Clay pigeon shooting is a score attack run from the lodge. You take your favourite weapon out to the range, knock the targets down within the allotted time to score as many points as possible, and climb a leaderboard. It is the practice mode for the whole game.
Hunting Simulator 3 clay pigeon shooting: how the mode runs
- Open the shooting area at the lodge.
- Take a weapon of your choice out to the range.
- Knock down as many targets as you can inside the allotted time.
- Compare your score on the leaderboard.
Your score depends on how fast and how cleanly you hit the targets, not on where they land.
Why it is the fastest way to learn a weapon
The mode uses the same weapon and ammunition system as hunting, so a loadout that breaks clays well is a loadout that will behave predictably in the field. That makes it the quickest way to test:
- A new scope — whether you can find the target, hold it and read the reticle.
- A shotgun pattern — where the pellets actually land at range.
- A bow — the draw cycle and the hold at full draw.
- A rifle's zero — how the shot lands against a moving target.
The lodge shooting range is also where the demo sends you to test a weapon before taking it into the field, which is the same habit in miniature. The best loadout guide covers what to bring with you when you do step outside.
Test your settings here
Shooting practice at the range is also the natural place to test the Toggle versus Hold aiming setting before you rely on it in the field. Switching the input to Toggle means the rifle or the binoculars stay up while you pan the landscape, and that is a setting you want to try where a mistake costs nothing.
The binoculars guide covers where that option lives and the other two settings that decide how well you spot game.
Where it fits in a first session
The range is the least demanding activity in the game and the most useful. It costs nothing, it takes a few minutes, and it is where you find out whether the weapon you just bought is the weapon you can actually use.