Tucson Sporting Clays Shoot

I just returned from Tucson , AZ. trap club. They are hosting a sporting clay shoot. I was astonished to see the crowd that was there. The parking lot was full and so were 99% of the motor home spots. This shoot was much larger than any Spring Grand that they have ever had.
Vendor row was packed with gun vendors and just about anything you would want. Many of the gun manufacturers were there, along with gun vendor and gun smiths. The restaurant was packed and there were about five places to buy food on vendor row.
The wind was ferocious, but I never heard anyone whining about the targets. They were there to shoot and have fun. Many were young adults, but I also seen many older shooters.
This was an eye opener for me, the ATA had better get in the game or they are going to be just a memory. Trap as we know it today is on life support, and if the leaders do not breath some life in the small clubs, registered targets will fade away.
It may take a whole new approach to how the organization operates. Meaning a viable business plan involving input from the membership. Roger C.

 

Roger,

Back when I first began shotgun shooting, my local club in NY was only Skeet and Trap.

I visited a club in the downstate area in 1970's that had a "Special" walking course that, as you walked along threw simulated rabbits, quail, and pheasants along with sound recordings of the targets being presented.

You would come to a spot and stand behind some fake cat tails, and up high would come a pair of clays to simulate ducks in flight, along with the quack, quack sound.

I had a blast shooting that course, and wished back then that some other clubs had something like this.

As HB has said, sporting clays shooting has been around for a long time, just not necessarily called Sporting Clays.

In the 90's my old club was loosing shooters to the Sporting Clays clubs in the area, so we installed a small SC's course out in our woods for the guys.

Today my old club is 99% Sporting Clays, with state of the art equipment, and I am told they have one of the best Sporting Clays and 5 stand courses in NY state.

Trap just doesn't appeal to the kids. And Skeet, although the kids can chat between stations, it still isn't like the Sporting Clays where they don't have to hit perfect scores to feel good, and can chat and have a good time along the way

I have enjoyed shooting Trap and Skeet over the years, but as you said, they are on life support.

Not surprising to me after trying it a few times that the adults and kids have migrated away from Trap and skeet once they get a taste of Sporting Clays.

Off to the club for some trap shootin'

 

The US Open is at Coyote Springs this year. It's one of the largest Sporting shoots of the year and changes location every year. You can go to Winscore, go to "tournament results" and pull up the events and winners.

 

I would say of the last 10 trap shooters I talked to all have mentioned Sporting Clays at sometime during the conversation and extended an invite ... This does not surprise me that they are growing in leaps and bounds while trap shooting is at a stand still ... WPT ... (YAC) ...

 

Great points! PLUS, shooters don't need specialized equipment....their current, favorite field/hunting guns choked open to modified, a shell bag and their field loads, and they're ready to go and shoot with their friends. As they move to various stations talking and socializing, and taking turns, it becomes FUN. What's not to like? If you have trouble walking, rent a cart.... Regards, Ed

 

And a couple of other things....as hunting restrictions, seasons, and opportunities become more limiting, Sporting is open 12 months a year (weather depending). Sure, it is a stretch to imagine the clay target is an acceptable target substitute instead of a live quail, pheasant, or duck....but the challenge of shooting well on most outings is there. Finally, in contrast to trap, shooters may have a little comradery (? spelling ?) instead of NO TALKING, distractions, flying empties from a favorite autoloader...etc. Flame away. Ed

 

I stopped by Ben Avery one day to see who if anyone was around ... The traps had maybe 6 people shooting but the sporting looked like they had a tournament going, turns out it was just a bunch ( big bunch ) of people shooting and waiting to shoot practice ... WPT ... (YAC) ...

 

My comments above NOT intended to imply trap is not fun. Trapshooting is FUN...and challenging! In my senior years, enjoying shooting at clay targets at trap is still a blast. Regards, Ed

 

I shot the AZ State Shoot this year. I have shot it other years at Tucson. This was my first Ben Avery experience. I often ended up parking in back of the main building. Parked there, I was able to see about three of the sporting stations. Weekdays were busy. It was covered up on the weekend.

A few who looked like competitors. I saw some more experienced with no guns providing one on one instruction to younger adults doing the shooting.

The majority of weekend shooters I saw were young adults shooting field grade semi-autos. They shared guns and shells. No shooting bags or belt pouches: just the shell boxes. They missed many targets and with a smile. They all walked the course.

I do not see how competitive trap and skeet will draw new shooters against that. Recreational shooting is going to lean towards the SC discipline except for the practice dedicated trap or skeet guy or gal.

Most places, SC targets are twice the price of skeet and trap. I guess this is due to the higher number of machines and more required real estate. However, it keeps drawing more and more new shooters.

I have no interest in switching to sporting. I am a trapaholic. I think my view of the current clay target state of affairs is just realistic. YMMV

 

We shoot trap at Scarborough F&G in Scarborough, Me. and they have a well run sporting clay course also and the turn out for clays seems to be more than trap on their big shoots. They are open to the public so one of these days I will have to try their clays course.

 

Winscore, States there are 911 entrants, from 6 different countries. The EC may have waited to long. They do not need Sparta, any club with 36 plus traps will be able to handle the Grand in a couple of years. Is this your vision of a fantastic direction, if it is I recommend getting a new GPS unit ASAP. Roger C.

 

Sporting clays is cheaper, no EC, BOD, no ATA or State Fees. and you can shoot reloads, and use cheaper guns if you choose, and so many different target presentations, everyone shoots the same Target Presentations.

GB............................DLS

 

You have to shoot new shells at quite a few of the larger shoots, and it will be posted in the shoot flyer when it's issued. In FITASC you must shoot new shells, and they must be 28 gram or less. And they do check them quite often at larger shoots.

The Ohio State Sporting Clays tournament Preliminary and Main Event were nearly full a month ago, and that shoot isn't till August!

 

Roger, is that shoot you saw the one where they are running the World Shotgun money shoot concurrent with the SC shoot?

 

My trap club has a sporting clays course and much more shooters shoot it than trap. Some of the guys shoot trap and they are quick to point out that sporting clays "is fun" because not many people shoot high scores while trap is a "more serious" sport. I agree with this comment, that's why I have trouble understanding people saying that trap is dying because there is no money in it. It might just be that people are not ready to work their asses off for a "serious sport" and just shoot sporting clays for fun. BTW, sporting clays is more expensive on a per target basis so it's not a question of people cannot afford to shoot trap.

 

Mike, If you compile all of the expenses involved to become one of the viable money shooters in trap, I believe you would find sporting clays, in the long run, is the cheaper of the two games. It is also a very informal game, where having fun is foremost in the shooters minds, not compiling AA point to make a discredited all American team.
It also has rules that are enforced, and no one I talked to was there on the organizations dime. It is a well organized operation, run by people that RESPECT THE MEMBERS. It is only going to get worse in the registered trap game, when all of us senior vet's die off there is no one to replace us. Many have rejected registering, for many reasons, one being how the organization is being run. Members are ignored and told we will give you information on the viability of the ATA on a need to know basis.
One thing the members had better do, is keep their eyes on the $19,000,000.00 THAT ARE INVESTED FOR THE ORGANIZATION. To make sure it is not bled off into any more land or building deals.
H.B. are you with me on this? Roger Coveleskie

 

Roger - I am in full agreement that much better can be done by the ATA EC. I got banned from the banning site for speaking out against the EC. However, I love trap and will always shoot it. I will continue speaking out against the EC on sites like this. That's why it is great to have this site!!

 

Mike, I have been registering targets beginning in 1974. I have registered over 345,000 combined targets.
I have also watched as this sport was morphed into a game that is trying to make every one that picks up a gun a champion. That can not be done. The rules have been tossed into the wind by the very people that were elected to protect the sport. There is not stopping the poor judgement of the people in charge. Roger C.

 

Sporting clays has a governing body which is head quartered In San Antonio Tx . It is called NSCA. They collect fees, and have a BOD & EC. I recently went to a large shoot in Houston, and the 200 bird main event was $260.00, plus cost of New ammo. Options were extra. And realistically you had to have a cart also. Way to rich for my blood