A first-class experience for attendees of the Boy Scout Clay Classic can help fund life-changing experiences for campers later on. That’s the goal of an event entering its 30th edition Aug. 16 and 17.
The first shots of the fall calendar ring out on the grounds of Camp Yocona Aug. 16 and 17 as the Boy Scout Clay Classic, Corporate Shoot and Elite Eagle sporting clay events take place. The yearly three-part shooting event helps support the Natchez Trace Council of the Boy Scouts of America and is an important opportunity for fun and fellowship, and for business networking as well.
The event is open to individuals, groups of casual friends and corporate teams. It raises net proceeds of nearly $40,000 each year. That goes to fund scout camp scholarships, which pay summer camp fees for youngsters who otherwise might not be able to afford to attend.
The event is hosted by the Natchez Trace Council, which covers 22 counties in Northeast Mississippi and serves the scouts of 1,200 families. The Natchez Trace Council covers Northeast Mississippi and now includes Oktibbeha, Clay and Lowndes Counties, as well as the counties in the northeastern corner of the state.
Three decades ago, the first Clay Classic drew two dozen shooters and raised $1,500. More than 200 shooters took part in the 29th annual Boy Scout Clay Classic at Camp Yocona last August. Organizers found the year’s participation up 19 percent over 2022.
The event is held on the grounds of Camp Yocona, located south of Highway 278 between Pontotoc and Oxford, at 878 Boy Scout Road in Randolph. Shooters may learn more and sign up at the Boy Scouts of America office at 505 Air Park Rd., in Tupelo, or by calling 662-842-2871. Registration is available online at natcheztracecouncil.org/clayclassic.
As participation has increased, its demographics have broadened, and competitive categories have been expanded to reflect and welcome the growth. Recently-added features include a category for female shooters and recognition of the top female shooter overall. Other innovations include a Friday-morning flight for corporate contenders, the Corporate Shoot, for those who prefer to gather with business guests on a weekday.
“One popular addition has been the ‘Pulligan,’” McCullouch said.
The term is drawn from the golfing term “Mulligan” and is a do-over on any given shot.
“Pulligans are priced at one for $5 and five for $20, with a hard limit of five per shooter,” he said.
The event, which is competitive, is congenial and fun as well.
“I think you really see the sprit of Scouting at the Clay Classic,” McCullouch said. “Even though it’s a competition, everyone wants to see everyone else shoot well. The event is wholesome, everyone is helpful, and it’s a fun and safe shoot for everyone involved.”
The event is a key part of the local scouting year, both from a financial standpoint, and from the connection it creates and strengthens between Scouting and those who support its ideals.
“Scouting shapes boys and helps them become fine young men,” Robert Magers, of Tupelo, says. He’s been involved with the event’s organization for many years. “Important qualities are taught and leadership opportunities are offered in a wholesome environment through Scouting, and at Camp Yocona in particular, that I don’t think you can find anywhere else.”
“People just keep coming to the table and the Classic just keeps growing,” said Greg Burks, of Tupelo, one of the event’s founders. “It’s really been the sort of thing that people come out and see once as participants or sponsors and just really fall in love with.”
“I have a friend I grew up with from the time we were two years old,” Magers said. “He lives in Jackson now, but he takes vacation time every year to come up and help with this event because it’s so much fun.”
The competition is actually three separate events in one. The Elite Eagle is a 60-target, two-shooter competition that comes with ammunition supplied and a lunch afterward. The Elite Eagle event will be held on Friday afternoon, which this year is Aug. 16, commencing at 1 p.m. Elite Eagle entry fees are $350 per two-shooter team.
The Clay Classic and Corporate Shoot welcome individual shooters or four-shooter teams, who use their own ammunition in a 100-target match. There, the entry fee is $125 per individual shooter or $700 per corporate team. In the past, the Clay Classic has been spread across two flights on the Saturday of the event. As in the past few years, however, corporate teams may now choose to take part in the Corporate Shoot on Friday morning or in the Clay Classic Saturday morning, Aug. 17. On both days, shooting starts at 9 a.m.
“As we’ve grown the event, we’ve tried to make sure we were always providing a top quality experience,” Magers said, “from the challenges and rewards of the course to the camaraderie of the event itself.”
Along with the vastly-expanded participation, one of the more evident facets of the event’s maturation can be seen in the quality of the shoot’s overall production. Clay target throwers for the earliest events were manually-operated and their placement was simple. For the last several years, the event has been produced in concert with Howell Traps, of Enterprise, Ala. Their setup brings a thoroughly professional level of shooting challenge to the event, and their target-throwing mechanisms are all first class.
A wide variety of sponsorship packages are available, offering combinations of entries and advertising. Call 662-842-2871 for more.
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