The 22nd Annual Club Trap Shooting Competition Was Held On Saturday, September 9th, 2023 !
Caleb Harris – our 2022 & 2023 Trap-Shoot Champion
A LITTLE BIT OF HISTORY ON THE SPORT
The sport we know today as trapshooting began in England about the time of the American Revolution. Live birds rather than clay discs were the targets of choice. Most “targets” were drawn from the abundant pigeon and sparrow species. The trap was a box with a sliding cover set into the ground below the line of sight. When a line attached to the box was pulled, the cover slid back and the bird was released to fly. Trapshooting came to America in the mid-1800’s and spread rather swiftly through the developing network of shooting and sportsmen’s clubs. At about the same time, targets other than live birds were being used in a response to public displeasure over the use of live birds. Glass balls became the first popular inanimate trap targets, appearing after our Civil War. Use of these balls caused a rapid upsurge in the national popularity of trapshooting, and the sport was truly on its way. As the broken glass left sharp shards of broken glass, experiments with other materials were underway, some targets were cardboard and reusable. Others released clouds of smoke or puffs of feathers when hit. It wasn’t until 1880 that a fellow named George Ligousey developed the forerunner of the clay target we know today. It was named the Blue Rock target, made of clay and pitch. The trap is no longer a covered box, but a remote controlled throwing device out of the line of sight of the shooter. The minimum distance between the throw and the shooter is 16 yds., with 5 shots at each station, and 5 stations for a total of 25 shots per round of trap.
ABOUT OUR CLUB TRAP SHOOTING COMPETITION
We began our Annual Trap Shoot Competition and BBQ Lunch in 2001. It is conducted as a regulation, single throw, twenty-five clays, single elimination tournament. It will be shot in five man relays, with a designated puller, official scorekeeper, and standard firing line commands.
Participants are restricted to non-magnum, 2 3/4 inch shells, with acceptable gauges of 12, 16, 20, 28, or .410 only. Shotguns may be over/under, side-by-side, single break, pump, bolt action, or semiautomatic. Guns used in this competition must be configured for legal upland game bird hunting in California, with magazine plugs, etc. The use of lead or non-lead ammunition is acceptable for this competition.
Single elimination rules apply. All scores are final, once recorded. Any ties affecting advancement will be resolved with a ten clay, elimination round, fired one at each station— winner takes all!
The prize for this tournament will be the winner’s name and the date of the event listed on a large, plaque trophy that will be kept on display in the Clubhouse. The winner’s picture with the trophy will appear in the next published Newsletter and our website — with “bragging rights” allowed!