By Dale Cory
His sport requires the utmost in concentration.
The slightest movement — and the target will be left standing.
To succeed, rifleman Bryan Walcheske’s body must be totally relaxed. His breathing needs to be near-perfect and in sync with his trigger finger.
Such is the life of a competitor in the annual Rifleman’s Rodeo, staged by the Ponoka Fish and Game Club at the Lake Pofianga shooting range northwest of Ponoka.
The Labour Day weekend event was started by Bryan’s father 44 years ago. These days, Walcheske, his mother Phyllis Walcheske, and his brother Kevin now look after organization of the event for the club.
“It’s right before hunting season and is good practice for hunting season,” said Walcheske. “It’s a good chance for kids to learn gun safety and get to shoot guns. Proper handling of rifles and respect for rifles is important.”
“We do the .22 (calibre) shoot for the kids to get them more involved. A lot of them do end up shooting here as well,” said Walcheske. “There are certain people who come year after year, and everyone builds a rivalry. There’s four or five guys who shoot off every year competitively. A lot of people do it for fun. They know they’re not here to compete.”
“Everyone’s here for fun, and that’s the main thing.”
Getting involved and learning gun safety is one thing. Hitting a target a couple hundred yards away provides a serious challenge for competitors.
At the Lake Pofianga shooting range, there are targets spread throughout the surrounding hillside, located across the shooting area from a small lake.
Walcheske explained the various targets, and the difficulty involved in hitting them.
“We’ve got our running pig at 80 yards. It’s on a track and you have to shoot it before it gets to the grass. On the hill up there is a rabbit. He’s at about 130 yards. Where the balloons are, we’ve got an antelope that stands up. That’s about 150 yards. Up in the corner we’ve got a deer that comes out on a track. He’s at about 175 yards. And the fifth target is a bear, and he’s at 270 yards.”
During Saturday’s balloon shoot, Walcheske’s preparation involved some quiet time prior to his attempt.
He could be seen walking around behind the shooting area, deep in thought, focussed on the balloons attached to a pole some 150 yards away. For a better understanding, think of yourself standing at one end of a football field. Now look through the sites of a rifle, and hit a target located past the far end zone.
“First and foremost, you have to figure out which target is coming first. You just have to try and be steady and make a good shot on each of the targets,” he explained. “I don’t really think about it too much. I just go up and lay down and get ready to shoot.”
“Most people shoot off their elbows. Some people like to sit up. I like to shoot off my elbows.”
There’s a possible 10 points on each of the targets for the events that include all of the aforementioned targets, so competitors are scored out of 50 points.
Trophies and buckles are awarded to the winners of events. Walcheske was able to garner the overall title in 2006. His brother Kevin won the title in 2010.
“I try to compete from the top of the shooting,” he said. “I do it more for fun and practice. And I’ve got my kids involved. They will be shooting this weekend as well.”
A future edition of the Ponoka News will list of winners from this year’s Rifleman’s Rodeo.