CARRABASSETT VALLEY – Dave Grody came from Rome, Dale Hardy from Jay and Charlie Tappan from Wilton. They came to shoot.

In a scrubby field overlooking Bigelow Mountain, a small, cinder-block building housed the Carrabassett Valley Outdoor Association’s new remote-controlled, clay-pigeon-throwing device.

John McCatherin, the association’s secretary, kept his finger poised over the yellow release button of the remote control until a ready shooter shouted “pull.” When he heard the command, McCatherin pressed the button releasing a blaze-orange disc into the air.

The boom of a shotgun soon followed.

The disc either exploded midair from the impact of a well-aimed shot or fell unscathed to the ground.

Hardy liked the noncompetitive environment of the event. “It’s a nice setup,” he said of the range.

The association, in its fifth year, raised money last fall to purchase the machine from a club in Scarborough. The device, which usually costs about $7,000, according to McCatherin, was purchased for $1,500.

McCatherin said there was a pent-up demand for a safe place to shoot in the area, so the range was acquired in the first year. People used it to sight their rifles, or brought their own spring-loaded skeet-releasers for practice.

The club has more to offer than just shooting sports.

Founded by residents of Carrabassett Valley, the club was started to address land abuse concerns of the Penobscot Nation, which owns 24,000 wooded acres just outside town. Club members cleaned up and worked on trails and bridges throughout the wilderness area in its first year.

Since then, members have volunteered to work on other trail projects, including the Narrow Gauge Trail that opened this spring.

The association also organizes a variety of outdoor activities, including hiking, fishing and skiing trips. Annual trips to Acadia National Park and Baxter State Park are a tradition, as are several social events.

Annual membership is $10 for individuals or $15 for families. There is an additional $10 fee per person for shooting range membership, which is optional. More information may be obtained by calling McCatherin at 235-2121 or by sending e-mail to him at [email protected].