This past weekend, boyfriend and I sought entertainment outside the heart of Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina.  He’s an avid marksman and outdoor enthusiast, so I wanted to find something fun that would make up for dragging him down to my friend’s southern wedding during the peak of the holiday season.  Deep River Sporting Clays was our answer.

Raleigh-Durham is probably best known for college basketball.  On a stretch of the famous “Tobacco Road,” the area is home to Duke University, UNC and North Carolina State, with Wake Forest not too far away.  Attending a game wasn’t an option for us.  As an alumna and loyal fan of Wake Forest University, it would’ve been difficult – if not impossible – to cheer for either the Tar Heels or the Blue Devils.  So we looked outside the city limits for something to do.

Deep River Sporting Clays is located 45 miles southwest of the North Hills area of Raleigh.  The cool thing about their complex is how vast it is.  They are set up with a one mile, 13-station course, and each station has clays flying from different angles, at different speeds and even scurrying across the ground.  The ground targets were my favorite – they were slower with more surface area to aim for, and therefore were easier to hit.

Deep River made it very easy for us as visitors – they supplied our gun, ammunition, ear protection and even a “Lowes Branded” apron for us to carry our shells (although true to form, I dragged my Marc Jacobs bag to every station – a lady never knows when she needs her purse…).  Visitors need to bring their own eye protection: hunting goggles, sunglasses or eye glasses will do.  Our guide was extremely helpful (especially to me as a beginner), and I felt unbelievably comfortable with a shotgun within minutes.

At the end of the course, I was 4 of 50, while boyfriend hit about 20 targets.  In a way, the experience reminded me of golf.  With shotguns.  I have a ton of respect for the experienced marksmen that were out there shooting clays out of the sky with surgical precision.    I doubt I’ll ever be that good, but hope that next time I make it out, I’ll hit more than 8%.

Visitor’s Tip – check out the Deep River’s on site store.  The rifles on display seem to be almost museum quality, with elegant, elaborate engravings and beautiful hand carved details.

Image Courtesy of Deep River Sporting Clays