This is a page all about setting up clays for either you own friends in a field or a local shoot for charity. Topics include - targets, trajectory, direction, stands, wind, fallout, in fact most of the stuff you'll need to lay on targets people will want to shoot..

Manual Rabbit

A rabbit is one of the easiest looking targets on a sporting setup but most of us have found that it's also one of the easiest to miss, the challenge for the course setter is to make it look easier than it really is. A rabbit is a big, round black target that is closer to the shooter than most of the rest of the clays, it travels along a fairly predictable path mostly unaffected by weather conditions and on top of this it's slower in its flight. A short, sharp rabbit thrown from behind a bush then disappearing into trees will look to the gun as being much faster than it really is so he can be fooled into over-leading and a miss in front; the opposite occurs when a long rabbit is always in view fooling the shooter into missing behind.
The trap itself can also be tilted sideways to cause the rabbit to lean and like a rider on a bike the clay will turn the corner thereby slowing and changing direction - this is a handy trick if there is a clump of bushes behind the rabbit's trajectory that it can trundle round. Altering the point at which the clay leaves the trap can change the speed of the clay - if the clay leaves earlier it will hit the ground and slow down sooner, conversely, let it stay on the arm longer and the target will fly longer in the air and travel further, appearing to the faster to the gun. Adjusting the angle of departure from the trap is a simple matter of lifting or dropping the trap arm or adjusting the stop if the trap's fixed. Apart from all this there is the bounce to be considered; a flat, grassy floor will allow the rabbit to roll nicely along and present itself as a steady rabbit. Once we add an uneven surface, possibly with stones, the clay will bounce unpredictably. A bouncing rabbit will always catch those unwary guns who expect gentle rabs but those like me prefer them to jump skywards because they are much easier to hit!

Manual Teal

A simple target to set up in a smaller area, the teal can be anything from easy to well nigh impossible. To test the gunfit of your shooters we can lay on a trap directly in front of the stand throwing a midi straight up into the sky, all the gun does is point at it and pull the trigger for a break. A more difficult option is to have the clay pop up out of the trees at a distance so their choice is to take it on the way up, which the sportsman will tell you is the proper way or it can be shot as it does a stall turn before it drops; those of us who like a challenge take it on the way down. The main reason for a teal lost on the way up is the exuberence of the guns who see it travelling away fast and over lead it for a miss over the top, midis are the boys if this is what you want whereas a standard is our choice if we want a higher scoring stand.
Simultaneous teal are easily set up to show a wide variation of targets from a difficult pair of crossing midis to a slow pair of standards that can be shot up, down or in the middle. When setting up a manual teal trap please make sure the trapper is well covered from any angle the gun might choose, the best bet is sheet steel or an old oil tank - I've never seen a trapper shot nor have I seen his cover shot but there must be something between the gun and trap that cannot be penetrated by a shotgun cartridge from close range. The obvious thing about using a manual teal trap is the fact that the clay leaves the trap fairly straight upwards which means it is near the trapper's nose on its way up.
Make all trappers aware that they should not lean forward; another aspect of teal trapping is that when the trap is being cocked it is more difficult to pull back the arm because the arc is from top to bottom which is not a natural movement and as such it needs more strength on the trapper's part. The right knee also is at risk when throwing teal; once loaded and ready the trapper must stay alert to the fact that his leg could be in the way of the arm moving under full power, easily forgotten especially if the teal clip is not holding the clay properly and the trapper is worrying about his fingers.

Please come back soon to find some articles or ask me about setting up to shoot.

Copyright of this page belongs to Andy, How to Break Clays.com - the website for the amateur clay shooter, July 2007.