I follow a bright flash of orange against the trees with the barrel of a shotgun as my first clay target sails into the sky. The gun pops back. I miss. Dalton Steed, the instructor standing patiently beside me, reloads the gun as smoke pours from its barrel.
“Just under,” he says.
I call again: “Pull.” A second target is launched from the automatic thrower just a few yards ahead of me. A resounding boom echoes, even through my ear muffs. I miss again.
Steed takes a new shell and loads the gun. “You’re a little high,” he says. “Aim a little lower on it.” I straighten my back, pull the butt of the 20-gauge shotgun tight into my shoulder and call again: “Pull.” This time, the clay disk erupts mid-air in a shower of orange shards.
That moment of satisfaction is what shooters will be chasing at the Colonel Tom Kelly Legends of the Spring Clay Shoot at 9 a.m. Saturday at Camp Seminole, 1367 Sun Creek Road in Starkville. The event, hosted for the second year running by the Natchez Trace Council, will raise funds to support local Boy Scouts of America troops.
“We want a bunch of people to come out here and have a good time so that a whole bunch of kids can come out here and have a good time and not be hindered by the cost,” said Rick Wise, assistant scout executive.
All proceeds go toward supporting the Natchez Trace Council, which serves boy scout troops in Mississippi’s 22 northeast counties. The funds help maintain the scouts’ 280-acre Camp Seminole property, pay staff and keep scouting affordable for youth members.
The weekend begins at 5:30 p.m. Friday with a barbecue dinner prepared in-house. Tickets are $25 per person and include access to a live auction featuring a Weber grill, a Stihl chainsaw, a Stihl tree trimmer, turkey calls and more.
Check-in opens at 8 a.m. Saturday, and shooting begins at 9. Shooters will rotate through 12 stations, firing 100 rounds at a mix of flying pigeons and low-level “rabbit” targets. Entry costs $125 per shooter. While the event is geared toward adults, a youth division will be available for high school-aged shooters.
Participants in this main event can compete individually or in teams of four. Those without a full team will be paired at the stations. Shells for the main event are not provided.
Toby Steed, vice president of fund development and Dalton Steed’s father, said they have about 40 shooters registered for the event but expect to see more Saturday morning.
“We’re hoping for a whole lot more,” Toby Steed said. “… If they show up at 8 o’clock, we register them, we take their money and we let them shoot. Anybody that shows up gets to shoot.”
The Elite Eagle event will immediately follow the main shoot. In this event, two-person teams fire off 60 rounds with shells provided. Entry costs $350 per team. For the full experience, a $900 combo package will include four shooters in the morning event, two in the Elite Eagle and four dinner tickets.
A corporate team option is also available for $700, which includes entry for four shooters, two dinner tickets and company recognition at one of the shooting stations and in the event program.
All registered shooters will be entered into a drawing for an on-site turkey hunt to be held at Camp Seminole this fall.
Following the Elite Eagle event, lunch will be served and awards will be given for best overall team, best shot and top youth group. Winners will receive a small wooden plaque and bragging rights, Toby Steed said.
Wise said the council is entirely self-funded and relies on events like this to support its programs.
“If we were to charge the youth what it takes to maintain this place, a lot of them couldn’t come,” Wise said. “… So we have to offset that cost by bringing a bunch of adults out here to spend some money and shoot, so that we can have the kids out here in the summer learning how to shoot.”
Steed said the goal is to raise $40,000 through the event.
“Just like any nonprofit, we need your support,” Toby Steed said. “You’re supporting the youth of our community.”
In addition to a hot meal, Wise said he’s most looking forward to seeing people enjoy themselves on the property.
“If they have a good time and support the youth at the same time, it’s a win-win situation,” Wise said.
Back on the range, I line up another shot, tracking the clay as it arcs through the canopy. I fire, and another target breaks apart in a scatter of orange. The kick of the shotgun lingers in my shoulder as I walk off the range and long after I’ve stopped firing, along with the satisfaction of hitting three clays by the end of the morning.
“I think you’ve got clay shooting down,” Wise said with a laugh.
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