It doesn’t matter if you’re a horrible shooter like I am or a crack shot like the rest of my trap team. Your local trap club is a great place to go shooting.
For one thing, it’s a safe place to shoot. There’s always a range master around, and the bulk of the other shooters will usually let someone know if they’re doing something they shouldn’t be doing. For that reason alone, it’s a great place to go to introduce a youngster to shotgun shooting.
If your trap club is anything like the Cheyenne Trap and Skeet Club, it probably has events specifically for those young shooters, too. The club in Cheyenne hosts about 30 4-H shooters every year, and not only do those kids get pointers on safety, they also get tips on how to improve their shooting.
Our trap club doesn’t stop teaching when kids turn 18, though. They host a few clinics each year for ladies only, where the women learn about gun safety, gun fit, and mounting the shotgun. Once they’ve covered the basics, they shoot 25 or 50 rounds, and Jed Lane, a board member at the Cheyenne trap club, says those ladies usually end up breaking most of those targets.
Most trap clubs also do charity shoots once in a while. Instead of just selling raffle tickets for a prize only one person can win, why not talk to your trap club and see if they’ll let you do a charity shoot? The Cheyenne club does a Multiple Sclerosis shoot each summer, where you get to shoot 25 trap and 25 skeet targets. $50 per shooter pays for your shells and the targets, and about $30 from each entry fee goes to the charity. Lane said the MS shoot raised about $1,200 last year.
So your trap club’s not just a place to go shoot a few rounds now and then. It’s a place to improve your skills, teach rookie shooters, and maybe even raise money for good causes.
