A group of us decided to try trap shooting today at the Capitol City Gun Club in Carson City, so this morning we piled into a couple of vans and headed south from Reno. Many of us, including me, had no idea what trap shooting is all about, so there was somewhat of a steep learning curve with respect to “clay target sports.” Fortunately (for us and the gun club), we did have some experienced shooters among us, who were enormously helpful in ensuring we shot safely and enjoyed ourselves as well.

We learned about eye and ear protection, loading shells, stations and rotations, the trap house, pigeons, and “dead birds.” I was among the first to shoot and supposedly hit around 3 out of 20+ targets (I couldn’t tell whether I hit the clay disk or not). With this record, I won’t exactly qualify for the Olympics (trap has been an Olympic sport since 1900), but then again, this was my first time ever holding a shotgun. I found it hard to follow the target and hard to know when to pull the trigger. Maybe I’ll get better with practice? Marti said that the gun one uses makes a difference as well.

Thanks most of all to Susan L. Ikehara, club member and NSCA member, whose patience, energy, and hard work made this activity a success.