Kid Tracks Column: Learning about trap shooting with kids

Trap shooting, with a focus on safety, can be a fun and exciting sport for older kids. It requires concentration and the ability to follow directions, both skills that tweens and teens can translate to aspects of their lives off the range.

The 14-year-old Almeida daughter takes aim at a just-released clay, far left, with a borrowed 20-gauge shotgun at Scarborough Fish & Game. Although she’s involved with a 4-H shooting sports rifle team, using a shotgun is a very different experience.

My daughters have been part of a 4-H shooting sports club for the past couple of years, shooting .22 rifles at an indoor range. Their club decided to visit Scarborough Fish & Game for an introduction to a different kind of shooting sport.

My kids were initially intimidated not only at trying to hit a moving target, but at the prospect of using a shotgun. The recoil of even the smallest of shotguns is stronger than their .22 rifles.

To help the kids -- and novice shooting adults like myself -- understand the basic principle of hitting a flying orange clay, the girls' 4-H leader offered some advice: "You aim with a rifle, you point with a shotgun."

This tip was of course offered after the rules of the range and basic gun safety -- the most important aspect of any shooting sports program -- were discussed in detail.

The trap field of play has five stations arranged in a semicircle. Clays are released on the shooter's "Pull!" command by a remote button release. We did not play a formal round of trap, which is five shots at each station location, since we were beginners. Instead, each of us found a station we felt comfortable with and did our best to hit the clays flying out of the trap house.

My 12-year-old had a good run in the center position directly behind the trap house and stuck with that location. I preferred a spot slightly off center, as did my older daughter.

My not-quite-100-pound child used a .410 shotgun, which is typically used by kids in her weight range. My 14-year-old opted for the 20-gauge, because she had the physical strength and size to handle it.

The girls did not care for the recoil of either of these shotguns, but both managed to hit their first clay out of the trap house. Each was surprised but clearly pleased, based on their big grins.

When I told one daughter I thought she did a great job, she scoffed, "Mom, that was just a lucky shot. I have no idea how I hit it."

choosing not to use a 12-gauge, the shotgun of choice for trap, the girls' chances of hitting a flying clay was lessened because of the lower gauge (not to be confused with a caliber rating, which I learned is a rifle term).

The "wad" of lead balls in a smaller gauge shell allows less room for error in hitting a clay target. The 12-gauge has a larger number of lead balls packed in a shell, so a shooter has a better chance of catching a piece of the clay.

My 14-year-old decided to give the 12-gauge a whirl for a couple of shots, but with a smile and a shake of her shoulder, put the shotgun back on the stand.

She declared that her favorite part of the day was pressing the button to release the clays on the shooter's command.

Although it was their first time out on a trap range, each of the kids managed to hit a few flying clays and found some success with the sport.

My girls aren't ready to give up their .22 rifles, but both agreed it was fun to try a different type of shooting sport.

As for mom, I discovered that I really liked this sport. Once I got the hang of the basic principle of pointing, rather than aiming, and was given the chance to use a really nice 12-gauge designed for trap shooting competition (thanks Joe!), I hit a few clays. I thought it was a whole lot of fun and my ex-military spouse is happy that his wife is interested in more visits to the range this summer.

Scarborough Fish & Game has a youth trap shooting league open to 10- to 19-year-olds that runs on Saturdays from mid-May through August. Club membership is not required, nor do kids need their own shotgun. There is a small fee to cover part of the ammunition costs each week.

This league's focus is on safety and providing youngsters an opportunity to learn the sport in a safe and enjoyable way.

The youth league will compete in the Maine State Trapshooting Championship in July, which also happens to be at its home range in Scarborough.


WHERE TO SHOOT
INDIVIDUAL and group lessons are ideal for a shooting novice. The following facilities provide equipment as well as instruction:

VARNEY'S CLAY SPORTS, RICHMOND
Two skeet fields and 10 sporting clay stations in the nearby woods. Owner Brad Varney is also tweaking an amplified version of skeet shooting he invented, called Super Clays, but he'll want to tell you about that himself.
HOURS: 4 p.m. to dusk Thursdays; 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. second Sunday of the month; and by appointment
COST: $50/hour private lesson; $75/hour for two people
FMI: 737-4993 or www.varneysclaysports.com

SPORTING CLAYS WALK-ON ADVENTURE, L.L. BEAN, FREEPORT
Open to adults and kids 12 and older, the walk-on includes instruction, equipment and the chance to try the sport in a low-pressure environment. L.L. Bean also offers half-day introductory coed and women's shotgun courses for $110.
HOURS: 9 a.m. to 10:30 a.m., 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. daily until September.
COST: $20
FMI: 888-552-3261 or www.llbean.com/ outdoorsOnline/odp/walkon/odsFreeport.html

YOUTH TRAP LEAGUE AT SCARBOROUGH FISH & GAME, SCARBOROUGH
Equipment is provided for youths 10 and older (adult must be present).
HOURS: Saturday mornings through August
COST: Free; small weekly ammunition fee
FMI: 885-0535 or www.scarfg.org

TRAP SHOOTING ranges with open public hours this summer, no equipment provided:
* ANDROSCOGGIN FISH & GAME, 8 a.m. to noon Sunday and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesday, www.acfga.net
* FALMOUTH ROD & GUN CLUB, Sunday mornings year-round and Wednesday nights during daylight savings, www.frandg.org
* HERMON SKEET CLUB, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Wednesday and 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. www.hermonskeetclub.com
* SCARBOROUGH FISH & GAME, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sunday and 4 to 7 p.m. Thursday, www.scarfg.org
* SOUTH BERWICK ROD & GUN ASSOCIATION, 2 to 4:30 p.m. Thursday and 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, www.sbrga.org

My 14-year-old preferred shooting slightly off-center on the trap field and hit a few targets from that position.

My 12-year-old found success hitting clays from the center position on the trap field, directly behind the trap house.

I got some pointers on trap shooting from Joe Hall at Scarborough Fish and Game. He graciously let me borrow his very nice 12-gauge for the lesson.

G. gets some pointers on shooting a 12-gauge, which was a larger than the 20-gauge she had been using earlier. The barrel was longer, which helps with accuracy, but was more challenging for her to hold steady to point and shoot.

G. was a good sport about trying the larger 12-gauge.


Originally published in the Maine Sunday Telegram June 20, 2010

You can read more about the Almeida kids' shooting sports experiences here...