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Apr 29th, 2024
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Joined: Jan 2002
Posts: 465
Sidelock
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Sidelock
Joined: Jan 2002
Posts: 465 |
There's a tower at The Dallas Gun Club with two traps they can move up and down to suit/frustrate. On normal days, they're difficult. When set up for high bird training  I don't know the exact dimensions, but I'm sure they can present 40-50+ yard birds.
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Joined: Oct 2005
Posts: 355 Likes: 9
Sidelock
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OP
Sidelock
Joined: Oct 2005
Posts: 355 Likes: 9 |
I attended the Endless Mountains SXS shoot at Hausmans Hidden Hollow sporting clays in Pennsylvania this weekend.
Ernie Hausman showed me a new High Bird Field they have under constuction. He is setting up wobble traps on a mountainside cliff that has a large open meadow 40 yards directly below. The entire area is surrounded by trees and mountains.
Because he is using a cliffside rather than a constructed tower, he will be able to install multiple traps and have room for a line of multiple shooters below. He will also be able to reload traps quicker, so group shoots will be more practical than they would be with just a single tower trap.
I think this might the first place in the country that will be able to truly simulate a driven english style pheasant shoot with clay birds and a line of guns.
Using the natural landscape, he can currently throw birds 40 yards high. He is also planning to build a tower on the mountainside so even higher targets can be thrown.
He gave me a chance to try it out and it was fantaxtic fun. Birds are not just high, they are fast. Instead of floating down to you, they zing over your head at high speed. It's a like an incoming flurry thrown 40 yards above you.
Shooting high birds is quite addictive. I went through five boxes of shells in about half an hour. Good shooting gloves are essential because your barrels do get hot and shooting overhead requires a good grip on your side by side barrels.
Most early english side by sides were designed with driven high bird shooting in mind, but its a rare treat to get a chance to use them for that purpose today.
Ernie said the new high bird field is still a work in progress and isn't ready to open to the public yet. I think it will be something special to shoot when its all set up and ready to go.
Ernie and the Hidden Hollow crew will be at the RST cartridge tent at the Vintage Cup next month if you're interested in learning more about their plans and when it will be open.
"When you have to shoot, Shoot! Don't talk." - Tuco
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Joined: May 2004
Posts: 2,092 Likes: 13
Sidelock
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Sidelock
Joined: May 2004
Posts: 2,092 Likes: 13 |
I really enjoyed the split venue. I waited out the rain on Sunday and managed to shoot both courses. Mike at Rock Mountain and Ernie at Hausmans Hidden Hollow do a wonderful job of presenting challenging and fun shoots. For those who missed it, you shoot 50 targets per course per gauge so that you shoot a total of 100 per gauge, 410, 28,20,16,12, and 10. The courses are about a half hour apart and you can shoot one or more gauges if you have the time.
A trophy for each gauge. RST donated a case of shells for each gauge for a drawing.
Sorry I missed meeting you DGM as I was there both days. Are you a "Virginia Vintager" as I am? I think I will start putting a "Builder" name tag on so we can recongnize each other.
So many guns, so little time!
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