Upland bird shooters spend time on the Quail Walk which offer clay targets thrown to simulate wild birds much like the popular Sporting Clays game. At the 1989 National Championships, a total of 32 aggregate awards were presented for different types of competition, and the number of individual matches far exceeded that number. Rifle targets vary from the primitive X target to the standard X-ring targets with one inch bullseye and Scheutzen 200 yard target with its two inch bull. Metallic silhouette targets are shot on a course like that used in regular rifle competition, but utilize shapes of crow, groundhog, buffalo, turkey and bear at ranges between 50 and 200 yards. Primitive matches may offer paper silhouettes of antique bottles, or the shooter may try his hand at hitting the edge of an axe with a lead ball, splitting the ball and breaking clay targets on each side of the blade.
Distances vary and are at the discretion of the range officers.
Unlike today's modern shotgun, rifle and pistol matches which generally offer strict outlines concerning calibers, gauges and loads, muzzleloading matches stress individuality. Powder weights vary from shooter to shooter and from match to match. Riflemen use differing patch material ranging from pillow ticking to precut linen, and lubricants may be anything from a space age synthetic to saliva. Shotgunners may stick with a basic volume of powder to the same volume of shot, or they may tailor weigh to produce a definite and desired shot pattern at a given yardage. These are shooters' games and those who know the specific quirks of their firearms score well.