EVERYTHING YOU EVER WANTED TO KNOW ABOUT SPORTING CLAYS
BUT WERE AFRAID TO ASK

 (And if you need to know more don’t be afraid just Email us and ASK!)

Sporting Clays is a challenging clay target game designed to simulate hunting with all the variety of sports shooting.   On our Sporting Clays course, shooters are presented with a wide variety of targets that duplicate the flight path of game birds, such as flushing, crossing, incoming and other angling shots. 

A little history of the sport may be in order here.   Sporting Clays had its origins in the United Kingdom more than 60 years ago where it was first developed as a teaching and practice layout for developing wing shooting skills. Introduced to the United States in the early 1980s, Sporting Clays is the fastest growing of all the shotgun sports. More than several hundred courses have been established throughout the country and there are many more informal courses at smaller gun clubs and shooting preserves. 

Our course is laid out in the natural surroundings of forest, field, and hillside.   We use 15 or more shooting "stations" with shooters moving from one station to the next to complete the course.    Each station presents shooters with a different type of shot.  At one station, for example, shooters might face flushing "birds" that zip in and out of the trees.    At the next station, incoming targets may float in toward the shooter.   Some stations will have a teal that flushes straight up into the air or, for even more diversity, a “rabbit” may come bouncing along at the same time a “bird” flushes from the trees.   The course makes use of natural features such as woods and hill sides to create a realistic setting for each type of shot. 

We have two trap machines at most stations which allows us to throw a wide range of targets.   At any station you may be presented with targets thrown as singles, doubles, following pairs (one target right after the other), or report pairs (the second target launched at the sound of the gun being fired at the first).

To further challenge shooters, target size and shape can vary from the standard trap/skeet clay bird to the smaller "midi" and "mini" targets, or a flat disc shaped "battue" target. There are even special "rabbit" targets that are thrown on edge and roll or bounce across the ground.   All of these options can create endless panoramas and combinations.   You will have a trapper that will throw “show” birds at each station so you will know what to expect.  

A round of sporting clays will be 50 or 100 targets with 6 to 8 birds thrown at each station.   Shooters rotate turns from station to station accompanied by a trapper.   When in the station, shooters call for each target(s) which may be released with up to a 3-second delay.   Typically a round of 100 birds can be shot in 30 to 45 minutes per man on the squad.  We recommend 3 to 5 on a squad but that is entirely up to the individual shooters.

It is also up to the shooter and his experience as to the difficulty of the course, as we can make it somewhat less demanding for the new shooters. 

Since our course will regularly change 80% every month with target angles and speed at individual stations always different, it is difficult for shooters to "groove in" as they might in trap or skeet. As a result, Sporting Clays scores are generally not as high as the scores in traditional clay target games.   With all the variables considered, 50% is a reasonable goal for a shooter getting started in Sporting Clays. 

Most clay shooters do it just for fun or to get in some excellent practice for hunting seasons.   Some do it for the camaraderie and competition of league shooting.   Others enjoy getting out in the woods to do more shooting in 2 hours than in 2 years of hunting. 

 Then there are the folks who enjoy being a part of an organization in which they can compete with shooters of similar skill levels.   Those shooters will be members of the NSCA. (National Sporting Clays Association)    Any Shooter that would want to join this organization can do so at the range on the day of a registered shoot.   New shooters can attain a classification after shooting 300 (classification) targets.   You can attend shoots all over the country that are registered and sanctioned by the NSCA.   There is also an OHIO State championship shoot each fall and the NSCA champion shoot every September in San Antonio TX.   At Island Creek we have a NSCA sanctioned shoot that is usually on the second Sunday of the every month.    You can join the fun of a registered shoot by shooting in the Hunter class( you do not have to be a member for this)   You can also just come out and shoot as usual because we are open to all shooters on these Sundays.            

Now for the equipment needed to shoot sporting clays at Island Creek.   Sporting Clays is essentially a field game which duplicates hunting so any shotgun that you are familiar with will be suitable for this shooting sport. The most popular guns for this game, especially on the competition side, are 12 gauge autoloaders and over/unders. Hunters who prefer the smaller gauges may certainly use their smaller gauge guns on the Sporting Clays course.   Sporting Clay courses occasionally sponsor small bore (20ga, 28ga, and 410) shoots.   Skeet, improved cylinder and modified, are the chokes most often used in this game.   It's not uncommon for the avid Sporting Clays shooter to use interchangeable choke tubes to accommodate different stations during a round.   Ear and eye protection must be worn at all times.

We need to also talk about the ammunition used for sporting clays.   Trap and skeet shot shells (shot sizes #9, #8, and #7-1/2) are the appropriate loads for Sporting Clays. Rules prohibit the use of shot sizes larger than #7-1/2, more than 1-1/8 ounces of shot or a powder charge in excess of 3-1/4 dram equivalent.

We look forward to meeting and helping new shooters get started.   Formal Shooting instruction is available by appointment.  Informal pointers and advice given abundantly to anyone who will listen.