Today's Wingshooting World & Things You Can Do Close to Home with John Wiles of BestWingshooting.com

There's a saying used by wing and clay target enthusiasts that goes like this. You can never have enough shotguns. There's a lot of truth to that statement, but it today's world, getting those shotguns might not be as easy as you might expect. This is especially true of the guns manufactured in Europe. This week Marty welcomes Jon Reddout, GM of Intellicase, the exclusive distributor of for Negrini Cases in the U.S. Negrini is located in northern Italy, which also happens to be where many of the best Italian shotguns are manufactured. Marty and Jon will discuss the state of the gunmaking industry during the Covid-19 virus pandemic. Jon will also provide us with some information on the production at Negrini. In addition Marty and Jon will showcase some great Negrini products. Marty will also have the latest Wing & Clay News, which will include a surprise of two this week.

Without question the world as we have known it has changed over the past few weeks. The great international wing and clay target trips we discuss are at a standstill. Travel in America is at best at a crawl. This week Marty welcomes an old friend, John Wiles, to the show to discuss the state of the international wingshooting world as well as to discuss the latest craze for the wing and clay shooter - simulated driven. The simulated driven game started in the UK as real birds got too expensive. The shoots take on the same royalty treatment, but the birds are replaced by clay targets - thousands of them. John will have a great perspective on what's going on in the world and his understanding of the simulated driven shooting will be eye opening. In addition to that conversation, Marty will have the latest Wing & Clay News as well as a few tips on what you can do for wing and clay practice at home.

We're living in interesting times. The virus pandemic has the world literally at a standstill, but the wing and clay target world still has some legs. This week Marty catches up with Alex Becker from Etowah Valley Game Preserve in north Georgia and Greg Elliott, father of Team USA member Christian Elliott. We'll talk wingshooting and how things are progressing in the hunting preserve industry with Alex. In that conversation we'll get an update on how the current season went and talk about the '20-21 season as well. Then we'll switch gears and get a parent's and coach's perspective from Greg Elliott. Greg's son Christian just went through a grueling Olympic trial in hopes of making the 2020 Olympic team as a skeet shooter. Greg is also a certified Olympic coach, so his thoughts on his family's journey toward an Olympic berth will be most informative. Marty will also have the latest from the Wing & Clay industry. Great show with lots of useful information.

There are lots of shooting instructors throughout the world these days, but not many true teachers. This week Marty welcomes a shooting teacher to he show in David Dobson, the Head Coach of the Jacksonville University Shooting Team. As we have noted on prior Wing & Clay Nation episodes, clay target shooting is the fastest growing scholastic and collegiate sport in America. David Dobson has been teaching shooters since 1998, and in 2009 he founded the Jacksonville University Shooting Team. Over the years, the team has had remarkable success with numerous individual national champions in trap, skeet and sporting clays as well as divisional national championships for the overall team. Marty and David will discuss at length the rise in collegiate clay target shooting as well as how David turned JU into a national power. Marty will also have the latest Wing & Clay News from across the industry as well as updates on upcoming wing and clay target events.

Make no mistake, a well trained hunting dog is one of a wingshooter's treasures. This week, Marty visits with Pete Fischer, a former professional dog trainer who is now the gun dog consultant for Dogtra, one of Wing & Clay Nation radio's sponsor/partners. Pete brings a lifetime of hunting dog experience to the show, and he and Marty will get deeply into the nuts and bolts of training dogs to be the best hunting companions possible. We will talk breeds, training tips, discuss the Dogtra product line and much, much more. If you've got a gun dog, this show will be filled with great information you can use. In addition to Pete Fischer and Dogtra, Marty will have the latest Wing & Clay News from the industry and showcase current and future major clay target competitions. This will be a great show with lots of useful information to help you and your canine hunting companion both in and away from the field.

This week Marty brings noted shotshell ballistics expert Tom Roster back to the Wing & Clay Nation hotseat. Marty and Tom will discuss shotshell reloading, lead and non-lead pellet lethality, the recent total lead ban for all ammo in California and much, much more. In addition to Tom Roster, Marty will have the latest Wing & Clay News from around the industry, showcase clay target events and preview upcoming clay target competitions and consumer shows of interest to the wing and clay target enthusiast. This show will be a must listen for all hunters and shooters who reload their personal ammo for clays, birds, waterfowl, turkey etc.

Without question the fastest growing segment of the clay target industry is found in youth shooting. It is easy to see that the high school and college clay target shooting programs, air rifle and small bore rifle shooting is at an all time high, as there are far more youth shooters on ranges these days than ever before. This week Marty welcomes Scott Reynolds, the new Executive Director of the Midway USA Foundation. This Foundation started by Larry and Brenda Potterfield has donated tens of millions of dollars to youth shooting programs from junior high through college. In 2019 the Foundation paid grants to almost 3,000 school, 4-H and Scholastic Clay Target Program teams. The teams have skin in the game too and Marty and Scott will provide a full breakdown as to how the Foundation endowment grants work. Marty will have the latest Wing & Clay News from the industry and info on major clay shoots as well.

This week Marty welcomes Jason Beard from The KT Team, Inc to the show. Jason was paralyzed from the neck down in a diving incident in 1995, but he has moved his life forward including a passion for hunting. He and hunting partner Kerry Terrell founded The KT Team in 2018. The organization provides outdoor experiences for physically challenged individuals, including wing and clay target shooting. Marty and Jason will discuss the challenges these hunts and excursions pose to KT Team volunteers. Marty will also have the latest wing and clay industry news as well as updates on recently completed and future clay target events across the country. This will be a great show with important information you can use.

Thiis week Marty welcomes Casey Rennert , the owner of Renair Shotgun Sports and developer of the new age Claybot to the show. The Claybot is a revolutionary mechanical system that allows shooters to change target presentations during practice sessions with the push of a button. The system literally allows for any target presentation that the trap machine is capable of throwing. The system is on wheels and is motorized so the trap can be moved to a different position, again with the push of a button. Renair has a number of models of the Claybot and Marty and Casey will provide a full rundown of the products. In addition to the Claybot, Marty will have the latest Wing & Clay News from around the industry and showcase some recent and upcoming major clay target shooting events. Should be a great show with lots of useful information.

This week on Wing & Clay Nation radio, Marty welcomes Dogtra pro trainer Wes Chester from Shady Acres Retrievers to the show. Marty and Wes will talk about how to get the most from your gun dog through proper training techniques as well has how to get a new dog started the right way. In addition to the Wes interview, Marty will also have the latest news from the Wing & Clay industry as well as a report on some major clay target events happening around the country.