President's Newsletter
Fall has officially arrived, at least the calendar says so. Hopefully, the temperatures will finally drop and Mother Nature will send us some much-needed rain. Hunting season has begun and the Vale Range has been seeing plenty of action. Lots of people are out sighting in their rifles and enjoying the solitude as well as the weather.
I have been working on the range several days over the last couple of weeks and have met a few of our members. The range is looking pretty darn good, considering how dry everything is. Just remember, we're still sitting in tinderbox conditions, so keep your eyes open and be extra careful. The last thing we need is a wildfire started by a little too much enthusiasm at the firing line.
Vale Range
Riley Hill deserves a big thank-you for bringing out his excavator and operator to dig the holes for our new permanent steel targets. I have had several members say they work well and they ought to stand up to years of getting pounded by bullets.
Alan Daniel put in a full day with his skid steer, cleaning and leveling the pistol pits for the new Steel Challenge discipline. He moved a mountain of hard, dry dirt that I couldn’t budge with my tractor. A big thanks to these volunteers for their time and fuel.
Someone also took the time to hand rake the divots on some of the impact berms. Whoever you are, thank you, it looks fantastic.
Rob Nieskens and family for installing the new metal roof on the scoring shed. It was much needed and in dire need of replacement. They did an excellent job and between the roof and the new doors and paint the 30 year old shed looks new again.
When we poured concrete to anchor the new targets we added a small slab at the 200 yard range. This will make access easier for our wheelchair users. With all the loose gravel it was difficult for them to get up on the main slabs to use the benches.
Kerry held his Short Range Benchrest match on the first Saturday of September. It was a double score match at 100 and 200 yards with 9 shooters and nearly perfect weather. This precision shooting competition has really got into my blood. It is interesting trying to out smart the wind.
George’s 600 yard Benchrest match was the 3rd Saturday of September and was well attended with 8 shooters. It was also a double match with the Shot Marker scoring system. We managed to get everything wrapped up by 11:00am. Great weather, good company, and some fine shooting. It's hard to complain about a morning like that. Thanks, George, for another well-run match.
Judy had a great turnout for the Practical Pistol match the fourth Saturday in September. She had 14 shooters with 20 guns, making for a busy day at the range. Judy and her helpers put in a lot of time and work setting up steel and target stands as well as all of the shooting lanes. Thanks to all of you for your time and effort. I understand she added some new walls to shoot around just to make things interesting so check out her hard work and dedication to her sport.
Ron has had a huge success with his new Steel Challenge. He holds a match every Friday morning. He sets up all of the stages and then flips every pit to complete the stages required for every match. We hope to build new target stands and shooting boxes in the next couple months so he can accommodate more shooters using two more pits. Over the last two weeks he has had a full match so we need to get going on the much needed stands. This is one of the fastest growing shooting sports in the world. We are privileged to have Ron start the event and run it at Vale.
I held the .22 Benchrest match on the fourth Saturday in September. This event has really started to grow. We have now included an Air Rifle class which picked up more shooters.Of course, once those guys are here, they might as well bring along their .22 rimfires, too.
I had 15 shooters with 23 guns. I’m going to have to limit this match to 3 relays or we will have to set up camp and serve lunch to get it finished. A big thanks to those that attended and especially those that helped set up, tear down and score.
Ontario Range
Curtis held his annual three bird shoot on the 3rd Saturday in September and 52 shooters shot that match. In the afternoon he had a NSCA match with another 20 shooters. That took a lot of setup and refilling to complete. Curtis has really improved attendance and runs an excellent match. Thanks to Curtis and his family as well as those that helped out during those matches. Ontario was 2nd in Oregon and Idaho for the most registered targets thrown in the last year. Well done!
We’ve got some big plans for the shotgun range over the next year. These projects will take plenty of manpower, so if you've got some time, a little know-how, or equipment you're willing to lend, we'd sure appreciate the help.
Pat has his Skeet program up and growing, below is an upcoming event he wanted me to get into the newsletter this month:
The Skeet program will be hosting a flea market at the range in Ontario on Saturday the 28th of Nov. If you've got gun-related gear collecting dust in the garage, here's your chance to clear out some space and maybe make a few bucks. Bring your gun-related items and see if somebody else has been looking for that very thing you've had sitting around for the last 20 years. No gun sales are allowed at this event. Pictures of guns are fine, but there will be no on-site gun sales.
The Skeet program will also have a raffle featuring donated prizes, including items such as shotgun ammunition and cleaning kits. Raffle tickets are $2.50 each. Bottles will be placed on the tables, and you can drop your tickets into the bottle for whichever prize catches your eye.
There will also be a meat shoot. For $5, you'll get 10 shots at trap targets. The first-place winner takes home a pound of donated meat. Second place gets a raffle ticket for a drawing involving nine shooters, with a pound of donated meat up for grabs there as well. Lunch will be available for a minimal cost. The drawing for the three guns will be at 1.p.m.
All proceeds will go toward purchase of new Skeet Machines.
Questions contact me, Pat Savage, 208-989-8426 or
Stay safe, stay healthy, and thanks to everyone who helps make this club what it is.
Bob Smith
President, Snake River Sportsmen
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