"Practice makes perfect."
We've all heard the saying and have probably repeated it. And while it may not be entirely accurate, the truth behind it is. If you do something over and over with the goal of getting better, you typically do.
When it comes to hunting with a shotgun, you have to locate your target game species first. But once you do and it comes time to take the shot, it pays to be proficient with your firearm. How can you do that?
There are several shooting sports that can help you improve as a shotgunner in the field. Described here are four common disciplines.
Trap: The game of trap involves five shooters, standing 16 yards in an arc behind a trap house. The house, which is typically 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 — signified 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.
Skeet: The game of skeet has each shooter on numbered stations in a semicircle between structures called the high house and the low house. The target throwing machines are in these houses, and clay targets are thrown through windows from each of the houses. Much as their names suggest, one target is high, and one target is low, and they always travel the same paths and always travel toward each other. The shooters move around the field, producing different shooting angles for each of the targets. At some of the stations, shooters must shoot at a “double,” when targets fly from the high and low houses at the same time and cross over the middle of the skeet field.
Sporting Clays: The game of sporting clays is the closest to actual hunting in the field. It is designed to simulate the hunting of game birds, waterfowl and even rabbits. The course has 10-15 shooting stations and winds throughout the native landscape. Therefore, each sporting clays field is different because there are no limits regarding target angle, distance or speed. Sometimes clay targets of various sizes are used to add another challenge to the game. When the shooter is on the station and ready, he will call “pull,” and targets will be thrown in singles or pairs, and can fly in any direction.
Five-Stand: The game of five-stand can be highly modified, but it typically involves six machines and five shooters standing in a line abreast. Depending on where the game is in rotation, each shooter may face a single target from a predetermined machine, or may face a pair of targets from predetermined machines. Targets may be traveling straight away from the shooter, or crossing from left to right or from right to left.
Go to wheretoshoot.org to find a place to shoot. Managed by the National Shooting Sports Foundation - the trade association for the firearms industry - this website is the most comprehensive online directory of shooting ranges.
- This material first appeared in the May/June 2020 issue of "Outdoor Oklahoma" magazine as part of an article by Jason Smith, an information & education specialist for the Wildlife Department. Get a subscription to Outdoor Oklahoma is just $10.