I was given the chance to stand on a peg on beaters’ day and I found it really enjoyable; it gave me the passion to start shooting. I decided to get some practice on clays and turned up at my local clay shoot when they opened for the season. I was so excited I’d got up early to prepare my kit. I arrived with a 20 bore shotgun but unfortunately the clay ground only had fibre wad cartridges in 12 bore. I was nervous about the kick of a 12 bore, but was assured that if I shot the same 28 gram load that I had previously used in 20 bore the kick would be the same. So I paid for my clays and cartridges and went on to my first stand. I had a quick introduction and was given some tips from an experienced shooter. I was very apprehensive but when I took my first shot the nervous feeling went and I was filled with excitement. The 12 bore was very heavy and didn’t fit me too well but that didn’t stop me from having a great day and shooting at all 50 clays. My advice to any new shooter is: “Don’t worry about your performance, it’s n
ot a competition and nobody cares if you miss.”
I missed quite a few but as it was my first experience I came away smiling and happy to have just got the confidence to shoot the gun. It’s not all about hitting the clays, it’s the day as a whole. I met new friends, I had a laugh and came away wanting to go again. I now attend my local clay shoot regularly,
Thank you for letting me share my experience with you.
Jasmine Esther
