Kansas

It's been about 130 years since anyone with the last name of Earp has strapped on a gun and holster in Kansas to do any serious shooting. The wait is over. Entered to compete in the upcoming Sunflower State Shoot is Virgil Earp, who is probably better known as the older brother of the legendary lawman Wyatt Earp. To clear up any confusion, the modern Virgil Earp hails from Australia, and just borrows the Earp name to use during cowboy action shooting events.

Earp and many other colorful names from the Old West will be featured as The Butterfield Gulch Gang hosts the Single Action Shooting Society (SASS) Kansas state championships from May 5 to 8, at the club's Butterfield Gulch Shooting Range at Clark's Station, four miles south of Chapman, Kan. The three-day competition will bring together cowboy action shooters from Kansas, the United States, and beyond.

The winners (male and female) win an automatic entry at the regional championship June 30 to July 3, called Hell on Wheels, in Cheyenne, Wyo. The Sunflower State Shoot will feature 10 main stages with a capacity of 120 shooters. There will also be 12 side matches featured, including such events as Topgun, Big Bore Lever Action, Fastest Pistol and Team Jail Break, among others.

The Single Action Shooting Society was created to promote the sport of Cowboy Action Shooting. This is a fantasy sport that has really grown in popularity in the past 10 years. Contestants compete in timed events using firearms typical of the Old West. Contestants use single action revolvers, pistol caliber rifles and old time shotguns. The competition is staged using Old West scenarios, some of which are derived from historical Old West stories or popular western movies starring John Wayne, Clint Eastwood, and others.

Last year's Sunflower State Shootout drew approximately 60 competitors, and Butterfield Gulch Gang members are expecting a larger crowd in 2005. "We have a certain following from throughout the state that come shoot with us all the time," said John "Shylock" Reynolds, co-match director and past president. The Butterfield Gulch Gang was formed in 1996 and has a membership of 50 cowboy action shooters.

The registration deadline is April 27. Entry forms and a schedule of events are available at www.butterfieldgulch.net or by contacting Reynolds at 785-823-1333 or johnr@biblernewman.com. The first shooter entry fee is $75 and includes lunch on Friday and Saturday and a Saturday night banquet. A second family member can enter for $50 and a junior entry fee is $25. It's $20 for additional banquet tickets. Information on lodging is available on the club's web page, www.butterfieldgulch.net.

To get to the Clark's Station range, from I-70 exit on No. 286 and drive through Chapman to 2200 Avenue. Turn east one mile, and then turn north about one-eighth of a mile to the gate.

Date: 4/21/05