President's Newsletter

2025 Year End

Happy New Year, everyone. I hope 2026 finds you healthy and active. The Snake River Sportsmen ranges have had a solid year, and the club continues to be in good shape overall.

We have made improvements at both ranges in 2025. Some were more noticeable than others, but we keep plugging along one little bit at a time. We have had help from a few anonymous volunteers whose time, effort, and donations benefit us all. Thank you to everyone who contributed.

Looking ahead to 2026, plans include improved weed control at the shotgun range and, hopefully, another layer of gravel on the road into the Vale range. I’m sure there will be more projects popping up as spring comes along. We’ve also made several updates to our website and continue to do our best to keep the calendar up to date well in advance so all members can stay informed.

I want to invite all members in good standing to our annual meeting on January 21st at 6:00 pm at the Plaza Inn in Ontario. While we won’t be providing dinner, you’re encouraged to arrive early, enjoy a meal, and help support the Plaza Inn. We meet there twice a month year-round, and they generously provide the meeting space at no charge – a courtesy they’ve extended for many years and one that deserves our support and thanks.

A reminder to all members: lock combinations for both ranges will change at the first of the year. Please check the website for updated combinations. Access to the shotgun range will also require completing the Memorandum of Understanding to gain access to the range.

December events at the Vale Range

We have had an unusually mild fall and early winter. Kerry managed to hold his Short Range Benchrest match after a one-week delay. It turned out to be a beautiful day, with five shooters despite scheduling conflicts.

I managed to pull off my .22 Rimfire Benchrest match with 7 shooters right after Christmas. It was a little cool and breezy but I think everyone had a great time.

High Power, Practical Pistol, and 600-yard Benchrest are shut down for the winter. They will resume in the spring, with a new Practical Pistol director.

December events at the Shotgun Range

Curtis and Josh wrapped up the year with their final NSCA match in early December, drawing 40 shooters for both the Main Event and Super Sport. As always, it went off without a hitch. We plan to keep the range open through the winter for those with access and cards. If the road becomes hazardous, we may need to shut it down temporarily or limit access to foot traffic. We will do our best to keep everyone informed.

Pat has had a strong start with his skeet league, and participation continues to grow- great work, and kudos to Pat. Below is a message Pat wanted included in the newsletter. I plan to sign up myself:

I am planning to host a Skeet orientation sometime in January or February for anyone interested. This will be a group-style session covering station by station leads, shot patterns, stance, and overall technique for breaking targets. We’ll also cover shotgun fit, gun selection and choke choices.

This class is free and meant to be a fun, informative introduction to Skeet. Bring your friends, family or both! No one is too young or too old to participate. I’ve been teaching the principles of Skeet for more than 40 years and truly enjoying sharing the sport with everyone.

If you’re interested, please contact me at 208-989-8426 or email me at .

If you haven’t been out to the range lately, you will notice some big improvements to the field. The new stairs really look great - thanks to the members that worked tirelessly to make it happen. I plan on having some fun shoots in the coming year and welcome ideas. One concept I’m considering is a 50-50-50 shoot: 50 Trap, 50 Skeet, and 50 sporting clays. It’s always been a crowd favorite at previous clubs. I am sure it will be fun here too.

As always if you’d like help with your Skeet shooting let me know, I’m happy to help.

Pat

I hope to see some of you at our annual meeting. Be safe and healthy.

Bob Smith

President, Snake River Sportsmen