Sharon Space-Bamberger | Democrat Sullivan County Conservation Club President John S. Van Etten congratulated the trophy winners. Front row, from left: Overall Daniel Boone Champion Paul Tschinkel, Daniel Keiler, Youth Division winners Dimitri Gozza, Eric Lindahl III, and Austin Zweck. Back row, Van Etten, Ryan Gaine and Chad Foster.

A Boone for young shooters

Story by Sharon Space-Bamberger
BETHEL — September 20, 2013 — Eleven-year-old Eric Lindahl III of Boy Scout Troop #31 in Walden proudly accepted his 2013 Junior Daniel Boone Champion trophy at the Sullivan County Conservation Club’s (SCCC) 30th Annual Daniel Boone Day.
When Eric won his first Junior Daniel Boone Championship he was eight. In 2012, he placed second in the competition. He learned from experts; he, his father Eric, Jr. and his grandfather Eric Lindahl, Sr. target shoot together. As Eric, Jr. explained, “We are a tight family, we do everything together. Family values are number one with us.”
Eric III has plans for his future: “Someday, I hope to win the Overall Daniel Boone Adult Championship.”
That honor this year went to Paul Tschinkel for having shot the most events with the best scores. The champ later revealed, “My biggest joy was seeing Dimitri Gozza place 3rd in the Youth Division. I’ve been spending a lot of time with Dimitri and coaching him.”
“These kids are our next generation of target shooters.”
The Daniel Boone attracted a lot of adults and kids. Sullivan County Sheriff Michael A. Schiff and his son David, 12, tried their luck with pistol and shotgun. When asked how David did, the Sheriff replied, “He enjoyed himself, but got a little discouraged with trap shooting. He has shot skeet but trap is different.” David ruefully said, “Out of 28, I got maybe 20.”
Christina Cross of Narrowsburg and her sons Colin, 8, and Shane, 11, enjoyed a day of target shooting. The boys got shooting tips from Jay Mendels, SCCC Secretary and Youth Shooting Leader. Cross noted that the boys “have been shooting since they were three; my Dad taught them.”
Carlos Bermudez of Spring Valley and his daughters Isabella, 14, and Lissette, 12 shot .22 Silhouette with .22 take downs. Carlos explained his choice of firearms, “With these take downs, the neighbors don’t complain about guns, they don’t know what they are.”
Conservation Club members and their kids worked hard to make the Daniel Boone Day a success. To help with finances, volunteer teams sold gun raffles at local gun shows and at Gander Mountain. They spent hours grooming the club grounds and plucking litter on Cooper’s Corners Road. The group had no advertising budget and counted on flyers and word of mouth. The 143rd New York Volunteer Infantry gave a special presentation of Civil War Living History with black powder shooting, rifle drills and bayonet training in their authentic Civil War encampment. Earplugs were advised. As one of the volunteers observed, “Most Civil War veterans were deaf, those who came back at all, that is.”
For the first time ever, the SCCC invited vendors to the event. These included “Almost Everything,” She-Wolf Taxidermy, Fernwood Firearms, and Peter Diehl’s Sports Shop. Diehl, who has a Federal Firearms license, was the only vendor selling firearms. Others sold ammunition, tee shirts, hats that said, “Come and Get it” and other sporting-related items.

DANIEL BOONE DAY WINNERS
The winners of Daniel Boone shooting event trophies were:
Archery – Paul Tschinkel
High Powered Rifle – Austin Zweck
.22 Rifle – Carlos Bermudez
Pistol/Scope – Paul Tschinkel
Pistol/Iron Sights – Carlos Bermudez
Running Deer – Chad Foster
.22 Silhouette – Daniel Kelier
Trap – Ryan Gaine

Youth Division
1st – Eric Lindahl III
2nd – Austin Zweck
3rd – Dimitri Gozza