Sporting clays a fun and challenging game
SAUKVILLE – Shotgun at the ready, Don Laatsch looked through a clearing in the Ozaukee County woods, his mind focused on the challenge ahead.
When he uttered “pull” I simultaneously pressed a pair of buttons and two clay pigeons sliced through the blue summer sky.
The orange streak low and to the right could have been a ruffed grouse flushing and flying directly away. The high, sailing target to the left could have been a drake mallard eyeing up a decoy spread.
But that part of the story is in the eyes of the beholder.
No matter what they could represent, the task at hand was to break the 4-inch disks before they reached Earth.
Laatsch swung on the low bird first and squeezed the trigger on his 12-gauge over-and-under. He then pivoted left and acquired the high target which had begun its descent. A second muzzle blast echoed through the trees.
Mission accomplished. Two slashes were marked on his score card for broken targets.
“The game is addicting,” said Laatsch, 72, of Greenfield.
The game is sporting clays, a shotgun discipline that has gained popularity in the U.S. over the last few decades.
Last Sunday I joined Laatsch and Jerry Solsrud, 80, of Oconomowoc, Shawn Steliga, 52, and his daughter, Adele, 15, both of Wauwatosa, for a round of sporting clays at Ozaukee County Fish and Game Association in Saukville.
Over 12 stations set across terrain ranging from deep woods to open grassland, we each attempted 50 targets.
The event was organized by and a fundraiser for the Wisconsin Waterfowl Association, a state-based conservation organization.
Some people refer to sporting clays as “golf with a shotgun.” Like golf, sporting clays gets its participants out on the landscape. It also is often conducted in groups, like our five-some (Adele, on a sporting clays course for the first time, opted to observe).
Among shotgun disciplines, sporting clays is widely regarded as closest to field shooting. The sport dates to the early 1900s in England.
Solsrud, a founding member of WWA, said when the organization was getting going in 1983 there was no sporting clays shoot in the state.
His first experience at sporting clays was in 1987 at Mayville, an early adopter of the discipline. It is now offered at more than 30 facilities in Wisconsin.
Laatsch, an avid hunter, is a strong proponent of sporting clays as a means to improve shooting skills.
“I used to be a ‘conservation shooter,’” Laatsch said, referring to the relatively high number of birds that would fly away unscathed during his hunting trips. “Then, in 2000, I started in sporting clays and my shooting improved dramatically.”
Laatsch now shoots sporting clays about four times a week at courses in southeastern Wisconsin, including Waukesha Gun Club in Waukesha, Winchester Gun Club in Franksville and Wern Valley Sportsmen's Club in Waukesha.
Sporting clays courses can be designed to simulate hunting scenarios for a wide range of game, including waterfowl, pheasants, grouse and rabbits. Six sizes of clay targets can be used and presented to shooters in singles, pairs or true pairs in a virtually unlimited variety of distances, speeds and target angles.
Sporting clays has been embraced by American shooters, according to the National Sporting Clays Association, which claims the largest membership of any country.
Part of its appeal seems to be its popularity with both target shooters and hunters.
“I'm a hunter who target shoots to become a better hunter,” said Dale Lythjohan, 58, a member of Ozaukee County Fish and Game Association.
Lythjohan, who has hunted since he was 12, said he enjoys sporting clays for its shooting challenges and its social nature.
While it's possible for trapshooters to shoot solo with the aid of voice-activated throwers, sporting clays is almost always conducted in groups of two to four. This aspect of sporting clays draws another comparison to golf.
“I might go to the driving range alone, but I always play rounds of golf with buddies,” Lythjohan said. “How else are you going to give them grief?”
Our group embraced the challenge and mostly rooted for each other.
Sporting clays can humble even expert shooters. The set-up for the WWA shoot at Ozaukee was moderate in difficulty.
We encountered mostly aerial targets, but one station had a slow, bouncing “rabbit” target paired with a jet-like clay that passed through a narrow opening in the trees.
The change in pace added to the challenge.
We completed the course, spread over a loop of about 0.7 mile in length, in 1 hour and 5 minutes.
The weather was about as hot as our shotgun barrels. Our shooting was generally a little cooler but included plenty of fist-bump worthy moments. Laatsch paced our group by hitting 40 of 50 targets.
We all enjoyed the outing and are planning another. Adele was impressed with what she saw and said she'd like to try it, too.
“If any hunter is looking to improve their shotgunning, they owe it to themselves to get into sporting clays,” Laatsch said. “It's definitely worth it.”
Sporting clays shoots
Competitors will vie for titles at the Wisconsin State Sporting Clays Championship from Aug. 1-4 at Woods and Meadow Sporting Clays in Warrens. The event is organized by the Wisconsin Sporting Clays Association.
The Wisconsin Waterfowl Association will hold its 20th Annual WWA State Shoot on Aug. 17 at Wern Valley Sportsmen’s Club, S36 W29657 Wern Way, Waukesha. The sporting clays event will feature 50 targets set to simulate duck hunting situations. Cost is $25 and includes a WWA annual membership.
Dozens of other Wisconsin facilities, including the 19 member clubs of the Wisconsin Sporting Clays Association, offer sporting clays courses that are open to the public.
Visit wi-sportingclays.com for more information.