2015 FCA Outdoors - Pheasant Tower Shoot

Hank Parker brings his christian message to attendees

The main draw for most of the attendees of the Hank Parker Invitational at Meadow Wood is the morning pheasant tower shoot. This gives everyone time in the outdoors and a chance to wingshoot at passing pheasants that are released from a 60-foot tower. With a prevailing wind the pheasants tend to go in the same direction once released, which is why a pheasant tower shoot advocates rotating the shooters through the blinds so that everyone can have an equal opportunity.

Hopeful shooters head to the woods

Ryan Succup, Clebe McClary andHutch Eckerson

Assigned to shoot with NFl players Ryan Succup and Hutch Eckerson, the first three stations offered no shooting whatsoever due to the wind affecting the flight of the pheasants. However, that time served to build up the anticipation for when we would rotate through the stations that were getting most of the shooting. These pro footballers also used this time to ramp up the christian trash talking about who was going to shoot the best and who was going to miss a lot - revealing that these two good friends jaw back and forth over just about everything. I can report a couple of misses, but like other wingshooters, they quickly warmed up and began to find their mark.

The FCA celebrities were on the course at the shooting stations to greet the gunners as they rotated through. Retrieving dogs worked to gather any downed pheasant, and some gamebirds simply outflew the shotgun shells and made it into the hardwoods surrounding the pheasant tower shoot grounds. I made a group photo of all the hunters in front of the harvested pheasants, before we all returned to the barn at Meadow Wood for lunch.

2015 Pheasant Tower Shoot group photo

Lunchtime is when Hank Parker delivers his keynote address about why he lends his support to FCA and how important he believes it is to become totally saved by Jesus Christ. He is a compelling speaker and each year the organizer Alan Welch listens to requests to please allow Parker more time to speak so that he can convey his message of christianity and salvation. A quick fundraiser for FCA follows lunch and then everyone is back out into the woods to shoot a round of sporting clays at Meadow Wood's first class facility after a quick safety talk from manager Larry Snyder. Sporting clays are followed by an awards presentation, silent auction wrap up and the always unique football kicking demo.

To view past blog entries from the FCA Outdoors Hank Parker Invitational click 2015 - 2014 Shooting Sports - 2014 - 2013 - 2013 Photos -2012 - 2012 Photos

Shotgun shell ejects with wad heading
towards the pheasant