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I know that there’s some value in hunters shooting trap and skeet before the season. Proper and consistent gun mount, focus on the target, swinging through the bird — I get it. But the truth is these games can get pretty boring. They’re also a poor replication of a hunting scenario: where you don’t know exactly where the bird is coming from or the exact flight path that it will take.
So in the months before hunting season I find it way more fun (and possibly more useful) to practice some more practical shotgunning. Of course you can and should shoot sporting clays or five-stand. But it’s also okay to get a little more creative.
Earlier this month, while testing shotguns for our annual shotgun test, the crew and I got the chance to experiment with Caldwell’s new Claycopter Launcher. And I’ll be honest, this was the most fun part of the week.
The Claycopter is a battery-powered thrower that launches orange disks with surprising speed. They fly vertically (unlike clays, which lie flat) and unpredictably. This is especially true if there’s a 10-mph wind.
Claycopter Key Features and Specs
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- Four speed settings
- Throws doubles and singles
- Rechargeable battery
- Two target sizes (90mm and 110mm)
- Biodegradable targets
- Targets fly +100 yards
Blasting Claycopter targets felt a lot like shooting at doves or pigeons. Also, you must hit these little orange discs with the center of your pattern, or they won’t break — they’ll bump to the side, offering a realistic follow-up shot. Another cool feature is that any targets that are missed (and there will be a few) can be reused. The Claycopter targets proved to be much more durable than traditional clays.
When we broke out the Claycopter, no one got to call pull or request a specific target presentation. They got a fast-flying sporadic target that could be launched to the stratosphere or flung toward the ground as a bouncing rabbit (yes, the Claycopter can throw rabbit targets).
You might see a single, or double target presentation. Regardless, it would be a surprise. In other words, just like hunting.
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