Clay shooting - The future

[Jan Powell]

The stories we see and hear about grounds closing across the country has got me thinking, what's the future of the sport in the longer term?

Here's the way I see it going, feel free to discuss...

I think the sport will change beyond all recognition over the next 20 years, perhaps even sooner. Many grounds, particularly those run informally without planning permission, will close, their owners tempted by offers from housing developers or grants to build solar or wind farms. As owners grow older many will find they no longer have the energy or desire to run the ground, particularly as numbers dwindle and costs increase.

Ground closures will affect the sporting discipline disproportionatly hard, not least because there's more sporting grounds around but also because they cost considerably more to buy and run than those geared towards skeet and trap. This is before we consider EU or government changes to firearms legislation, noise restrictions, pollution restrictions, a lead shot ban? Any one of these could kill the sport.

So how will it look? I'm guessing the only grounds that will be cost effective and able to survive will be the large, professionally run affairs. Whether shooters are prepared to travel the extra distance or will just give up remains to be seen.

Maybe indoor shooting's the answer? Indoor skeet and trap ranges have recently been built in Germany and the USA and as a multi use shooting facility are proving popular. This overcomes the noise and pollution problems but only allows a very limited choice of disciplines. I'm not convinced it would work here, particularly given the inherent anti gun attitude of our councils and local authorities.

Hopefully our governing bodies are recognising the dangers ahead (although i'm not betting on it) and are preparing our defence. When I started shooting 10 years ago a guy I shot skeet with told me there would be no organised clay shooting in this country in 20 years time. I dismissed it at the time, now i'm not so sure.

 

[Hamster]

I'm not going to Like your post but you are completely on the right track I'm afraid. Not sure if it can be measured in years yet but certainly decades. The pressures are varied and many, loss of land to development, lead watchmacallit, anti's, huge increases in shell prices with no slow up in sight, noise and more. 

It's a lovely sport because of the fact it takes place in the countryside but if I was a youngster looking for a long term hobby I'd look elsewhere.

 

[SIMON-B]

I think the economic climate is the driving force behind shootings decline, that and its image. With new products such as pfs stocks high ribs and all manner of chokes available these and other interesting technical developments could be used to interest young and design driven tech savvy youth to take notice, there is an whiff of money and the old guard to the uninitiated. Lets hope when the economy recovers sufficiently there is enough left to keep this great sport going.

 

[ips]

I have been saying for a few years now that in ten years we will have gone full circle and will all be shooting straw bailers as no commercial grounds other than a few doing corporate stuff will still be going.

 

[VicW]

There is a lot of truth in what Jan says.

I'm retired and do a lot of my shooting midweek and while obviously most of those attending are,like me,retired the numbers are undoubtedly dwindling and we,the customers, are not all dying off. Spare money to go shooting is suffering because the cost of most things is going up, although not the price of casual shooting it seems. Shooting ground car parks used to be a lot more full on a Wednesday than they are now.

Some of the grounds I shoot at are prime for redevelopment should they close and probably very valuable.

Vic.

 

[ips]

Yes vic numbers are down no question of that my local trap club (now closed) was busy in the mid eighties on a Thurs evening you had to be early to get a parking spot. Even entries at major trap comp are not what they were. No amount of publicity or funding can make people spend money they have not got.

 

[jwpzx9r]

Most every shooting ground down here is owned by the shooters for the shooters. Some are really small others are large and most are very well run. The club I am a member of is small has a good covered single trap fosse. Membership fee €48 pa and pay €3 (non €4) for 25 clays. It does not have a club house but has a small bar area where you can sit and have a drink there is ample bench type seats all around the area to the rear of the stand. The other club I visit and will be joining next year has a spacious club house, ample parking and well tended grounds. It has two fosses one for UT only the other is Olympic and UT, it has sporting as well. Membership fee  Costs € 50 pa and €3.50 memb or €5 non memb for 25clays. Shooting and hunting have a very high profile in France never heard of an anti lobby but it probably exists in big cities. Unlike the UK France has a very large rural population and huge amount of land, which because of them chopping the nappers off the aristos is very available to the common man, you do not need to be loaded to hunt fish and shoot in France it is regarded as a right, all you need is a licence.  I think club type shooting  is the way forward for shooting in the UK the initial costs are high but the long term benefits are great as its the members who gain most from the deal.

Edit

I would like to add that co-operatives are the norm in France, you may not like it (or them I do lovely people ) but they really do know how to organise themselves.

 

[Salopian]

I think the Sport will change beyond all recognition after October 19th 2013 in England.

 

[ips]

Why what's happening Oct 19 ?

 

[Steve Lovatt]

its petes birthday !!!!!!!!!!

 

[ips]

Ah, i see.

 

[Angelfire]

Glad I have had my glory days at our sport. Very doubtful our young will get to experience the same. I see the "big" shoots declining, and the straw baler getting ever more popular, unless things change dramatically in the coming years.

Maybe the alternative to lead will be found, cutting the price of shells in half. Fuel tax and vat to be reduced to a sensible percentage, thus reducing fuel price by two thirds, and work getting plentiful and wages rising. Maybe then our sport will go from strength to strength.

I am content in my dotage.

Phil*

 

[** Pending Removal **]

Why what's happening Oct 19 ?

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[** Pending Removal **]

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[glb868]

This is when I'm glad to shoot at Park lodge. A little dearer than some but attract folk not just to shoot but for eating etc which will keep the group afloat. I hope!

 

[Ashley]

Don't, count on our shooting organisations being there for us when the xxxx hits the fan and lead is banned and shooting falls into a rapid decline. We the actual shooters are their cash cows , and when the cows get fewer the farmer divercifys

 

[Salopian]

I hope that the EGM is not on October the 19th .

I have a big day booked for game shooting and I know where I will be on that day.

 

[** Pending Removal **]

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[Santa2512]

It's a sad fact, that we are under fire (scuse the pun) from  many sides,

Noise and environmetal issues are probably our greatest concerns.

Nimby's  and  land development dont help  either ..

Mart