Hunter Field Target (HFT) shooting is an outdoor airgun target sport that simulates realistic hunting scenarios. It emphasizes practical marksmanship skills, requiring shooters to judge distances, use specific shooting positions, and adapt to natural conditions without the aid of advanced rangefinding equipment during a competition.
Key Features of HFT
Targets: Competitors shoot at 30 to 40 metal silhouette targets shaped like small game (e.g., squirrels, crows, rabbits). Each target has a circular “kill zone” of varying sizes (typically 15-45 mm), which, if hit, causes the target to fall over.
Course Layout: Courses are set up in natural outdoor environments like woodlands or open fields, with targets strategically placed at unmarked distances between 8 and 45 yards. Each target has a designated shooting peg that the shooter must touch with their body or rifle.
Shooting Positions: The sport requires shooting from various positions, primarily prone (lying down), but also unsupported kneeling and standing, to simulate real-world hunting conditions.
Equipment Rules: A key rule is the limitation on equipment use during a competition.
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- Rifles must be UK legal, with a maximum power of 12 ft-lb.
- Shooters cannot adjust their telescopic sight’s magnification, parallax, or elevation turrets after the course begins. This forces reliance on range estimation by eye and using “holdover” or “holdunder” techniques with the scope’s reticle to compensate for pellet trajectory.
- Rangefinding equipment is prohibited.
Scoring: Hitting the kill zone (knocking the target down) typically awards 2 points, hitting the surrounding faceplate but not knocking it down is 1 point, and a complete miss is 0 points.
Community: HFT is known for its supportive and friendly community, welcoming both beginners and seasoned shooters.
Hunter Field Target provides a challenging yet accessible sport where a shooter’s skill and adaptability are more critical than having the most expensive equipment.