League Rules & Policies

Revisions

Revised Article XI Section J NTTL Rules 8/26/96 Re: Shooting before 2nd rotation

Revised 2/10/97

Revised from By-laws to Regulations 8/97

Added Article XI Section 4-D NTTL Rules 8/13/99 Re: Pre-squadding

Revised Article XI Section 3 NTTL Rules 8/13/99 Re: Schedule rotation

Revised and added Article XI Section 4 Special NTTL Rules 9/13/99

Revised Article V Section 1 Meetings 8/11/00 Re: Time & place

Revised Article XIII Picnic List 8/3/05

Revised Article XI Section 4-A NTTL Rules 6/17/07: Targets Thrown

Revised Article XI Section R NTTL Rules 6/17/07: Posted range rules

Revised Article XIII Section 3 Annual Picnic 6/17/07: Re: Jr/Sub Jr ages

Revised Article XI Section 4-C NTTL Rules 6/6/12 Re: Scoring etiquette

Revised Article XI Section M NTTL Rules 9/18/13 Re: Ties w/ 125’s

Revised Article XI Section N NTTL Rules 9/18/13 Re: Signing squad sheets. *NOT MANDATORY 2014*

Revised Article XI Section P NTTL Rules 4/1/15 Re: Shooting times

Added Article XI Section 4-T NTTL Rules 7/18/18 Re: Officers/Captains

Added Article XI Section 4-U NTTL Rules 7/18/18 Re: Score keepers

Added Article XI Section 4-V NTTL Rules 7/18/18 Re: Straights

Added Article XI Section 4-W NTTL Rules 9/5/18 Re: Resetting targets

Added Article XI Section 4-V NTTL Rules 3/3/21 Re: Practice on league night

Revised Article XI Section 4-O NTTL Rules 3/3/21 Re: Minimum shoots required for award qualification

Added Article XI Section 4-Y NTTL Rules 4/7/21 Re: Category sign-ups and age

Regulations of the Northern Tier Trap League Inc.

The regulations drawn at the direction of Rick Mothersell, League President, 1991, and formulated and presented by the following members;

Roz Mothersell, Chairman
Pat Putman, Co-Chairman
Rick Mothersell, President
Bill Milton, Vice President
Tim Wright, Secretary/Treasurer
Dennis VanTassel
Alan Arndt
Clair Gamble
Enie Oddi

Article I - Organization

The new organization shall be known as Northern Tier Trap League.

Article II - Objectives

The object of the organization shall be to promote the sport of trapshooting, firearm safety, sportsmanship and good fellowship.

Article III - Eligibility

Any organized trap shooting club in the state of New York and Canada shall be eligible for membership in the “NTTL”, after first being approved by a majority of the Team Captains of the organization.

Article IV - Privileges

Any member of the Northern Tier Trap League shall have the privilege of discussing or speaking at any annual or special meeting of the Organization.

Article V - Meetings

The Annual meeting of the organization shall be held in a centrally located place in the month of APRIL. Time and place of the meeting shall be mailed to each Team Captain at least thirty (30) days prior to the meeting date. The fiscal year of the NTTL shall be from January 1 to December 31. (Revised 8/11/2000)
Each Director (or his Alternate) of the Organization shall be entitled to one (1) vote on all matters brought up to a vote. All meetings require a quorum, which is: one more than half of the total teams in the league. They must be represented by their Captains or his alternate. The Officers, while having a vote do not count towards this quorum. No individual at the meeting will be entitled to more than one vote.
Special meetings of the Organization may be called at any time by the President.
At least three (3) days advance notice of such special meetings shall be given by phone to all members clubs.
To insure the member clubs may be contacted, Team Captains names, addresses and phone numbers must be submitted to the league Secretary/Treasurer by January 15 each year.

Article VI - League Officers

The Officers of the Organization shall be a President, Vice President, and Secretary/Treasurer. Officers shall hold office for one (1) year or until their successors are duly elected and have assumed office.
All Officers shall attend at least 75% of the scheduled league meetings. Failure to do so will be grounds for removal from office by action of the board of directors.
Not more than two (2) members of any one club may be Officers at the same time.
Directors shall consist of a Team Captain or an Alternate from each club. They are to be elected or appointed by their club, and shall hold office for the duration of their term. Further, they shall be empowered by their club to vote in any matter concerning the League, and as such shall constitute the only vote (1) for their club in any meeting.
The Officers and the Team Captains, or alternates, shall constitute the Board of Directors.
Nominations for Officers shall be submitted to the League Secretary not later than July 15 of that election year. A listing of all candidates shall be returned to individuals clubs by the League Secretary not later than July 31.
Election will be by simple majority vote by written ballot. All results to be tabulated at the August meeting. New Officers will be presented at the annual picnic and will assume their duties on January 1.

Article VII - Duties of the Officers

The duties of the President shall be to preside at all NTTL meetings, to execute all legal contracts and instruments and to have general charge and supervision over all business meetings of this Organization. He shall be a member ex-officio of all NTTL committees.
The Vice President in his absence, shall discharge the duties of the President. The Vice President shall have the duty of preparing the league schedule for voting on at the April meeting to allow distribution at least two weeks prior to the first league shoot.
If the President and the Vice President cannot attend a meeting then the Secretary shall discharge their duties.
The Secretary shall keep the minutes of all meetings of the Board of Directors and of the Organization in proper books to be provided for that purpose. The Secretary shall issue notice of all meetings and shall preform all duties as may be required by the President or the Board of Directors. A copy of the minutes of the annual meeting will be sent to all members clubs within fifteen (15) days of said meeting.
The Treasurer shall be custodian of all monies, securities, vouchers, and the League computer and accessories of the Organization. He shall preserve the receipts of all monies paid out by the Organization.
The Treasurer is authorized by the Organization to collect all dues and funds owed to the Organization. The Treasurer shall deposit all monies to the credit of the Organization in such bank or banks as the Board of Directors shall designate and shall make no disbursements for other than incidental expenses, such as postage, printing, etc., unless authorized to do so by the vote of the Organization at the Annual Meeting or by the Board of Directors.
A detailed report of all monies received and disbursed by the Treasurer shall be made at all league meetings. An audit of the league records may be ordered by the Board of Directors at any time during the year. The Treasurer shall post a year-end financial statement to be mailed to all member clubs.
The Secretary/Treasurer shall receive a yearly salary in the amount approved by a majority vote of the Board of Directors.
Amount approved as of 9/15/18 will be $1000 per year, starting this year and each consecutive year.

Article VIII - Duties of the Board of Directors

The Board of Directors shall have full charge of all matters not fully covered in the Constitution or the by-laws or not otherwise provided for by the resolutions passed at any League meeting.
The Board of Directors shall have the authority and responsibility to conduct investigations or hearings relative to any complaints against any member or member club(s) which, in the opinion of the Board of Directors is guilty of conduct detrimental to the goals and best interests of the Organization and shall have the power to discipline said delinquent(s) in accordance with its findings. Further, it shall have the right to refuse any individual or club entry for cause.
A vacancy caused by the death, resignation or removal of any League Officer shall be filled by the appointment by the Board of Directors.

Article IX - Amendments of the By-Laws

The by-laws may be amended by a two-thirds (2/3) majority vote of the Board.

Article X - Order of Business

The order of business shall be as follows:

Roll Call
Reading of the minutes
Treasurer’s Report
Reports of the committees
Old Business (unfinished)
New Business
Adjournment

Article XI - Northern Tier Trap League Rules

1. The latest rules of the Amateur Trap Shooting Association shall govern all shoots conducted by the member clubs or the Organization except as noted in #4 below. The host club shall have a copy of the latest ATA rulebook and NTTL Constitution at the site of the shoot.

2. If any team should drop out and is replaced by a new one, the new team will assume the number of the team dropping out. If no new team comes in then this number will be a BYE until a team does come in.

3. Each year the schedule will change by taking the bottom team and moving it to the top and the rest of the team’s drop down one. (Revised 8/13/1999)

4. SPECIAL NTTL RULES

A) All targets thrown on a scheduled league night for score will be new solid orange, or orange dome with black rim, known as NY style and will be provided by the host club. (Revised 6/17/2007)

B) All trap machines must be set to ATA rules.

C) During an NTTL league match it is recommended, but not required, that there be a referee from both teams present at the scorer’s station. The scorer shall call the “lost birds” and do so loudly enough so that shooters and the other referee (if present) can hear the call. The second referee (if present), and any shooter on the line, shall have the right to dispute any such call or non-call on the spot, but, this MUST be done before the shooters have taken up a position on their next station, and another shot is fired, or in the event of the last station, before leaving the shooting field. After the shooters and both referee’s (if present) have had their say, it shall be the duty of the scorer to render a final decision as to whether the target was “Dead” or “Lost”. The scorers’ decision shall be final. (Revised 6/6/2012)

D) 1. No Pre-Squadding (Added 8/13/1999)

All shooters must shoot when their squad is called to the line, even if the squad is not a full squad. One shooter CAN and WILL be considered a squad and MUST shoot when called, or they may elect to resign on a later squad. The only exception is when visibility is altered due to sunset; the called squad may wait a reasonable amount of time, as determined by Team Captains. Under NO circumstances may a squad be jumped and resurrected to shoot at a later time out of numerical sequence. i.e. Squad #2 can never shoot before Squad #1

2. No Squad Jumping - 1st League Rules

The practice of pre-squadding is prohibited. All shooters must be present at the time they are signed up to shoot. IF a squad is called to the line and the shooter is absent, that shooter will be removed from that squad and the squad will shoot immediately.

E) Each club shall provide the trap setter with an orange flag on a three (3) foot dowel rod to be used in case of a trap malfunction.

F) The shooting area will be restricted to shooters, scorekeepers, referees and trap house personnel.

G) Shooters must pay $10.00 in US funds, annual League dues before their score will be entered into the records, it will be the Team Captains responsibility to collect their dues and turn it in to the Treasurer of the NTTL. The price of dues is subject to change yearly at the annual Spring meeting.

H) Shooters will be classified based on last year’s average if they shot a minimum of five (5) shoots. Others will be treated as new shooters and will be classified based on their first five (5) shoots this year or known ability. Team Captains will be responsible to ensure shooters are classified in the proper class.

I) An individual may shoot for only one (1) NTTL team per year. Team choice is determined when the individual signs up for their first league shoot.

J) All shooters must be signed up and competed in one (1) league shoot prior to starting the second rotation of the schedule or their score will not count toward the team score. (Revised 8/26/1996)

K) Each shooter will shoot at 25,16 yard targets for score.

L) Teams will count their five (5) highest scores to arrive at their team score.

M) Winners of League matches will receive two (2) points, the loser zero (0) points and one (1) point will be awarded to each team in case of a tie, with the exception of a tie at 125 in which case each team will get two (2) points. Total score birds shot will break ties at the end of the season (Revised 9/18/2013)

N) Each squad score sheet will have team number, league membership card number and correct first and last name. Score sheets will be signed by a member of the squad before leaving the field (Revised 9/18/13) Not mandatory (2014)

O) Individuals must shoot a minimum of 85% of scheduled shoots to qualify for an award. (Revised 3/3/21, revised from 75% previously)

P) If both Captains agree that all of their shooters have shot, and no more will arrive, the host club can close early. The last squad is to be signed up by 8:30PM. At 9:00PM shooters that are signed up to shoot will be called to the line. No squad may begin shooting after 9:15PM. (Revised 4/1/15) Variations of this rule will be over ruled by local ordinances and shall be posted on the league schedule.

Q) In the event of a broken trap machine, loss of power, or other good reason for postponement, a decision on make ups will be made by the Team Captains on the spot. All affected shooters will be offered the opportunity of making up this shoot within two (2) weeks. Shooters who have completed their shooting shall not be allowed to re shoot.

R) Shooters must obey posted gun safety rules at each club. If a club has posted range rules regarding an open or closed gun on the firing range, all shooters will obey those posted rules. All actions will be open at all times with the exception of O/U and SxS while they are in the gun racks. (Revised 6/17/2007)

S) A closed gun will be allowed on the firing line only and any violation of this policy will result in disciplinary action as specified in Article XII

T) A League Officer cannot serve as a team Captain concurrently. (Added 7/18/18)

U) A score keeper on league night must be a NTTL member or an ATA member. Also required to have knowledge of the NTTL Regulations. (Added 7/18/18)

V) If a shooter is going straight for consecutive weeks, they cannot miss a shoot to maintain their streak. Any missed league shoot will result in starting over. NO exceptions.

Also, a straight streak cannot be carried over from one season to the next.

(Added 7/18/18)

W) Should a trap be throwing targets that, although not necessarily illegal, appreciably vary from trap to trap, any shooter may request that Team Captains or Alternate reset the trap even though prior squads have shot. The final decision as to whether or not a trap is to be reset will be made only be Team Captains or Alternate. (Added 9/5/18)

X) Shooting practice prior to league score on league night: If a club is open earlier in the day on league night a member can shoot practice prior to league starting, but it must be BEFORE 4:00 PM. After 4:00 PM a shooter may NOT shoot practice until AFTER they have shot for league score. (Added 3/3/21)

Y) A shooters category is determined by their age as of the FIRST LEAGUE SHOOT for that year. (Added 4/7/21)

Article XII - Grievance Procedure

Grieved party shall present grievance to their Captain at the time of the grievance.
Team Captain shall attempt to resolve grievance.
Grieved party shall submit grievance in writing with two (2) weeks of the incident to the League President if the Team Captain cannot resolve the matter.
League President, in a timely manner, not to exceed two (2) weeks will bring the grievance to the attention of the Board of Directors.
The Board decides on the validity of the grievance and advises the grieved party as to whether grievance will be heard or not.
Valid grievances will be heard by the Board of Directors with the President presiding. If the President is a party to the grievance, the Vice President will preside. Parties involved will be given the opportunity to present their case(s)
Decision will be rendered.

Article XIII - Annual Picnic

1. Awards Day Sequence

A) Carthage

B) Sackets Harbor

C) Harrisville

D) Adams Center

E) Brownville

F) Sno Fun

G) Beaver River

H) Henderson

I) Glen-Greig

J) Lowville

K) Lyme

L) Gouverneur

2. The Team hosting the annual picnic must have the facilities to accommodate at least 100 people including appropriate sanitation facilities.

3. Trophies of League shooting will be handed out at the annual picnic and to be as follows:

Top Gun Missing no shoots

High Average 1 Place

Ladies Class 2 Places

High Senior Vet 2 Places (70 years plus)

High Vet 2 Places (55-69 years)

AA Class 2 Places

A Class 2 Places

B Class 2 Places

C Class 2 Places

D Class 2 Places

Juniors (15-17 years) and Sub Juniors (12-14 years) places to be determined yearly by the Board. (Revised 6/17/2007)