NCOWS TERRITORIAL CONGRESS

My name is Caroline Buck, and have decided to run for re-election to the NCOWS Senate. Most of you know me by Angel Rhodes (or possibly as Mrs. Bryan Buck). I live on a farm outside Kaufman, TX and have worked at Raytheon as an engineer for over 31 years. I have been involved in Western Action Shooting of some type for over a decade. I have been a member of NCOWS since March of 2008, when there weren’t any NCOWS posses in Texas. Later, when the Texas Ten Horns formed an NCOWS posse, I joined that Club. I helped form the second NCOWS posse in Texas, the Texas Peacemakers, where I served as match coordinator and Secretary. When the Texas Ten Horns NCOWS posse split off and reformed as the Berger Sharp Shooters, I joined that immediately. When the Texas Peacemakers lost the use of their range and disbanded, the Berger Sharp Shooters became my home posse. I am also a member of the Kansas Vigilance Committee and the Blue River Regulators in Nebraska.

I have attended and competed in many National Matches, Regional matches in Kansas, Nebraska, and here in Texas, as well as being a regular conventioneer at the NCOWS National Convention. All of this his has helped me meet and get to know a broader spectrum of the general NCOWS membership and see how various posses and individuals want this organization to represent itself. I have been a real supporter of NCOWS, as I enjoy the historical aspect of the sport as well as the shooting. I pay special attention to the authenticity for NCOWS, and even learned to shoot new firearms to be NCOWS authentic.

I want to see NCOWS grow. Growth can really only be sustained by recruitment of the next generation and teaching them about the history of the Old West, as well as firearm handling and safety. Without the influx of younger shooters, our organization will stagnate. I support any activity that will bring in the next generation of NCOWS members and will encourage all NCOWS members to become involved in the leadership of this organization.

I would appreciate your vote!
Caroline “Angel Rhodes” Buck, NCOWS member number 3051

It seems that I just started my term as Senator, and it is now almost over. After much thought, I have decided to run for another term. It wasn't always pleasant or easy, especially when it came to shooting categories.

What started out as a desire for less categories, turned out to having more than ever. And we got thru it. Remember, the National Congress is run for it's members by it's members. All the Representative's and Senator's contact info is listed in the Shootist and on the web site. Please keep in touch and let your thoughts be heard.

It is good to see our numbers have grown to over 3800! It also looks like more females and youngsters are joining the fold, good job!

I pledge to continue to try and represent our members and to continue to keep the National Congress true to it's original purpose and mission.

Thank you,

Michael A. Fischer

aka

Capt Jeb Forrest

My name is John Hoker aka Bear Tooth Billy, member # 1928, and I am announcing my candidacy to run for my 3rd term as your senator. I also was nominated and elected to serve as deputy marshal, I was very honored that the membership put me in this position.

I am 58 years old, and grew up at the end of the “cowboy” era on TV. Gunsmoke and Bonanza were the 2 shows that instilled the old west into me. In school I loved history, especially our time period. When I first got into cowboy shooting, I needed another gun, and heard of the NCOWS national shoot at Ackley Iowa. Pam and I made a road trip up there and WOW!! This was cool, this was way cool, this was a chance to experience the old west the way I could only dream about. I joined that day.

In my years in our organization I have seen us go through some rough times, but I feel we did the right thing sticking to our original ideals, even though it cost us a lot of members especially here in Iowa where NCOWS was born.

At the National shoot in 2015, I was talking to then, our very fine Marshall Dave Scott and he was explaining that it didn’t look like there was going to be a convention in 2016. I had only missed 1 convention in the years as a member, and very much enjoyed them. I asked if it would be possible for a group, not a particular posse to put it on, and oh did I get myself into something.

With the help of Len Abels, Brian Bauer, John Saffran and myself, along with the Ladies Tea girls, Bev, Linda, and Pam. We have put on 3 conventions, and are planning our 4th and final one now. These have been very successful events, and being the “boots on the ground” I am very proud of what we have accomplished. Please join us next March for our best one yet.

The last Congress meeting was the shortest on record, so I feel we are doing things right. As for classes, I will vote for what the membership wants, we tried to downsize, but that was not popular so we voted to go back to the way it was.

I feel our biggest hurdle in the future will be keeping our membership numbers steady. A lot of our members are older than me, and time eventually catches up to all of us. The new 4-H cowboy shooting groups will be a great place to recruit. Having a 2 gun class and a year to get things together, are great ideas to keep the costs down for beginners.

So I would like to thank you for taking the time to read this and considering me to be “your” senator for another term. I look forward to seeing you in March

Sincerely, John Hoker

Howdy Pards. My name is Dart Liebrandt alias ‘Lite Colonel’ of Columbus, Indiana. My home NCOWS posse is the ‘Scarlet Mask Vigilance Society’ (SMVS), located in beautiful Brown County, Indiana.

I want to throw my hat into the ring for a Senator of NCOWS. I have been a member of NCOWS since 2011, when I retired from full time in the Indiana Army National Guard. As you can probably guess I retired with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. I am dedicated to the principles of NCOWS.

My previous experience with competitive shooting is mainly with the National Guard. I was on the Indiana National Guard’s combat pistol team for 24 years, and most of the time was the team’s coach and leader. I was very blessed to be a member of the National Guard’s International Combat Shooting Team for 3 years. I additionally coordinated, conducted, and competed numerous Regional level combat matches for the National Guard. During this time I was fortunate to receive the following awards: The Governor of Indiana’s Top 20 Combat Shooter Award, The Chief of National Guard Bureau’s Top 50 Combat Shooter Award, The US Army Distinguished Combat Pistol Shooter’s Gold Medal, and The US Army Excellence in Competition Combat Rifle Shooter’s Silver Medal.

I really enjoy dressing period correct, and the challenging targets of our sport being smaller and farther away. I think we need to get our message out to the public, including encouraging our Posses to get involved with and conducting re-enactments. Another big challenge of our organization is overcoming the perception that we are stitch counters or hat dictators, expecting new shooters to be in complete NCOWS compliance before showing up for their first shoot. I believe in getting folks to our monthly shoot, get them hooked, and mentor them in getting in compliance within a year. It is expensive to get fully clothed and equipped in our sport. The worst thing to do is tell a new Pard their stuff is wrong without giving them constructive ways to conform. I also believe in explaining to folks why we have these rules. We are lucky to have Pards in our posse that have a lot of knowledge about clothing, accoutrements, and guns to help the new members. Amazingly a lot of our recent new members have joined us because they are tired of the gamesmanship in the other western organization.

I believe in making our rules/requirements clear as possible for new Pards to understand, such as the recent issue addressing what is a legal holster based on the Tally Book – that was from my Posse. I think we can do some minor improvements to the Approved and Unapproved Lists to better clarify. I did not know until a couple of years ago that P Frame meant Peacemaker Frame, so when it comes to birds head grips maybe spell out ‘1873 Peacemaker Frame revolvers’ instead.

I want to help NCOWS grow. I have been fortunate to be the Marshal of the SMVS Posse for 5 years. During that time the number of Pards attending the monthly shoots has grown from 12 to over 30. In May, June and July of this year we had respectively 38, 34, and 37 shooters participate in those monthly shoots. This increase is based on things I learned in my military experience, but mainly due to the great Pards that joined and put in a lot time in to improve our Posse and range. We move our targets around each month, mow the range, put fresh paint on targets, have well written scenarios, unique targets/props, good food, and don’t conduct repetitive 10-10-4 shooting. In June and July we shot Pocket Pistol as part of a main stage, providing a pistol and ammo if Pards did not have one – it was well received. Sometimes we shoot from a saddle, sit at a card table, shoot a bow and arrow, throw a stick of fake dynamite, shoot hanging bowling pins, and periodically throw in an opportunity to earn a bonus. I hope you have enjoyed the side matches hosted by SMVS at the NCOWS National Shoots.

If you elect me to be a Senator, I will work hard to help grow our wonderful organization.

My name is Patrick Postell aka Frisco Banker and I am asking for your support for re-election to the NCOWS Senate. I live in Frisco Texas and have been an NCOWS member for over 10 years. I was an officer in the Texas Ten Horn's when it became the first Texas NCOWS posse. I was a founding member of the Berger Sharpshooters and have been the posse's secretary since the posse was formed. I have been responsible for registration and preparation of match results for all of the NCOWS Southwest Regional matches. I have had the opportunity to meet many fellow NCOWS members at the last two National Conventions and last two NCOWS Midwest Regional matches. I am currently maintaining the NCOWS web page and look forward to doing the job for many years.

As a NCOWS senator, I would like to help the organization prosper and grow it membership. I want NCOWS to continue to be an organization that embraces the “Old West” through re-enactment and safe shooting competitions. I look forward to continue serving as a NCOWS senator and hope to have your support in the upcoming election.

Thank you.

Patrick Postell aka Frisco Banker, NCOWS #3122

Friends,
It has been my honor to serve as one of your NCOWS Senators during the last year, and I’m asking for your support for reelection.

For those who do not know me, allow me to tell you a little bit about myself.

I am originally from Greenfield, Indiana, and now reside in Ellettsville, Indiana. I am a 2015 graduate of Trine University in Angola, Indiana, with a Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering. Since 2015, I have worked for the US Navy at the Naval Surface Warfare Center, Crane Division, in Crane, Indiana. I am currently pursuing a Masters in Engineering from Purdue University.

NCOWS and the shooting sports have played a very big part in my life from a very young age. I began reenacting with the Great Lakes Freight and Mining Co. posse in 2000 at “The Train Robbery”, which included a train-side shootout between the outlaws and the lawmen.

I began a nine-year involvement in 4-H shooting sports in 2003. The club met weekly for practice and training year-round, and focused heavily on proper shooting technique and safety. I specialized in precision rifle shooting, and participated in numerous NRA three-position and offhand .22 caliber and air rifle matches.

Around the time I began shooting precision rifle with the 4-H club, I began shooting in NCOWS matches with Great Lakes, at which Working Cowboy was a favorite shooting class.

In my opinion, there are several factors that distinguish our great organization from others, such as our dedication to historical accuracy, our balance of shooting accuracy and shooting speed (no missing fast enough to win here), and the camaraderie among our members. We have an incredible organization with incredible people and I’m excited to see what new heights we can reach. I thank you for your vote.

Alex Ray

Hello Pards. I am Charles Williams A.K.A. Blackjack Charlie (No. 3785). I am seeking my first term on the Senate and would truly appreciate your vote this fall. I am heavily involved in the local level or grassroots of cowboy action shooting. I’m currently serve as the Deputy Marshal for the Johnson County Rangers. I help the posse as the webmaster and photographer for the Rangers’ website (www.jcrangers.org), Facebook, YouTube and Instagram page. I was thrilled to craft the handbill and stages for this year’s Ima Sureshot Eastern Regionals. Additionally, I will serve as webmaster for the Great Lakes Freight & Mining Co. posse as well as a cast member and webmaster for Open Top Productions (Like and Subscribe on YouTube). I am a Life Member of the NRA and member of the NMLRA (No. 149283).

My blue-collar upbringing taught me the value of hard work and ability to adapt. I am a self-motivated person who is not afraid of new challenges when ask upon by my organization. I felt so much Old West information were written down in those early copies the The Shootist magazine, but those issues were not accessible to our current members. I quickly learned there were no electronic copies of the early magazines. So, if the remaining paper copies were lost or tossed in the trash, those carefully researched articles would disappear forever. With the helpful assistance of our NCOWS Editor (thanks John) who purchased a box of The Shootist magazines at the 2018 NCOWS Convention, I took the initiative and electronically scanned every The Shootist magazine from 1994 to 2005. I soon hope every member will have a chance to rediscover the articles I was honored to help archive. Another task I volunteered was assisting Michael Tantham and John Torrence to locate internet information on the Mexican Colts imported from Spain. The plan was to find historic proof the firearms were produced and sold prior to 1899 in hopes to add another option to the allowed firearms.

NCOWS is a hidden jewel of the Cowboy Action Shooting world with our members placing an importance on authenticity as well as offering a more budget friendly class for new shooters to get involved. I will not compromise on my votes when it comes to the principles of NCOWS. We don’t need to loosen any standards to attract more members, what we need to improve is our ability to get the message to the masses. Years ago, I stumbled upon NCOWS by accident doing an internet search, but most have to weed through the misinformation. You hear the stories of NCOWS are “stitch counters,” but what’s not conveyed is members try to achieve authenticity and new shooters have one year to become an authentic Old West “Cowboy” or “Cowgirl.” They need to feel how I felt at my first timer’s match dressed in modern garb shooting a cowboy gun match. I felt nothing but warmth, camaraderie and helpful words of encouragement to come back and shoot. I feel my background and knowledge in technology as an I.T. Manager will benefit the Senate as we look at ways to attract new shooters.

I have a vested interest in NCOWS. My son, Noah Williams AKA Capgun Curry and girlfriend, Teresa Brown AKA Sadie Jules (No. 3786) are part of NCOWS and I want NCOWS to thrive into future generations. The decisions we make today will dictate the future. So, let me end by saying I am a proud NCOWS member and would truly appreciate your support and votes for the upcoming Senate election.

Charles Williams A.K.A. Blackjack Charlie