Click, Click, Boom
by Joshua Brown, OAP Asst Director
“Pull!” you command. Your gun cracks with a loud BOOM, and you feel the recoil tremble through your body radiating from your shoulder. As you eject the spent cartridge and load another, you shout another time, “pull!” Once again the gun cracks and your shoulder takes the brunt of the recoil. You are experiencing the thrill of shooting your first round of trap or skeet. Trap and skeet are challenging shotgun sports, humbling even the best sharp shooter, that utilize flying targets commonly known as a clay pigeons. Outdoor Recreation hosts a trap and skeet range here on base. It is located right next to the FamCamp, just down the street from the Bowling Center.
Trap is a shooting sport where targets are thrown by a machine from one common area. Targets are launched one at a time in one of five random directions. The shooter then attempts to shoot the target before it hits the ground, one shot for each target. A round of trap is shot from five spaces, with five targets from each station totaling 25 targets in a single round. Skeet, on the other hand, is a little more complicated as it involves shooting multiple shots from eight different stations. In trap the targets come from a central location in different directions. In skeet, targets are thrown from two different locations, but always travel the same path while you move to different stations, changing how you attempt to hit the target.
For beginners, trap is simpler and a little easier to hit your first few targets. Skeet, on the other hand, is a little more challenging until you learn and understand each station and leading the targets. Overall, both trap and skeet are very challenging sports that offer great practice and fun for hunters and avid shooters alike.
The Mountain Home Air Force Base range has everything you need to enjoy this shooting sport including rental guns, ammunition, shooting vests, and instruction. Costs are $5.00 for a round of targets (25 targets), $7.50 for a box of ammunition.
