2014 NOSA Activities or Events (New Ontario Shooters Association)

Here find details of the 2014 shooting activities and related events at NOSA, the family-friendly Thunder Bay rifle and pistol shooting club. Events or subjects are in approximate date order (usually based on the earliest date if an activity is spread out).

This page is also intended to show some of our members' photos in club and related activities in and about Thunder Bay, Ontario -- or wherever our members travel for competitions or sport. We also feature some of their favourite wildlife photos. (See near bottom of this page.)

At the end of each calendar year, a particular year's activities and photos will still be available on its own NOSA page. For other years, see the top of the current Recent Activities webpage using the link at left.

If you have an objection to a particular image of yourself or your family member, send an email to the Webmaster and that image or the complete photo will be removed from the website.

Click on any individual images here to see a larger view.

NOSA Indoor Shooting at Arnone Range -- 20 Sep 2013 to 30 Apr 2014

The fall to spring indoor shooting schedule began at Arnone Range:
Wednesday 25 September 2013 for the Junior Shooters, and
Friday 20 September 2013 for the Adult Members.

Junior Shooters have all non-holiday Wednesday evenings and Adults have all non-holiday Friday evenings until the end of April 2014. (There is sometimes an extension in May.) Timings are from 6:30 p.m. to 8:50 p.m.

NOSA Junior Shooters' Valentine Match -- Wednesday, 12 Feb 2014

NOSA Gun Show in Murillo -- Saturday and Sunday, 8 & 9 March 2014

This annual two-day NOSA Gun Show featured the opportunity for the public to buy, sell, or trade: Guns, Knives, Ammunition, Collectors' Cartridges, Reloading Supplies, Optics, and Accessories. A food concession on site was run by our volunteers.

The show took place at the Oliver Paipoonge Township Community Centre, 4569 Oliver Road, Murillo, Ontario. Show hours for the public were Saturday 8 March from 10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. and Sunday 9 March from 10:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. Admission was $3.00 each day, and free for those under 12 when accompanied by an adult. This year we achieved a new record paid attendance of 676 persons.

NOSA provided an information display about our Club, and our activities promoting the shooting sports including our Junior Shooters Program. This show provided some of the annual funding for the Juniors.

The show was capably organized by Glenn H. and our NOSA volunteers included: Trapper-John A. (who also provided security), Merv A., Steve B. aka Banacek (who also took these photos), Dana C., Barry E., Brendan F., John Gi., Melissa Gi., Dan G., Don K., Charlene K., Kris K., Don M., Bob M. (who also ran the kitchen), Ray M., Tony M., Larry P., John S., Gord S., Ryan W., and Warren W. Some members operated sales tables during the show but helped others too.

We also very much appreciated the help from Gerry K. and GMK Armouries' staff in taking bookings, and Deb B. from the Ontario CFO (Chief Firearms Office) for providing helpful advice to the public and our exhibitors during the show.

On Friday afternoon everything	gets moved and then set up	Early Saturday vendors and volunteers
share a scrumptious breakfast	thanks to our fine kitchen staff	who are organized and alert
under Bob M. seen here with Larry P.	Time to renew friendships and share news	Some browsing and advice on pricing
Bud M. chats here with Ray M.	Terry & Albert observe John check an item	Tim Ross confers with Jesse B.
Stan checks out Terry's rare ammo	Stan & Wayne W. are always smiling	Tim's knives are both artistic and practical
Dana C. chats with CFO's charming Deb B.	Wayne Sm. with our own Li Y.	Greg S. shares a table with John A.
Richard B. answering a question	Healey G. and father John-B are a team	Rodney K. had some very neat items
Spencer K. with huge variety of books & ammo	Wes W. shares exceptional experience	Rick G.'s L.A.R. Arms is popular
Cassidy J. & Aryanna M. with their charms	Wade W. is observing a large crowd	Fred J. and crew taking a brief rest
Jeff B., our Googlebot for arms history	Jim C.'s huge selection of custom lures	Jim Milne and local aviation history
Fred and the lads faced a huge crowd	Wes and Susan, a very happy couple here	Harry W. and a fine purchase
Nice to see John S. here with good stuff	Albert H. takes a moment	John S. also resting after huge crowds
Wayne gets a visit from Willy L.	Wes offers good advice as always	Terry takes a moment with Spencer
Barry E. earns us some cash from nemesis	Late Sunday and we're packing up	and getting ready to store tables
and everyone pitches in to help	Bob & Charlene & Glenn count the receipts	as Warren W. and Dan G. look on

NOSA Annual General Meeting -- Sunday, 16 March 2014

NOSA's Annual General Meeting (AGM) took place at 1:00 p.m. at the Labour Centre at 929 Fort William Road (across the street from Intercity Mall). Refreshments were available including Bob M's signature chili.

The AGM's agenda included presentation of the annual budget and discussion of club business, and some of the upcoming activities for 2014. Pix by Banacek.

Executive call AGM to order just after 1 pm	A smaller crowd than last year's AGM
Followed by refreshments and Bob's	homestyle chili is very popular

NOSA Adult Easter Shoot -- Friday, 11 April 2014

This shoot was organized by Trapper-John A. and included events for CF handguns, .22 RF handguns, and .22 RF rifles.

One specified target (free) was provided for each competition category entered. NOSA provided prizes for first through third place in each event, and for one additional prize that was awarded to the aggregate shooter who did best overall. There were also two special consolation prizes for handgun shooters.

Each shooting category and the 1st, 2nd, 3rd place results follow:
RF Pistol Target: Tom S., Li Y., George H.
RF Pistol Bingo: Don K., Don M., Tony M.
CF Pistol Target: Tom S., Li Y., Bob J.
RF Rifle Target: Ron W., Bob J., Dana C.
RF Rifle Bingo: Mark W., Li Y., Charlene K.
Grand Aggregate Winner: Tom S.
Special Handgun Consolation Prizes: Siiri F. (RF) and Dan C. (CF)

NOSA Junior Shooters Easter Shoot -- Wednesday, 16 April 2014

Our Easter Shoot for the Juniors. 14 youngsters participated in this successful event. There were two courses of fire: Bingo targets and Match targets. Report by Bill K.

Each shooting category and the 1st, 2nd, 3rd place results follow:
10 years and under Bingo: Keeley B. (7) 104, Julia W. (6) 95, Diezel B. (5) 89
11 years and up Bingo: Kayla L. (12) 105, Aryanna M. (12) 100, Austin S. (13) 76
10 and under Match target: Dylan L. (10) 94/100, Keeley B. (7) 81/100, Brady (9) 75/100
11 and up Match target: Cassidy J. (12) 82/100, Aryanna M. (12) 69/100, Kayla L. (12) 65/100

The 11 and up shooters had to shoot freehand, standing. The parents tried a match target to see how hard it was to shoot freehand! Prizes were awarded and an Easter Party was held to finish off the evening. Again, I'd like to thank all the helpers and parents, as well as the NOSA Executive for all of their help. Thanks as well to Gerry K. for the refreshments.

NOSA Junior Shooters End of Indoor Season Match and Awards -- Wednesday, 07 May 2014

This traditional springtime indoor match and award presentations were held on Wednesday evening, 07 May, to mark the end of another successful target shooting year for our Juniors. Our thanks for reporting this event go to Bill K.

Each shooting category and the 1st, 2nd, 3rd place results follow:
9 years and under: Cassandra (8) 84, Keeley (8) 84, Brady (9) 75 (Cassandra and Keeley had a tie breaker shoot!)
10 years and up: Cassidy (12) 91, Aryanna (12) 61, Tanner (12) 55

The parents and volunteers had a match as well to show how difficult it could be. Mark and Chris C. had a tie breaker shoot as well. Mark took top honours.

A Pizza Party was held after the match, with the prize awards. A good time by all! Again, Bill would like to thank the NOSA executive, all the instructors, parents and kids for making this a fun and safe activity for this season. Thanks also to Gerry K. for the refreshments.

NOSA Nolalu Familiarization and Informal Shoot -- Sunday, 11 May 2014

A get-together and informal fun shooting day for all members started at 11:00 a.m this Sunday. Targets were provided by NOSA.

New members, or current members who had never used the Nolalu outdoor range before, had the chance to become familiar with proper range operations and safety features.

As might be expected at this time of year, weather could be fickle so it was wise to bring along some additional warm clothing (that turned out to be unecessary on this particular warm and sunny day) and rubber boots (which were needed on several parts of the range). A happy day for a fun activity. Pix by Banacek.

John and Warren with Trevor & Kristina	Warren W. with Rem. 600 in .222	Li Y. uses a telescope as others shoot
Trevor with his trusty .303 sporter	Ivan & Kris enjoying the warm sun	Checking scores on targets at 100 M
Grandfather Bill joins Ivan & Kris	Kris checks out handgun for John

NOSA Outdoor Shooting at Nolalu Range -- 01 May through 31 Oct 2014

The spring to fall outdoor shooting schedule began at our Nolalu Range on Thursday 01 May and will continue every week on NOSA Club Days (Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday) until Friday 31 October 2014.

Thursdays, weather permitting, are normally the busiest days, with rimfire matches in the afternoon followed by general shooting and snacking into the evening.

Photos taken during formal NOSA outdoor shoots are grouped with the particular event. We also received the occasional picture from a Nolalu Range regular outdoor shooting day in 2014, and they will be found here.

Don M. pix 22 May with rimfires	followed by more pix of eating	and chatting while eating
or eating while chatting	or sometimes even shooting ;-)	Bill K. 1" group 100m RWS.22LR '35BSA Mod.15
Janice B. practicing on a warm day	with a Browning .22 BLR

NOSA Nolalu Shooting Range Improvement Projects in 2014

After extensive work in the prior years, 2014 found us in a quieter period. We commend and thank Don M. for his dedication, doing lots of rebuilding of the many target frames, and modifying the baffle used for shooting at 300 metres. After we had added gravel under the shooting tables that raised them several inches, it became difficult to see under the baffle, even when it was adjusted to its highest position. Consequently the bottom of the baffle was trimmed this year for better clearance.

NOSA Black Powder and Smokeless Shoot at Nolalu -- Sunday, 17 Aug 2014

This special black powder shoot was arranged by Trapper-John A. to start at 11:00 a.m. It was to be an excellent opportunity for NOSA members including Juniors to become familiar with all aspects of black powder shooting. There were also some smokeless powder events planned.

The weather cooperated with a sunny day for the ranges -- although elsewhere it remained a mite cool for "summer". Fortunately our ranges are a sun trap surrounded by bunkers and are largely sheltered from wind, thus making for a pleasant shooting environment.

Unfortunately only a tiny group of members turned up, not enough to hold any of the five planned events. Some fun informal shooting took place instead.

NOSA Kakabeka Falls Gun Show -- Saturday, 23 August 2014

This annual one day event was held by NOSA at the Kakabeka Falls Legion on Highway 11/17 a couple of minutes East of that town, or 20 minutes West of Thunder Bay. A kitchen was run by Legion staff who served an excellent breakfast, and then luncheon goodies throughout the day.

Show Hours for the Public were 09:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., with admission $4.00, and free for those under 12 when accompanied by an adult.

NOSA held an information display table about our Club and activities promoting the shooting sports, including our Junior Shooters Program.

Volunteerism. As always the usual band of volunteers helped with the set up and tear down, as well as handling the admissions and our club table. It is also a credit to many members, who themselves were running tables, that they pitched in to help the other exhibitors too. Thank you all.

These shows are truly a great opportunity to spend some quality time with fellow members, and learn some interesting new stuff. Collectively the vendors and other club members are a fountain of detailed knowledge about this sport and hobby. A fun time was had by all!

Some pix by Banacek. Due to its being my first occasion as a vendor, I had fewer opportunities to take pictures and had to make do with a camera phone that needed slow exposures indoors -- that sometimes blurred moving folks. No captions this time, leaving it to you to make funny remarks while viewing ;-)

Trappers Association Turkey Shoot at Nolalu Shooting Range -- Sunday, 7 Sep 2014

This Northwestern Fur Trappers Association Shoot was held at the Nolalu Range starting at 10:00 a.m. The sun was mostly missing when the day started as there were fog patches in the area, but conditions were fine for shooting. Food and refreshments were available.

Members of NOSA and their families and the general public were welcome to enter these paper target shooting events for rimfire and centerfire rifles. There were many good shooting prizes and even a draw for a picnic table.

Trapper-John A. and Warren W. from our club were running the ranges and it all went smoothly. Pix by Banacek.

Moose (or Deer) Sight-In Session at Nolalu Shooting Range -- Sunday, 21 Sep 2014

This service for the public was held on Sunday 21 September at the Nolalu Range from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. It was scheduled to be jointly hosted by the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and NOSA, but the MNR Conservation Officer did not appear.

Members of the public who shot paid $5.00 for use of the range (this entire fee was used to cover the cost of their insurance for this occasion).

NOSA members closely monitored all shooters for safety and carefully assisted individuals needing help with the actual sighting in process.

Our stalwart band of volunteer helpers this day included: Trapper-John A., Steve B. (who also provided some pix), Trevor B., Glenn H., Verner K., Gerry K. (who also did some last minute smithing if needed), Mike L. (who also provided some more pix), Kyle M., Bob M., Kevin S., and Warren W.

The weather cooperated with a bit of early wind but then a sunny and fine day. And yes, the volunteers all enjoyed themselves at this event.

Click on the individual images here to see a larger view. The first twelve are from Steve, and Mike provided the second dozen.

Trevor B. with first arrival	Getting set for the 100M benches	Kyle fires in quieter moments
Verner K. spotting here	as this hunter zeroes in	and we have encouraging spectators
How many men to light one bitty BBQ?	Mike L. spots with binocs on tripod	John and Glenn shepherding on 25M range
and John is providing sage advice	Now getting busier on 100M range	Nice to see a .303 and wood stock
And here's a classic Model 99	which Bob tweaks into the bullseye	Jeff B. relives his favourite movie here
Yes, John does define accuracy	Here Glenn monitors with binocs	as Warren does with a scope
Kyle's SA sends a case flying	Verner is closely observing	And the 100M is pretty busy now
Gerry test firing a Remington	and Warren gets to shoot also	Group gathers as the day winds down

NOSA Indoor Shooting at Arnone Range -- 19 Sep 2014 through 29 Apr 2015

The fall to spring indoor shooting schedule began at Arnone Range:
--- on Friday, 19 Sep 2014 for Adult Shooters;
--- on Wednesday, 24 Sep 2014 for Junior Shooters.

NOSA Club Appreciation Shoot and BBQ at Nolalu Range -- Sunday, 05 Oct 2014

This shoot for all NOSA club members, including Junior Shooters, began about 11:00 a.m with shooting events.

This annual event is in appreciation of the volunteerism and support shown by all members, whether at special events or just in the day to day help provided to others.

There was a delicious BBQ luncheon run by Bob M. pretty well all day. Food and beverages were provided free by NOSA.

I wrote in advance that fall weather can be fickle, and it sure turned out to be cold and very windy, making huddling around the BBQ popular between shoots. Actually the wind blew out the BBQ's flame several times.

Shooting events included rimfire and centerfire handguns and rifles. It was also open to black powder firearms in the centerfire events, but no smokepoles turned up this year.

This happy shoot was organized by our own Trapper-John A. and run with assistance from Warren W., and included events for CF handguns, CF rifles, .22 RF handguns, and .22 RF rifles. Scoring assistance was by Victoria H., Jo-Anne L., and Steve B. Thanks also to Bob J. and Dave L. for oversight on the Juniors' events. Pix by Banacek.

One specified target (free) was provided for each competition category entered. NOSA provided prizes for first through third place in each event.

Each shooting category and the 1st, 2nd, 3rd place results follow:
100 M CF Rifle for Group, Bench: Brian W., Ron W., Don M.
100 M CF Rifle for Group, Standing: Ron W., Brian W., Rod J.
25 M CF Pistol Target: Bob J., Dana C., Dave L.
25 M RF Pistol Target: Bob J., Dana C., Dave L.
25 M RF Pistol Bingo: Ron W., Don M., Dana C.
25 M Adult RF Rifle Bingo: Albert H., Rod J., John G.
25 M Junior RF Rifle Target: Cassidy J., Kayla L., Toby T.
25 M Junior RF Rifle Bingo: Kayla L., Hunter W., Aryanna M.

Eugene B. was first to set up	George H. coaches Victoria	and calls her shots on target
Bob M. hustles to get the BBQ going	and the sweet smoke of success	attracts some attention
Now it's Dad's turn to play	Meanwhile action starts on Range #1	Folks finish a range briefing
while lunch goes on deliciously	Cassidy J. with her trusty .22 boltgun	concentrates and squeezes carefully
and so does Aryanna M. with her SA	Toby M. is new here but doing fine	Kayla L. is very much in contention
Bob J. is always very supportive	These two young ladies are truly best friends	Trapper-John checks the final scores
and winners start to get their prizes

NOSA Junior Shooters Thanksgiving Indoor Shoot -- Wednesday, 8 Oct 2014

This was an annual holiday season Junior Shoot. In addition to having some fun shooting matches for which there were fine prizes, light refreshments were also provided. Our thanks to Victoria H. for this report. Congratulations to the winners, and our thanks to all who participated or helped out.

Each shooting category and the 1st, 2nd, 3rd place results follow:

Target Senior: Nick S. (76), Alexis R. (75), Aryanna M. (65)
Target Junior: Brady F. (91), Avery S. (90), Keeley B. (79)

Bingo Senior: Cassidy J. (45), Austin S. (35), Aryanna M. (32)
Bingo Junior: Owen R. (40 and shoot-off), Lucas O. (40), Keeley B. (38)

NOSA Junior Shooters Halloween Shoot -- Wednesday, 29 Oct 2014

There was a traditional Halloween Shoot for the Junior Shooters on Wednesday, 29 October starting at 7:00 p.m.

As always there were fine prizes and lots of goodies, and a good time was had by all.

Each shooting category and the 1st, 2nd, 3rd place results follow:

Target Senior: Aryanna, Miranda, Cassidy
Target Junior: Brady F. (by shoot-off), Avery, Keeley

Bingo Senior: Owen, Aryanna, Alexis
Bingo Junior: Brady F., Avery, Diezel

Our thanks to the parents and volunteers that contributed to making this event an enjoyable success. Victoria H. provided the match results and Cheryl M. provided the accompanying photos.

Click on the individual images here to see a larger view.

NOSA Junior Shooters Christmas Indoor Shoot -- Wednesday, 17 Dec 2014

This was an annual holiday season Junior Shoot. Naturally there were fun times and fine prizes and refreshments. Our thanks to Victoria H. for this report. Congratulations to the winners, and our appreciation for all who participated or helped with this event.

Each shooting category and the 1st, 2nd, 3rd place results follow:

Target Senior: Nick S., Alexis R., Kayla L.
Target Junior: Brady F., Cassandra, Keeley B.

Bingo Senior: Cassidy J., Kayla L., Nick G.
Bingo Junior: Cassandra, Diezel B., Brady F.

NOSA Adult Christmas Indoor Shoot -- Friday, 19 Dec 2014

This annual December holiday season shoot included events for CF handguns, .22 RF handguns, and .22 RF rifles.

One specified target (free) was provided for each competition category entered. There were prizes for first through third place in each event. There were also two special consolation prizes for handgun shooters.

Each shooting category and the 1st, 2nd, 3rd place results follow:
RF Pistol Target: Ron W., Wes W., Tom S.
RF Pistol Bingo: Terry D., Bob M., Wray C.
CF Pistol Target: Wes W., Tom S., Dave L.
RF Rifle Target: Victoria H., George H., Susan C.
RF Rifle Bingo: Wes W., Dana C., Ron W.
Mystery Consolation Prizes: Mike L. Sr. and Sandra P.

NOSA Members' Adventures and Hunts -- 2014

Our intrepid member Wayne Sm. has continued using his trail camera to capture many pix of local wildlife, and also his regular camera and sometimes a telephoto lens.

Another fine photographer-member is Don M. who captured pix of two Lynxes just behind his country home. A smaller Lynx has just watched mom kill a Snowshoe Hare (aka Snowshoe Rabbit) and then followed her back into the woods.

In the fall Don M. and brothers Steve, Bob, and Bill went on a Mule Deer hunt in southeastern Alberta where it is very difficult to get close.

John Sc. photographed his Whitetail Deer buck taken in mid November, and also took a photo of another curious deer later while he was dropping off some feed.

Chris C. went on a Whitetail Deer hunt in November with friend Richard B., who got his very first buck while Chris got a 9-pointer. More can be read about this hunting tale in the Member Ramblings section [link in left column].

John-B G. took this photo of daughter Healey who got her buck with one shot at 25M. (And we know this fine shooter and experienced hunter could have done equally well at 250M.)

Wayne S.'s trailcam took this picture 30 minutes before he arrived with rifle, but the fine buck had gone. 10-pointer with one broken tine.

Gerry K. found that their bird feeders attracted an unusual species. Need a lot of bird feed for that crew.

A curious Pine Marten came within 10 feet of Wayne S. Note the light, sometimes white, area under the throat that is characteristic of many Pine Martens, and helps distinguish them from the roughly double sized Fisher.

Wayne Sm. pic, of female Pine Grossbeak	Wayne Sm. trail cam pix of Wolves
near his country home	Don M. took pix of this Lynx behind his home
Here we can better see the typical ear tuft	while mom (Rt.) is carrying the Snowshoe Hare.
Wayne's shy Mourning Dove poses for us	and some Deer that made it thru winter
provide a later closeup	Wayne's two Canada/Gray Jays aka Whiskey Jacks
and this one is full of cat food	Red Fox is always wary
as it stalks some dinner	Yes they can see the camera
Deer family having a lunch break	Don M. with a fine Mule Deer buck in Alberta
where it is very open and hard to stalk	John Sc. took this Whitetail buck in Nov
and also filmed another curious deer nearby	Chris' friend Richard B. is happy with his first Whitetail buck
And here is the beautiful 9-pointer	taken by Chris C. who looks very pleased indeed
Healey G. took a nice buck at 25M with one shot	Wayne S.'s camera saw this buck before he arrived
Gerry K.'s feeders attracted more than the usual birds	Pine Marten came within 10 feet of Wayne S.
William R. has a very fine buck	and doe from his Whitetail Deer hunt

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New Ontario Shooters Association (NOSA)2014 Activities or Events and Pictures