STANLEY (AP) - There remain a few places on the High Plains where rugged men still settle things the old-fashioned way.

Where it takes but a moment for boisterous talk and finger-pointing to give way to the smell of gunpowder and the bark of a shotgun.

Only determined men gifted with a cool, steely eye and a steady hand will remain standing when the gunfire ceases.

The legendary feud between the Hatfields and McCoys amounts to little more than a quaint disagreement compared to what is happening in North Dakota.

This feud is city against city - Stanley against Minot.

Knowing they would be outnumbered, if not outgunned, gun-toting desperadoes from Minot sallied west on a late afternoon raid into Mountrail County a couple of weeks ago. It was not without apprehension when they rode rapidly into the peaceful hamlet of Stanley, seeking armed revenge for an incident that occurred one year before.

It was then that a squad of sharpshooters from the Rolling Plains Sportsmen's Club outdueled Minot's finest, breaking clay targets and strong hearts in the Magic City before returning to Stanley as conquering heroes, hoisting high the coveted traveling trophy emblematic of complete and total victory.

To remove the trophy from the community where more than a few tankards of ale have been raised in celebration, Minot marksmen would have to best both Stanley's finest shooters and a 35 mph wind that sent 16-yard targets flying like Frisbees in a whirlwind. No amount of skullduggery could replace patience and accuracy.

While the faint of heart quickly fell before the mighty winds, the remaining unwavering shotgunners zeroed in on their elusive targets and dusted them, one after another, in heroic fashion. Representatives of the competing cities were gunning not just for the prestigious trophy, but for respect.

When the smoke had cleared, respect had been mutually earned - save, perhaps, with a single exception.

"We have a traitor amongst us," protested Bernie Wertz, of Blaisdell, a member of the Stanley gang. "And he was one of our main guns."

It seems that the "traitor" earlier had carried the sword for Stanley's gallant gunners. Perfect of aim and demonstrating an uncommon coolness under fire, Greg "Bullseye" Vaage had been heralded by his fellow sportsmen for turning the tide against the invaders from Minot scarcely a year before. A year later, with the ink not quite dry on his "change of address" forms, Vaage shouldered his shotgun for the very group he rode against a year earlier.

"It's always been a blast and it's been pretty even up to now," Vaage said with his back safely positioned to the wall and nervous eyes glancing from side to side. "I've always shot for Stanley, and now I'm shooting for Minot."

Vaage's change of colors certainly added to a rivalry that began in 1990 when Louis Kuster, leader of the Stanley trapshooters, suggested his hired guns display their prowess against the "big city" boys from the East. Minot eagerly took up the challenge, and the two clubs have broken clays on each other's ground in hotly contested engagements for 17 years running.

"It's a good time," Kuster said. "We get together and shoot 50 targets at each club and take the top 10 scores and make a team for each town. The winner gets bragging rights and the traveling plaque on their club wall for a year."

Despite home-field advantages, windy weather and even a top shooter switching sides, neither city has been able to claim clear dominance. Heading into this year's competition, Minot held a slim nine-to-seven edge.

"It's just been going back and forth. It's been pretty even. I guess they are one or two years ahead of us," said Doug Hovda, of Stanley.

Since the competition began, neither club has been able to win more than two years running and neither club wants to show up for a match with tail tucked between the legs.

"It's great," Wertz said. "It's a good thing between the two towns to see who has the best guns going."