By Daniel Burden, AgMRC, Iowa State University, djburden@iastate.edu.

Developed January 2008.
 

Introduction
Many rural bed and breakfast operations, lodges, hunting preserves, retreat centers and even some wineries have offered clay-target shotgun-shooting sports, events or master-class shooting school options for their guests. Also, clay-target shooting is a way by which some rural-business ventures, like hunting preserves, can extend their operational seasons and customer services with a minimal-to-substantial outlay in equipment costs and personnel time, depending on the complexity of the endeavor.

So, how does a clay-target facility factor into value-added agriculture? Well, it can if one is considering that it could use some land also used for pasture, augments an on-farm or on-ranch hunting-preserve or bed-and-breakfast operation, or simply creates another stand-alone farm or ranch-based operational profit center.

Is This Business Right For You?
This activity is about developing a strategy to create and capture value based on time and capital investments scaled to fit a particular sport, for example, trap, skeet, sporting clays. It can be done on a small or large scale and in a variety of ways. It is about marketing directly to the consumer and targeting a very specific clientele for the business. Clay-target venues, large or small, are an innovative service that provides a participatory “experiential product” that is partly created through targeted advertising and promotion but becomes a quality “product” in terms of atmosphere, quality of the venue, level of service and group camaraderie. This type of venture can create recognition for an existing farm or ranch visitor-related enterprise, expand the income-generation season for that enterprise, as well as make positive contributions to the community by providing a new family-oriented sporting outlet. These venues frequently are sites for educational activities that include Teachers in the Outdoors, Becoming an Outdoor Woman, 4-H Shooting Education, No Child Left Indoors, Boy and Girl Scouts, and similar programs.

However, it is important to consider the personal factors required of someone who is ready to pursue any value-added agriculture enterprise or ancillary endeavor like a clay-target facility. To succeed, it requires the willingness and ability to take on some risk, learn as much as possible about the business, develop adequate capital and have or develop the necessary management and personal skills, for example, the very crucial ability of positively interacting with the public.

Potts and Rourke, Nature-Based Tourism Enterprises, Guidelines for Success, Clemson University, 2000, suggest that before beginning an endeavor, one should ask oneself the following questions (parenthetical additions by the author of this article):

• Am I knowledgeable about the natural system (in this case sport or sports) in which I plan to work?
• Do I like meeting and working with all types of people?
• Do I like to entertain strangers?
• Do I have in-depth (or the appropriate) outdoor skills?
• Am I skilled in the operation and maintenance of (the applicable) equipment?
• Am I willing to work long hours (or those necessary for dealing with the public, perhaps) in difficult environments?
• Am I successful at managing and organizing expenses?

If so, then you may have what it takes to be successful in this business. Also, with respect to shooting-sport operations, larger or more active venues or events will require trustworthy employees who have knowledge of the equipment, scoring disciplines, operational risk-management and emergency plans, and are trained to work well and respectfully with clients.

General Considerations
There are a lot of things to think about when planning to establish a “clays field.” These include a safe venue for the event that includes a proper shot-fall zone, throwers and thrower-housing suited to the “game,” and adequate liability coverage for the participants, event or events, and event staff. Some clay target events (sporting clays, five-stand, tower shoots) frequently are subcontracted to independent contractors. Larger events may include food caterers or vendors, massage therapists, shooting coaches, gun fitters, shooting and reloading-equipment sales representatives and similar contractors who provide additional free or for-fee services with part of their fees going to the venue or in the form of “up-front” sponsorships that help promote the event, perhaps to reach a larger audience.

Landscaping and range design are important considerations. The environmental implications of lead-shot “shot fall” is a controversial issue and must be considered a part of any prudent risk-management plan. State agencies, as well as the National Skeet Shooting Association (NSSA) have planning advice and guidelines. As with the sport of golf, there are nationally recognized consulting firms to assist with equipment selection, and overall venue and course design.

Most modern small-scale clay-target facilities have a minimum of around 60+ acres of level ground over which to shoot trap, skeet, trap and skeet, wobble trap or 5-stand. Lead shot reclamation services can easily “mine” the top few inches of soil on five- to ten-year intervals, to recover the lead (a high-value recyclable product). Usually these services split the value of the recovered material with the landowner, so lead recovery constitutes a cost-recovery item and should be factored into, or at least noted, in any business plan.

Lead shot or bullets, when left for a short time in the outdoor environment oxidize and are more or less environmentally stable and do not usually constitute a threat to wildlife or groundwater integrity. However, if shot falls into an aquatic environment, it may be ingested by waterfowl; all states have serious and stringent prohibitions against this practice. If shot falls onto particularly acid soils, there may be situations where leaching may liberate lead into the groundwater. The use of non-toxic shot is an alternative in both case, but the current cost of this ammunition is prohibitive for most target-shooting applications. 

Equipment cost can vary a great deal since throwers can vary in capacity and complexity. Simple inexpensive hand-loaded (one or two targets at a time) throwers for $100 are perfectly suitable for most outdoor workshops and casual outings. For more exclusive and higher-volume venues, single machines with voice-activation, trajectory randomization (“wobble” capability) and fifty to several hundred target capacity can range from $500 to $5,000 or more for a single machine. For the occasional shooting party, club activity or workshop, some very-high-quality portable machines with a corded remotes can be purchased for around $500; a wobble (randomization) feature can be added for a little over $200; a radio (wireless) remote can be added for $250 or so. These units are popular with lodges, bed and breakfast operations, small hunting preserves and outdoor education centers.

Lighting is an important consideration for any higher-volume venue. Lighting can be very expensive, but it can greatly extend the number of squads that can shoot on the average evening and is absolutely critical for 3- and 4-season facilities where short day-length would preempt night shooting (particularly during the work week) if not for artificial lighting. Additionally, 3- and 4-season “high-volume” clubs and venues in the northern states need to factor-in snow removal for the shooting areas of their fields, house access and parking areas. Also, these facilities usually include a heated clubhouse with warm refreshments for those “dark winter months.”

The Clay-Target Shotgun Sports and Their Requirements
With respect to the established clay-target sports, the following descriptions was compiled from public-domain information from the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF), NSSA (also the Sporting Clays governing body) and by consulting Blacks Wing & Clay and Waterfowl (a major industry guidebook); and the personal experience of the author. It is a brief listing of the types of clay-target shotgun-shooting sports; the approximate number of acres for the field where shooters engage targets, acres for the shot fall zone, number of trap machines (throwers) and their approximate cost; number of shooters per hour, the time it takes a squad of shooters to participate in the game and the approximate number of targets for a single round of the game.

• American Trap: Trap “fields” usually consist of a series of five pads arranged in a hemispherical line behind a trap “pit” or “house” that houses the thrower (trap machine) and a supply of targets. Targets are thrown as each shooter in turn calls “pull” by a range master located behind the shooters, usually in an elevated chair. All targets are thrown as “out-goers” that fly out and away from the trap pit or house and the shooters. Only the shooter on an active pad may have a loaded firearm. Targets usually are thrown as singles, although there is a variation of the game called doubles trap where two targets are thrown with each call of “pull.” The shot-fall area from a single trap field would constitute the smallest and most easily managed field for lead recovery.
  • Specifics: (¼ acre for field-of-play), 52 acres; 1 machine; $2K-$?K; 18-25 shooters per hour; 13-16 minutes per 5-person group; 25 targets per shooter. In 2008 in Iowa, a single round ranges in price from $6-$15, depending primarily on overhead costs and geography (client numbers and demographics). 
     
• American Skeet: Skeet “fields” usually consist of a series of eight pads laid out in a hemispherical perimeter and a direct transecting line between two skeet “houses” that house the throwers and a supply of targets. Skeet houses are at two levels; there is a “high house” that is an elevated platform for a thrower about ten feet above the ground and a “low house” that houses a thrower slightly higher than ground level.
  
  Skeet station “one” is directly below the high-house opening and skeet station “seven” is immediately at the side of the low-house opening. The final station eight is a dual pad directly between the two houses and its targets are engaged as overhead birds thrown as consecutive singles from each of the two houses. The squad shoots as a group, moving from station to station. Only the shooter on the pad may have a loaded firearm. Targets are thrown as both singles and doubles (simultaneously from each house with the targets crossing one another in the middle of the field). Some stations have only singles and others have singles followed by a “pair” (double).
  • Specifics: (3/4 acre for field-of-play), 58 acres; 2 machines @ $8K-10K; $8K-14K; 10-12 shooters per hour; 25-30 minutes per 5-person group; 25 targets per shooter. In 2008 in Iowa, a single round ranges in price from $6-$15, depending primarily on overhead costs and geography (client numbers and demographics). 

• Sporting Clays: Sporting Clays is a “field course” type event. The course is laid out along a trail where groups of (usually 4 or 5) shooters encounter targets thrown to represent various hunting situations. The stations in these events may represent flushing coveys of quail, ducks dropping to land on a pond, rabbits flushed from a brush pile and similar very challenging scenarios. There may be thirty or more stations and a round of sporting clays often is compared to playing a round or two of golf.
  
  This game requires large land requirements for the design of the course, shooter safety and to encompass the corresponding shot fall. Since shot fall lands in more natural areas than the flat fields of most modern trap and skeet ranges (designed for lead recovery), the shot-fall issues associated with this sport can be far more controversial. Still, sporting clays is a relatively expensive, extremely difficult, yet very popular sport with growing numbers of enthusiastic participants.
  
  Due to the infrastructure requirements (throwers and personnel), shoots are expensive events to plan and stage, and per-round entrance fees are far higher than a far more elementary round of trap or skeet. Many events are subcontracted by clubs and landowners to professional specialists who bring in the necessary equipment, a large volume of targets, trained personnel and may even manage the event. Most subcontractors carry their own liability insurance and will handle the payroll, liability and workers compensation insurance for the extra personnel needed for the event. Using a subcontractor can free up the hosting venue to concentrate on client amenities and overall event management.
  
  Due to the considerable planning, infrastructure and personnel requirements, a sporting clays shoot often is a “special event” that lasts for two or three days, rather than a daily open-to-the-public or regularly-scheduled weekly outing. That said, there are large sporting clays facilities, usually part of large trap and skeet clubs. These sporting clays facilities often use voice-activated throwers that negate much of the need for a large staff; however, this is expensive equipment and usually suited only to large-through-put (active many client) facilities near major urban areas. In sporting clays, it is not unusual for well-planned and advertised shoots, weather permitting, to attract capacity-numbers of shooters; like golf, another “field sport,” it is not unusual for shooters to have to wait several hours for a time at which to enter the course. Many events are designed around trap and skeet fields in order to make use of the throwers, club houses and similar fixed assets of those venues.
  
  Constructing a dedicated sporting clays facility is an expensive and on-going process of infrastructural upgrades and improvements. Courses may begin with very inexpensive throwers and volunteers, perhaps with squads throwing their own targets, and evolve with increased participation into more elegant operations. All shoots usually require one to several small tractors with trailers, pick-up trucks or some sort of utility vehicle to transport cases of targets to the various, perhaps remote, thrower locations. Vehicles also are necessary to service refreshment stops where water or soft drinks are provided or sold. All shoot organizers should ensure that adequate “relief” (kibo, porta-potty) facilities are available at several points along the course. 
  • Specifics: (20-30 acres for field-of-play), 100-200 acres; 12-92 machines @ $100-4K; $4K-45K; (+/-)50 shooters per hour; 2 hours per 5-person group; (+/-)100-200 targets per shooter. In 2008 in Iowa, a single round ranges in price from $25-$120, depending primarily on the length and complexity of the course and target count, overhead costs, geography (client numbers and demographics).
      
• Wobble-Trap or Wobble-Skeet: This is a variant on both trap and skeet that involves a single thrower (as in trap) and a series of stations that are shot by the group as a group (as in skeet). It is more varied than trap, has the camaraderie of skeet and was developed for greater variability of target presentation than is encountered in either trap or skeet. Most wild-bird hunters consider “wobble” and sporting clays to be the best practice for hunting. A relatively new phenomenon, it is wildly popular, particularly with smaller clubs and venues.

The author is participating in “wobble trap.” Simple to stage but difficult to master, this game uses a single thrower and incorporates elements of both trap and skeet. In the background is a conventional trap field and trap house (green structure), in the distance behind the fence is the elevated “high house” of this venue’s skeet field.

"Wobble” is perhaps the least expensive and easiest game for the occasional clay-target shooting venue to present to their clients. It only requires a corded or wireless-remote equipped portable thrower and no costly investment in fixed “house” facilities. Although, like trap and skeet it is based on a 25-bird target count, a target can be fired at more than once which encourages “staying on the gun” and developing almost instantaneous  lead adjustments, and some targets may be engaged at angles and distances not encountered in either trap or skeet. Shooters engage four targets at each of six equidistant hemispherical perimeter stations like those found between Stations 1 to 7 in skeet, with the thrower positioned at the center of the line between the two end stations. Usually, the stations are fixed pads. However, wobble tends to be a very informal game, with many clubs opting to increase the variability and complexity of the game by setting markers using flags or hula hoops at different locations along the circle or distances from the thrower. Like the tee positions and holes on a green in golf, the shooting stations can be changed from night to night or week to week.

All targets in the version of the game in which the author has participated have been presented as out-going singles; although rumor has it that some venues have experimented with a doubles version of the game, but this would require a more expensive thrower and the advantage over conventional doubles trap would be negligible.

Specifics: (1/2 acre for field-of-play), 58 acres; 1 machine; $750-$?K; 10-15 shooters per hour; ~20 minutes per 5-person group; 25 targets per shooter. In 2008 in Iowa, a single round ranged in price from $6-$15, depending primarily on overhead costs and geography (client numbers and demographics).

• 5-Stand: 5-Stand is a fast-paced, condensed version of sporting clays. Five or more different target presentations are thrown with respect to five different shooting positions. Most 5-stand venues have six to eight trap machines. It is a bit more involved for the shooter and the venue than trap or skeet but is far less land, personnel and time-intensive than sporting clays. This game can be set up as either a permanent or temporary installation on most trap or skeet fields. It is well suited to events and larger group shoots.
  • Specifics: (1.0 acre for field -of-play), 52 to 58 acres; 6 to 8 machines @ $18K to $30K; (+/-)15 shooters per hour; 25 minutes per 5-person group; 25+ targets per shooter.

Target-thrower array on one side of a 5-stand clays firing line. All six throwers, controlled by a single programmable remote unit triggered by the range officer, are set for challenging speeds and trajectories.

A typical 5-stand clays firing line. Shooters stand within, rotate between and take turns shooting from the five stations. Each has a unique single and double target presentation referenced on the card in front of the station. The buckets are for spent hulls (empty cartridges).

A competitor engages a target at a 5-stand clays event.

• Many Other “Games” to Play: There are many other clay-target shotgun-shooting sports. Most are variations on those previously explained. These include tower shoots, specialized squad events, flush and flurry shoots, and various “registered” competitions for international (Olympic qualification), American amateur and professional and club-sport events.

Even more futuristic shotgun-sport games do not use clay targets. For example, one is ZZ Bird. This is a hunting-type live-bird-shooting simulation game in which an array of five or more specialized target throwers are positioned along a line 25 to 35 yards to the front of the shooter. The targets are unique metal-propeller-equipped units incorporating a plastic center cap. The thrower spins the target unit to over 5,000 rpm and a computer-controller random releases targets. These then accelerate away from the traps at around 40 mph on rather erratic flight paths. A low fence typically 20 to 30 yards from the trap units forms a boundary for the shooting field. The shooter attempts to hit the flying target, knocking off the plastic center cap within the bounds of the fenced enclosure. This can be an extremely challenging game, and in the handful of venues that have opted to invest the $12K or so to purchase a system, it has proven very popular.

Business Planning
Other pages within AgMRC Business Development describe feasibility studies and business plans. They are necessary and crucial steps to successfully develop any business or an additional profit center for an existing business. Any feasibility study should look at all potential profit generators. Any business plan should include realistic estimates of projected sales as well as customer per-target or per-round figures. Best and worst-case scenarios must be considered, and this should be done with an eye toward break-even points and controlled growth of the venture. Business plans also must include a risk-management plan that reflects operational protocols, employee training, emergency procedures and liability exposure.

An important first step is to survey existing business similar to what is being proposed. Go there, shoot their fields and courses, talk to the owner or manager and really get into the nitty-gritty nuts-and-bolts details of where their profit centers lie and what are the greatest problems or reoccurring headaches that plague the operation. These things are good to hear about and consider while developing your feasibility study. Let’s face it, this business may not be the right thing for you, and there is no problem or harm in that if you catch it before you invest time and capital into the venture. 

When developing funding ideas, look at how full and seasonal memberships may fit into the mix, especially if they can be combined with other discounts, services or incentives to bring in customers. If this is to be a very small and exclusive operation, “sustaining partnerships” could be offered, something along the lines of shareholders in a limited-liability partnership; perhaps with some profit sharing. For example, this is a successful model if there is access to outstanding trout fishing, fantastic scenery, great bird cover for dog training or some other draw for the investor. It is always easier to go to your banker for a business loan if, along with your business plan, you have signed letters of intent from investors in hand, or have a third or more of the needed liquid assets on hand, or both.

Something to consider for a shotgun-sport venue is a “range-development grant.” These are available from time to time to affiliated clubs and qualifying venues from NSSF, the National Rifle Association (NRA) and similar organizations. Small-business advocacy organizations may also have business-development funding. To assist with grant writing and developing business and risk-management plans, some state departments of natural resources have shooting-sport coordinators who will consult and assist with any range-development project as a public service.

Finally, your proximity to hostile neighbors or housing developments may limit your ability to establish this business. There is some traffic activity and noise, but usually neighbors only hear a slight popping sound when shoots are in underway. However, there always seems to be at least one individual opposed to the activity. Review all local and state ordinances as part of the business-planning process, know your rights and be considerate of your neighbor’s rights.

Marketing
Pricing is an important marketing consideration, especially when trying to establish the business. Value to customer (how “deluxe” are your services), what are the “going rates” in the area and overhead costs to consider (automatic sporting clays courses are expensive to establish and maintain, a simple wobble-skeet field is not). Also, remember that memberships can be sold that guarantee a certain amount of seasonal “up front” operating capital. For example, one Oregon hunting preserve and bed & breakfast retreat center offers sporting clays and 5-stand to both members and non-members. Shoots are by appointment. Member rates are: 5 Stand is $7.50 per 25 targets; Sporting Clays $28.00 per 100 targets. Non-member (walk-in) rates are: 5 Stand is $10.00 per 25 targets; Sporting Clays $40.00 per 100 targets. Annual individual memberships are $175; family memberships are $250. Membership provides other value to the client through breaks on lodging and hunt pricing. Similar examples can be found by simply searching the Internet for hunt clubs and hunting preserves, and then checking their terms and price lists.

Other marketing considerations that can develop into profit centers for clay-target ventures include league shoots, which bring in reliable numbers of shooters on a regular basis. The sale of ammunition, reloading (high-volume shooters reload spent cases so that they can shoot their own tailored loads at a considerable cost savings over factory ammunition) and shooting supplies can be a small profit center. Clubs can purchase ammunition and targets at considerable discounts through seasonal one-time high volume purchases directly from the manufacturer or alpha-level distributor. The difference between this and the going retail price can be partly passed on to club members as a cost-savings service and taken also as a small profit for offering the service. The sale of other merchandise (shirts, caps, vests, food and refreshments) can be important additional products and services that should not be overlooked when developing a business plan.

When promoting a new venue, consider listing it with several of the industry directories, for example, the print publication Black’s Wing and Clay and Waterfowl, or Internet-based sites like the NSSF’s http://www.huntandshoot.org. 

Many states have Teachers in the Outdoors, American Wilderness Leadership School (AWLS), Becoming an Outdoor Woman, 4-H and beginning-hunter programs that are always looking for venues at which to host their training classes and workshops and can be a repeatable and regularly-scheduled source of small groups of pre-registered very active participants who also are potential new clients for other on-farm or on-ranch events. Usually, the demographics of these classes reflect clients who are brought together by their interest in some experience-based participant-driven facet of the sport or natural or rural outdoor activities. More information can be found on this topic by contacting the NSSF, NSSA (also the Sporting Clays governing body) and by consulting Black's Wing & Clay and Waterfowl and similar national directories. A contact list for these and other resources follows at the end of this article.

Risk Management
Have a Plan: With respect to risk management, it is important to consider all safety and liability issues and plan for them with a written risk management plan that has been reviewed by your insurance provider and your attorney. Many insurance providers handle the specialized insurance needs and risk-management planning associated with shooting venues and hunting preserves. They can be found on-line and through printed directories. Also, NSSA and NSSF and similar industry advocacy groups have associated insurance providers who work with their affiliate-members at reasonable rates.

Statistics show that clay-target shooting venues and hunting preserves are extremely safe operations. They usually are attended by seasoned shooters who consider safe gun handling the hallmark of a true sportsperson. The average shooter is well versed in range-safety procedures and will routinely correct others if any unsafe behavior is observed. Of course, nothing should be left to chance. It is important for any venue or event to incorporate safety briefings and signage; as well as the reading and signing of an “indemnification release form,” a “waiver” document that states that a safety briefing has been presented, that reiterates key safety and behavior requirements. Examples of these types of waivers and a discussion of insurance issues can be found on the AgMRC site. Indemnification release forms should be backed up with highly-visual prominently displayed temporary (event) or posted (permanent venue) signage.  Verbiage should include for example:

• Eye and ear protection must be worn at all times in designated areas.
• Firearms should always be pointed in a safe direction.
• Except on the firing line prior to engaging a target, all firearms should be unloaded and the actions should be open. All guns will remain open and void of cartridges, live or spent, at all times, except when the shooter is in position to shoot at the proper shooting yardage and it is their turn to shoot.
• The only time a gun may be closed is when the gun is in the rack or, again, when the shooter is in position to shoot at the proper shooting yardage and it is their turn to shoot.
• Finger off the trigger until a target is called for from the range officer or target “puller.”
• Any shooter who acts in an unsafe manner, as so deemed by the director of the shoot, the range officer or a fellow shooter, will be automatically disqualified from the shoot, forfeiting all round and event registration fees.
• No drug or alcohol use, or discourteous behavior is permitted at any time. Any behavior so deemed by the director of the shoot, the range officer or a fellow shooter will be cause for automatic disqualification from the shoot, and the shooter will be required to leave the premises, forfeiting all round and event-registration fees.

Additional risk-management safety planning should include perimeter “no trespassing, shooting range” signage, and employee training that covers emergency equipment and procedures. Fire-suppression equipment and first aid kits should be visible and readily available with the emergency and non-emergency numbers for local emergency services and law enforcement posted nearby. Any training should include first-aid and CPR training. Shooting accidents are highly unlikely, however, with our aging populations, heart-attack and stroke are all too common, as is dehydration and heat-stroke at any warm-weather event. For these reasons, any agri- or rural-tourism venture of any type should have risk management planning that includes first-aid and CPR training.
 

Additional Information and Sources
Black’s Wing & Clay, Waterfowl

The National Shooting Sports Foundation

The National Skeet Shooting Association

The National Rifle Association of America