Glossop is gunning for birds of clay

One month into the pheasant season seems as good time as any to look at one of Britain’s most popular sports – clay pigeon shooting, which provides a welcome and bloodless alternative for animal lovers and shooting enthusiasts alike.

In the early part of the century, any kind of shooting was considered the preserve of landed gentry and their gamekeepers who were accustomed to taking potshots at the real thing. Although live pigeon competitions
were banned in 1921, much of the terminology such as ‘hit’, ‘kill’ and ‘trap’ has survived to this day and are in common use during clay pigeon shoots.

All you need to take up this exhilarating sport is a keen eye, sensible clothing, weatherproofs and a stout pair of boots! Most shooting grounds will provide guns, cartridges and all the necessary safety equipment for a reasonable cost, making it an affordable pursuit, even for people on tight budgets. You don’t have to have a gun permit either; this is covered by the shooting range’s own permit under Section 11:6 which allows people without a licence to use guns on their premises.

According to Christian Roe Evans, who runs the Boar Shooting Ground in Crowden, clay pigeon shooting has really taken off over the past ten years with people of all ages taking it up, including Christian’s son who began shooting at 3 years old!

Says Christian, “The sport hit a low point during the 1990’s due to Dunblane and the Hungerford disasters after which many owners handed in their guns to the police. Since then, attitudes have changed – people now realise it’s not the gun but the person who uses it that causes the problems – and now we’re seeing a real surge in interest. In fact, some view clay pigeon shooting as the new golf!”

The Boar Shooting Ground offers a variety of disciplines, including English Sporting, Compak Sporting, Down the Line (DTL) and Skeet.

English Sporting is the most popular discipline where anything goes. Targets are thrown at various speeds, heights, angles and distances and from more than one trajectory to simulate live shooting.

Although the term Skeet is a Scandinavian word, the discipline comes from the US and you really need to be quick on the draw to keep up. Targets are thrown from 2 trap houses 40 metres apart at opposite sides of a semicircle where 7 shooting positions are set.

For live shooting, a typical event would be spread over 200 acres or more with anything from 12 to 36 stations and 2 or 3 different targets at each. Compak Sporting is a miniature version needing far less space and just 6 shooters on marked 1 metre squares spaced in a straight line between 3-5 metres apart.

Down The Line (DTL) involves targets thrown over distances of 45 to 50 metres at a fixed height of just under 3 metres and 22 degrees either side. Participants each have a single target and must achieve all 5 hits before moving onto the next place to the right and so on until the round of 25 clay birds has been completed.

Fees range from £11 for 25 clays and 25 cartridges, the average participant spending between £20 and £40 per session – normally around 2 hours.

Other clay pigeon shoots nearby include The Grouse on Chunal Lane (which has the added benefit of excellent pub grub!), the Little Mill Inn in Rowarth and Windy Harbour Corporate Clays at Windy Harbour Farm Hotel, which specialises in corporate shooting parties and events.

Clay pigeon shooting appeals to all kinds of individuals – from beginners to England competitors – and the Boar also
caters for corporate team-building and groups celebratingspecial occasions such as hen or stag parties. There is no
membership at the Boar, mainly to avoid cliques so anyone can feel at ease when arriving for the first time.