Surprise is always just that.  Sometime it produces laughter, as it seems to be an essential element of most humor.  Other times it makes us react abruptly without time for any real thought process.  Reflexively, as it were.  On the skeet range surprise does not always produce the intended or desirable result.

 

Consider this one.  Steve Quickcaller was having a good time with his buddies at the annual fall Hunter's Open at his club.  And perhaps had been shooting some low gun, sporting clays and report doubles in preparation for the hunting season.  Steve always calls for his second bird almost the instant he shoots the first.  The referee has to get his thumb ready the instant the first bird is thrown.

 

His first two rounds in the 20 gauge were uneventful, and down only two birds.  He got all the way to station 7 singles on the third round, was still straight this round. He loaded two shells and called for his station 7 high house.

 

As he swung with the bird it seemed to him that it veered sharply to grossly outside of the center stake.  He smacked it hard however, lifted his head and started to say,  "Gee, that was a wild bird"

 

All he got out of his mouth however was, "Ge...", and the referee instantly threw the station 7 low house!  Almost reflexively, Steve slapped his head back down and snapped off a shot at the low house bird before it even reached the center stake.... but missed it!  He stared after the bird as it sailed intact past the far distance stake, shook his head and laughed.  Just as the referee said, "Lost, option please"

 

Steve immediately protested, "Hey," he said "I wasn't calling for a low house,, all I was doing was starting to comment on how wild the high house looked."

 

What's your call?   Interesting calls frequently catch odd occurrences and this one is no exception.  And a lot depends upon the details [like life!], but in this case I think that the referee, our friend Bill DeThumb is totally correct.  Rule III-A-14: Lost target  A target from which in the sole judgment of the referee no visible piece is broken as a result of having been fired upon.  

 

Clearly, if Steve were a single shell loader and always had to dismount his gun and reload for the second bird, the referee would certainly be justified in accepting his explanation and giving him a repeat of the low house.  But in that case he wouldn't have been able to fire at it.  Or if he had been clearly dismounting and/or had his gun broken before he made his "Ge.." then the justification for a repeat would be more reasonable.  [Although I might still give him a safety warning]

 

Steve Quickcaller however, was just that, frequently calling for his second target on singles while still in the follow through from the first bird, particularly on stations 1 and 7.  This being the case, when he fired at the low house 7, I think the referee was entirely correct in his "lost bird" call.

 

Perhaps his reflexes got the best of him and he just couldn't resist shooting at the "free bird" in front of him, but when he fired at it, I think he bought the result!  Had he withheld his fire, and explained to the referee that he was just starting to comment on the flight of the high house target, then the referee might reasonably have given him the benefit of the doubt and not called it a balk.  III-A-10. Balk  Failure to fire at a regular target or double due to the fault of the shooter.  I think most would have done so.  In this case, sorry, lost bird!.