Page 27 - 2020 May/June Outdoor Oklahoma

“It was not even an option of introducing us, because we
were girls,” Rouse said. DON P. BROWN/ODWC
After meeting the man who would become her hus-
band — a U.S. Marine Corps veteran — she joined him in
becoming a member of Oklahoma City Gun Club (OKCGC).
Rouse’s activity and involvement grew so much, she was
approached in 1999 about starting a women’s program, and
the gun club began hosting an annual Women on Target
event each September. This year will mark the 21st event.
The event draws as many as 600 women from across the
country, many of whom plan their vacation time around the
event and are repeat visitors. During the daylong event, they
have the opportunity to target shoot with rifles and pistols,
as well as shoot moving clay targets with shotguns.
“It empowers them. They feel like they can accomplish
something,” said Rouse, who has been president of OKCGC
for 12 years.

These shooters have a comfortable place to sight in their rifles at Lexington WMA.

WILDLIFEDEPARTMENT.COM

TRAP SHOOTING

The game of trap involves five shooters, standing 16 yards in an arc behind a trap house. The house, which is typi-
cally only partially above ground level, holds what’s called a trap machine, or target thrower. This machine, completely
obscured from the view of the shooters’ view, will oscillate from side to side. When each shooter calls for a target — sig-
nified by shouting the word “pull” — the target will fly out of the house in a random direction. It could be to the shooter’s
left, to the shooter’s right, or anywhere in between. Not knowing the target’s direction is a key challenge of the game.
Other added challenges include standing farther away from the trap house (up to 27 yards), or by using a wobble
machine. This machine will throw targets within the same parameters but will sporadically alter the height of each target.

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