The 2020 “Wes Hartley Memorial Match” is in the books for over the log, or “chunk”, shooting enthusiasts of Vallonia, Indiana. Started 52 years ago by a group the line calls the “old-timers”, the match was kept alive in a year where many annual shoots were canceled. “Colton Fleetwood is who we have to thank for putting on this match.” says Don Neal, a veteran chunk shooter in the area, “It’s a lot for someone old like me to organize something like this, so it’s nice to see someone young pick it up and make sure it keeps going”. 

Special thanks to Swiss Black Powder for their sponsorship of this event

In a normal year, the Wes Hartley match would be held in conjunction with “Fort Vallonia Days”, a celebration of the history of the town of Vallonia, and it’s start as a fort on the outskirts of the early frontier. Fort Vallonia days brings over 50,000 people into the area each year. Where you’ll find yard sales, vendors, and food trucks aplenty during the autumn festival. During 2020 however, like many town celebrations around the country, Fort Vallonia days were canceled due to concerns over the COVID 19 pandemic. Match director Fleetwood stepped in early after the cancellation of the festival to announce he was trying to see if the match could continue. The nature of chunk shooting lends itself quite well to social distancing, just about everyone loads out of a set up near the back of their personal vehicle, and it is common courtesy to give each other space on the line to focus. After checking with the church where the match is held, Colton got the go-ahead to continue with the match. 

At the crack of dawn on October 17, Colton wakes up to finish preparations for the match. He’s slept in a small tent after spending Friday evening setting up for the match. A large tarp is laid out for shooters to stay off the frosty grass. Soon Colton’s father, Mason, arrives at the range, truck packed with a propane griddle and dutch oven to feed the hungry shooters on this crisp fall morning. Around 8 in the morning, shooters began arriving and setting up their loading and shooting positions. Shooters continue to roll in until 9:30, when the range opens for practice. 

Chunk shooting is different from other forms of competitive shooting, you don’t see the bullseye to aim at. Chunk matches are won by the most consistent of shooters, and this starts during the practice relay. Shooters post their “Sighter”, a piece of paper or poster board with a design of the shooters’ preference to aim at. 

Some shooters have an X, others, and upside-down T, some might have a simple scribbled circle to aim at. No matter the image, each shooter sends down 3 or 4 sighting shots to get a group. This group will be used to approximate an average for the next round of shooting. In chunk shooting, the target for score is now placed behind the sighter, making it invisible to the shooter 60 yards away. When positioning their targets for score, each shooter tries to place the X from the target in the center of their sighter group with the hope that the law of averages helps them get their shot as close to the X as possible. Once all of the shooters return to the line, it’s time for the first relay to begin. 

    Chunk matches like this one are shot in a 10 relay, single-shot relay string. Shooters place their targets, shoot it once, retrieve their target, place a new target, and return the shot target for the score. When the new relay starts back up, each marksman must do their best to remember their position to replicate another consistent shot. As someone who is used to shooter 5-10 shots per relay, this threw me for a loop. It’s deceptively challenging. 

    By noon that morning, we were past the halfway point for the match and there wasn’t a clear winner. From relay to relay things continued to change. The sun was now above the trees, making the line much warmer, but also causing terrible glare off of barrels for several shooters. Forgetting to load powder threw a couple of shooters for a loop as they worked to get back into the rhythm of the relay. After each of the relays, shooters brought their targets back to the tent where Colton had spent the night, his father and grandfather scored each target with a set of calipers and passed them onto Colton’s mother and girlfriend to be entered into the computer. This match is a family affair for the Fleetwoods, but also for the chunk shooters in the area, this match representing the first and last time many of them were able to get together for the year. Don Neal, one of the original shooters in the match is joined by several of his grandsons for the match. He’s sharing a rifle with one for each relay. He says, “It’s nice, he shoots first each relay and I can yak. He comes back, loads one for me and hollers that it’s time to shoot.”  

    As the match finishes up with relay 10, the Neals and Fleetwoods finish scoring and begin setting up the prize tables. On the tables are the historic staples of a muzzleloading shoot, turkeys, pork roasts, chickens, sausages, bacon and beef. Thanks to match sponsors like Schuetzen Blackpowder and A+ Mowing, prizes like Swiss 2F Blackpowder, rifle cases, deer minerals, and even a small TV are available to be won! In an effort to cut costs for the shoot in this weird year, Mr. Fleetwood worked with a local high school to incorporate the creation of wooden plaques for the top shooters, providing a unique and cost effective prize. 

    While we are always excited for every competitor, winner or not, the winner that brought the largest smile to everyone was the Junior aggregate winner, ALKAJKA, won the Junior Aggregate and picked the 32” Tv as his prize. I hope he uses it for many years to come and remembers his time at the Wes Hartley with his father and brother each time he turns it on. Maybe, just maybe he won’t use it too much because he’s out shooting! 

Best X Winners

1. Marvin Kemper

2. James Wolff 

3. Lowell Crane

Aggregate Winners

1. Bill Wonning

2. Dave Collier 

3. Tom Cooley

2020 Prize List

- 32” Smart TV

- Whole Beef Brisket

- 3 Whole Turkeys

- 3 Bone-in Hams

- 3 Pork Loins

- 6 Whole Chickens

- 3 Large Tubes of Burger (5lbs)

- 4 Small Tubes of Burger (1lb)

- Tennessee Pride Sausage

- Bacon

- Various Merchandise Prizes

- 25 lbs of Swiss 3f Powder

  (Donated by Swiss Black Powder)