Gary C's HFT Report

Gary Chillingworth reports on the Mile Oak ‘Welcome Back’ Shoot and 2019 Southern Hunters

- Gary Chillingworth

It has now been more than six months since many of us have shot competitively. A few of us have been lucky enough to shoot in our gardens, and a few people have been able to meet and shoot together, but a proper, full on competition has been only a dream.

Luckily, Charles Peel, the Air Arms Team Captain and Supreme Overlord of Mile Oak shooting club has spent time looking into the rules about gatherings and competitions and with some work, on Sunday the 23rd we were able to have our first shoot of the year.

To make the shoot Covid-safe, the numbers were restricted to two sessions of 30 shooters each, to comply with government guidelines, and there were 30 pegs with groups of two to a peg who were keeping a metre apart, and the shooters were able to leave a clear peg between them and the group in front and behind. The pegs themselves were pieces of covered rebar, and each shooter was given a plastic sleeve to place over them; each shooter was also given a string-puller. The supported standing and kneeling shots were taken using metal scaffolding poles instead of trees, and between each shooter using them, the poles were cleaned.