Explore Biltmore’s Great Outdoors

Out in an open field on the Biltmore Estate’s property, firearm instructor Dale Klug coaches me through the first steps of learning how to follow a moving target. 

“Have you ever missed something you’re trying to point at,” Klug asks. 

“Well, no,” I say. 

“Exactly,” Klug replies with a smile. 

I call for the clay, which launches up from the grass ahead and arcs into the air, and follow its path with my finger pointed out ahead of me. 

Pointing at the clay is easy enough as it moves slowly across the sky. Klug hands me a sleek Beretta 686 Onyx 29 gauge over and under to repeat the pointing exercise with my sights aligned down the barrel. The goal is to look beyond the tip of the gun and to the target as it sails along. Previously, all my targets have been stationary. Learning how to move my body and the shotgun as a unit is slightly awkward; but, after two more dry runs Klug loads a shell.

“Pull?” I call with a measure of trepidation. 

I fire, miss, but shake it off with a grin. The gun’s recoil is minimal and therefore my confidence is bolstered. Klug reloads the gun, and I call for another clay. 

“Pull.”

The clay rises, crests and just begins to turn downward to the right when I fire. My shot hits the target, and cheering erupts from the small crew of N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission officers who are watching. 

Klug, a retired, military air traffic controller for 22 years, excels as an instructor with his calm, purposeful demeanor. His auburn mustache curls up toward his intently focused eyes, which watch students just as closely as they watch targets. With each shot he pinpoints exactly what the student did incorrectly. An off-target shot brings a smile and a question that comes more as a statement.

“You didn’t even see the target did you?” 

I laugh and confess, “No, I didn’t.”

Which isn’t to say that the shot was sent wildly into the air. Hitting the target requires more than just a general sense of its existence, so the word “see” in this case means locate, follow and focus. It’s a process that goes slowly at first, but gradually becomes more natural. 

At the next station the clay comes whizzing along from the far left. Its speed seems more like a torpedo than a bird. It takes a few extra shots before I can lock in and make contact with the clay as it heads into the trees. 

The final station brings two challenges – a clay rabbit that bounces across the ground with unpredictable hops and a speedy, airborne clay that comes from behind and to the right. The first two rabbit clays bounce past without a shot fired, and I laugh as I aim again. An on-target shot draws more cheers from the wildlife officers. 

After two and a half hours on the range, I am smiling, tired and slightly sore in the arms and shoulders. Klug and the wildlife officers encourage me, if I’m really interested, to go ahead and take a course that would allow me to engage in the sport more regularly. Shooting clays can be a precision-based, solitary activity or it can lead to hunting fowl in the field. Either way, it’s a sport that depends more on one’s focus than on one’s physical abilities, which I find appealing. 

The shooting clay range is one of several outdoor activities offered at the Biltmore Estate. Other ways to explore the estate’s sprawling acreage include by bike, carriage ride, Segway, or on foot. The more adventurous also may choose to go fly-fishing, river rafting, horseback riding or head off-road in a Land Rover to learn how to tackle tough terrain — kids can even get behind the wheel of a mini Land Rover for their own dirt track ride. Reservations are required for all activities, and estate admission is required in addition to the activity’s cost.

Regardless of how one explores the Biltmore Estate’s grounds, the outdoor activities are not to be missed. Call 800.411.3812 for more information.