MIKE BRAUN Trap's elder statesman leaves his mark on sport

Time is a dispassionate leveler, diminishing our abilities as we age without regard to any parameters.
In the face of that erosion, there are those who still command the same respect and honor as before.
Such is the case with C.D. Jones, known as "Bud."
Bud, 81, is considered by many to be the elder statesman of trapshooting in the Mahoning Valley. Trap, shooting and guns have been foremost in his life for a great many years, Delores, his wife of 52 years, and the couple's son, C.D. Jones III, both said.
An excellent shot
In his day, Bud was an excellent shot on the trap field and had a firm command of the mechanics of the sport. But health problems, including several strokes, have impaired his ability to raise a trap gun and bang away at the orange clays. He last shot trap earlier this year.
He became interested in trapshooting more than 60 years ago while working at Mahoning Valley Gun Club on Webb Road, where he would set up targets. "He picked it up at the club," Delores said. "He made money that way so that he could shoot."
Delores has been shooting with her husband -- a retired millwright at the General Motors Lordstown complex -- for more than 50 years. "He taught me how to shoot before we were married," she said. The two celebrated their 52nd wedding anniversary Oct. 14.
While Bud no longer takes up a shotgun, Delores still shoots in local league events. "She's pretty good," said Buzz Gubany, a local trap and skeet shooter who has known Bud and Delores for many years.
Bud also taught his son the trap game, getting him started at age 6. "He's a better shot than I am," Bud said. In fact, his son has his own list of awards from shooting trap over the years.
Over the years Bud has shot trap at many area clubs and is a life member of the Fish & amp; Game Club of Vienna off state Route 193. He helped to organize many gun clubs in the tri-state area and owned the old Mineral Ridge Gun Club on Niles Carver Road for more than 30 years. "I had to close it," Bud said. "There were too many homes being built too close to it."
His first miss
This past year was the first time in 54 years that Bud missed the Grand American World Trap Shooting Championship held in Vandalia, Ohio.
"It's hard to believe," Bud said of missing his first Grand in a half-century. The annual event attracts thousands of trap shooters from around the world to a site near Dayton, and Bud was one of the oldest and longest-attending shooters there.
"This is a wonderful game," Bud said. "Whenever I went to a shoot, there were hundreds there. They were all real nice people."
Many area trap shooters have benefited from Bud's instructions on the trap field as well as having thoughts of him every time they hoist their guns. For more than 60 years Bud had been crafting custom gun stocks -- more than 500 by his count -- for trap and other sporting weapons. The care and devotion that Bud puts into his stocks are evident anytime you hold a gun with one of his stocks attached.
Bud also developed an adjustable comb for trap guns that, at first, was a way for him to fit a gun to its owner. Later, a client suggested he build the device into the guns themselves. These days, the adjustable comb is a standard feature on all modern trap guns.
Spirit remains
Despite Bud's health problems, his spirit remains. A visit to the Vienna club finds friends and acquaintances gathering around him with love and respect as they recount old times.
"A lot of people love him," said Steve Sakal, a friend, fellow shooter and former "student" of Bud's from the Cleveland area. "When I first came here to shoot, this is the guy who took the time to teach me."
Tony Michalchick of Niles, a Vienna club member and former co-worker of Bud's at General Motors, has one of Bud's gun stocks.
"He made a stock for me," he said. "I still use it. It's my pride and joy."
braun@vindy.com