In fact, if they had ventured as far as the Misty Valley shooting range, that's pretty much what they would have thought.
There they would have found gun-toting cowboys and cowgirls calling each other such names as "Jimmy Ringo" and "Gypsy Rose", shooting the place up and enacting scenes from a 1950s western as part of a Cowboy Action Shooting contest at the range yesterday.
Cowboy Action Shooting is a competitive sport originating in the United States, in which members of pistol clubs meet for regular competitions.
The organiser of yesterday's event, Stewart "Dan Nabbit" Bayne, of Dunedin, said there are regional, island and national competitions in New Zealand, and in six weeks an international competition with Australian shooters will be run in Hokitika.
Cowboy action shooting required that competitors dressed up as cowboys and cowgirls, went by registered aliases, by which they must be referred to during all competitions, and which no-one else was allowed to use, and required that western-themed props be used on the shooting range.
Competitors used four guns: two period pistols, a shotgun, and a rifle, and fired each weapon at each stage of the competition, with stages based on the narrative of a 1950s or 1960s western movie.
Whoever managed to shoot the four weapons in the fastest time over all the stages won the contest.
The weekend's contest for competitors from around Otago was based on the 1953 movie Shane, although a "heavily edited" version, involving "probably a little more shooting" than in the actual film, Mr Bayne said.
"It's just a whole lot of fun. That's why we do it," he said.
PICTURED ABOVE: From left are George "Mild Bill" Evans, of Mosgiel, Rob "Dustin Mudd" Turner, of Wairuna, Kaye "Abby Cass" Paulger, of Wairuna, Duncan "Bald Eagle" MacPherson, of Kaitangata, Stewart "Dan Nabbitt" Bayne, of Dunedin, John "Big Bad John" Holley, of Roxburgh, Nick "Coyote" Bayne and Joanne "Gypsy Rose" Bayne, both of Dunedin, Wayne "Yakima Kid" King, of Alexandra, Mark "Jimmy Ringo" Stevens and Rob "Night Shooter" Andrews, both of Alexandra.
