Partners in Progress 2020 | Page 83

boy ended up killing 29 out of 30 birds. He was Johnny on the Spot. Shot better than his daddy.” What’s a hunter to do in the off seasons? Hyatt Farms has the answer. Hyatt Farms is one of NC’s premiere clay shooting facilities and is also one of the newest, it was opened in May, 2019. I spoke to their general manager, Evan Sharp. “From September to January, we don’t get many hunters because they’re out in the field. During non-hunting seasons, they’re out here all the time,” said Sharp, “People will do a little warm up before duck and dove season starts.” Most skeet shooting courses are located on wide open fields. Hyatt Farms wanted to do something a little different. “We kinda took a different turn with our first course and wanted to make it more unique and set it in the woods,” said Sharp. There are even rabbit targets out there that bounce off the ground like a rabbit.” One could be forgiven in believing that hunting and shooting is just a man’s sport, but that outlook is quickly changing. “There’s a few women’s groups that come out here,” said Sharp, “One of them is GRITS, which stand for Girls Really Into Shooting. They travel all around the area. They shoot in SC, NC, and Va. It’s definitely growing with women shooting and hunting. It’s a good thing, too. We like to see the whole family, not just father and son, but father, son, wife, and daughters come out and have a fun time as a whole family.” Kiker and Carpenter have made similar observations. “I probably have a dozen or so other women who come to quail hunt with us annual. I feel like you are seeing more and more women shooting sporting clays,” said Kiker. “We have lots of ladies and young girls that hunt with us,” said Carpenter. “The increase in females hunting has really increased in the last ten years. We see an increase every year. A lot of the ladies can outshoot the guys.” Anson County’s breath taking scenery, proximity to urban areas like Charlotte, and abundance of wildlife is what makes it special to hunters across the country. Whether you’re local or from out of state, hunt alone or with a dog, on a family outing or a corporate retreat, looking to hunt or just shoot some skeet, Anson County has the perfect place for you. “There’s a whole lot more to Anson County than what a majority of people see just coming down 74, going through Wadesboro,” said Kiker, who added, “They’re some of the prettiest places I’ve ever seen here, within this county. You have a view in a setting like this, but I could take you to dozens of other places I think are just as pretty. It’s an unique place, it really is. “I tell my kids, the prettiest parts of the day is when the world wakes up and when the world goes to sleep, that time right there at the break of day light and at sunset is some of the prettiest scenery you’ll see that nature will give you,” said Kiker. February-March 2020 • 83