SPORT & OUTDOOR
CLAY PIGEON SHOOTING Having never held a gun before, our man Matt loads up and gets trigger happy
O
K, confession time. I’ve never so much as held a gun, never mind fired one – unless you count the plastic cowboy cap gun I had when I was eight – so this month’s brush with sporting adventure was actually more daunting
than you’d think. The Jebel Ali Shooting Club offers a host of different ways to get your gun on, including the one I was set to do – clay pigeon shooting. GETTING STARTED I decided to come clean as soon as I meet shooting club manager, Slavek – he, thankfully, assures me that I’m in good hands as they deal with everyone from novices to the world’s very best. Proving the point, the UAE’s Olympic medal hope HH Sheikh Saeed bin Maktoum bin Rashid Al Maktoum walks past, looking every inch the professional. On the range I meet my instructor, David. He kits me up in a shooter’s vest, safety glasses, earmuffs and a deceptively heavy Beretta 686E rifle – at which point it all starts to become a little bit serious. This is a gun. And a big one at that…
SAFETY Even a novice like me knows, when it comes to handling firearms, safety is paramount. There are strict guidelines about what you’re allowed to do at Jebel Ali: never
“The noise and the smell of gunpowder – there is some thing very primal about shooting” point the gun at anything that you do not intend to shoot, do not put your finger on the trigger until you are ready to shoot and always ensure that the gun is open when it is not being used. Clay shooting is only dangerous if you do not follow the rules. SPORTING There is an undeniably alpha male feeling you experience
when someone hands you a shotgun, fills your pockets full of cartridges and challenges you to shoot at various moving targets. “It definitely gives you a buzz,” confirms Slavek. He’s not wrong. There are three types of clay shooting: sporting, trap and skeet. First up for me, are the sporting clays, testing my ability to shoot multiple targets coming at unpredictable angles, trajectories and speeds. Holding the rifle firm against my right cheek and into the pocket of my shoulder (“If you don’t hold it firm, the recoil will whack you in the face”, warns Slavek), I take aim and instinctively fire off the two shots in the barrel. Remarkably, they both hit. I reload. Two more shots – this time the clays come in from different directions – again, they hit. This continues, and before I know it, I have gone through all 25 cartridges. Total hits? 22. 22! I’m staggered, and so is David. Without even trying, my instincts seem to take over. One thing is clear – a gatherer I am not. I am a hunter. Time to start seriously considering trying out for the London Olympics this summer. TRAP At the trap shooting range, the clays zip out in a straight line from in front of you – the key is to shoot them as early as possible, before they fly out of range. The first couple shoot out. Double miss. Ah, this is a different game. After the 25 rounds are spent, and only 14 clays hit, it seems that I’m not bad, but more work is definitely needed. My dream of Olympic glory, sadly, fades a little. VERDICT There is something very primal about clay shooting – the noise, the smell of gunpowder and the one chance you have to hit the target. It is exhilarating, and better yet, you don’t have to be a gun-nut to enjoy it. Jebel Ali Golf Resort & Spa, Wed to Mon, 1pm to 8.45pm Dhs140 for members, Dhs220 for non-members, 13 years and over. Tel: (04) 8836555. jebelaliinternational.com
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