doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Good Times at Orvis Cup & Game Fair

To offset all the unhappy reports about this year's EPIC and Vintage Cup events, I am offering an unreservedly glowing endorsement of the previous week's event, the Orvis Cup Shoot & Game Fair, held at Orvis Sandanona in Millbrook, NY.

The weather was ideal. Sunny with a hint of cool fall breeze.

Upon arrival, instead of extracting a nasty gate fee and patting you down for contraband lead shot, there were friendly people offering a chance to register to win a $250 Orvis gift certificate and a choice of apples from a large basket.

Once inside, there were almost 30 vendor tents including gun dealers like Gary Herman, Galazans (Tony & Lou F. were both there), Roger Bain, Chris Batha, British Sporting Arms, Safari Outfitters, Holland & Holland, Beretta, and many others; along with other vendors offering clothing, books, hunting trips, dog stuff, etc. A nice selection all around.

In the middle of the tent village was my favorite spot, a covered outdoor lounge shared by Davidoff Cigars and the Single Malt Society, who offered free cigars and Scotch tasings throughout the entire weekend.

Cigars, Scotch, and firearms - a true ATF event.

There were plenty of free activities including a Land Rover Riding Course, fly casting instruction, dog training, birds of prey demonstrations, etc.

Perhaps the best free activitiy was the twice daily game cooking class offered by a Scotish chef who teaches at the nearby Culinary Institute of America, the Harvard of cooking schools. In addition to some fun Scottish humor, he and his students prepared and served up free samples of cooked venison, duck, shrimp gumbo, chukar partridge - almost a meal's worth at each session.

If that didn't fill you up, there was an excellent food tent on site which featured huge pastries that would have invited testing for steriods if they had been entered in a baking contest.

There were lots of good shooting opportunities - sporting clays, five stand, and an especially fun high bird flurry. And there was free instruction given to new shooters, young and old alike.

It is true they allowed in shooters whose gun barrel alignment represent an alternative orientation compared to my side by side (I think that's a new law in NY), but I'm open minded enough to mingle with that type from time to time. I figure some of them were just born into that lifestyle or were never presented the true gospel, so its sort of an evangelical mission to reach out to them. Still, the shooting was great fun.

As always, the Orvis Sandanona staff offered warm hospitality and a great time. They made you feel like they were there to insure you were having a nice time, not pick your pocket. Everyone seemed to be having a good time, even those grumpy vendors!

This event seems to be growing each year. I've enjoyed myself the past two years and look forward to going again next year.

I hope next year you can find time to come along as well.

DGM, Thanks for the report.
Had to miss it, even though its fairly close to home.
Was off to Montana.
Hope that they continue it next year.

Hello DGM,

Sounds like a great event. Are you sure it wasn't sponsored by the ATF?
And even the CIA was there!

I would have greatly profited with the free shooting instructions and the
cooking classes sound smashing. Not to mention the Davidoffs -the first I
tried were still being made in Cuba back in 1980- and the Single Malts.

Thanks for sharing.

JC

It is kind of funny to think that the New York event (Orvis) had a cigar lounge and allowed lead shot, while the Georgia event (EPIC) banned lead and had security out enforcing a smoking ban.

The Orvis Game Fair & Shoot is coming up again Sept 15 & 16, 2012. As noted last year, this is one of the most fun shooting events of the entire calendar. Tony Galazan, Steve Barnett and other top vendors are signed up.

See Game Fair details & photos at: http://www.orvis.com/intro.aspx?subject=8953

See Orvis Cup Shoot details at: http://www.orvis.com/intro.aspx?subject=8754


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The 6th Annual Orvis Cup will be held on Saturday and Sunday, September 15 & 16, 2012. This is a wonderful, exciting weekend�a combination game fair and competitive shotgun shooting event. Enjoy two full days of sporting clays shooting, in addition to demonstrations of birds of prey, dog training, fly casting, and fly tying. There will also be artists and craftsmen at work, and more than 50 of the finest upscale exhibitors and vendors displaying their wares. Plus, you can enter to win one of three Caesar Guerini shotguns!

The main event�a 100-target, Orvis Modified Lewis Class shoot�commences on Sunday morning at 9:30am. Shooting and competition fees vary (see sign-up sheet for more information). Spectators are welcome to attend for FREE!



Additional details:

Saturday, September 16, 2012
Shooting hours are 9 AM - 4:30 PM �Sporting clays course is open all day for fun; no reservation or score-keeping necessary
�Side-event areas open, including flurry, 5 stand, modern skeet, and long target
�For every round you shoot in the long target event, you earn a raffle ticket in the drawing for a Caesar Guerini shotgun
�The Orvis Cup Demonstration Arena will run seminars and demonstrations all day
�Grand cocktail party with spirits and hors d'oeuvres
Sunday, September 17, 2012
Shooting hours are 9 AM - 4:30 PM
The Orvis Cup Main Event shooting competition commences at 9:30 AM sharp. �The is a 100-target, Orvis Modified Lewis Class shoot
�Trophies are awarded for H.O.A., Classes A, B, C, D, LADIES, and JUNIOR 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and High Team
�1st in each class plus H.O.A. shoot off for The Orvis Cup Champion Title
�1st in each class plus H.O.A. are all entered into drawing for Caesar Guerini Gun
�All other shooters are entered into drawing for a second Caesar Guerini Gun
�Side-event areas open: including flurry, 5- stand, modern skeet, and long target


The Orvis Game Fair and Country Sporting Weekend�a fun and exciting weekend outing for the whole family�will be held at Sandanona Shooting Grounds in Millbrook, New York, on September 15 & 16, 2012. Located just a short drive north of New York City, just off the Taconic Parkway, Sandanona in autumn is the perfect place in the perfect time of year to enjoy the beautiful and historic Hudson Valley region and all it has to offer.

If you�ve never been to the Orvis Sandanona Grounds in Millbrook, NY, Sandanona is a step back in time, to a place where the traditions of the field and the hunt are held in the highest regard, and where wingshooting is a passion that links the past with the present. This venerable sporting institution is the oldest permitted shooting preserve in the country, so old in fact, that the main lodge was built during the presidency of Thomas Jefferson.

All around the picturesque Sandanona property, you�ll find artists and craftsmen at work, more than 50 of the finest upscale exhibitors and vendors, and loads of events and exhibits for kids and adults. Everything will be focused on the distinctive country lifestyle�featuring fly-fishing demonstrations, dog-training seminars, birds of prey exhibitions, a variety of hands-on youth programs, and a Land Rover driving course. Visitors are encouraged to participate and this is an excellent opportunity to fulfill that desire to try your hand at shooting or fly fishing. This is the perfect time and place to introduce the entire family to these lifetime pursuits.

Experts instructors will be on hand to offer free fly-casting lessons, and will offer novices the opportunity to learn to shoot under their watchful eye in a fun and safe environment. Plus, you can enter to win Orvis clothing, dog beds, and more!

See a list of participating vendors.

Come join us for a weekend of fun for the entire family at the Orvis Game Fair and Country Sporting Weekend! For more information, call Orvis Sandanona at 845-677-9701 or email: sandanona@orvis.com.

Daryl, Judy and I will be up for the Vintager's but won't make Sandanona. They have set it for two weeks before the Vintagers so it just won't work - if it had been set for the weekend before the Vintagers I think that we could have made it. Judy and I really enjoyed our visit to the Orvis Cup about three years ago.

We hope to see you at Addieville - stop by the Carolina Vintagers tent for a Scotch and Cigar one evening.

There's two things that go on in the Deep South in September called College Football and Dove Season, that have True Adherents who do not stray far from their appointed loci.
JR

Too bad it takes place on opening day of huns and sharpies in SK.

Amen, Rev.

Clay birds will always take second place to feathered ones around heah'.

SRH

Sounds like a great event. Wish it were closer.