WEEDSPORT - The Tri-County Trap Shooting Winter League held their final shoot-off at the Weedsport Rod and Gun Club on Sunday.

The league has 141 shooters involved from five different clubs: the Falcon Sportsman's Club, the Weedsport Rod and Gun Club, the Otisco Lake Rod and Gun Club, the Camillus Sportsmen's Club and the Skaneateles Rod and Gun Club.

From those clubs, the league splits members into classes based on their scores on the first shoot.

The classes are made up of AA, A, B, C, D, Lady, Vet, Senior Vet, Junior and Sub-Junior.

The league shoots every Sunday, switching between the five clubs, through a 16-week period. The winter league has been around for over 20 years.

Don Wells is the person in charge of the league and has also been a member for about 12 years.

“I started shooting over 30 years ago, then I became a member of this particular league and ended up leading it not long after,” Wells said. “I helped to organize it and put it together, now I make sure it still happens.”

Wells does three leagues in the summer as well - the CNY League on Tuesday nights that rotates from club to club, with the shoot-off including over 400 shooters; a Wednesday league from the Weedsport Rod and Gun Club that also rotates and a Tuesday morning Sunrise League at the Falcon Sportsman's Club. Wells says that there has been a growth of members throughout the years, but the economy makes it difficult to keep the travelers coming.

“The past six to eight years, the league has grown 100 percent, but the economy plays a major role in how many shooters can attend,” Wells said. “Gas prices and the other rising costs related to the sport make it difficult for many people. It hurts the popularity of the sport overall.”

Brad Heath is this year's overall winning shooter in the league with the highest average overall - 97.33.

Heath was the captain of the New York State Men's Team three times and in second place four times.

This year Heath earned placement in the Men's All American Team - 34,000 men shot for it and out of the 32 men who made it, Heath was 27th.

Heath has also been featured in Trap and Field Magazine and is a member of the Amateur Trap Shooters Association where he participates in shoots all over the country every year.

Trap shooting is a large part of Heath's life. He has been shooting since he was 9- years old and travels from Binghamton to be a member of the winter league. Heath also coaches the SCTP team at the Groton Gun Club, which is a scholastic program for youths, in order to get them involved in trap shooting.

Juggling shooting and his busy life, however, makes it difficult for him to shoot as successfully as he does.

“It is quite an accomplishment for me because most of the men I am up against shoot for a living, I just go to a few shoots because I work,” Heath said. “I get no practice between work and coaching, what little time I do have, I give to the kids in the league.”

Some of the kids Heath coaches end up joining the winter league, and the league is made up of a lot of family shooters. Many of the members say that the bonds between the shooters and the friendships built keeps the league going strong and it ends up being a lifetime commitment.

“It's tough in the winter because it's cold for shooting,” said Dusty Archamble, Heath's former shooting student.

“But I do it for fun and for the group of people here. It's also great because it gets me out of the house.”

The Camillus Sportsmen's Club went home with the overall club win this year. The winners in that club were, Heath, Linda Weinerth, Bob Weigand, Ed Robbins, Zac Robbins, Len Kallfelz, Rich Calloway, Frank Szakaly and Anne Colgan.

The league plans to keep going strong no matter what the economy may bring.

“Central New York is the nucleus of many clay bird shooting clubs, we are going to keep it going as long as we can,” Wells said.