END of TRAIL, the World Championship of Cowboy Action Shooting & Wild West Jubilee will visit the Classic Western Movies when the 'granddaddy of them all' returns to Founders Ranch, New Mexico for its 27th anniversary, June 13-22, 2008. Based on Classic Western Movies, such as High Noon, Shane, and The Magnificent Seven, the theme of END of TRAIL 2008 will focus on a particular defining scene from each movie. Art work and illustrations from the movies will be used throughout the event publications to help set the tone for the event.

END of TRAIL 2008 will open with an action shooting warm up match on Friday, June 13 for main match registered participants. An overflow match will take place from Saturday, June 14 through Monday, June 16 and will open for registration only after the Main Match, which takes place Thursday, June 19 through Saturday, June 21 fills up with 750 shooters. Overflow shooters are scored for the Main Match and are eligible for the prize pool, all contests and awards. A warm up match will also take place for all registered shooters on Tuesday, June 17 followed by Side Matches for all shooters on Wednesday, June 18. A one time fee of $20 will provide shooters with an 'all you can shoot' side match day. Opening ceremonies for all participants will take place on Wednesday evening. Side Match awards will be presented just prior to the ceremonies. The END of TRAIL Main Match will take place Thursday, June 19 through Saturday, June 21 followed by the Top Gun Shootoff on Sunday.

Also, on Saturday June 14 through Monday June 16, SASS will hold its first ever "Wild Bunch Action Shooting Match."  Using rules very similar to SASS Cowboy Action Shooting, Wild Bunch Action Shooting will employ the use of 1911 pistol rather than single action revolvers, SASS legal pump shotguns, and lever action rifles.  The idea for the equipment and dress used in the sport is based on the 1969 movie “The Wild Bunch” directed by Sam Peckinpah. This match promises to be sure fire success.  The amount of response to our first announcement has been over-whelming.       

For SASS Mounted Shooters the three-stage warm up match is on Tuesday, June 17 followed by a Fun Day Shoot and Buffalo Range Riders new shooters clinic on Wednesday, June 18. The six-stage Main Match competition for Mounted Shooters is Thursday, June 19 through Saturday, June 21 followed by the Top Gun Shootoff on Sunday, June 22.

The Awards ceremony on Sunday, June 22 will be streamlined with two separate ceremonies for the Action and Mounted Shooters. In addition, awards for costume contests and side matches will be given during the week-long event in an effort to shorten the ceremony and allow participants to better utilize their final day of the END of TRAIL.

The competitors participate in twelve individual stages shooting four stages per day Thursday, Friday and Saturday. END of TRAIL is a four gun event. That is, the shootist is required to perform using two six-guns, rifle and shotgun in each of the main match stages.

Sunday starts with a simple Cowboy Church and the competition resumes with the Master Gunfighter Shoot Off, team events, the High Noon Shootout, and other Team Events and Side Matches.

About midday Sunday the shooting concludes, and the awards are presented at Founders Hall.

END of TRAIL will offer up a 6 stage warm up match for competitors wishing to become acclimated to the higher elevations of New Mexico. Open only to registered shooters and Conventioneers with Warm-Up, the match will take place on Tuesday, June 17 beginning at 9:00 a.m.
 
Shooters can expect to fire ten pistol, up to ten rifle and up to six shotgun rounds for each stage and should be prepared to bring enough ammunition for the warm up and main matches.
 
Camping for the warm up match is included with the main END of TRAIL registration. Shooters can register by calling the SASS office, filling out the END of TRAIL Application in the Cowboy Chronicle or sign up online.

MANDATORY SHOOTER SAFETY MEETINGS
Mandatory Shooter Safety Meetings will take place on Thursday for each posse rotation. You are required to attend your designated safety meeting which will take place one half hour to your Thursday shooting start time.

SHOOTING SUPPLIES
You will need two six-guns and at least 250 cartridges, a lever action rifle in pistol caliber and at least 200 cartridges, and shotgun and 150 shells. Other things to consider bringing: Long range rifles and 10 cartridges for each; Derringer and 10 cartridges; rim-fire revolver, rim fire rifle and 10 cartridges for each.

CONVENTIONEERS, VENDORS AND SPONSORS
A shooting bay will set up and ready for Conventioneers, Vendors and Sponsors. Bring as many guns and ammunition as you desire to fire.

RANGE ACCESS
As the spectator and guest crowds at END of TRAIL have grown, we have seen more and more potential for accidents grow with them. The Wild Bunch, and our liability carrier have all shared concern about uncontrolled access to the immediate vicinity of the shooting.

Only registered shooters, match officials, and registered media representatives have access to the range area (that is, inside the fence). This means your family and friends must watch from behind the safety fence.

SHOOTER SCORING INFORMATION
Each evening our staff of ace scorers will be working diligently to keep up with the competitor scores. In process score sheets will be printed and posted Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings. Please check your scores and make sure they are correct.

If your scores appear to be in error, please report the matter to the Regulators Kiosk. The Regulators Kiosk personnel will communicate directly with the scoring staff.

Every effort will be made to correct the error as quickly as possible. Any shooter attempting to communicate directly with the scoring staff, either about the scores, or the time of day, is in dire jeopardy of being disqualified from the match. Leave them alone!

BRASS PICKUP
Our restrictive schedule Thursday through Sunday does not allow time between individual shooters and posses for brass pick-up.

The Wild Bunch is fully aware many of you consider your spent brass to be more precious than silver or gold. However, we hope you will agree in the overall context of the cost of your visit to END of TRAIL, the loss of your brass is relatively immaterial.

You may pick-up brass and shotgun hulls on Wednesday. Your handgun brass is yours throughout the match. However, Thursday through Sunday, brass and hulls that hit the ground stay on the ground. They become the property of the SASS Scholarship Foundation and SASS Museum.

At the awards ceremony on Sunday, the collected brass and hulls will be auctioned with the proceeds going to the Foundation and Museum. Those of you who treasure brass will thus have an opportunity to make a worthwhile charitable contribution while increasing your hoard and assuring yourself of many satisfying hours of separating and polishing.

FUNCTION FIRE RANGE
No special areas have been set aside as function fire areas. Also, END of TRAIL is not the place to come and practice, sight in your firearms or hold private side matches. If you need to function fire your firearms to verify safe, reliable operation, approach any range officer supervising an operating range. When there are no lines of waiting shooters, you will be given permission to send a few rounds down range.

SQUADDING
When registration for END of TRAIL closes, all shooters’ names and numbers are entered into our computerized scoring program.

To the extent possible all requested pairings will be accommodated by placing individuals on adjacent squads. Once these squadding assignments are completed, the program randomly scrambles the remaining shooters’ numbers and groups them be tens. Presto! We’ll have our computer selected teams.

Please notify the END of TRAIL Information Booth of your departure if you withdraw prior to the end of the match.

We squad two posses into each shooting slot at each stage. This amounts to approximately 2 minutes for each shooter, beep-to-beep. It is very important everyone make every possible effort to help keep us on schedule.

IT IS IMPERATIVE you find your scheduled shooting times on the shooting schedule. You must be at the designated individual and team events by your scheduled times. We recommend writing the times on the Match at a Glance table included in the Shooter's Program.

IMPORTANT: Range officers will not allow any posse to shoot out of squadded order. If you miss your assigned shooting time you will be DNF'd on that stage.

Should a stage be operating ahead of schedule, (it can happen!) shooters will not be penalized so long as they report to the range officer by their originally scheduled time. Shooters with special circumstances will be appropriately identified and allowed to shoot through.

SEE EOT SCHEDULE FOR SHOOTING TIMES