Hosek wins title at memorial trap shoot

By DAVID ERICKSON / Whitefish Pilot

Whitefish trap shooter Eric Hosek was the high overall champion at the annual Scott Levengood Memorial Trap Shoot held June 14-15 in Kalispell.

Hosek blew away a personal best 386 clay "birds" out of 400 to take the title. He also shot 194 out of 200 in the Class B singles event, and 97 out of 100 in the short yardage event with a handicap.

"I was just in the groove," he said. "I was shooting relaxed, and trap is a sport where you don't want to start thinking too much. It was a lot of fun."

Scott Levengood, who died of cancer in 2003, was one of the most prolific and well-respected trap shooters in the Pacific Northwest. He won 16 state championships in various events and several national competitions and was named to the Montana State Trap Shooting Hall of Fame.

The annual event, which attracted more than 115 shooters from all over the region, was held at the Flathead Valley Clay Target Club, near the county landfill north of Kalispell.

Hosek said Levengood was a living legend in the sport, and the memorial is a time for local shooters to get together to honor him.

"He was pretty famous," Hosek said. "For example, he was on one of the few 500-by-500 teams, where he and four other shooters each hit 100 out of 100 birds. That has only been done 42 times in the history of trap shooting."

The Flathead Valley Clay Target Club is open Wednesday evenings from 5-9 p.m. throughout the summer for anyone who wants to come out and shoot "birds." New shooters are welcome, but membership is encouraged as well.

"Montana is ranked third in the nation in gun-ownership," Hosek said. "The winter league at the target club is the largest winter league in the nation. We have probably just under 100 shooters come every week. We always welcome new members."

There are different skill level classes for shooters, from AAA to F, and the winter league offers 14 weeks of team shooting. The league is sanctioned by the American Trap Association. The next formal shoot, the Guns and Lasagna Shoot, will be held July 25-27.

For more information, visit online at www.flatheadtrapclub.org or call 752-4452.