Dietlind Vander Schaff cracks up Sunday with instructor Dan Begin when she realized that her sister, shooting from the far left station, had inadvertently shot her clay at the 2022 Spring Ladies Day at the Range at the Androscoggin Fish and Game Association facility in Auburn May 22. Andree Kehn/Sun Journal

AUBURN — As Rebecca Provost took aim at the bright orange clay drifting across the sky, it was apparent at a glance that she’d done this before. 

Then she squeezed the trigger. The 12-gauge shotgun thundered and the clay trap was obliterated before it had time to drift back to earth. 

“I love it when it breaks into a hundred little pieces,” said Provost, 29, of Sabattus. “It’s not as good when just one little piece gets knocked off.” 

Yep. Provost has done this before, all right. She’s a member of a Maine women’s hunting group, in fact, and shoots regularly. 

Not all of the women at the Androscoggin County Fish & Game Association shooting range could say the same. 

HUSBANDS NOT ALLOWED

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Kelly Palomera, right, helps Melody Moore at the 2022 Spring Ladies Day at the Androscoggin Fish and Game Association range in Auburn last Sunday, May 22. Palomera came to last year’s Ladies Day and enjoyed herself so much that she came back this year as a range safety officer. Andree Kehn/Sun Journal

It was a warm Sunday afternoon and the Spring Ladies Day at the Range was well attended — more than 100 women had signed up for the event and it didn’t take them long to do so. 

“We opened up the registration to 120 this year and it was filled in two days,” said Tonya Fons, president of the club. “They leave their husbands at home. It’s a requirement.” 

They’re not joking about that husband policy, either. Men are not allowed beyond the registration area except for the volunteer range officers. Women who are trying to become comfortable around firearms, range officials say, don’t always respond well with a husband or boyfriend looking over their shoulders. 

“We’re trying to introduce women to shooting in a safe and comfortable environment,” said Wendy Younk, event coordinator with the club. “Having their significant other doesn’t always go the right way. A lot of these women come and they say, ‘My husband or my boyfriend has a gun in the house and I just want to feel more comfortable with it.'” 

The women shooters seemed to have absolutely no objection with this concept. Some who turned out for the event were completely new to shooting. Some, like Provost, were seasoned pros, while most were somewhere in between. 

Linda Pierson, 59, went to the event with two co-workers. She’s shot before, has Pierson, but only handguns and only at an indoor range. 

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On Ladies Day, she got to try everything, including pistols, carbines and shotguns on the sprawling outdoor range. Her favorite, as it turns out, was a small but powerful carbine shooting .223 ammo. 

And with every round she fired, with one of the ACFGA’s many certified range safety officers guiding her, she learned a little something more about firearms. 

“These guys are so knowledgeable,” Pierson said. “They’re able to look at you and say, ‘You’re doing this wrong. Tweak it this way.’ It was so much fun. We did shotguns, we did handguns, we did .22 pistol. We also shot trap — the shotgun hurts a little if you don’t hold it tight, but once you get used to that, it’s a lot of fun.” 

Pierson considered Ladies Day a success on many fronts. And oh, yes. She planned to come back to the range. 

“I’ve got a better idea now of what the guns are and what they do,” she said. “I’ve already got two handguns, but now I might say, you know? I want something to shoot trap with, because that was the most fun.” 

Kelley Tremblay, of Auburn, joined Pierson for the event. Just shy of 50 years old, she sent her husband grocery shopping while she went out to pop off some rounds with her buds. 

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“Loved it,” Tremblay said. “It was so much fun and so informative.” 

Next to her was Krista Steger, who had never fired a gun in her life. 

“I didn’t know what is was going to be like,” she said. “It was above all my expectations.” 

‘A CERTAIN CONFIDENCE’

Joe Pearson gives instruction to Beth Favreau Sunday, May 22, at the 2022 Spring Ladies Day at the Range at the Androscoggin Fish and Game Association facility in Auburn. Andree Kehn/Sun Journal

To partake in this outdoor shooting party, a woman just had to show up. The ACFGA provided all of the weapons, all of the ammo and all of the professional instruction. They’re assisted in part by grants from groups like Gun Owners of Maine, but a lot of cost for the event was out of pocket.

It’s worth it, range officials say. Through education programs like Ladies Day, a lot of misconceptions about guns can be dispelled and more people can be taught to shoot responsibly. 

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Handguns and rifles are always popular with new shooters at events like this one. Yet, the humble shotgun, with its thunderous boom and notorious kick, did not go neglected. An endless stream of women made their way to that part of the range to get familiar with this type of weapon and to try their hand at shooting skeet. 

“One of the things we really push is for women to try a shotgun,” said Fons. “A lot of women have a misunderstanding about what a shotgun does. Some them have been handed a shotgun without any instruction before.” 

Range instructors taught the ladies how to load shells into a shotgun. How to rack the weapon and — importantly — how to hold the gun firmly against the shoulder while resting their cheek against the stock. 

By and large, each woman on the shotgun range seemed pleasantly surprised by the experiencing of firing one. 

“A lot of women try the shotgun and it’s across all ages,” said Fons. “In the fall, we had a little grandmother who was like 4′ 11″ and she was in her 80s. She was like, ‘I gotta try it. Let’s do it.'” 

A little further down was the rifle range, where women lined up to try out various weapons chambered in either .223 or .556, both powerful rounds. 

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Irene Lahey, 56, of Auburn, went to that part of the range to fire an AR-15 style rifle. She sat at the platform, rifle barrel propped upon a rest, and took aim through the sights. A range safety officer stood over her, quietly encouraging her to take her time; to breathe just so as she squeezed the trigger. 

BAM! Many yards away, a puff to dust appeared where the round had tore into the backstop. 

“It was powerful,” Lahey said after firing several rounds. “When you first do it, it kind of makes you jump. But you get used to it and get a feeling of power from it.” 

One lesson Lahey walked away from the range with: “You have to have a certain confidence before you pull the trigger.” 

Lahey’s friend Amanda Cote, 36, was at a nearby stall firing a small carbine chambered in .223. It was her first time firing an AR-style rifle, as well. 

Irene Lahey of Auburn gets instruction Sunday, May 22, from Rick Cote on how to shoot an AR-15 at the 2022 Spring Ladies Day at the Androscoggin Fish and Game Association range in Auburn. Cote is a range safety officer in training and was being supervised by two other officers not shown. Andree Kehn/Sun Journal

“It was awesome,” she said. “I loved it. I’ve shot a .22 before — my boyfriend’s gun — but I’ve never been to a range to shoot. I just loved it. I’ll do it again and I’d like to bring my daughter here, too.” 

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A big part of the ACFGA mission is to help acquaint as many people as possible with the proper function of various firearms. Kids are no exception, and range officials said Cote’s 14-year-old daughter would be welcomed at the range. 

“We have several events throughout the year,” said range officer Michael Shostak. “We may have a family day later on the year where people can bring their kids — their entire families — to see what the shooting sports are all about. It garners more interest in shooting as a sport and it just shows people that you don’t have to be afraid of firearms.” 

Shostak has helped guide a lot of new shooters over the years, at events like Ladies Day, and he couldn’t recall any that were traumatized by the experience. Indeed, it tends to go the other way. 

“They ALL have fun,” Shostak said. “Absolutely.” 

According to Younk, the event coordinator, a lot of women who show up for Ladies Day go on to become members of the club. One woman in particular was so into it, Younk said, that she joined the club and later became a range safety officer. 

Typically, she said, between 80 to 90 women turn out for the Ladies Day event. 

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“We have a varying degree of women,” Younk said. “Some have never touched a gun. Some have shot before and now they just want to brush up on their skills.” 

Pauline Roderick, of Clinton, is one of those.

“I’ve been around guns all my life,” she said, “but I’m not proficient with them, so I just wanted to come here for a refresher.” 

Beth Favreau, of Auburn, is another. 

“I came to this event a couple years ago,” she said. “It’s an opportunity to safely handle a gun. It’s very empowering. At first your nervous, but once you get comfortable with it, it’s just like, wow. I can do this.” 

By the time she was done blasting away with the shotguns, Favreau was convinced she wanted to become a member of the club once and for all. 

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“All the volunteers have been so welcoming,” she said. “They make you feel very comfortable so it’s a lot of fun.”

As far are as the event organizers are concerned, Favreau hit a bullseye with that observation — knowledge, safety and fun are what the event is all about.

“There is a whole generation that has passed without this exposure or experience to guns beyond what they see on TV,” said range safety officer Nancy Callahan. “We fear what we do not know. I see Ladies Day is a way to expose women, of all ages, to guns and educate them on safe handling.”

The club is planning a Youth Day shooting event on June 26. That one will involve archery, .22 rifles and air pistols, according to Younk. Family Day is scheduled for Sept. 24, although details are still being worked out.

All of the club’s events can be followed through their Eventbrite.com page.

 

Laura Pearson celebrates a direct target hit by new shooter Nicole Fleming, who hit two clays on her first attempt at the 2022 Spring Ladies Day at the Androscoggin Fish and Game Association range in Auburn May 22. Dan Begin stands with Fleming in the shooting station. Andree Kehn/Sun Journal


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