Alaska State Troopers win ‘The Shoot’ trophy in annual international competition with Mounties

By
Suzanne Downing
-
20
Alaska State Troopers participate in "The Shoot" competition with RCMP from the Yukon Territory

Alaska State Troopers defended the prized trophy, winning the 60th annual Troopers vs. Royal Canadian Mounted Police shooting competition and retaining the trophy in Alaska.

The event is known as “The Shoot” and was held this year in Fairbanks with Alaska State Troopers competing in target competition with RCMP from across the Yukon Territory in Canada.

The annual event is focused on camaraderie between the Troopers and Mounties. Its history goes back to 1959 when, right after Alaska became a state, Joe Vachon, then-commanding officer of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, came up with the competition as a way for Mounties and Troopers to get to know each other better on a personal basis as well as strengthen their working partnership.

It remains the longest standing international shooting competition in the world.

20 COMMENTS

  1. My favorite story from the earlier days of Alaska State Troppers (AST) vs Mounty competition:
    It’s a long drive to Whitehorse. AST drove and were received with great aplomb by the Mounties in Whitehorse. The Mounties put on a superb dinner with numerous rounds of adult beverages that went long into the night. (This was long ago, the officers I know today are a different breed.)
    The next day’s shoot started early, and with headaches and hangovers AST drove to the range, only to discovered the Mounty’s shooting team was an entirely different group of individuals.
    The prior night they had been met by the drinking team! Ha!
    I don’t recall which team won.

  2. Congratulations now can you start arresting oath breakers do something helpful for we the people, take a bite out of real crime arrest these evil fake oath breakers. Dose GOD have to do everything can we get some policing of oath breakers?????

  4. Longest standing.. Not counting the Olympic shooting sports… The ones not shown on the networks

  8. I may be trying to glean too much info from one photo but it’s interesting that the AK team is using red dot sights. It’s notable that the team is using one hand in the photo. Hollywood has pretty much converted most action shooting types of events and practice to using two hands. I have no idea if the photo shows people using their strong hand or if the photo happens to show a weak hand part of the event.

    Someone else will have to ID the firearm. I am not a fan of DAO, striker-fired guns. I would not choose a 9 mm if I had a choice. I am part of the minority that very much likes a grip safety even as I acknowledge that Mr. Browning didn’t even like them.

      • Exactly. Weak hand and strong hand for single hand… inferring the two hand (Weaver, Isosceles, or blade on) can’t be used. My only issue is that one’s grip improves with a slight twist of the forearm (a few degrees, not gangsta) Remember, in (oh!) Canada the cops have handguns which are looked down upon for civilian ownership. These are the guys that dragged pastors to jail for Covid and truckers in Ottawa. Several “plastic” handguns have extra safeties. Modern bullet design has made major strides and the 9 mm is coming back after years of 40 S&W. Still, the 45 ACP is the gold standard.

        • One, don’t confuse RCMP with Provincials or city cops.

          Two, even with their being the same organization, these guys up in the Yukon are a breed apart from what you see in the rest of Canada.

          Three, different cultures, different lands. If Canadians tolerate it or don’t, it’s not our place to say.

    • Neither AST or RCMP officers own the firearms they carry on duty.

      Also, their background check includes everything on a form 4473 and then some.

      So…troubles with those pesky Federal forms again?

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