What is the typical scenario at your house on a holiday? Maybe family members are in the kitchen cooking and some are sneaking in to get a taste of the delicious food? When everything goes in the oven, there’s usually downtime. What do you do during the interim, before sitting down for a holiday meal?
At our house it is a Thanksgiving tradition to have a “shootout” down by the clay thrower. Along with the rest of the family, Hank, LG and I take bets as to who can bust the most clays. It’s a pretty simple and fun game. Below are more shooting range games that families can play. Please remember that safety is paramount:
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Annie Oakley
“Annie Oakley” can be played with any number of safety-minded shooters. In this game, shotgun shooters compete in breaking clay targets before the clays hit the ground. Competitors can use any gauge shotguns that are agreed upon. Because of the speed of the game, shotguns cannot be shared. Each of the competitors will need to have their own gun.
Competitors stand at the shooting line with their shotguns loaded and ready to shoot. When everyone is ready, the first one in line yells, “pull.” The shooter then swings and shoots at the clay. If the clay remains unbroken, the next shooter in line can also attempt to shoot the clay. The second shooter cannot shoot before the first shooter, but if the first shooter misses, the second can shoot the clay, taking the first shooter out of the game.
If the first shooter does hit the clay, the second shooter can still attempt to bust a piece of the clay. Hitting a piece of the first shooter’s clay will also put him or her out of the game. If the second shooter fires before the first shooter, regardless of whether they bust the clay or not, he or she is disqualified.
Hank, LG and Mia are ready for a family style shooting. Photo courtesy of Chris Liby
Shooting Golf
If any of you have ever played golf, you understand that the player with the lowest score wins. In “Shooting Golf,” the highest score wins. This is a fun game that can be played with bows, or suitable firearms. For this game, my family shoots .22 rifles or pistols, so family members of all ages can enjoy the fun.
For this game, you need bows and arrows, or firearms and ammunition. In addition, to avoid family disputes, be sure to have bull’s-eye style targets and a notepad and pen to keep score. If you don’t have factory targets, you can pinch a fancy paper plate from the buffet line and draw a bull’s-eye on the back of it.
“Shooting Golf” is a game that can be played with all of the shooters lined up at the firing line, or with the shooters firing one at a time from the same bench or location. The object is to get a “hole-in-one” i.e., a bull’s-eye, with each shot. Depending on the sizes of magazines your firearms hold, the shooter gets to empty the entire magazine (or quivers, if using bows and arrows) before assessing the shots and determining the score.
Scoring for golf is pretty easy. Many factory targets have the score numbers listed on the targets. Add up the points from each shot on the score pad. Any shots that are touching a line will be given the higher number score. After all of the shooters have emptied their magazines, the shooter with the highest score wins.
Holidays are a great times to get the entire family out on the shooting range.
Turkey Shoot
A “Turkey Shoot” is a suitable Thanksgiving Day game that is fun for shooters of all experience levels. “Turkey Shoot” is a simple point-and-shoot game. Your family may compete for bragging rights, or maybe who gets to have the wishbone from this year’s turkey. You decide the prize, and the game will be more fun.
For the turkey shoot, you will need turkey-head silhouette targets, a shotgun of any gauge and appropriate shells. If your turkey-head targets don’t have an “X” or “bull’s-eye” location marked on ithem, use a pen or marker to add your own.
Shooters will stand approximately 20 yards from the targets and try to hit the “X” or “bull’s-eye.” The shooter that is closest to the “X” is the winner.
Just don’t shoot the pet turkey!
Both LG and I wish you the happiest of holidays. We hope you will be spending quality family time together.
*Always practice safety when shooting firearms or archery equipment.
The Women's Outdoor News, aka The WON, features news, reviews and stories about women who are shooting, hunting, fishing and actively engaging in outdoor adventure. This publication is for women, by women. View all posts by The WON
