Students Learn Fun-damentals of Trapshooting

Shotguns in hand, five shooters aim at an imaginary bird, pretending to take aim they shoot.

Time for pretending was over. Now, it was time for the real thing.

Making sure they had their feet set and their stance just right, one at a time each student brings the gun up, cradling it in their shoulder, the stock of the gun resting slightly against their cheek and elbows bent perpendicular to the ground.

Taking aim and letting out a breath they make the call, “pull” and the bird flies.

With any luck the first-time trapshooters hit their marks, scattering the orange bird into pieces. More times than not, the bird remained in tact, yet nobody appeared too upset.

Sunday, a group of adults and a few teens went out to with the intention of learning more about gun safety, trapshooting and, of course, shooting the clay pigeons out of the sky. The group attended a class through the , which introduces attendees to trapshooting and the Naperville Sportsman’s Club.

Jessica Mooi was one of the students participating in the class. Mooi lives in Wheaton, but grew up in Naperville. She remembered seeing the class listing in the park district's program guide, but never got around to signing up until now.  Mooi and her husband attended the class together.

“I have an interest in trying new things,” Mooi said.

She said she specifically has an interest in guns. She was one of three women attending the class.

“I thought it was a lot of fun and very informational on the gun safety,” she said.

Students sat through a roughly two-hour class learning more about gun safety, what to do and not to do, the types of shotguns used for the various shooting sports and more about trapshooting and how to hit the target. 

Jim Monk, president of the Naperville Sportman’s Club, said the club dates to the 19^thCentury, back to at least to the 1870s, yet many Naperville residents don’t know it exists.

The club sits off West Street, near the . The  owns the property and the park district leases the land from the city. The members of the Naperville Sportman’s Club maintain the range and the club provides the trap fundamentals program for the park district.

Members get a discount for using the range because they give back a few times throughout the year, helping to maintain the facility, Monk said. But anyone with a firearm owner's identification card (FOID) and a shotgun is welcome to shoot at the club.

Students attending the fundamentals class do not need to own a shotgun or have a FOID card. The Illinois State Police recognizes the club for being able to instruct students in proper gun handling, Monk said. Should the students decide to come back and shoot another time, they'd need a gun and the card.

The club is open Thursday from 6-10 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 6 p.m. And, the club is open year-round. When the facility is open there is a park district employee on hand as well as club member who is the acting range manager. Beginners are welcome to come out the first Sunday of the month and ask for guidance.

On this Sunday, Steve Weiss and Ed Heasley, members of the club for at least 15 years, taught the students the fundamentals of trapshooting. Jon Tevogt, the park district employee, also taught the students the trapshooting basics.

During the class, Weiss explained to the students the technique needed for firing the shotgun properly, without hurting themselves. Bring the gun to the side of cheek and slide it back into the shoulder, but make sure to keep it right next to the cheek. Looking down the gun there are beads on top of the barrel that help get the target in sight.

“You don’t have to shoot,” he said. “Practice getting the gun into position.”

Once the gun is fired, the shotgun pellets will scatter. The goal is to have those pellets scatter in a pattern within 30 inches of the pigeon, thereby hitting the bird.

Heasley said, “Practice doing everything right and the scores will come.”

When the students hit something, Heasley said: “When you take a shot, take a mental picture of it. What did I do right and what didn’t I do right?”

The class of students broke into two groups and headed to the range where they would get to test out what they just learned. The students used either a 20-gauge or a 12-gauge shotgun.

The weather was perfect and everyone was ready.

Safety is emphasized and Tevogt said, “We rely on the three safety rules to stay safe around here.”

The safety rules are:

• Always keep the gun pointed in a safe direction.
• Always keep your finger off the trigger until ready to shoot.
• Always keep the gun unloaded until ready to shoot.

Members of the club assisted the students, helping them load, set their stance and fix their aim. They offer tips when they missed and praise when they hit the mark.

Some students went the entire hour without hitting a pigeon, while others were more successful. Jessica Mooi took out at least one pigeon.

“When I hit it, it was exciting,” she said. “But I felt like I wasn’t sure how I hit it.”

Jonathan Martinez, 19, of Elk Grove Village, attended the class with his aunt. He thought it sounded like fun and he’d never before shot a gun.

His first time out he was able to hit two of the pigeons, he said.

“It was kind of like a pump of adrenaline,” Martinez said. “I want to do it again.”

For more information on the Naperville Sportman’s Club visit the Web site or the Naperville Park District.