How did I miss that target?

[Poppa Bear]

Shot a match today and one of the stages had 11 paper and 7 steel that could be engaged from 7 positions. Position 1 had 3 paper and 1 steel that were only available from there. Position 7 had 4 paper that were only available through the port. On the left (positions 2 or 3) was a popper that activated a drop turner in the middle (Position 5), on the right (position 6) was a popper that activated a swinger on the left.

I had a great plan for shooting the stage. I engage the targets from position 1, move to position 6 to take the 4 poppers there and activate the swinger. Move to position 7 to take the 4 paper there and then run to a point straddling positions 2 and 3 to take all remaining targets EXCEPT for the DT. I as well as many others decided to ignore the DT because its no penalty mikes would not hurt us, but marginal hits combined with the extra couple of seconds to engage it would hurt us.

The plan went as it should with one major exception.... When I got the the position straddling positions 2 and 3 I failed to see the popper that activated the DT as I shot my way across. I stopped shooting and a couple of seconds later realized that the swinger only had one hit in it, BUT still failed to see the popper standing right next to the swinger. Decided that it was not worth taking a makeup shot on the swinger at this point and STILL failed to see the popper still standing next to the swinger.

I did not see that one piece of steel sitting in plain sight until we went down range to score the targets. That one piece of steel cost me 50 points. 2 FTE, one for the popper and one for the DT, and 3 misses, one for the popper and two for the DT because I failed to activate it.

How is it that I can see a swinger has only one hole in it but fail to see a large popper standing right next to it until I go down range to watch the scoring???

[Hi-Power Jack]

That happened to me at the Nationals a few years ago - you had to go past the

popper to see it - then go back and activate it - and I missed it - stood by the

doorway peering in, but the popper had not activated the target (because I

didn't shoot it).

Easy to do, once - never again.

[Twoyellowlabs]

Timer mind scramble. Plan the stage in your head and walk it 5 times, have a total plan and the timer goes off and .......total blank. Happened to me last week. Seems to happen less with time and experience but it still blows when it happens.