Trapshooting has roots going back to 18th century England and is still popular to this day, and there are ample opportunities in the Knox County area to shoot.
Trapshooting is also known as clay-pigeon shooting and dates back to the late 18th century, when marksmen from England shot live pigeons released from traps, according to Britannica.com. By the late 19th century, this was outlawed and various objects were used, which ended in a disk, similar to what is currently used. Since 1900, it has been a sport in the Olympic Games.
The sport involves a clay pigeon being shot out of a trap and shot with a 12-gauge shotgun. They are 4.25 inches in diameter and 1.12 inches thick and weigh about 3.5 to 4 ounces. They are usually made of pitch and clay or limestone.
The trap house is located about 16 yards in front of five shooting stations. The pigeons are thrown in different angles away from the shooter, and each round a shooter shoots at five targets from each station.
There is a variant called skeet shooting as well, where a marksman uses a shotgun to shoot at clay targets like trap shooting, but skeet traps are set at two points on the field and targets are thrown diagonally across the shooter’s vision and also away from them. This was created in 1915 by William Foster for hunters to practice on different angles. There are different guns used, but the most common weapon is a semiautomatic 12-gauge.
According to the Ohio State Trapshooting Association, the first clay pigeon was invented in by George Ligowsky in 1880, which was preceded by glass balls.
Knox county trapshooting
The Ohio State Trapshooting Association is a good resource for finding trapshooting locations around the state. There are locations in and around Knox County that offer classes and competitions for shooters of all ages.
Centerburg Youth Shooting Sports at 5680 Sycamore Road in Centerburg is a youth-based organization that has an “athlete first and winning second philosophy,” according to centerburgyouthshootingsports.com. Youth shooters are taught about gun safety, sportsmanship, behavior and ethics through building character. The organization holds various events and has a team that youth can join by going to its website.
Handlebar Ranch at 6695 County Road 76 in Mount Gilead in nearby Morrow County is open for clay shooting and archery and has a 17-station wood course with all weather chip trails that are golf cart accessible. For information about the ranch, log onto handlebarranch.com.
The Cardinal Shooting Center at 616 Ohio-61 in Marengo is a a partner with the Ohio Department of Natural Resources and the Ohio Division of Wildlife. The center has trapshooting, skeet shooting, sporting clays and pistol shooting. The Cardinal Trap Shooting Facility is the largest in Ohio.
Sporting clay is referred to as “golf with a shotgun” on the center’s website. The shooter goes through a course with multiple shooting stations that are set up differently. Each course has 16 shooting cabanas with automatic target machines.
There are also 15 skeet shooting fields that involve eight shooting stations and two trap houses.
Rental guns, ammunition, eye and ear protection are available.
Lessons are available by appointment. The Cardinal Shooting Center is open to the public and memberships are also available. For more information, log onto thecardinalcenter.com.
