Ambush at Cavern Cove 2006

March 22, 2021

With Hairtrigger and Shawnee Dakota Di now taking the reins, the 2006 Ambush at Cavern Cove provided another opportunity for folks to gather at the range and crown another Alabama State Champion. This was the 10th Annual Shootout, with many folks coming to tell tales from the past nine iterations.

I joined the SASS Wire around Christmas of 2005. Having found the game through SHOOT! Magazine, the pages were filled with tales from cowboy matches all across the country. This year's Shooter's Book also included a history of the North Alabama Regulators on Page 17. Through the Wire, was one of the first Ambush matches that I had been made aware of.

The match took place September 29th, October 1st and 2nd. The match back then cost $85 with a spouse costing $45 while youth 16 and under were just $15. What a bargain!

Bobcat Sparks was writing stages for North Alabama back then. He made special note and dedicated each of the 10 stages to the founders and past leaders of the North Alabama Regulators. Many of the stages shot were also based on stages from the previous 9 Ambush shoots. There were also three pages of photos documenting many memories from previous shoots. Sadly, Bobcat would pass away in June of 2008 at the age of 52.

Round count for the first nine stages included 90 pistol, 86 rifle, and 32 shotgun rounds. I have no information on the Secret Stage to finish out your round count. Also, of note, this was the first year where all the shotgun targets were knockdown targets, again with the Secret Stage being the unknown.

The Shooter's Book also gives us a glance at several thing concerning the shoot. Three whole pages of this year's book were dedicated to the costume contest. Side match day is starting to evolve just a bit. Pistoleer graciously provided some of his time teaching a shooting school on Friday, this one being specifically geared towards lady shooters.

While I don't have any scores for the match, I can tell you that Sidekick won his second consecutive Alabama State Championship at the match. If you know any of the other results, please let me know, either through email or when I see you on The Firing Line.