Skeet Shooting

Geometry with a funny English accent isn’t what comes to mind when most people think about a fun day at the shooting range. Skeet shooting, as I had thought of it, was a daunting enigma, with its odd rules and often uppidy culture. Little did I know, was the addiction, which came with the sport.
It seemed straight forward enough as I browsed the internet looking for rules, tips and some basic etiquette so I wasn’t kicked off the range.

I arrived at the small shooting club near Walker Minnesota, and was greeted by a couple of the good ole’ boys chewing the fat at the small clubhouse. I announced my desire to learn to shoot skeet, as he gave me a nod of approval. He wasn’t clad in a tweed jacket, a waistcoat, shooting socks or hunter wellington boots as he proceeded to smash clays around the skeet field. “Hey!” I thought, this doesn’t look so hard!

8 shooting stations. A high house on the left and low house on the right, each housing a trap thrower, shooting out targets from their windows at a 17 degree angle from the centerline. Seven stations ring around in a half moon fashion with an 8th station located smack dab in the middle of the two houses. 25 shots and there you have it, I could handle the challenge!

The first station I sat back towards the high house and beckoned for the first target, it darted out and I pulverized it! Ooo yeah, this is going to be a breeze as I relied on thousands of rounds focused on fowl for my confidence.

I called for the low house bird, again clay dust wafted in the air. Now for the third part of the station, both the low and high house throwers erupted simultaneously, as I tracked the high house clay, got it! I quickly swung back to chase the second part of the challenge. Wow was all I could think, as the bird whizzed by me, the gun harmlessly in pursuit.

“Alright, this may be a little trickier than I thought.” By the time the last shell slid into the chamber I was a humbled man, the remainder of the course giving me a lesson in humility. I stood in between the high and low house, jerking my gun towards a clay traveling 46 miles an hour overhead. I sheepishly glanced over to my sensei, and for a second I swear he was grinning back at me with his tweed coat coolly hanging off one shoulder.

I don’t know if it is a clay ripping out of the house only 20 yards away at 45mph, or is it simply a reminder of a real teal, either way it floats my boat. It is a mind game, composed of physics, angles and timing; at least that’s what they tell me.

I was hooked, as I burned a lot of gunpowder in the following months in attempt to disintegrate all 25 targets. From what started as a good way to pass the summer months between wingshooting seasons, had turned into a whole new time consuming monster.

Now did I ever drill a perfect 25. The answer is yes, once! I fought tooth and nail to get from consistently shooting 18-19 to 23-25 targets. The improvement in my technical skills brought me to 23 targets but it’s my mental game which allowed me to reach the 25 mark. Don’t be intimidated, and watch out, because it’s a game that is rather addicting!

Ben Brettingen smashes a high house clay on station 4

I learned a few things in the time I spent toeing the concrete squares on the 8 stations that would be invaluable to my improvement on the range.

1. Mind over Matter

The first and foremost step I had to overcome was beating my mind. I knew I could make every single shot on that course 9 times out of 10, but to string them all together for 25 perfect shots was the hard part. A lot of the rounds I would race all the way around to station 5, which for me was always a mental challenge. Often times the idea that if I made this shot, I was home free for the rest of the round. Either, I would get bent out of shape because I knew I had some difficulty with the shot in the past or I would fast forward to finishing the round and space out on the shot at hand.
Confidence and Patience! Know that you can make the shot and have the patience to focus on it!

2. Learn the Game

It sounds very simple but learn the order of birds coming out of each house. For the first 10 rounds, I had to consciously remember what stations I had to take 4 shots, which I had to take 2 and what birds I had to shoot first. It was a huge confidence booster, not having to think about the order and just being able to shoot. It’s something easy to learn so you are ready for the course.
Here is the order of birds on each station:

Stations 1 & 2 – High House single – Low House Single – Double – High House Shot First – 4 shots total taken at each station

Station 3 – 5 High House single, Low house single – 2 shots taken at each station

Station 6 -7 – High house single – Low House single – Double – Low house shot first – 4 Shots at each station

Station 8 – High house single – Low House single

Optional Shot – If you haven’t missed any of the preceding 24 shots, first, you should look at buying a plane ticket to Rio de Janeiro in 2016, then take a final shot at any station you choose.

3. Station 8 doesn’t bite…Hard

Station 8 is the most daunting shot on the skeet course. You are merely 18 feet away from the target when you need to break it. First take a deep breath, and then focus! Even a few feet can make the difference, so be sure to stand in the right rear corner of the cement shooting pad for the high house and the left rear corner for the low house.

Point your gun about 3 feet outside the window along the flight path of the bird, and keep your eyes at the window. When the bird exits the window quickly follow the bird, when it’s covered shoot! Remember to follow through! This shot is 100% timing and when you get it down it becomes very easy.
Another way to start at this daunting station is to shoot the high house half way between station 8 and the low house and slowly start working towards station 8 as you feel more comfortable. Same applies for the low house.

4. Basic Etiquette and Safety

Here are a couple reminders to keep from people gawking at you with open jaws and diving for the nearest concrete wall! It sounds mundane but safety first!

Never load your gun until you’re at the station and it’s your turn to shoot.
Carry your gun with the chamber or breech open until you are on stand
Wear safety glasses as you often will be rained on by broken clay!
Speak up!! When calling for the bird, be loud enough for the puller to hear you. Often to avoid confusion, shooters will call pull for the high house and mark for the low house.