Founding of the P.I.T.A. and Montana State

The P.I.T.A. was formed in 1930 with Montana joining in 1931, holding their first state shoot that same year. Records remain elusive for the early 1930s. E.W. “Ted” Renfro was one of the founding members of the PITA. He was also inducted into the PITA Hall of fame, which can be read here.

1st P.I.T.A. Montana State Shoot – August 25th (Day 1)

In 1938 Montana state shoot was held in Butte, bringing shooters from all over including Oregon, Washington, and California (see news clips).

1st P.I.T.A. Montana State Shoot – August 26th (Day 2)

The Butte Trap Club history says that it’s the PITA Western Zone

https://buttetrapclub.com

Rough Times

In 1941 Montana seemed to drift away from the PITA when Ted stopped shooting. Montana did rejoin the PITA in 1946-1947 shoot year, but no records indicate that a state shoot was held.

The Founding of BSTA

In 2024, Jacob and Hannah Ohonich, Jerry Gospodnetich, and Micheal Cirian formed the Big Sky Trapshooting Association in order to rejoin the PITA and be one of the host sites for the PITA Fall Classic at the Libby Rod and Gun Club.

The First BSTA State Shoot

In 2025, BSTA through the first state shoot in more than 87 years at the Libby Rod and Gun Club. The shoot had over 60 shooters from California, Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana, and Canada.

Showcasing

In 2026 Libby Scatterguns was the featured club on the 2024-2025 PITA yearbook.