My wife and I got up early this morning to go to the monthly cowboy action match of the Comanche Trail Shooters out of Midland, Tx. I've been working 100+ hours per week for the past 9 months since moving here to west Texas, and was really, really, REALLY looking forward to this first chance to shoot a match in the area.

Bottom line, it was a cluster-[bleep] of epic proportion.

The club, the Comanche Trail Shooters, had hopeless directions to their range on their website. Despite calling for clarification, the directions were beyond obscure.

The woman (and I only call her that because she has sparse facial hair) who owns the place is a human tarantula. I took a wrong turn on the property, and despite multiple apologies for an honest mistake, I was asked to leave.

I have been shooting club matches--cowboy, IDPA, and IPSC--for a long time, in places that were beyond humble, yet the people were welcoming. But today, I was shocked and appalled at the vitriol a man can receive for taking a wrong turn. I have never been treated so shabbily. (Shabilly? Whatever.)

In any case, Jakes Clay's can go [bleep] themselves.

For that matter, I have yet to have any experience in Midland TX (other than buying boots at Cavender's, they're a good lot, them) to suggest that Midland TX should not be the Pentagon's next nuclear test site.

Just venting. No personal insults intended.

But [bleep] Midland, and the harridan that owns the Jake's Clays range, just the same.

The Chamber of Commerce apparently didn't get the memo.

Yeah. I called.

They said they didnt give a [bleep].

It's Bush's fault...

had to be said.

Sorry to hear, DR. I've been there too. Not the actual place, but standing in your shoes, wiping the remnants of a shyt on rye sandwich from my lip, with little legal recourse, and choking on your rage because you're smart enough to have *not* done what you wanted to. The deserved response and one accepted once upon a time when honor meant something, you wanted it so bad you could...Well, you know. I get sour just hearing of people getting beat by vermin.

Have a brew, and put your feet up, sir. Tomorrow's another day. Come take it out on ducks this year.

H.L. Mencken had a way with the word...

'Every normal man must be tempted, at times, to spit upon his hands, hoist the black flag, and begin slitting throats...'

I shot an IPSC match in Abilene once back in 85. They took my entry fee and gave me my number and I proceeded to win the match. When they handed out the awards I didn't get one. I asked what was up. They said I wasn't a member of the club so I couldn't receive an award. I pointed out that they took my entry fee and they said that was nice. It was for the pleasure of shooting in the match, but only club members were eligible to receive awards. Wasn't written anywhere. That was the last time I visited Abilene.

ps They shoot poorly.

Dan

Did you contact IPSC about this?

Governing bodies of organizations don't like their patrons being treated like [bleep] it always rolls down hill long term.

I've though of shooting at Midland since my daughter lives in Texas on several occasions and it just never happened. Maybe I didn't miss much. But shooing NBRSA for years now that doesn't seem like the norm for people connected with this type of shooting activity.

It's been a long time since I shot a cowboy match, but I always found the people involved in CAS to be some of the most laid back and friendly I have ever met.

That said, I never tried to shoot in Midland Texas, at the Hairy Lady sideshow end of the trail rezendevous, either.

Sorry it was a waste of your time.

It being Texas, surely there is another club shooting somewhere close by.

Midland is interested in two things: Oil and Money.

If you're not flashing one of those around they are the rudest, [bleep] on the planet.

I'm all for re-drawing the boundaries and letting New Mexico take in Midland.

Makes a man want to pull for Panther MOJO this fall.

...almost.

MOJO is so ingrained Odessa Permian's culture they expect their teams to win. A movie was even made about them, Friday Night Lights.

I can't root for that either.

Doc,

Hats off to you for working yous ass off. You deserve better than you got. Sorry for the screwed-up weekend. If you make it to Michigan let me know in advance and I'll grill you a good steak and feed you some beers and give you all the competition I can muster. I probably "ain't" in your league, by we'll try.

Yeah, I read that book years before they made the movie. Just remembered that Midland and Odessa Permian were a big rivalry.

Ol' Boobie Miles didn't want to take the word of a Doctor from Midland that he ought not play with his knee. Should have, though.

We in New Mexico don't want Midland!

Doc,

have you taken your Wisconsin license plates off, yet?

Sycamore

Damn sorry to hear that Doc, but you realize it is THEIR loss not yours Sir.

You are ever down this way on the third Sunday of the month I'll take you out to the Desoto Range and you can shoot with the Tater Hill Gunfighters, A GREAT bunch.

I'm tellin' ya, Doc' is a rabble rouser of the highest order. 'Tween all the newly minted speedin' tickets he's responsible for, and now his having violated property rights, he's going to end up in a fix.

Damn Ya- (aw never mind).

I will have to respectfully disagree 'dood. Although there are some of those types around, they're certainly not the norm. I'd have to say Midland folks are amongst the most friendly, and charitable that I've ever been around. I have lived all over the place too. There are lots and lots of very generous people, family's and charitable foundations here. Lot's of good deeds are done. To characterize Midland any other way is just not factual.

Doc, sorry to hear of your experience. I don't know those people/facility from Adam, and I'd probably be pissed too. I'd like to offer you this.....if/when you get back up here, I'll make sure you have a good time, and experience the good things of Midland, TX. There are lots of 'em.

JG, of course you're right. There's a few bad apples in every bushel. It doesn't spoil the whole bushel tho.

You'll claim Hobbs, but don't want Midland ? Seriously?

I sure enjoyed my time there. Tryin' to remember the name of the bar/resteraunt I used to entertain at - but am drawing a complete blank. It was right near a railroad tracks, and if I'm not mistaken, even had a car either on display, or as part of the establishment.

Good times, that I can remember!

It ain't too late to move to the Bluegrass.

That'd raise the quality of Texas and Kentucky both.

All I have to say is that if a transplant Yankee don't like Midland,he would do well to avoid Odessa!

Do the folks in Big Lake suit you,Doc?

Was a time in the 'seventies boom,when if you got run off from all the well servicing outfits in the Permian,you could still hire on with Tucker Well Service in Big Lake.

The company I was working for bought Tucker in 1970.Jim Tucker was the manager and his brother,Jeff, pushed tools.

Jim called our "stud" pusher,Freddie,one Mon. morning and asked him:

"What would you do if you found out one of your crews was in jail in Acuna,and the Mexicans had your pickup?"

Freddie said;"I'd send my toolpusher down and get my pickup back and leave the crew in jail."

Jim:"Hell,my toolpusher is in jail with 'em!"

lol

Sometimes you can't win for losing.

MM

"Harridan".. Very nicely done, Doctor..

Hey Doc, next time you want to go out that way, PM old JG on this.
I have never heard of this place. Bet in the past they had a lot of people get lost getting to the location of the shoot and going to the house of the land owner. So homeowner is pissed from a long time back.
Wonder if they still shoot CAS at the Midland shooters Assoc.
Born and raised in Midland, so this one seems out of character for the area.
Best of luck for the next shoot wherever it is. If your up in the Fort Worth area, PM and let me know, I'll help in anyway possible.

Thank you for that compliment, CD!!!

And yes, I find the folks here fine as can be.

So are the folks in Midland-Odessa, really. I hope anyone who knows me knows I wouldn't tar an entire town with a brush dipped in one person's mess. I really do apologize if I gave the wrong impression. We go up there to do shopping from time to time, and generally stay to have dinner. The Cavender's boot store up there is the friendliest shop you could ask for. They've charmed me into buying 3 pairs of boots in the past year!

Wtxj.. thanks amigo, I just might take you up on that.

JGRaider... friend, I will take you up on that offer next time we come up your way.

TFF!!1

Doc,

All I can say is; Welcome to Big Lake!


IMO; if God was to give Texas an enema, that's where he would plug it in.

Welcome to Texas!!

Grew up not far from there, and yes the two cities are close together. Midland is portrayed as the white collar town, and Odessa the blue collar town. Not sure those stereotypes are really valid, but they exist.

You can get goofy rangemasters anywhere. There's one place very convenient to my house, but so rigid in their rules that they clearly cater to the lowest common denominator. I asked to set up a chronograph there, and they looked at me like I was a Martian, then told me some idiotic story that someone shot his own chronograph, and then sued them so no chronos anymore. The range is therefore not much good for anything except functional reliability testing. I expect I'd get kicked off if I told them what I thought of the place.

On the flip side of the coin, I was at a range in California when the rangemaster was enjoying the A/c in the clubhouse, during a ceasefire. I was downrange when a 9-10 year old boy sat down at the bench, and let a .22 go downrange. No one hurt, but it was a few minutes later when the rangemaster came out and started chewing on the boy's father for lack of supervision of the child. The Dad was negligent, and so was the rangemaster.

Rangemasters walk a line between being reasonable and accomodating, and actually keeping folks in line for safety and order. It sounds like the lady in this case has had some unreasonable demands made of her, and is unfortunately, being unreasonable herself. It also sounds like, they need some signs to help keep visitors from making mistakes.

You've obviously never been to Pecos. The armpit of the universe.

Well maybe.... IF DOC WASN'T STARING AT HER TILTS THE WHOLE TIME she might have had a more pleasant disposition!

It's called texass for a reason...

I bet her ass made up for it.

Pfftt.... Obviously neither one of you have been to Orange, or Evadale (they call it Evilsmell for a reason).

Doc, sounds like you might need a little more work on your drawl.

Or just buy a few acres with a nice natural berm and make your own rules. Or buy a few acres and rent a backhoe and make your own rules.

Surely, JG, you jest. The universe does include Jal,NM you know.

El Paso is the armpit of Texas, and Texas in general is all hat, no cowboy.

Darn, but that gave you the chance to see the Petroleum Museum and the J Evetts Hailey Western museum and Library. He was a world renown author, rancher, cattleman and western historian and also wrote an insightful book on LBJ called "A Texan Looks at LBJ" which earned him IRS scrutiny until the day LBJ went to He'll.

Whoosh. Stand by for incoming.

Texas is Southerners playing dress-up.

Doc,

Sorry to hear about your experience. Let me know next time you're thinking about coming to town and we'll go and shoot something. We have several other ranges to shoot and several places to shoot/throw tennis balls and have some Bombay and tonic.

An aside, if it weren't for Hobbs and Big Spring, Midland wouldn't have any news.

Sorry to read about your brain damage, Jeff.

Generally, people in the Permian Basin (TX or NM) will do about anything for a person in need and for the most part are really good people, but in my educated experience, the overall culture out there doesn't put up with much bragging or whining or prima donnas.

Lol... I'm just teasing. I grew up in NM. We didn't like Texas much.

How much did the quality of highways (vs roads) have to do with that?

Consider the source. Not even worth a response.

Hey Doc, don't know if Lubbock is too far out for your way to come for a match, but there's a CAS club at our private range that has shoots on the 4th Saturday of the month. I haven't shot it yet, but they were a very welcoming and friendly group. If you want to come check it out sometime, shoot me a PM and I'll give you the details.

Ryan

It was the quality of person that came over from TX to NM. Arrogant beyond belief towards us good salt of the earth New Mexico folk. I'm not kidding.





Now that being said, I've been in Texas several times since and found the people to be warm and pleasant, and the countryside pretty. So maybe, the a-hole Texans of my youth, were just a-holes because by the time they reached my little town they'd been treated poorly by a-hole New Mexicans.

Whereabouts in NM did you live?

No chit!

Only met one texan that was worth a chit...the rest are douchebags with fancy/gay boots a loud mouth and big stupid hats.

A pastoral part... full of good, honest, salt of the earth people... unblemished by Texans, except in the fall, when they'd come through in droves on the way to kill our deer & elk.





Sorry man. I'm being a smartass. I'm carrying ball-bustin' energy up from the .223AI thread. Don't take it personal.




I did about die in Houston late one summer. I was doing finish carpentry on McMansions (assisting, I mean). The AC units weren't in yet. The humidity about kilt me.

Nobody does other than other texans...

False pride is [bleep] hilarious.

Not taking anything personal. Where'd you live?

Is this guy for real??????

JG, central.

I-25 corridor. Rio Grande.

Girls like jg prove my point.

They're clueless in their little world "thinking"....texass is not the center of the universe. It may very well be the [bleep] of the the universe as proved by her and others, but it ain't the center.

BTW...I am for real 'real'.....

I've never been there.....so I wasn't one of the arrogant smartazzzes.

I think we had an inferiority complex... those big shiny trucks & all...

No we just don't have a need to excuse all the phvcked up chit our state produces....nor do we have a blind compulsion to defend and overlook all the faults of a completely phvcked up state just because it's 'texass'.

If the big talkers that call themselves 'texans' actually put their mouth where their puzzie is, the rest of the country might have some respect for them. But instead they travel north and piss off, moan and bitch, and prove what complete and utter douchebags they are.

The dumbphvcks are being over-run by mexicans yet they wanna' complain about the same.

Hopefully we didn't grow up together. Though, I can't remember a Jeff O. near the TX / NM border that I new.

To those who would put down the whole state of Texas, that is just crazy. It is geographically fairly large with a large variety of cultures, most of which don't fit the stereotype of "I met someone whith a big hat once."

Cool story bro! Tell it again.

Thanks, Ryan, I just might take y'all up on that come fall. I have plans to come up that way for some duck hunting and a cowboy match on the weekend might be just the ticket.

Leighton, I don't know how I missed reading your excellent post this morning. Thank you.

Mr. Mencken did indeed have a way with words.

Well you sure don't have anything to brag about considering where you hail from! There's more liberals/Democrats AH up where you are than in all of Texas combined!!

I was only in Midland for three months ,but was treated well especially by shooters and club officials. I joined the club in Midland and shot at a commecial range over near Odessa. The club in Midland has a strong benchrest rifle tradition and has held some of the greatest bench rest matches in history. Maybe you just caught a bad match officer or a good officer on a bad day. Don't judge a region or an entire state from one match experience. By the way, to the New Mexican who said smething snide about Hobbs; I had a great experience at a highpower rifle sihlouette match there once.

Why?

And El Paso is about 250 miles from where Doc is talking about, if you'd check a map...

I recall driving on Hwy 1, south of LA, past a lovely subdivison overlooking the Pacific ocean, with some Mission-style homes that were probably $1M+. In the middle of this quintessential California scene is a big honking Texas flag flying over one guy's house. Fairly sure there aren't any California state flags, flying anywhere in Texas

Hey, I like Texas and have several folks I call friends that live there. Even if the ONLY speeding ticket I ever got was in Midland!

Wow, this thread went some interesting places.

Doc, that really sucks. I know the club and exactly who you were dealing with. To say she is rude would be an understatement. Crazy would be a better word.

Midland is a great place, sorry that you met one of the few that aren't friendly and accomodating.

Pretty sure it won't be painted Obama blue on an electoral map either.

Hey Doc, wuz ya drivin' the Suburu with the rainbow bumper sticker?

Aces&8s would make "real" good TARGET material.

Doc,

With all the places in Texas...


Why Midland?


Snake

Maybe it's the great economy, slow paced, low cost of living, lots of open spaces, no big cities.... I don't know.

Smartazz!

No, that Subaru moved back to Wisconsin with my stepson a few months ago. We was drivin' my wife's pretty red Chrysler 300 with the rhinestone license-plate frames and the longhorn hood ornament. You'd of thought the old b!tch would've recognized somebody with a bit of disposable income on his hands... oh, well.

As JGRaider points out, the economy's great, traffic's no big deal, and the people (with the exception of the batshitt-crazy woman at Jake's Clays mentioned earlier) are hospitable and friendly.

Besides, I'm a wide-open spaces kind of guy, so West Texas suits me really well. I was always kinda claustrophobic in the forest in Wisconsin.

Lived in San Angelo and San Antonio - what I miss of Texas can be summed up in one word:

BBQ

Other than that - I'm okay here in woods....

OK, I don't care where you're from...TFF!

Ok given you like Midland..

But there is also Uvalde and all points west of San Antone

It really get dicy east of Houston


Snake

Fixed it for you.

Yeah!! They also have Jal, Eunice, Loving, Maljamar, and multiple other places. And they don't want Midland???? They couldn't handle Midland. I lived there for 26 years and it was a great place. I am sure it has changed now with all the Oil boom going on but it used to be a gfredat place to live and raise a family. I left a lot of friends there.

Jim

Midland ain't bad...some old but good memories

Bob's Better Burger
Burger Train
Chief Drive-In
Four Seasons
Jack Rabbits
Horny Toads
"A" Street Park when it rained
Hot as hell and dry but 1000X more comfortable than the Bayou City $h!thole
Grass painted green in the winter
A black side, a mexican side and all the rest

Not so good memories...

Stickers, goat heads and mesquite thorns in my feet, bicycle and motorcycle tires
Few trees
Water that smells like a mixture of $h!t and piss and tastes far worse

Nothing funnier than Washington crying about Texas...

It isn't that you aren't smart...It's just that you know so much that is wrong. Bless your heart...

Pecos???

Naah, ya hang a right at Fort Stockton and do a quick 50 miles and there you are. Right past Mosquito Lake (dont worry I have never seen it with actual water in it).

Good place to get gas at all hours. Got a Wal-mart there too. Best of all it takes absolutely no time at all to drive through, maybe a light or two.

Bump over the railroad tracks past that museum place that is never open and before ya know it you're blowing across Mordor again towards the booming megopolis of Orla, where nobody lives. In daylight you can watch oncoming trucks emerge from the mirage, at night you can wonder who TF would be driving out there that time of night except drug smugglers and such.

They do have a "picnic area" or two along the highway where you can sit and admire the desert scrub and low humps of the Delaware Mountains through the shimmer while dying of heat exhaustion.

Then keep going past the turnoff Red Bluff Lake where the fish are so suicidal/desperate for company they'll hit anything at all. People actually have RV's and retirement singlewides out amid the scrub and heat mirages there and you think who in the world would wanna live out there unless they're practising for an eternity in Hell.

But, keep going, pretty much fast as you want (famous last words... I have NEVER seen a Cop out there ) and thirty minutes later Paradise appears in the form of a WELCOME TO NEW MEXICO. LAND OF ENCHANTMENT sign.

Its weird, immediately the road surface and the terrain changes. Malaga and then Loving and there you are....

Birdwatcher

What I recall about Hobbs was a sign in front of the Dairy Queen stating "WE HAVE BANANAS TODAY"

New Mexico rules.

Texas sucks.

Just how it is.

??? El Paso???

To really appreciate El Paso ya gotta go there on the 4th, dont worry about finding the firework displays they'll bring 'em to you, right on I10 and Hwy 54 (???). Just look for the crowds and the burning bushes that caught fire and dont worry when bottle rockets ricochet off of the car

Or join the crowds on the Trans-Mountain Parkway over the Franklin Mountains and watch the actually pretty good firework display against the backdrop of a literal Hell, the yellow street lights of Juarez.

Pretty good birding in McKittrick (???) Canyon Park, as long as you dont mind stepping around the condoms.

Aint got no beef with El Paso, actually like the place. I used to date a girl from there. Best of all its just 90 minutes from the Sacramento Mountains

I would live there in a heartbeat.

Orla TX? not so much

Birdwatcher

Funny you should say that, two of the three times a Texas DPS Trooper has stopped me have been on that road, within the past two years! Both times for doing less than 5mph over the posted speed limit.
Of course, I WAS driving a type of vehicle that could have been carrying any number of contraband items...

Ed

Hey, Orla has tons of coyotes.

All I have to say about the Orla area is, if you could somehow set Red Bluff Lake on fire, you'd have a pretty much picture-perfect depiction of Hell.

JMHO of course

But actually, the fishing at the lake was very good when me and my brother stopped in decades ago. Stocked reg'lar, with very little fishing pressure that I could tell.

Birdwatcher

I've killed a couple or three good mule deer over there too.

Ssshhh
JG, I hunted near there a lot of years on Roy Lindsays place north of Mentone on the Pecos, but only saw one big deer and that was on a coyote hunt in Jan. He had heavy horns and was a 27 in. 5x5 limping along and breeding the does. Roy, God rest his soul, assured me he occasionally saw a big deer in that country. 95 sections I think on the old Lindley place and he had given one of his sons control of the adjoining huge ranch to the north of that.

There was also an old certifiable Texas cowgirl wo had a big place out of Orla and to the west of the highway (south of Orla) where I hunted coyotes several times over the years there but never saw a big deer. She assured me they had them before the mountain lions took over. Sadly, she passed several years ago and I can't remember her name. Yes, after thinking about it for these ten min., she was Evelyn Dale Cooksey but her namebhad changed after a remarriage. Now I remember it as Evelyn Dale Cooksey Carr. Have you really seen any real monsters in that country?

The helicopter pilot for Roy told me he had never seen a real monster in that country but had seen some around Alpine.

I can't say I've seen any monsters. I hunted the Dinwiddie ranch there, last time was probably 25 years ago. My dad grew up in Jal where the old man lived, and Dinwiddie had a ranch West of there also. The good bucks I killed there were 160 class deer, which was big for me at that time. That is some harsh country down there for sure. Sounds like you had a pretty good place to hunt too. I also hunted many years down around Valentine. Biggest buck I killed down there was bumping 170" By the middle of my college days I realized most of the really, really big bucks were in the sand. Low deer densities but some real bombers. I had the run of the Frying Pan while Mr Linebery was alive.

He was a character, and patient of mine.

You lucky dog!