A Winter Day Sporting Clays Experience

    I have a friend that says riding in a boat across a lake in the summer "just doesn't get any better than this!"  I would like to amend this statement to include shooting sporting clays in the winter.  This past Saturday we shot two rounds at a local sporting clays site and had a great time.  The sun was bright, 4-5 inches of snow was on the ground, and the temperature hovered around twenty-five degrees.  Sure it was not really that cold, but the air was clean, the targets were easier to see, and we weren't sitting around the house bored to tears.  There is nothing like the crisp bang of a good shotgun, the smell of burned gunpowder,  the crunch of snow under your feet, and the companionship of good friends to warm your heart as well as soothe your mind.  Every station was a photograph ready to be taken and remembered for another day.  We as Americans have the unique opportunity to enjoy a sport other countries only dream about.

   Why, you say, would anyone in his right mind want to be outside when the weather is so bad?  I say because we can.  Before I retired, I spent many days at my job looking out the window planning to do things I couldn't while being employed; my bucket list I guess.  Now, I am emptying that bucket with a vengeance.  I have reached an age where I had better enjoy life while I'm capable.

    So, what can a shooter do to prepare for a winter sporting clays event?

• Wear layers of additional clothing, more than you should need. It is much easier to remove some clothing than it is to walk back to your vehicle for more or be uncomfortable the whole round.  A face covering hat/scarf is essential on the particularly cold windy days.
• Wear water-proof, warm footwear and always bring an extra pair of socks and gloves.
• Include disposable hand warmers in your shooting bag along with some coffee or hot chocolate.
• Many shooters say to shoot size 7 1/2 sized shot to more effectively break those cold, heavy birds.
• Make sure your powder is not too cold sensitive to cause annoying "bloops".
• Shoot in groups of 4-5 so you won't have to stand around so long waiting your turn to shoot.
• Bring out a gun you don't shoot that often and experiment, have fun.
• Choose a site that has a warm, refreshment equipped club house to rest between rounds.
• Find a friend that has a golf cart with a windshield to carry all the extra equipment.  Ha!

    Obviously, you will probably not shoot as well as usual because you may have to shoot with gloves on and the additional padding on your shoulder makes it difficult to mount the gun properly and feel comfortable.  However, you are getting out, enjoying God's creation, getting some exercise, (minus the golf cart), and satisfying that innate need to destroy something completely without being judged for doing so.  I have noticed that I shoot a lot better when the warm weather rolls around than I did the previous summer.  We all seek to improve our scores (although some aren't willing to admit it) and the more we shoot the better we will achieve this goal.

    Do you have any ideas of additional preparation items I have omitted in the list above?  Give winter shooting a try if you are the adventuresome type and you can join the list of us who are probably just crazy!

"Laughter is the sun that drives winter from the human face."    Victor Hugo