Stephen Browning likens clay shooting to another addicting sport in which practice is crucial.

”It’s a challenge,” said Browning. ”It’s not the same thing over and over, like trap shooting. With clays, every course is different. It’s like golf. There’s lots of similarities: mental concentration, one person shoots at a time.”

At the Central Oregon Sporting Clays Turkey Shoot last weekend, Browning didn’t win the turkey, but his stellar shooting performance earned him a prize nonetheless.

Browning finished as the high overall shooter, winning a 300-target shoot pass from COSC, valued at $125.

Browning hit 68 of 100 targets, edging out Spencer Ross, who hit 65. Participants shot from five different stations, each station simulating a different pair of game birds, including ducks, pheasant, quail, teal and chukar. The targets are flung high in the air from automatic traps that are activated from a switch that is wired to the traps.

Quick reflexes and hand-eye coordination are crucial for shooters to hit both of their targets at each station. Most shooters use either field-grade hunting guns or actual sporting-clay guns, but any shotgun that holds two shells can be used for sporting clays.

Browning – who lives in Tigard but is spending time in Bend to fill in as a nuclear medicine technologist at Bend Memorial Clinic – began shooting clays 2> years ago with his father, Dale. The two would often pheasant hunt together, but 10 years ago Dale’s arthritis began to limit his walking ability.

”Shooting clays allows us to spend time together and shoot,” Stephen Browning said, ”and he doesn’t have to do all the walking. Besides, you get more shooting in sporting clays than when you’re actually out hunting.”

The raffle prize at the turkey shoot went to Kerry Downs of Bend, who chose products from Fly and Field Outfitters (hat, shooting glasses and ear protection) over the turkey.

Jay Walsh, owner of Central Oregon Sporting Clays, said that most of his clientele is hunters. But he said he also has seen a surge in nonhunters, including some women and teenagers, taking part in sporting clays.

”There’s a lot of women and juniors getting into the sport,” Walsh said. ”Juniors are really coming on strong in sporting clays.”

Browning agrees, and said that playing video games may give teens an advantage.

”Some of these kids are extremely quick,” Browning said. ”Their hand-eye coordination is so fast it’s unbelievable. All those video games are helping.”

One youngster who has taken to the sport is 16-year-old Jason Walsh, Jay’s son. He actually beat his father at the turkey shoot in a playful competition, hitting 35 out of 50 targets, to 34 out of 50 for his dad. And, yes, Jason does play video games occasionally.

”I want to get into it (sporting clays) more,” Jason said. ”I’ve always done it for fun.”

Jay was a little embarrassed to lose to his son, but he was a proud father nevertheless.

”For how little he shoots, he’s progressing pretty fast,” Jay said. ”He has good instinct and quick reflexes.

”It’s a hand-eye coordination sport. Definitely, mechanics are involved, but once you get those down you’ve got to trust your hand-eye coordination and not think about your shot.”

Walsh has owned and operated COSC and the Bend Trap Club – located at 61400 Brosterhous Road in Bend – for 10 years. COSC is a mobile business, and Walsh often travels around the Northwest in his motor home to put on different events.

The trap club and COSC are open from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. today. COSC will hold a two-day, five-stand blitz fun shoot Friday and Saturday. For a $45 entry fee, participants get 100 targets over the two days. Shooters can register in advance by calling Jay Walsh at 382-5663.

COSC also offers private lessons, and Friday afternoons are set aside just for women.

”Part of my business is to get people comfortable with shooting,” Walsh said. ”I want to make it fun and enjoyable, so people aren’t intimidated.”

Mark Morical can be reached at 383-0318 or mmorical@bendbulletin.com.