A shooting sport most everyone can enjoy is growing across the nation.
Sporting clays is an event where you use a shotgun to shoot clay targets that are tossed into the air or across the ground. There are numerous shooting stations to test your skills. It’s sort of like golf but with a shotgun as you have a course to travel to different stations.
Michael Hampton Jr., executive director of the National Sporting Clays Association, said new facilities are opening across the country as more shooters are looking for places to go. “The sport is still facility handicapped,” he said about the need for more courses.
There are about 600 courses across the United States affiliated with the National Sporting Clays Association, and there are 20 members in the Pennsylvania Sporting Clays Association.
More:The bear facts about summer bruins
Charities have been discovering sporting clays are an alternative to golf outings. Hampton said there is plenty of camaraderie on the course and said it’s a great way to recreationally shoot “while raising money for a good cause.”
Keep in mind the sport is one that’s always open as you can practice sporting clays throughout the year. For those who enjoy bird hunting, he said, sporting clays can improve your shooting at flying targets such as grouse and pheasant. “You won’t miss or wound as many birds, which is better all the way around,” he said.
The biggest misconception Hampton noted about the sport is people thinking they need to be a good shooter to enter an event. “The sport is built for people of all abilities and ages. You don’t have to be a great shot,” he said.
Understanding snakes:Snakes help control rodent populations — here’s how to coexist with them
He said it’s an ideal family activity. “There are lots of husbands and wives and retired couples.”
Michael Mohr is the senior director of sporting clays at Seven Springs Mountain Resort in Somerset County and is a Level III shooting instructor who enjoys introducing people to the sport.
Stay safe:Ticks in Pennsylvania: What you need to know
In 2007, he started designing a shooting course over the hillside of the ski resort and it opened to the public in 2009. The paved path through the woods connects 45 shooting stations that participants can enjoy 12 months out of the year. “We’re pushing 200 corporate events,” he said about the gatherings and fundraisers that are held each year. That requires about 2 million clay pigeons (round targets) for course.
He said it’s a great activity for outings and fundraisers as people with zero experience can quickly adapt and be shooting alongside seasoned sportsmen. There is a station where people who want to learn can go to and prep for the event. “That way they feel more comfortable during the main event,” Mohr said.
More:Leg banding work underway for Canada geese in Pennsylvania
Fundraisers can be held for three hours, and others events have morning and afternoon flights of shooters that can last all day. At all-day events, people can have lunch before or after their scheduled time.
He said it’s always a good way for families and friends to spend time together in the outdoors.
Shooting advice
When asked about common mistakes shooters make, Mohr said it comes down to people growing up shooting BB guns and rifles at stationary targets.
He said with those types of guns you are fixed on a target that doesn’t move. With clay pigeons, you need to focus on where the target is flying. “People shoot behind them,” he said about not leading the bird.
He also said it helps to extend your index along the forearm of the gun to help you see where your gun is pointing, which allows you to better follow the speeding clay target.
Gear
If you are thinking about trying the sport, there are all types of shotguns that can be used. Mohr said over-and-under style and semi-automatics are the most popular. You can use all gauges, but 12-gauge is the most common shell on the course.
When you realize you can be shooting 50 or 100 shells, it’s important to have a gun that fits your build. Mohr said the length of pull, which is the length between the butt stock and trigger, is important to get a good fit on your shoulder. If the gun is too long, it can lead to bruising because you’re not able to properly hold the gun.
For those with the right fit, it’s not a problem to shoot 250 or more shells a day.
Your next adventure:Thinking about riding whitewater at Ohiopyle? Here’s what you need to know
As far as costs go, he said it’s about whatever fits your budget. Some people use their turkey or pheasant hunting shotguns, which cost less than $1,000, and the extreme shooters have custom-made engraved guns that are more than $25,000.
Mohr’s passion is helping others enjoy the sport and the outdoors as well. He’s worked for years helping other people learn to shoot and has become a Level III instructor, which is the highest ranking.
He has helped a collegiate level team shoot, and they earned first place in the Scholastic Clay Target Program. Team member Bella LaRosa of Acme is a target trapper on the course and has been shooting there about five years.
“Anyone can do it,” she said about the sport that involves teens to senior citizens and some people with wheelchairs. “You’re not limited.”
Brian Whipkey is the Pennsylvania Outdoor columnist for Gannett. Contact him at bwhipkey@gannett.com and sign up for our weekly Outdoors Newsletter email on your website’s homepage under your login name.
