There are many shooting sports that place their focus on shotguns. These activities include trap, skeet, sporting clays and a variety of derivative sports.
Information about these sports are available from many resources.
- Amateur Trap Association (ATA)
- National Skeet Shooting Association (NSSA)
- National Sporting Clays Association (NSCA)
- Trap & Field Magazine
The Amateur Trapshooting Association serves as the governing body for the sport of American style trapshooting. The ATA not only governs the sport’s rules and regulations, but also seeks ways to enhance the sport and stimulate participation. The ATA provides trophies, financial assistance and event management support to the state and provincial associations. The ATA has also been instrumental in developing programs to increase interest in the sport with its creation of National Trapshooting Day, Satellite Grand Americans, Achievement Recognition and other valuable programs. The ATA was founded in 1900 as the American Trapshooting Association and later changed to the Amateur Trapshooting Association in 1923. The ATA is composed of individual members, with two classifications of membership – life and annual. Only life members can hold office within this organization.
Founded in 1928, the National Skeet Shooting Association is a non-profit organization owned and operated by its members. The NSSA is dedicated to the development of the sport at all levels of participation and vows to create an atmosphere of healthy competition and meaningful fellowship within its membership. Shooters who want to compete can enter fun shoots and skeet shooting tournaments. The NSSA also offers the hunter a recreational target shooting sport that will strengthen hunting and gun safety skills and extend “hunting” seasons. The term “skeet” refers to an old Scandinavian word meaning “to shoot.” It stands for a competitive target shooting sport that was invented in America in 1920 by several Massachusetts men who wanted to improve their aim before hunting season. Their system of simulating the flight pattern of live birds with the use of hand-propelled, inanimate targets began as a spirited game between hunters. Today, a modern version of that game has become an international sport in its own right ‹ for hunters and non-hunters alike. It is the fun of the game and the thrill of marksmanship that unites all skeet shooters.
Founded in 1989, the National Sporting Clays Association is a non-profit organization. The NSCA is dedicated to the development of the sport at all levels of participation and vows to create an atmosphere of healthy competition and meaningful fellowship within its membership. Shooters who wish to compete can enter sporting clays tournaments and be competitive immediately. The NSCA also offers the hunter a recreational target shooting sport that will strengthen hunting and gun safety skills and extend “hunting” seasons. Sporting Clays is the closest thing to actual field shooting of all shotgun sports. The sport dates back to England in the early 1900s when trap shooting used live pigeons. With the introduction of clay targets, the sport began to take on the popular form known today. But rather than using standardized distances, target angles and target sizes, sporting clays courses are designed to simulate the hunting of ducks, pheasants and even rabbits. Six different sizes of clay targets give the participant the experience of actual hunting conditions, so you can see why the sport is so popular with hunters.