Review: Champion Wheelybird is a Trap You Can Count On

There are a few different portable electric traps on the market. Some work, some are a pain. The little Champion WheelyBird does nothing but work. I have to admit that when it was sent to me a few years ago for “Best of the Best” consideration I tried it and thought “Whatever. It’s a trap.”

I have come to appreciate the WheelyBird since. It has thrown many, many targets reliably without any of the headaches associated with other electric traps I have tried. You hook it up to a battery and it throws clays. There’s no wondering whether it will work or when it will break.
We use it at our high school trap practices all the time. When my local Pheasants Forever chapter held a youth event last fall and both their traps failed, I brought the WheelyBird and, as always, it functioned flawlessly.

Moreover, it is very light and handy. I haven’t tried loading it into my car with one hand, but I might be able to, and with the target magazine removed – it pops right off – the trap is fairly compact.

The WheelyBird is priced to be a budget trap, and it is at $449 (I have seen it for much less) so it’s pretty basic. It holds just 50 targets, and it can manage a 55-yard throw and no more, while some of its competitors can throw birds 70 yards. As I said, it’s easily portable and all it really does is work, and that’s no small thing.