Are you talking about state WMA shooting ranges? If so, I'm sure you mean trap, as skeet is not allowed (I always remind people about this because one time a group thought that they could shoot some skeet at the Clinton WMA range, and I had pellets raining down on my very young sons and I. Needless to say, I went ballistic of that group of young police officers and their wives and/or girlfriends.)
To answer your question, the patterning of "fine shot" is allowed at the Shotgun range. Buckshot must be patterned at a Shotgun-Slug/Muzzy/Rimfire range only.
That's the only distinction that the state makes .... fine shot vs. buckshot, that I know of.
As far as that guy, it was a lack of consideration on his part, and maybe a lack of communication on everyone's part ---- like deciding he would walk down to his pattern board every 30 minutes on the half hour, etc.