Shawn McQuerulous shoots pretty well and many of his buddies and squad mates think he could become a real threat and in a lot more shootoffs if he would acquire more composure about the variability of the skeet game.
Shawn somehow sees to find something to complain about at most matches, and never keep his pique under his hat, but insists on sharing it with everyone within hearing. Some find it odd that he does have shooting buddies!
At any rate, early spring (late winter?) shooting has its problems, and this time it turned out that bird adjustment was what pushed McQuerulous over his (always close) edge.
His club's first shoot is always their Easter Bunny Open and although the grass had started to green and no snow was in evidence, a brisk but variable high- house-to-low-house breeze was blowing. Not surprisingly, some of the high houses were a bit flat and fast and some of the low houses caught the wind and took a sudden sail upwards and almost seemed to stop.
McQuerulous and his buddies watched the squad ahead of them finish and asked the birds to be hooped before they even started. The high house went through the bottom of the hoop and the low house through the top of the hoop.
Putting their heads together, the squad debated asking for adjustment, but their referee, Susan Unrufled, pointed out, if the current breeze died just a bit, they might be suddenly looking a high house above the hoop and a low house below it! So Shawn's squad mates discouraged any change and he agreed.
Don't believe that all this was going to keep Shawn happy. During the first round, as a Class A shooter, he managed to miss both high 4 and the high 4 option, and looked very grim going into the second round.
Starting round two he remained straight to station 3 and then suddenly missed the high house. McQ stopped and stared after the bird as it settled intact into the distant grass. "Look at that demned thing" he said, "it passed the distance stake at least 7 yards before it hit the ground. That's clearly an illegal bird and most of our high houses have been going that distance since I started checking. That shouldn't be a lost bird and I want the speed adjusted before I even take another shot. It's going way too fast!"
WHAT'S YOUR CALL?
1) Lost bird? 2) Squad gets bird adjustments?
Well, Shawn has been shooting far too long to have any excuse for his first complaint. Lost bird? Of course. Pretty simple, Rule III-C-6. No claim or irregularity shall be allowed ... where the target or targets were actually fired upon and alleged irregularity consists of deviation from the prescribed line of flight, ... unless the referee had distinctly called no bird prior to the firing of the shot ... if the shooter fires, the result shall be scored.
He shot at the bird and missed it [without any legal interference occurring] = lost bird.
His second demand is less obvious but I don't think his squad has any right to demand speed adjustments in the situation described. Consider Rule I-F: RECOMMENDED PROCEDURE FOR SETTING DISTANCE ON TARGETS. ... Once this setting is made [under "no wind" conditions], ... The prevailing wind during a shoot may cause the target to fall far short or long, but they are legal targets providing they pass through the setting hoop.
With a following breeze of only 20 mph, the normal 55 mph speed of the high house bird will be over 70 mph! No wonder Shawn had a problem, but that's what our sport is all about. When he really accepts this, and learns to adjust his shooting to field conditions instead of griping, then maybe he'll start shooting more twos at low eight!
WYC #53
