President's Newsletter

February 2026

Sorry this newsletter is a bit late. Like most of us starting 2026, I’ve had a few too many irons in the fire.

We’ve been moving full speed this year with work and planning at both ranges. I would like to thank everyone who attended our annual members meeting in January. We had a full house for the first time since I’ve been involved with the club. There were several great discussions and solid questions. The more members who get involved and stay engaged, the stronger the club becomes.

We finally secured a new liability insurance carrier for 2026 with hardly a day to spare. Thank you Howard for all of your work on landing the coverage. I’m sure there were some sleepless nights on your end as well as mine. Howard also puts in countless hours managing the club’s finances, tracking accounts, and answering my steady stream of questions. That work doesn’t go unnoticed.

Membership is up so far this year and running ahead of previous seasons. There are several contributing factors for this - a couple to note - we sent out reminders to members that have email addresses in their profile, another being the changes we made to sporting clay availability for members. Thanks to everyone who helped make that happen.

Vale Range

We have some spring work that needs attention. Our best fire control crew (aka: cows) rubbed down our upper fence line that will require replacement and rewiring. The scoring shed is also due for a new roof after nearly 20 years. One step at a time. Once things dry out, we’ll send a schedule for anyone willing to lend a hand.

Kerry managed to pull off his January short range benchrest match. The winter has been unusually mild, which has kept us on the range. Kerry had a double group match, one at 100 yards and another at 200 yards. There were six shooters for each match.

I held my .22 benchrest match at the rimfire range in January as well with six determined shooters. It was cold and breezy and my heater quit on me. Not to worry, I bought a new bigger one for next month.

Ontario Shotgun Range

I would like to welcome Curtis Larson as our new Sporting Clays Director. Curtis has already set all of the dates for his 2026 NSCA events , posted on our calendar, and loaded into Score Chaser for registration. He’s has made some changes to the course to accommodate the increase in Skeet events. During skeet events, we’ll need to close the center road on Sunday afternoons and Thursday evenings. As funding allows, we’ll look at future changes to reduce this impact.

We are also facing some major expenses at the shotgun ranges in 2026. We will need to make a major purchase of clay targets. The last purchase was two years ago and supplies are running low. We also need to purchase several new batteries again this year. The field requires approximately 60 deep-cycle batteries, and even with solar chargers, three years is about their limit. It is a constant battle keeping them charged and maintained. We also hired a company to help with weed control in our graveled areas, though volunteers will still be needed to help manage costs.

Pat has really grown the skeet program and had a strong turnout for his first league. Below is information on the clinic he is hosting this month:

I will be holding a skeet clinic on Saturday, February 21st, starting at 1:00 p.m. to introduce people to the game of Skeet. This will take place on the Skeet field. I will cover the basics of Skeet from station to station - shotgun chokes, eye dominance, leads, target focus and more. The goal is to introduce new shooters to the game and get more people involved.

Pat

If you are interested in attending, please contact Pat at 208-989-8426.

Everyone stay safe and healthy.

Bob Smith

President, Snake River Sportsmen