New event on clay shooters’ day/night calendar this weekend

This year will see the inaugural 50 target Beef City challenge, which starts at 3pm on Saturday, added to the clay target shooting prizes list.

Nathan Warnock and Miles Bell will take part in the regional day/night competition hosted by Rockhampton Clay Target Shooting Club this weekend

Shooters from as far as Barcaldine and Mackay will gather upriver from the Fitzroy barrage this weekend for the clay target club’s annual day and night event.

This year will see the inaugural 50 target Beef City challenge, which starts at 3pm on Saturday, added to the prizes list.

The events will continue, under lights, into the evening.

For many Central Queensland families, clay target shooting is a sport which adds a social aspect to life on the land.

“You can drive somewhere - Mackay, Gladstone, Blackwater, Biloela - and shoot every weekend if you want to,” said Mark Warnock, a grazier from Morinish.

“My son Mark and I went to Norfolk Island last year and we’re going back next year.”

The Rockhampton Clay Target Shooting Club is nearly 100 years old and its current home, close to the waterski clubs, is an idyllic spot.

The black cockatoos in the trees, and kangaroos grazing on the river banks nearby, seem unperturbed by competitors blasting biodegradable targets out of the sky.

Squads of six line up to shoot down 25 targets per round.

The sport is highly regulated when it comes to the handling, storage and transportation of firearms.

In addition to this weekend’s regional challenge, the Rockhampton Clay Target Club plays host to various social and school events.

Visitors over the age of 11 to their monthly meetings, who don’t have their own shotgun, can arrange to borrow one from the club under strict supervision.