Trap Shooting
by Dave

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You're thinking "Shooting guns on a date? You can't be serious!" Oh but I am, and you won't believe how much fun it is! These days very few of us have a chance to handle guns in a safe, non-violent way, which is too bad and also means we have no idea what they're really like. Don't worry, there's no hunting or death involved in shooting trap, it's just a harmless sport...unless you're a clay pigeon.

So what is trap exactly? Well, I'm sure you've seen fat cats shooting at flying clay discs from the back of their yachts in the movies. This is basically the same thing. Trap is shot at a field with a number of stations, or positions where shooters stand, along with a low building in front of the stations called the trap house. When a shooter is ready, he or she says "Pull!" and the trap house launches either one or two clay pigeons away from the shooter’s position. These clay pigeons fly at about 50mph and usually travel 50 yards or so. The current shooter may fire at the clay pigeon any time it is in flight, but may only fire one shot per target. Each trap field has 5 positions and the shooters take turns firing until the round has been completed, which is 25 clay pigeons per person. Trap originally used caged pigeons instead of clay ones, so the scorekeeper will call out "Dead!" when you hit and "Lost!" for misses. You'll have plenty of "Lost!" at the beginning, but it gets better as you get accustomed to the gun and flight paths.

While trap seems like something only experienced people would be able to do, it is surprisingly easy to go out and try. Most shooting ranges offer classes or personal instruction for beginners, which includes a gun, shells, safety goggles, and ear protection. Classes are generally held weekly or monthly, depending on the range, and many offer private instruction or a range employee will take you out and cover the basics for free. Offerings vary from place to place, so the first step is to find a shooting range that has a trap field and is open to the public, and then call them about their beginner's options. Instruction covers things like shotgun safety and operation, range rules, and shooting techniques.

If you're asking a guy, he'll be up for this idea, and if you're asking a girl, you should at least score points for originality. Have fun!