A Place Where Sporting Meets Real Hunting Terrain
Ivan ArenaWhen discussing clay shooting venues in Lithuania, most shooters think of Šūvio Klubas, Stendinis Shooting Sports Center or regional compak ranges. Yet there is another location that deserves far more recognition than it gets — Kauno medžiotojų sąjungos šaudykla, known internationally as Kaunas Hunters’ Union Shooting Range.
This is not a commercial sporting complex and not a polished FITASC arena. It is a range that grew directly out of Kaunas’ hunting tradition — a place where hunters trained for decades before the sporting logic of Compak Sporting slowly integrated into its identity.
Today, Kauno medžiotojų sąjungos šaudykla is one of the key locations in southern Lithuania where Compak Sporting is used in its purest, original form: as a bridge between real-world hunting and sport shooting technique.
1. Location and Atmosphere: a Hunting Ground, Not a Sporting Stadium
If Stendinis Shooting Sports Center is a precision sports venue and Šūvio Klubas a forest sport-hunting hybrid, then the character of Kaunas Hunters’ Union Shooting Range is very different.
Here you immediately feel:
- a minimalist but highly functional infrastructure,
- natural terrain without the artificial design found in modern sporting parks,
- long-standing hunting traditions,
- layouts arranged for purpose rather than aesthetics.
Machines, angles and sectors are set up for a specific task — training, competition or a league event — rather than serving as a permanent sporting installation.
Shooters accustomed to perfect, manicured FITASC-style sporting layouts will be surprised. But precisely this simplicity is the strength of the range: it remains a genuine hunting environment.
2. Compak Sporting in Kaunas: Classical Structure With a Hunting Personality
2.1. Compak configuration
Official descriptions from the Kaunas Hunters’ Union and published LSF materials show that the range uses a fully classical Compak Sporting setup:
- 5 shooting stations on a single line,
- typically 4 to 6 machines around the grid,
- single targets, report pairs and simultaneous pairs,
- a mix of trajectories: crossing birds, rabbits, loopers, quartering shots.
This mirrors FITASC Compak Sporting® but embraces hunting-style target logic.
Typical target presentations:
- a high pheasant-style target at 12–20 meters,
- a tight forest crosser,
- a fast “duck” passing shot at mid-height,
- a low rabbit bouncing on natural terrain,
- a steep rising target simulating a woodcock.
2.2. LSF competitions hosted on-site
Kaunas Hunters’ Union Shooting Range is a regular competition venue for major LSF events, including:
- Kaunas Season Opening – 100 targets, official FITASC rules,
- Kaunas City Cup – 100 targets, classification by groups,
- Medžiotojų lyga – a hunting-oriented compak adaptation,
- open training days and local tournaments.
The LSF calendar consistently lists Kauno medžiotojų sąjungos šaudykla as the main compak venue of the Kaunas region.
2.3. Who shoots here
Three distinct groups use the range:
- hunters transitioning toward sport shooting,
- compak athletes who enjoy naturalistic targets,
- practical shooters preparing for the hunting season.
This mix produces lively competitions where top compak shooters stand side by side with lifelong hunters and new enthusiasts.
3. Infrastructure: Functional, Purpose-Built and Practical
3.1. The hunting core of the venue
Kauno medžiotojų sąjungos šaudykla is a multi-use complex, offering:
- Compak Sporting stations, sometimes permanent, sometimes event-specific,
- pistol shooting lanes,
- running boar target,
- 100 m rifle range for hunters preparing for the season,
- separate shotgun practice areas.
This combination is rare. The range covers the entire cycle of a hunter’s needs — from clays to rifles.
3.2. Machines and trajectories
While not a “premium sporting resort”, Kaunas Hunters’ Union Shooting Range actively uses:
- multi-angle traps,
- standard, midi and rabbit targets,
- adjustable elevation paths,
- real-hunting simulation patterns.
The layouts emphasize natural flow rather than architectural symmetry.
4. Why This Range Matters in Lithuania’s Compak Landscape
4.1. Accessibility and practical orientation
This range stands out because:
- compak is accessible even for beginners,
- hunters can transition into a structured sport format,
- sport shooters can train instinctive reactions under realistic angles and light conditions.
4.2. Reputation and consistency
LSF repeatedly uses it for:
- official competition stages,
- seasonal openers,
- hunter-oriented leagues.
This confirms that the range consistently meets baseline requirements for official Compak Sporting events.
4.3. Connection to hunting tradition
Unlike purely sporting facilities, compak here remains closely tied to its roots. Targets genuinely simulate hunting, rather than obey a geometric sporting ideal.
5. Conclusion: Sporting That Feels Like Nature
Kauno medžiotojų sąjungos šaudykla is not:
- a luxury sporting complex,
- a tourist-friendly sporting park,
- or a sterile competition factory.
It is a hunting-oriented clay shooting centre where Compak Sporting feels honest, raw and natural.
Nothing here is artificial — every trajectory grows out of the terrain itself, not from an engineered blueprint.
If you are a shooter who values sporting disciplines but wants to train where the terrain dictates the target, not the architect, then Kaunas Hunters’ Union Shooting Range is one of the most authentic and meaningful locations you can visit.