Shooting: Club caters for its target audience

Shooters line up at an open day. Photo/Supplied

Shooting in Northland is a sport which probably doesn't get as much profile as it should. After all, we have some pretty handy shooters scattered around the region. The Whangarei Combined Gun Club is the biggest club in Northland, and explained the current shooting environment to the Advocate ...

How strong is the Whangarei Combined Gun Club in terms of numbers?

The club has 50 members in a range of super veterans 70 years plus, veterans 60 years plus, juniors from 13-18 years at the time of the shoot, ladies and also the club has special members who have exceeded 80 years of age. These age groups are the same for all national events, island and provincial shoots.

What is the state of shooting in Northland currently?

Whangarei is the biggest club in the north but the other clubs - Whatitiri, Dargaville, Kaikohe, Kaeo and Kaitaia - all have very capable shooters who compete on the national stage very well. At the recent North Island competition the five-man Northland team won the shoulder-to-shoulder provincial shoot. Our juniors do very well when they travel to the New Zealand and Island Secondary School competition where there could be up to 300 shooters.

When does your season normally run from? What are the big events for you throughout the season?

Clay target shooting is a year-round sport. Rain and wind do affect the flight of targets to a degree with the winter time meaning shooters have to rug up a bit more. Whangarei holds the Northland Provincials which is a national shoot in June. This is a two-day event with shooters coming from many clubs in the North Island numbering 50 odd for the Saturday events and 70 for Sunday's shoot. The club also holds the Northland Districts in November.

If someone new came along, what is it that they would enjoy the most?

The chance to find out that using firearms in a proper and controlled environment is not as dangerous as it's made out to be. Once they are shown what to do correctly, then getting on the mark, firing the gun [which does not throw you backwards], finding then that their shoulder does not hurt and they can do what is needed to actually hit the target. Finally hitting it right in the middle, most will yell with joy, then find disappointment when they miss the next one.

How does someone new join up? Do you need any special licence or anything like that?

The Whangarei Combined Gun Club is listed in the phone book yellow pages under Sports Club and Associations or we shoot on the first Sunday of the month at McAllister's Rd, Mangapai, where visitors are most welcome to come and watch. Shooters need a firearms licence to be able to keep them at home and also to purchase ammunition.