The Central Okanagan Shotgun Sports Club shooting facility focuses on sports shooting competitions using a shotgun which includes trap, skeet, and 5 stand shooting. No handguns or rifles can be used on our range.

         All shotgun sports have one thing in common – you blast clay targets out of the sky. Clay Targets are just called “clay pigeons “ that look like little Frisbees about 4 inches in diameter and made of clay. The launching machines, called “traps” fling them into the air at different directions depending on which clay shooting discipline you will be shooting.

Trap Shooting

         Trap shooting is a sport that the shooters stand in a line, side by side and aim at targets moving almost straight away from each shooter. Targets are launched from a partial underground bunker placed 16 yards in front of the shooting line. This is to simulate wild birds flying away from a hunter; targets are thrown at a speed of 42 miles per hour at a consistent vertical angle, but in random directions within a narrow (45 degree) side to side arc. The actual angle of the moving targets also varies depending on the shooters position on the line. Shooters are positioned 9 feet apart in a semicircular pattern.

         There are five stations or posts on the line and each shooter starts and shoots alternating till each shooter has fired at 5 targets each and then rotates to the right and shoots 5 more targets.  In a round of trap each shooter fires at 25 targets each and that is  5 from each post.

Skeet Shooting

         Unlike trap, where targets are moving away from the shooters, skeet includes a variety of target angles. Targets can cross, come straight at you or move away from you. As in trap shooting, there is still a field, but the skeet field has 8 stations instead of 5 and the shooter moves as a group around a large semicircular field from one station to the next. Also in skeet shooting there are 2 different machines that throw targets.  A high house that launches a target from a point high off the ground and a low house that launches targets somewhere around waist level. Some shooting positions in skeet include “doubles” where targets are thrown from the high house and low house simultaneously and the shooter fires at both targets.

Five Stand

A 5 Stand event will consist of shooting 25 target rounds. Participants compete in turn taking five shots at clay targets from five separate stations (stands)

A 5-stand field’s target throwers are strategically placed throughout a large field. Each of the five stations that are aligned in a row are partially enclosed by a cage that limits the angles of shooting at targets. Each athlete can view the targets from all stations from the station they are shooting from.

Safety And Range Etiquette

         When you’re not on a station getting ready to shoot, always keep the receiver of your firearm open so there will be no question to fellow shooters whether it’s loaded or not and keep the muzzle pointed at the ground. Never load your gun until you’re on a station and it’s your turn to shoot.

          Shotgun shooting sports are fun, challenging and enjoyable as long as we all follow the safety and range etiquette rules.