NEBRASKAland Magazine is dedicated to outstanding photography and informative writing with an engaging mix of articles and photos highlighting Nebraska’s outdoor activities, parklands, wildlife, history and people.
Issue link: https://mag.outdoornebraska.gov/i/377644
14 NEBRASKAland • OCTOBER 2014 Sporting Clay Tips By Dylan Tegtmeier, Nebraska Outdoor U! N ow that sporting clays season is in full swing, you may have figured out which targets give you trouble on the course, so I've created this article to help you. And if you're like Tom Knapp, no targets give you trouble on any sporting clays course, but you should keep reading anyway. All too often, we get in our sporting clays groove and assume we are following the fundamentals just as well as we're breathing. Granted, people like me sometimes neglect both of those. One of the biggest score card killers on the clays range is moving your gun too fast. Your eyes will focus on the fastest moving object in your field of view, and many times that may be your gun. So start with your gun ahead of the clay, and slowly let the two merge into where your trigger area is. Ask anyone about their toughest target on the sporting clays range and most of them will probably tell you the curling target, the sliding target or the arching target. These are all generally the same target; they all involve an arcing rainbow path across your field of view and usually you need to shoot the target on or after the peak of the arc. The mistake is leading the target as a dropping target. Most folks underestimate the horizontal travel of this target and miss on the inside of the arc. So lead this target out in front and, if anything, miss on the outside of the arc. But believe me, if you're leading to the outside of the arc, you won't miss. With any true pairs on a clays course, you'll be tempted to be distracted by the busyness of two targets crowding your visual. Rabbit pairs are especially crazy. The key to conquering the rabbit pair station is to focus with all your might on the first target. Set your stance halfway between your break points for the two targets, and have the butt of your gun just barely touching your pectoral muscle. When you call for the pull, nothing else in the world matters except that first rabbit. Move your entire torso to swing with the target as you bring the gun up to your cheek then firmly back to your shoulder. After you've broken the first target, firmly adjust your swing to the same speed and direction of the second target. Visit OutdoorU.org and start your own pathway to exciting and memorable experiences in the outdoors. ■ On an early morning last November, 12-year-old Taylor Beetison readied for her first deer hunt. Together with her brother Tristen and dad, Nick, they hunted her grandfather's land near Humboldt. On their first morning, Tristen harvested a white-tailed buck. His deer would provide venison the whole family could enjoy in the coming year. The next morning, Taylor and her dad set out to try again. Even before they went, Nick shared information with his family about the Hunters Helping the Hungry (HHH) program. Hunters could donate a deer to the program, the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission would pay the processing costs and the venison would be distributed to Nebraskans in need. Taylor and her dad were successful in their hunts. Taylor's first-ever deer was a regal buck that any hunter would be thrilled to take. After checking their deer, they offered it for donation to HHH at Den's Country Meats in Table Rock. Their generosity, and that of other hunters in Nebraska, resulted in more than 19,000 pounds of venison provided to Nebraskans through food pantries and shelters. I'm thrilled that Taylor, and others like her, participated in the program last year. Deer donations nearly doubled from the program's first year in 2012. I hope this year more people will consider making a monetary donation to help cover rising processing costs as the program grows in popularity. ■ Learn more about this unique donation-funded program at OutdoorNebraska.com/HHH. Hunters Helping the Hungry By Teresa Lombard, Hunters Helping the Hungry Program Coordinator PHOTO COURTESY OF DEN'S COUNTRY MEATS