![]() ![]() ![]() You hold the gun stock against your chin, almost like a violinist, and point it in the air. You have a shotgun cocked and ready, as one of the facility’s six trap machines throws bread-and-butter plate-size target clays at different angles and speeds. Even a half-hour of instruction is tiring, so we make sure they rest in between.”Ĭlay shooting is a bit like playing a round of golf, for which the Resort’s reputation is renowned. “Our shotguns weigh about five pounds each, and lifting a gun is a movement that is new to most people. Peter Phillips has helped kids as young as nine take part. Most people are glad they came out and experienced it.”Ĭlay shooting at Fox Harb’r is open to men, women and children who are big enough to sturdily hold the gun. Phillips told me that some folks take to it right away and others are reluctant. To shoot clay targets, you place your cheek on top of the gun so your eye looks in the same direction as the barrel. I quickly saw, heard and felt the effect and my shoulder didn’t hurt. “Many, like you, have never really fired a gun like this in their lives, so we have them hold the gun at their side while one of us holds on as well, and we fire off one shell. “We take special care to prepare people,” Phillips adds. I was outfitted with a safety vest, glasses, shoulder padding and ear plugs, and learned how to mount the gun properly for minimal shoulder impact. But Phillips provided a "plain English" introduction to the sport and explained the extensive safety procedures in place. While relaxing in the Lodge, I was somewhat nervous. All the equipment you’ll need is stored next to the 5-stand course. ![]() My clay-shooting lesson started in the Sporting Lodge, an impressive post-and-beam structure in the on-property woods, with a welcoming stone fireplace. This weekend (September 9 to 11) Digweed hosts Canada’s Atlantic Cup and will tutor many shooters looking to improve their skills, just ahead of pheasant hunting season. “He has an encyclopedic knowledge of clay shooting and trophies to boot,” Phillips says, “and manages to put our residents and guests at ease, which is exactly the kind of no-pressure atmosphere we foster.” Every year they hold four competitions and the Tiger Woods or Gordie Howe of sport shooting, George Digweed MBE, a 26-time World Champion in the sport, consults with the Resort’s team. Their facilities are considered among the top locations in North America. While scopes are not used for clay shooting, they are still an excellent accessory when shooting out there.Ībout a two hour drive from Halifax, on Nova Scotia’s North Shore, Fox Harb’r Resort features a 15-acre sporting clay course with five stands, plus 350 acres of private hunting grounds. Many things about this experience surprised me, including the fact that clay shooting is such a popular sport across North America. In our controlled environment, people enjoy the challenge without the worry.” ![]() “Clay shooting is a totally safe sport here, because you have a stand from which to shoot, and the clay is presented to you in a direction that is safe. The Resort’s director of sport shooting, Peter Phillips, showed me the ropes while stressing safety first. Six decades passed and for first time in my life I’m aiming a shotgun at clay targets from a stand at Fox Harb’r Resort in Wallace, Nova Scotia. It was fun even though we had no thoughts or concerns about anyone’s safety (including our own) or other people’s property. I first toted a gun when I was 10-years-old growing up in Calgary.Ī childhood friend introduced me to his birthday present BB rifle and we quickly high-tailed it to a vacant lot and shot pellets at cans. ![]()
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