[ SUNDAY TRAVEL ]

LANAI PINE SPORTING CLAYS
Shooters at Lanai Pine Sporting Clays fire at targets that range
in size from two to four inches in diameter and emulate the
movements of a variety of game.

Sporting clays offers a taste
of the thrill of hunting, without
any of the bloodshed

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By Cheryl Chee Tsutsumi
Special to the Star-Bulletin

From out of a grove of Australian pines, a pheasant flies, arching gracefully over an untamed expanse of pampas grass and lantana brush. Rifle cocked, I track it ... track it ... take aim and fire! Bulls-eye! The clay target shatters and falls to the ground. I'm a modern-day Annie Oakley and loving every minute of it.

Nestled on the north side of Lanai on the plains of Mahana, Lanai Pine Sporting Clays offers four clay target-shooting disciplines on a 15-acre site that opens to spectacular views of Maui and Molokai across the Auau Channel.

LANAI PINE SPORTING CLAYS Address: P.O. Box 630310, Lanai City, HI 96763 Phone: (808) 559-4600 Price: Package A (100 targets) is $145 per person. Package B (50 targets) is $85 person. Both packages include gun and cartridges, vest, eye protection, foam ear protection and cart (participants also may choose to walk the course). A 45-minute introductory class is $75 per person, including 25 cartridges and targets. Private lessons and group shooting rates are available upon request. With the exception of the introductory class, a 30 percent discount is offered to kamaaina. Hours: 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. daily Web site: http://www.islandoflanai.com

Trap, the oldest clay target sport, is shot on a regulation field with five stations facing one trap that launches clay targets in random patterns.

Skeet offers eight shooting stations and two trap launchers, one low and the other high, at opposite ends of a field.

Compact sporting offers five stations with eight launchers.

These disciplines employ standardized distances and target angles. Sporting clays, on the other hand, introduces the challenges of varying terrain and targets. At Lanai Pine Sporting Clays, marksmen take aim at 14 stations, 12 of which are in play at any one time. You do not have to have shooting experience to enjoy the sport.

With more than 10 million enthusiasts worldwide, sporting clays originated in England in the 1880s, when hunting pheasants was a popular pastime of noblemen. During that time the clay pigeon was developed, enabling hunters to hone their skills year round, not just during hunting season. As a result, shooting schools opened throughout the country to satisfy the growing demand for practice facilities and shooting lessons.

The schools built shooting stations equipped with traps and towers that ejected clay targets simulating the flight patterns of real birds.

Thus, sporting clays was born. By 1927 it had become so popular that the first British Open Sporting Clays Championship was held in London. Over the next 50 years, the sport gained popularity in the United States.

LANAI PINE SPORTING CLAYS
Lanai Pine Sporting Clays offers state-of-the-art equipment
and a setting amid the scenic beauty of a pine forest.

With environmental conservation, including the preservation of wildlife, being a concern these days, sporting clays provides a humane alternative to hunting while satisfying the marksman's appetite for surprise and challenge. Today, most courses use clay targets of six different sizes (ranging from 2 to 4 inches in diameter) that travel at various speeds and resemble the movements of live game such as rabbit, pheasant, chukar and duck.

Dennis Rapp, manager of Lanai Pine Sporting Clays, believes "sporting clays is a great family activity because everyone can do it. It doesn't require a lot of physical strength, and for this reason the ladies especially enjoy it once they become accustomed to holding the gun."

"With the correct instruction, you can be breaking clay targets in a matter of minutes."

Rapp says children are welcome as long as they are able to understand and follow instructions, hold the gun up for one minute and can shoot it. There is no minimum age requirement; each individual case is assessed by the instructor.

A sporting clays teacher since 1987, Rapp has attained the rank of Level 3 instructor, the National Sporting Clays Association's highest standing.

"I got into the sport because I found it to be fun and challenging," he said. "The thrill for me is to pick up a shotgun and be able to hit targets consistently. It's also fun to compete against other shooters at different ranges in the country."

Rapp has managed Lanai Pine Sporting Clays, the only resort course in Hawaii, for 412 years.

"What's great about this facility is that it's associated with two world-class resorts, the Lodge at Koele and the Manele Bay Hotel," he said. "It's one of the finest sporting clays courses in the country because of its state-of-the-art equipment and its setting amid the scenic beauty of the pine forest. People travel around the course in golf carts specifically designed to hold the shotguns, so we describe the experience as 'golf with a shotgun.'"