Sporting Clays at Beaver Pond with my Dad

HMP

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Ive had this pulled up for two weeks, just didnt take the time to sit down and type it out.

Short version - sporting clays for the first time at Beaver Pond in Snow Camp NC

Long version:
My dad was invited by the bank he deals with to do a sporting clays day with other valued customers.
It's not a huge bank, but growing, and (pretty cool, in my opinion) has several avid shooters that run it.

Anyway, his bank invited him, he asked if he could bring his son, they said "of course!"

So about two and a half weeks ago, just after I returned from Toronto, we spent a Tuesday at Beaver Pond.

They took care of us.
They rented the whole place out for two days (some clients on Tuesday, some were coming Wednesday)
Arrived and they had some doughnuts from a small bakery ready for us, coffee, granola bars etc. Water, sodas, gatorade too
They provided lunch, which was made on site - bbq pulled chicked, fried chicken, baked beans, potato salad. And they had two cobblers, blackberry and something else (I didnt have either, so I cant say what the other was)

Some folks there had never shot before - they rented shotguns for those folks - pretty cool!

Anyway, all shells were included, as were all clays.

At the end of the day I'd say we shot around 300 shells.

OH! They had TWO world champion shooters there to train/coach us. John Woorley (?) and another guy who I cant recall right now.

Anyway to the shooting/fun part:
We started with the two coaches checking our eye dominance. Im right handed, but left eye dominate. They asked if we (folks like me) would be willing to try left handed shooting - Im more than happy to learn and be taught.

About 125-150 rounds before lunch - I hit less than ten. It was pathetic.
After lunch I asked if i could try a few on my right - I started busting them. Out of the second half of the day (again, about 150 rounds, which I'll come back to later) I missed less than half a dozen.
I used the things they taught and implemented them on my natural side and it worked.

The first half of the day we did 'rabbits' and I hit NONE.
So at the end of the day I asked if I could get ONE shot at one, let me try on my right and try to hit one.
ENded up getting coaching from both guys privately and did about 8 rabbits on my right, but couldnt hit on my left.

Day ended with a free cooler and bank-branded yeti-style cup for all guests.
And a selfie with my dad, which we never do.

It was an awesome day shooting, an experience that was new to me and my father (done skeet, done trap - he's quail hunted etc too).

Top notch staff at Beaver Pond
The bank took care of us really well
Me and my father had an outstanding day!
 
Spending time with your dad and sporting clays. What a great day!
 
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Glad you had a great time there! It's a very cool venue and they have a great setup and nice staff.

A group of us used to shoot there several years ago fairly regularly, but they never changed the target presentations and the throwers were quite old. They either broke a LOT of targets or did not work well.

We haven't been there in 2-3 years. Did the perhaps upgrade the throwers? Maybe I'll have to give them a call this Fall.
 
One was very old and broke a lot of clays, yes.
Some were very slow to reset
But some were AWESOME and quick to reset etc
 
One was very old and broke a lot of clays, yes.
Some were very slow to reset
But some were AWESOME and quick to reset etc

Sounds like they replaced some of the old throwers that finally died with new ones, but not all. Thanks!
 
I mentioned above that the first half of the day I hit almost nothing. It was bad.
I just cant shoot off my left shoulder. Sorry, but when TWO world champions spend hours with you and it doesnt click...it's not happening.

Well, my dad had introduced me to some of the bank guys and he'd stated how I was coach of a high school shooting team.
I'd mentioned how Im ATA level 1 instructor certified etc
But then we get out there and Im not hitting squat.
Makes me look like a liar and a jerk.

Switched to right, put my 'trap' glasses on (have a 1/2" piece of tape to block some of view of left eye) and it was all over for them clays.
I felt redeemed.
 
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