It’s the only active skeet range in Loudoun County, Virginia, but that hasn’t meant the facility at the Loudoun County Chapter is typically busy with shotgunners practicing for the fall hunting season.

“We’ve got this beautiful range, but it’s underutilized,” said shotgun range chairman Chris Kerley. “I’m looking for a way to get people in the door.”

As the chapter’s latest “skeet boss,” Kerley has set a goal to fire up the range. And his first big effort opened with a bang when more than 25 people arrived for the first Fall Shotgun Shoot & Cookout.

Over the course of seven hours, teams shot five-stand, a unique game called “Flush/Flurry,” and socialized over a lunch of cheeseburgers and hot dogs before awards plaques were handed out to the winning shooters and the best teams.

“We needed to get more excitement in the range and Izaak Walton League,” Kerley said before the shoot began. Afterwards, he concluded, “I think it worked. It was a great shoot and great day.”

Among those who paid the $25 entrance fee were Mark Frederick of Gainesville and his 12-year-old son, Adam. “We’re just here to have a good time, and hopefully we will learn something,” said Mark Frederick.

Within an hour, the learning began for Adam. Kerley, a certified NRA shotgun instructor, set behind Adam to give him tips in five-stand shooting. The advice must have worked, because Adam pulverized clay pigeons that more experienced shooters missed.

“I really enjoy teaching people,” said Kerley, a director with the rocket and satellite company Orbital Sciences Corporation in Dulles, Virginia.

As the day ended, many of the participants were overheard saying that they hoped for a repeat event — and soon.

Mark Frederick, who is not a member of the League, said he is considering joining the chapter now that he’s been there. That’s a big “mission accomplished” for Kerley, who is already eyeing the next event.

“I definitely plan on holding similar events in the future, and I am already planning the next one. I would like this to become a regular event at the Loudoun County Chapter,” he said.