What Do Registered Skeet Shooters Want????

[Neera]

There have been a number of discussions from time to time on other boards about what, in the opinion of skeet participants, consitutes a good...successful... enjoyable... shoot. Things like good food, prizes, lower entry fees, better payouts, good targets, etc etc.

Since virtually all of these discussions have been amongst American shooters south of the border, I'm curious to know exactly what Canadian shooters want and would like to see at shoots they attend. I don't particularly care what happens down in Tallahasee Florida....or "Armpit" Oklahoma. But I am interested in what we who from time to time are involved in putting on a shoot can do to improve things in hopes of attracting more participants and making their visits to our clubs as enjoyable and worthwhile as we can.

I suspect most of us want basically the same things. But I'd be interested in hearing the opinions of others who shoot registered skeet. I guess this is a little bit of an informal survey sort of but I think it might be worthwhile to solicit ideas and suggestions that perhaps we can all use when we organize an event.

As things stand right now, with all of the expenses that are incurred, shooting registered skeet is not a cheap passtime. What sorts of things would make you feel like you're getting the most "bang for the buck"? And make you want to attend a shoot?

 

[bmcrae]

Difficult question to answer. As someone who hosts an annual shoot and helps out with several others, I have spent a lot of time trying to find the perfect answer to this.

I shoot about ten events a year and see a lot of different formats. Some are larger, some are smaller. Some are expensive, some are not.

About 1% of the shooters out there are going to be anywhere close to making money shooting skeet. I've found that offering more money doesn't draw more shooters.

Most people I've talked to, want to go to a shoot; pay a reasonable price for GOOD BIRDS pulled by good referees and have a good time.

Every shoot, regardless of size, should be throwing good birds. Get your machines tuned up and throwing true before the shoot starts. Make sure that you have someone on the button who can pull good targets and knows the rules.

IMHO, regardless of the shoot, nothing is worse than shooting at bad targets. Weather will make for tough targets at times, but that is part of the game. However when your machines are throwing inconsistant targets (in/out) or you have someone slow pulling you every few birds, it can ruin your experience.

Make sure you have the organization in place so that your event runs smoothly. What will happen if you have a machine break down? Do you have an extra field? Do you have a trap mechanic on site? If you are running the shoot, and shooting, what will happen if there is a problem that happens while you are shooting? Do you have assistance to take care of problems in this situation?


There is always the money situation as well. Most shooters know about how much a case of birds cost. They can look at what you are charging and figure out pretty quickly if you are over or under charging. I've found that for the time and effort required to put on a shoot, it is not a money making venture. You can run a good shoot and not lose money, but when you consider your time, and your volunteers time, you are looking at pretty minor returns. I consider hosting a shoot more of a service to the shooting community. Without people putting forth the effort to do this, the sport would die.

Personally, if I was to add a shoot to my calendar I would look at the following;
Date (is it too early/late in the season or is there another event that weekend)
Reputation of shoot
Distance to travel
Cost of the event
Did you come to my shoot

I guess all told, I'd look at the bigger picture when choosing a shoot.

Hope this helps a bit. I know it's not really the answer you were after.

Cheers,
Brad.

 

[beretta boy]

Will "echo" Brad's comments as to the technicalities & cost, and add a few points.

Prize money is NOT the answer ! That's not why 95% of your shooters are there.

Going "head-to-head" with other well-established/nearby shoots is a recipe for a mdiocre result. Not many can manage a good shoot on a stat holiday weekend or mother's/father's day, either. Family is a big consideration. Facilities for the non-shooters attending your event ??? Seating & shade for those not actually shooting ? Reading material ? ( The TV stuck way up high broadcasting the European Soccer match in a foreign language is NOT a good idea )

Shoot management & volunteers could all generally benefit from a little pep talk on how to "meet & greet". Nothing worse than feeling an undeserved and I'm sure completely unintentional, "cold shoulder" at a shoot. While no one will or could hope to know all the participants, everyone working the shoot should do their level best as "hosts" to welcome their "guests" to their facility and make them feel comfortable. Introduce yourself. Actually thank shooters for turning-out to your shoot (what a concept). Offer assistance to anyone wandering about looking lost. Good "Signage" around the Club is a help: Registration, Washrooms, Field numbering, etc. Effective PR should be shoot management's priority, ongoing all day - not just at sign-in.

Try to make registration & squading as quick and painless as possible. Get organized well in advance. Being able as a Club to provide credit card purchase facility is a good move. The availability of a cash advance on a credit card to purchase registration, shells, T-shirts, food, fun shoots, etc.,etc. can improve not only shoot income, but overall Club income considerably. Very handy to have when membership renewal comes due. And, yes it means the Treasurer will have some more work to do.

The availability of reasonably-priced good food and a beverage selection is a big bonus, especially for those who have travelled a distance. A place to cool down (summer) and warm-up (winter) is a big bonus when the weather is ugly. At Sporting Clay Shoots, being out in the field for a couple of hours, lots of readilly available cold water is almost a neccessity in the hot months. A free "hot cider" station & bonfire half-way through the course on a cold winter day is a real relief.

If you can somehow work in a "free" burger (or ear of corn, whatever) and a can of soda, all the better. Folks have a long memory, and those little extra creature comforts make a lasting impression.

Whatever you can accomplish to make shooters feel welcome, comfortable, and provide a good shooting experiance will help you earn a "Good Shoot" reputation. And that usually means, besides being cost competitive with other shoots, that you & your able body of volunteers will need go the "extra distance" as hosts.

What do you recall elsewhere as a "Good Shoot" (besides your own score) and what caused you to think of it as such. Get lots of feed-back from others and try to replicate the "good" stuff, while filtering out the "bad".

Good Shoots come about from adequate shooting facilities, being well organized, committed well-trained volunteers, and not to understate the obvious, some good planning and hard work, both before and during the shoot.

 

[viper7]

Good post.

Great guidance for all folks running shooting matches, regardless of discipline.