus a match changing shot that's too taxing for my liking. The fast guy's will still win.......it's only changes which fast guy will win. Also from trying these "harder" bonus targets for years you see the top shooter's getting the loins share of the points. So what actually happens many times is you widen the gap between the fast shooter's and the rest by making the bonus time too generous. 

 

That's why (IMO) you want to really balance the risk, reward & time to shoot it. 

[Cold Lake Kid, SASS # 51474]

11 hours ago, Slow Mo Dern said:

We have a plate rack with 5 small plates and a big square dump target mounted under the plate rack.  You have 10 pistol rounds to hit 5 plates. 

After the top 5 plates are down, you dump your remaining rounds on the big square under the plate rack.

............

 

Mo

 

 

 

If you really want to mess with speed shooters, have the shooter dump the first five pistol rounds on a large dump target, then go five smaller pistol targets with the last five!

Hee-Hee!

All good fun and that's what we come out for!

[Cold Lake Kid, SASS # 51474]

On 7/31/2017 at 4:13 PM, Father Kit Cool Gun Garth said:

 

Cold Lake Kid:

     Went to your website and placed it as a Favorite in my SASS Folder.

     Took a look at a few of the Match booklets that Tumbleweed Tom did up,

      and all I can say is they are........

                                  .

 

     His imagination in creating such detailed and elaborate Match booklets (which get printed and handed out to the shooters even) is mind boggling.

     I only got to Frankensteins' Ranch and Westworld and had to stop to soak it all in.

     Pard's, if you haven't checked out their websites,  you are missing out on something special.

     The Wild Turkey Posse take their Cowboy Action Shooting seriously.

    

 

Those aren't all! Have a look at our other posse website, www.ovmcowboys.ca under "Results" and you'll find more match booklets authored by a number of us then edited and put together so well by Tumbleweed Tom. He is a real asset to the success of our matches.

[Wapaloosie73]

19 hours ago, Cold Lake Kid, SASS # 51474 said:

Challenging ain't it?

Slows folks down and makes 'em aim!

We love them!

 

 

[Cold Lake Kid, SASS # 51474]

Wapaloosie, truer words were never spoken.

[Wapaloosie73]

I like this one as well.

 

 

[Slow Mo Dern]

75 yards seems awful far for a cap and ball Colt to shoot accurately.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Wapaloosie73]

Unless yer Wild Bill  

[Cheyenne Ranger, 48747L]

we have used somewhere down the line to present:

 

popper that sends bonus clay bird in the air

differently colored target

target further out

smaller target

and my favorite:

the small, far out target 

depending on scenarios bonus must/may be engaged (depending on how RM felt the day he was writing the stages)

[Shooting Bull]

10 hours ago, Cold Lake Kid, SASS # 51474 said:

 

 If you really want to mess with speed shooters, have the shooter dump the first five pistol rounds on a large dump target, then go five smaller pistol targets with the last five!

Hee-Hee!

All good fun and that's what we come out for!

 

Normally "speed shooters" got to be that way through years of dedicated practice. That leads me to a question. If this messes with the speed shooters, what does it do to the less experienced/less accurate shooters? 

 

And I won't even get into why you're "messing" with your customers. 

[Gateway Kid SASS# 70038 Life]

11 hours ago, Cold Lake Kid, SASS # 51474 said:

 

If you really want to mess with speed shooters, have the shooter dump the first five pistol rounds on a large dump target, then go five smaller pistol targets with the last five!

Hee-Hee!

All good fun and that's what we come out for!

Touched a nerve here and though these types of threads have no winners here is my response.

What utter nonsense!!! I am not a burner, but a stage like this would add maybe 1 second to my pistol times If you think that will make you competitive (and that you will add less time yourself) give it a whirl. I have talked to several who have done the math on matches where the goal is to "mess with speed shooters" and all that happens is the gap between fast and slow gets bigger. A better choice is to go practice and improve yourself rather than hope to win by gimmick, without working for it and thus have an accomplishment similar to what those "speed shooters" strive for. As far as good fun why do you think the "speed shooters" are there? I like to help the less experienced shooters get better at all aspects of the game, to me that is fun. I get no real enjoyment out of beating up on slow shooters, rather a tight match between equals gets me excited. Do you really believe your style is the only way to have fun? Seems pretty arrogant to me Maybe your idea of fun is simply "different"

 

Regards

 

Gateway Kid

[Cold Lake Kid, SASS # 51474]

We feel it challenges the shooters.

[Shooting Bull]

13 hours ago, Cold Lake Kid, SASS # 51474 said:

We feel it challenges the shooters.

 

How do the shooters feel?  You say you're doing it for fun, whose fun?  Are these stages providing more fun for your customers or are they simply for your enjoyment to "mess with" them?

[Assassin]

13 hours ago, Cold Lake Kid, SASS # 51474 said:

We feel it challenges the shooters.

It does tend to challenge the less skilled shooters. The better shooters are going to get most bonuses and move on quicker. There is no making the playing field equal for all. Rather than shooting 2 SG targets make it 4, then increase the number to 6, then increase it to 8. You will see a big gap between skilled shooters and lesser skilled shooters. The stage times will really increase for those that don't practice or those that just choose to shoot for fun. Try setting up your match with more movement, big close targets, some multiple hit targets, and no gimmicks. After a couple matches hold a survey about how the liked the changes. My preference would be setting targets out a little further and making stages a little more challenging, that's not everyone's preference. I set up matches for the folks that come out to shoot with our club.

Most shooters today want straight forward no BS type shooting. Actually, it's much less work to set up a straight forward match. Starting line, "ready."

 

[Cliff Hanger #3720LR]

The biggest impact a Bonus target has, is the way it is scored which can mess up the score keeper and maybe even the scoring program.

 

If you have this Bonus target farther out or smaller, the bonus is the ability of the shooter to aim and hit the target with the least time spent on doing these things.

This target does not need to have a different value assign to it. 

 

 

 

[Wapaloosie73]

22 hours ago, Slow Mo Dern said:

75 yards seems awful far for a cap and ball Colt to shoot accurately.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I found this.

 

 

 

[Creeker, SASS #43022]

15 hours ago, Gateway Kid SASS# 70038 Life said:

Touched a nerve here and though these types of threads have no winners here is my response.

What utter nonsense!!! I am not a burner, but a stage like this would add maybe 1 second to my pistol times If you think that will make you competitive (and that you will add less time yourself) give it a whirl. I have talked to several who have done the math on matches where the goal is to "mess with speed shooters" and all that happens is the gap between fast and slow gets bigger. A better choice is to go practice and improve yourself rather than hope to win by gimmick, without working for it and thus have an accomplishment similar to what those "speed shooters" strive for. As far as good fun why do you think the "speed shooters" are there? I like to help the less experienced shooters get better at all aspects of the game, to me that is fun. I get no real enjoyment out of beating up on slow shooters, rather a tight match between equals gets me excited. Do you really believe your style is the only way to have fun? Seems pretty arrogant to me Maybe your idea of fun is simply "different"

 

Regards

 

Gateway Kid

+1

I'll tell a story - I have told it before and the point is not brag.

I'm a fairly decent shooter - used to be, I was one of the better local shooters (one of the so called fast guys).

 

I visited another club a few years ago and shot their match.

Club President came up to me afterwards and asked me for my opinion of the match.

(and most everyone knows - If you ask for my opinion - be prepared for my opinion)

 

I told him that the targets were out too far and the sequences were obvious attempts to create Procedurals.

His response, "We do that to slow down you fast guys"

My response, "I beat the 2nd place shooter in this (six stage) match by 100 seconds; hows that slowing down the fast guys thing working out for you?"

[Shooting Bull]

Cold Lake Kid, just want to say that we're not picking on you.  Your SASS number is low enough to show you've obviously been doing this for quite a while.  If your shooters enjoy the type of match you put on then fantastic.  Keep up the good work.  I actually enjoy the type of challenges you mentioned.  It's just that when people talk about "messing with" or "slowing down" the fast shooters they don't realize that if they do slow down the better shooters by 1 or two seconds per stage, they're also slowing down the less experienced shooters by 5, 10, 15 or more seconds per stage.  A lot of folks do NOT find that to be fun. 

 

Hope to see you out on the range.