Shotguns

On December 10, 2024, after leaving the dentist in Tallahassee, Florida at 4:07 PM following a routine visit, I never anticipated that, several hours later, after years of resignation or perhaps even apathy, I’d draw the proverbial line in the sand at the Walmart in Thomasville, Georgia.

My intentions were mundane. After the dentist, visit either Bass Pro or Academy Sports in Tallahassee, both about six minutes away, to buy a large box of .22 long-rifle bullets. My wife wanted to start pistol lessons with her new Beretta Bobcat. And while shopping for the .22s, I’d check out prices on shotgun shells – in particular 12-gauge, 1⅛-ounce, #8s, which is the only load I shoot simply because anything smaller undermines my confidence as an average recreational clays shooter. Call me crazy, or insecure, perhaps superstitious, but what can I tell you?

Here’s the good news: the Ranges at Oakfield in Thomasville, Georgia is only seven minutes from the Shotgun Life office. And the bad news? The skeet, trap and five-stand face south, which means that, just about any time of the day, you’re shooting directly into the tropical South Georgia sun.

Development of the Ranges at Oakfield began in 2014, as a collaboration between Thomas County and the Georgia Department of Natural Resources. The Georgia DNR played a critical role in determining the viability of the project through exhaustive environmental and community impact studies. When the Ranges at Oakfield finally opened in October 2020, clays shooters were taken aback that they would be shooting into the sun. The explanation was simple: had the fields been facing in most any other direction residential noise abatement or proximity to County Farm Road probably would have spiked the project.

As an avid clays shooter, I enjoy spending summer days on the shooting course with my friends. Recently, the increasing heat waves and alarming rise of heat strokes reported at outdoor sporting events or religious gatherings have made us all more aware of potential heat-related health risks. This prompted me to look for ways to optimize safety and performance when clay shooting in extreme heat and humidity.