Membership Details

INFORMATION FOR NEW MEMBERS

CLUB ACCESS

Welcome,

You have just become a part owner of this Club and may use it anytime you like and come and go as you please. As a small group we can’t afford to pay any staff to be on hand which is why the combination lock access came to be used. Dial in the combinations found on the back of your membership card and the lock can then be pulled open. Make sure to line the numbers up with the black index mark which is actually offset to the top, not in the center.

To address security as well as safety concerns, members are asked to use the main gate as follows:

  • Upon entering the main gate, close the gate behind you.
  • Mix up the combination on the lock, replace the lock on the gate so as to appear locked, but do not push the lock closed.
  • If you are not the last member to leave the range, close the gate and leave the lock as noted above.
  • If you are the last member to leave the range, close and securely lock the main gate.
  • The gate may be left open during scheduled events so non-members can visit the Club and consider if they wish to join themselves.

This procedure should ensure that non-members cannot read the combination (note: Club lost a lot of valuable items including a shotgun – authorities not happy – in 2010. Thieves appear to have known combination) while leaving the gate relatively easy to enter/exit in case of emergency.

Members are required to display their membership card as identification on their person while using the range. The card may be pinned on your clothing or attached to a lanyard around your neck, etc. To protect your card you may consider wrapping it with clear plastic packing tape or slip it in a dollar store lamination packet.

CLUBHOUSE

While we are constantly trying to improve what we offer members, membership currently brings you access to a certified rifle range, trap range, and clubhouse with heat, electricity and hot and cold water. We also have a BBQ that is normally filled with propane and is free of charge for any member to use throughout the week. If the BBQ is hot when you are ready to go, please leave it outdoors with enough space from the building to prevent it from melting the vinyl siding. As stated before, we have no staff so please clean up after yourself. Make sure any dishes you use are cleaned and put away and your garbage is tidied up. If you are the last user to leave, please make sure lights and appliances are turned off, supplies and equipment are cleaned and put away and doors and gate are locked up.

The operation is seasonal due to the fact we cannot keep the road open in winter and must shut the water off before the freeze but if you can get down (on snowmobile, skis, etc.) you are welcome to do so.

RANGES

Generally members are responsible for their own target stands and targets outside of Club programs but you will usually find stands on the range and targets in the tool room of the clubhouse that have been provided somehow by the Club or other members. The tool room is the middle door in the entrance hallway. A spotting scope is located on top of the blue cabinet, gun rest sandbags on a top left shelf with target staples and stapler. Targets may also be found in the blue cabinet but supply is not guaranteed. If you find targets in this tool room you are welcome to use them.

PROGRAMS / EVENTS

Currently the only active program is trapshooting which normally takes place Sunday afternoons at 2:00PM for as long as we can get down over the road. A fee is charged for 25 (1 round of) clays. You should bring your own shot shells as they are not always available from the Club. Clays must be purchased from the Club. If bringing your own shells please ensure they meet the approved shot size for the trap range (7 ½, 8, 9).

We have published a form of use schedule to help minimize any conflicts in range use by giving priority to each discipline on different days. It was also intended to bring users with similar interests together on the same day (evening) for meetings or leagues.

  • Monday – priority should be given to handgun shooters
  • Tuesday – evenings reserved for trap shooting league
  • Wednesday – priority should be given to rifle shooters
  • Thursday – priority should be given to IPSC
  • Friday – priority should be given to archers
  • Saturday – open
  • Sunday – afternoons reserved for trap league

Members may still come down on any day they have the time and will probably find they have the place to themselves. It is only in the interest of fair play we ask members to defer to the stated “priority” activity or come to a mutual agreement for time on the range.

Trap shooting normally takes up 3 to 4 hours on a regular practice day. Competitions are held on 4 or 5 Sundays per year and these events will take most of the day. Some members have taken to going early to trap practice on Sundays (10:00 AM) to get in some quality handgun/rifle time. We also have a few members spending some bow time so if anyone is interested in archery let it be known and your name can be passed on.

Please note the Events section in any newsletter for any league competitions or activities for any of the disciplines.

RANGE INSTRUCTIONS / LOG

If you use the range, please ensure that you make an appropriate entry in the Rod & Gun Club log book. This log book is mandated by the Firearms Act for gun clubs. This is the only document we have to prove that you are using your firearms and your entries may be made anonymously by only putting down your membership number, the date and type of activity completed. The book should be located on a main table or the TV stand.

For safety reasons, the published Range Operating Instructions, including the Range Safety Rules, do not allow for two or more shooters to shoot simultaneously without supervision. Except for specific events, such as trap and during organized events held by the Club, when more than one shooter is using the same range, a Range Officer must be declared. The Range Officer makes all decisions and issues instructions for the range procedure. Currently there are a limited number of people who may function as Range Officer and they are named on the copy that is in the Clubhouse. Should you arrive while another member is shooting, you must wait, return later, or shoot one at a time with the other member that is present.

GUESTS

Members who bring a guest to the Club are solely responsible for the actions of their guest both on and off the range. Act responsibly and keep it safe!

$10 Range Use Fee for non-member guests has been instituted to cover insurance costs and help with range upkeep. Forms and instructions are provided in the Clubhouse in the Log Book and on the TV stand. Members are expected to collect and remit this fee on behalf of their guests as directed on the form.

OTHER USERS

From time to time we allow outside users to hold get-togethers in the clubhouse. They do give us some ‘consideration’ for this use and as it normally blocks the club only on a Friday or Saturday night we ask members to please respect the privacy of these guests and not interfere. In addition, some government groups make use of our facilities to conduct firearms training. Again, this isn’t often so please respect their privacy. If any member ever takes issue with this use by non-members, please talk to a Club Officer or Director and not to any guest group. The times of these uses will be listed in the newsletter if possible but more often only on the bulletin board as the newsletter does not get out in time to include these bookings.

We hope you enjoy your club and will help take care of this fine recreational resource.