Pull. BANG! Poof! The simple cycle of breaking a flying clay target with a shotgun.
If you were watching the medal count from the recently completed Paris 2024 Olympics, you may have seen the United States claiming four of the 15 medals awarded in shotgun shooting. At the Olympics there were five disciplines of shotgun sports in which to compete: Men’s and Women’s Trap, Men’s and Women’s Skeet, and Mixed Skeet (team of a man and woman). The USA shooters claimed Gold and Silver in Men’s Skeet, Silver in Mixed Skeet, and Bronze in Women’s Skeet.
Or maybe you heard about the 125th annual Amateur Trapshooting Association (ATA) Grand American, which just finished in Sparta, Ill. This event drew over 5,000 trap shooters from all over the USA, and as far away as Brazil and Australia. There were between 2.5 and 3 million targets thrown over this 10-day event.
While these events showcase the highest levels of competition, clay target shooting is not just for elite athletes. It is a safe and inclusive sport that just about anyone can enjoy from the beginning novices, to seasoned hunters and shooters, to elite competitors.
People with physical limitations can participate, too, and the instructor has personally seen participants in wheelchairs, who have had to use crutches to walk, and were missing an arm.
There are many disciplines in which to participate, from casual backyard clay target shooting (always paying attention to range safety) to American Trap, International Trap (also called Bunker Trap, which is what is shot at the Olympics), Skeet, Sporting Clays, Field Sporting, FITASC, and Helice.
Clay target shooting is also the fastest-growing high-school sport in the United States. The Minnesota High School Trap Championship is the largest clay target event in the world, with over 8,000 student athletes competing. The USA High School Clay Target League (one of two governing bodies for high school clay target shooting) boasts over 51,000 student athletes for the 2023-24 season. And in their 16-year history, there has never been a reported injury. Several local schools now have Trap Shooting Teams.
But where or how do you even get started learning about clay target shooting?
There is an opportunity coming up on Saturday, Sept. 7 at Johnson Sauk Trail State Recreation Area with an Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) Introductory Wingshooting Clinic.
Started over 25 years ago, the IDNR Wingshooting Clinics offer a safe and fun environment to learn the basics of clay target shooting. The clinic is instructed by IDNR or National Sporting Clays Association certified instructors.
The day begins with a safety presentation. Then the students are split into groups of three or four per instructor, who you will work with for the rest of the day. Groups are typically divided by experience level, but students may request to be placed with friends or family.
Once students are split into their groups, the instructors will begin working with them on how to hold the firearm, where it should be placed, how their body should be positioned, etiquette on the range, and how the process works. After a break for lunch, each group heads to the range.
On the range, the students will see four different target presentations: incoming, outgoing, crossing left to right, and crossing right to left. The instructor will bring each student to the line and be right by their shoulder through the whole process to help them learn how to move with the firearm, see the target, and break the clay with reasonable reliability, while always maintaining a safe environment.
This event is open to girls and boys ages 10-17, women, and men. Youth need to be at least 4 feet 6 inches tall, and weigh 75 pounds (this is our baseline as the students need to be big enough to hold the shotgun).
Adults should be new or novice shooters (more advanced shooters should consider the IDNR Hunters Wingshooting Clinics). Families are welcome to register together, as clay target shooting is a great family activity. Or get a group of friends together to give it a try.
Registration includes the clay targets, ammunition, use of a shotgun, lunch, and safety gear (if you do not have your own). Everyone on the range will be required to wear hearing and eye protection at all times, even if you are observing.
Students may bring their own shotgun if they choose, but will need to notify JST what gauge they are bringing to ensure ammunition is available (gauges available are 12, 20, and 28) and steel shot will be used.
Registration for the clinic is $10, which does not come close to covering the cost of this event. The remainder of the cost is covered by the clinic sponsors, the Illinois Conservation Foundation and Knox County Chapter of Pheasants Forever.
To register visit: https://dnr.illinois.gov/content/dam/soi/en/web/dnr/recreation/wingshooting/documents/srf-wingreg-2024/johnsonsauktrailsra-iwc-09-07-2024.pdf
If you have questions about the clinic, please contact Adam Jaquet at (309) 854-3180 or adam_mm32@yahoo.com.
This article was submitted by Adam “Petey” Jaquet, an Illinois Department of Natural Resources Certified Wingshooting Instructor for nine years, and the chapter president of Knox County Pheasants Forever. He shot his first clay targets at the age of 9 while completing his Hunter Safety Class.
