West Virginia Wildlife from Eyewitness News

Sporting Clays

Don't be surprised if you hear the sound of shotguns going off even though hunting season is still a ways away. Patrick McMurtry introduces you to the sport of sporting clays.

September 14, 2005
Reporter: Patrick McMurtry
Videographer: Brad Rice

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You're watching one of the newer shooting sports to hit West Virginia, sporting clays. Everyone can do it and hunters just love it.

"Most hunters want to shoot early in the season to practice for hunting season and when hunting season is over, it's a good way to keep in shape, it's someting you can do in the offseason."

Unlike skeet shooting, where the clay targets are thrown in similar patterns, sporting clays offer something more realistic for hunters.

"We have a 100 bird course that's set up with 17 different stations and every station represents a different hunting type shot. There's birds to rabbits running on the ground to combinations of rabbits and birds at the same time."

"Shooting clays is all about variety, this one is called feather and fur, it's a pretty challenging shot."
But a shot that anyone can make, with a little practice. That's the beauty of this sport-you don't have to be a great athlete to be good with sporting clays.

"Pull-this is a pretty good sport for the whole family, isn't it? It's very good for the kids, especially kids that are not great athletes like basketball-they can still get out here and be excellent shooters."

A whole family of excellent shooters. Sounds like a West Virginia tradition in the making.