A Hot Day at the “Range.”

Sunday afternoon I was in Odessa, Florida at the local trap and skeet range. After I finished my skeet rounds and was getting ready to go home, in came some shooting companions that I knew to do theirs. I had brought my camera with me as my sister wanted some photos of where I go to practice my sport. There I was, at the right place, the right time, and with the right people to have some exciting photos to send her.

The shooters I took photos of were no ordinary bunch, but seasoned, competitive shooters that really know how to apply their knowledge and experience to break the clay birds. Three people were on the field. Two that were shooting; one to pull the targets at the shooter’s command. The lady in the bright pink shirt is “M,”  the other shooter with the baseball cap is “G,” and “D” pulled the targets for them. He’s wearing the wide brim hat. It was a very hot day on Sunday and the temperatures got up to 95* Fahrenheit. The sun is exceptionally strong this time of year as we have just passed the Summer Solstice. Light clothing, hats, and sunscreen is de rigour for any outdoor activity. Fortunately, the wind was up a bit to cool us off and blow the targets around a bit.There we all were with the heat index about 105* yet prepared and at the ready to help them break the targets, but in the process, to also beat the heat.

M is in the Florida Hall of Fame for her great record in competition. She now teaches and pursues her enjoyment of the sport and the camaraderie with her squad mate G and her other friends. D was a former competitive shooter that has some eye issues that keeps him out of the game. But he still loves the sport and enjoys pulling the targets for his mates. G and D were more than up to the task at hand, breaking targets consistently. I asked them if I could take their pictures and they gave me their permission. No posing here for the camera, just photos taken very naturally as the “round” of twenty five shots for each shooter progressed. I will add a bit of narrative for the photos, so let’s get started.

Here I am standing behind G as he is in the process of breaking two targets thrown simultaneously. He’s broken the first bird and will be swinging his gun over to break the second target at the top of the photo. He complained about his thumb being sore from riding his motorcycle on Saturday for four hours. It certainly did not effect him this day as you will see.

Here is M beginning to get ready to take her shot from station two. She’s looking at the “low house” on the field and will mount her gun and call for the target.

We have moved over to station three and here you see G positioning his feet for the two targets he will shoot. The position of one’s feet, body and arms are determining factors to give one a smooth “swing” of the gun for follow through after the trigger is pulled. G has a towel attached to his belt to wipe away the sweat and keep his hands dry.

G is at station three taking the low house target as it approaches him from the right going to the left. He has applied the correct amount of “lead,” about four feet, ahead of the target to break it.

We took a short break under the enclosure at the middle station on the field for M to readjust the “comb” height on her butt-stock. It was also a small respite from the sun to cool off and have some water.

Here’s M making the adjustment as we all look on at her. A quick twist with a hex wrench to loosen and re-tighten the adjustment screws. All competitive shooters want a precise gun fit to their cheek so their eye is properly aligned to the gun barrel. A proper fit assures a great amount of targets broken.

M checks the fit of her gun at station four before the round proceeds. The arrow points to the “comb” she has just adjusted. She’s looking down the barrel to check the eye-barrel alignment. The high house is in the background behind her.

After that was finished we were off to the opposite side of the filed which forms a semi-circle between the high and low houses. Here G is at station five breaking the high house target with ease.

We have moved to station six and M is in position to take her shot at the high house target. She has classic shooting form with her weight over her left foot and body slightly forward that will allow her to swing freely at the target.

Here she is starting her swing over to break the low house target from station six after it shoots out of the trap at 50mph.

G’s turn now to break the high house target at station six. I think he’s completely forgotten about his sore thumb.

We are finishing up now at the final station, eight, that lies halfway between the high and low trap houses. The shooter has milliseconds to see, get ahead of the target and break it as it comes directly overhead and at the shooter. G has completely destroyed this target as the shot cloud is well centered on the clay bird.

M’s turn now at the low house target that comes directly out at her from the white framed opening and flies over her head. These stations require a balance of speed, gun placement and aggression. Well done M as she has also centered the shot cloud right on target.

I want to thank these folks for allowing me to share this with you. Skeet shooting is a game of speed, precision, and practiced eye-hand coordination. It constantly challenges the shooter to use their eyes, body, and brain in a smooth and disciplined way that will consistently break the targets. M is 75 years young and G is 80. They display the best qualities of human potential once decided to utilize it. 

No matter what one’s sport is, just go out and do it. I’ve met some really nice people here that enjoy the camaraderie of shooting and are always happy to lend a hand or answer a question. I hope you find the same in your sport and have some fun outdoors in the sunshine.