Trap Shooting with T and Hjordis

Some of my favorite memories and connecting points with my dad, and now my son, were when we went shooting. There are so many sights and sounds involved, all of which take me to a place of familiarity, relaxation, and joy. Not to mention the thrill of hitting the target or the even bigger thrill of watching your child hit their first target!

This past weekend, we had the joy of taking my friend T and his teen daughter Hjordis on a trap shooting adventure at the Family Shooting Center in Cherry Creek State Park just south of Denver. Being only her second experience with shooting trap, it was a great new adventure for the two of them. As such, you can watch the learning experience going on for Hjordis and her working through her initial frustrations and later successes.

A public shooting center is a great place to learn if you are new to the sport. Everything you need can be rented. A staff of young people are available to help you with every aspect of the equipment and most importantly, safety.

In the future, Alex and I are hoping to try sporting clays where you walk through a field and clays come flying out at different angles as you walk along. We’ve heard that it’s a big challenge and a whole lot of fun.

Finally, in posting this adventure, we know that not all dads and moms are going to be comfortable with shooting guns and have strong ethical beliefs on such activities (especially with kids). In the future, I will be doing a longer piece in the Reflections section of AdventureDad.org on this topic. For now, I simply want to stress that gun sports begin and end with the safe and proper storage/use of weapons. Gun locks, vaults and no ammunition stored near guns are essential for your children’s safety and the safety of your child’s friends. Accidental gun shootings are still a major cause of death in children.