How many shells do I need for a round of trap?

One box of 25 is exactly one round of singles or handicap. Bring two boxes for doubles (50 targets), and most shooters keep a spare box in the bag for re-shot no-birds and a second round.

What is a good trap score for a beginner?

Most new shooters break 10-15 of 25 in their first rounds. Hitting 20 consistently is a solid club shooter; 24s and 25s are competition territory. Track every round and watch the average climb - improvement in trap is very visible.

What does "dead" and "lost" mean in trap?

Dead means a visible piece broke off the target - it counts as a hit. Lost means the target flew on unbroken, even if you dusted it. Scores are recorded as dead or lost for each of the 25 birds.

How to Score Trap Shooting

A round of American trap is 25 targets. Five shooters stand at five posts arced 16 yards behind a trap house that throws clays away from the line at varying angles. Each shooter calls "pull," takes one shot at one bird, and the call moves down the line. After five shots at a post, everyone rotates one post to the right, and the round ends when every shooter has taken five shots from all five posts - 25 apiece.

What counts as a hit

A target is scored dead (a hit) when a visible piece breaks off the clay. Dust alone doesn't count - if the bird sails on whole, it's scored lost. A broken target out of the house is a no-bird and gets re-thrown, as does a bird thrown before your call. Only dead or lost goes on the sheet: 25 boxes per shooter, one per bird.

The three trap events

Singles - the standard game from the 16-yard line, one shot per bird.
Handicap - the same game shot from farther back. Better shooters earn longer yardage, up to the 27-yard line. See trap handicap yardage explained.
Doubles - the house throws two birds at once and you shoot both, 25 pairs for a 50-target event.

Keeping score without the clipboard

Paper sheets work until you want to know more than one number. Which post do you drop birds on? Do you fade late in a round? What's your true average this season - not the one round you remember? A scoring app answers those the moment you save.

In Smoke 'Em you tap each bird as it's called - dead or lost, glove-friendly targets, from any starting post - and your scorecard always reads straight. Save the round and your per-post hit rates land on a field heat map, your average updates, and a 25-straight stamps a trophy with the round that earned it. See how it works.