OK, so it's not P.C., but there's more to hunting than killing animals for food. Being able to shoot a moving bird out of the air is quite an impressive achievement – but it's more palatable if, instead of shooting a live duck out of the air, you're shooting a clay pigeon. Which are the traditional names of the 'targets' clay shooters hunt down. And there's no Royal Society for the Protection of CLAY Pigeons, so there's no shame in trying your aim at the old fashioned sport of clay shooting.
Clay shooting was invented as a way to practice for the real thing. The principle is that a target's thrown or fired into the air and you shoot it. Once the target would have been thrown by your Gamekeeper or other member of your grounds staff, but these days there's a machine, called a trap, that will do it for you. It takes away a little of the randomness of the projectile, but they still have variable settings for altitude, speed and angle, that allow for increased challenge, and of course a machine can throw a lot higher and harder than a man, however able. There's also a trap that throws two targets at once.
The clay shooting experience involves standing in a field about 15 metres from the trap, which fires away from you again, after which you take aim with a shotgun and shoot. Easy, or not actually that easy, as that.
The terminology remains the same as if you were shooting at a live bird. Targets are still referred to as 'birds', a hit is still called a 'hit' or a 'kill' and a miss is called 'bird away'. One of the few illogical elements of clay shooting is that the clay pigeons aren't made of clay. They're made from pitch and limestone – which is stronger on the take off and breaks apart more neatly when hit with a shot.
As with every sport, but even more so with clay shooting because it requires you to use a gun, it's a good idea to get a few pointers from experts the first time you try it. That's not as difficult as you might think because there are actually lots of different
places in the UK where you can shoot clay pigeons. Many of these venues have a special license which means that you can shoot for the day without needing to apply for a gun license – so you should check in advance that you select one of
these venues. Most venues will also supply you with ear protectors or ear plugs if they're using loud ammunition, but it's another thing worth checking in advance.
Most venues charge by the number of clays you want to destroy (bird aways count too, as the clays break on impact with the ground.). It should take you a good couple of hours to get though 30 clays alone, but it's more fun if you've got someone to show off to when you blow those clay pigeons out of the sky. On the day of the shoot you'll be kitted out with all the gear and instruction you need depending on your ability. Part of the experience is feeling like you're the lord of the manor for a bit, so it's worth choosing a location that you'd like to lord over. There's a shooting range in
Woking that's set on 3000 acres of heath, despite being just out of London, which is particularly scenic. They have a clubhouse and bar for afterwards as well, which is a very civilised idea – nice to swap stories after the 'hunt'.
