Spring has sprung and while the weather is still on a roller coaster, it is improving. The start of Summer Leagues will soon be here. At the April meeting we installed a Credit Card reader at the Club House. We will have the ability to take payments with Credit/Debit Cards. There will be a convenience fee added to charges to cover the processing fees. (Currently 3% for Credit Cards).
Archery
League starts May 6th. Volunteers are needed to help prepare Targets. Work nights are every Tuesday in April starting at 5pm.
Trap
There will be an organization meeting and practice day on April 24th. May 1st is the first league night. Rosters can be turned in and team fees paid. Teams are 5 to 8 people. Forms can be downloaded from our website.
New Shooters
We would like to try something new this year to get more participation by club members. There will be an orientation day on Saturday, April 19th from 1-4pm. If you think you would like to try Trap Shooting, but are not sure how to get started, come out and give it a try. We will have volunteers there to explain the procedures and give advice. Bring your shotgun. For expediency we will do abbreviated rounds with 10 clays and 10 shells provided for $5. We will form new teams or add you to a team if you would like.
Reminder: Buckshot and Birdshot are not allowed on the Rifle Range. Only Slugs there. If you are sighting a turkey gun with Birdshot, it can be done on the Patterning range between the Trap ranges. There are cameras at the club to aid in enforcing rules, but if you see something, please say something. If you are not sure of something, ask!
If you are looking for opportunities to get your work hours in, there is a white board in the entryway with a task list.
Jerry Van Houten
Treasurer
3/16/25
Hello All,
I apologize for the tardiness of this email. We have changed to a new email service and it has been challenging. Please remember to add info@willowriver.org to your contacts or email whitelist so these emails don’t go to your junk folder.
Thank you to all who attended the January meeting and congratulations to Paul Zeuli who was the winner of the Ruger Rifle. The board has changed somewhat this year with the addition of Al Neumann and Heather Munson. Joe Alexander is the new President and Larry Suennen resumes the Vice President role.
We have implemented WIFI at the clubhouse and are working on having the ability to accept credit cards for payments.
With Spring right around the corner it is time to start thinking about summer leagues and activities. As usual, Archery will be needing volunteers to work on targets Tuesday nights in April with league starting in May. Trap will also start in May with an organizational meeting on the last Thursday in April.
The Rimfire Group is going to try some changes this year. The following is from Jim Jenne:
2025 Accurate rifle shooting competition
This is an accurate rifle shooting group for all members of Willow River R&G club.
For many years there has been a 22LR group that shoots from the benches at the Rimfire/Pistol range, and that will be happening again in 2025, In addition to that, we are starting a CENTER FIRE group to shoot for high score at the 100 & 200 yd. benches at the rifle range.
These events would happen SATURDAYS through the summer. The Rimfire events will be held on the Rimfire/Pistol range, with the Centerfire events on the Rifle Range. See the Club Calendar for Dates and Times.
EVENTS:
All 22LR events would use 50-yard ARA rules for Unlimited Class or Factory Class targets 25 targets per card. 20 minutes per card ,4 cards total.
Center Fire participants would shoot at 100 and 200 yards. At 100 yds. one shot each at 10 targets on an 8 ½’ x 11” card. In 15 minutes. AT 200 yards 10 shots, one per target on a 11” x 17” card in 15 minutes. Unlimited class (any size & weight gun, rest & scope). Factory class “shelf gun” from bipod or sandbags front, sandbag only rear, no mechanical rests. (trigger modifications OK).
All targets would be scored (distance from bullseye) and posted.
If you are interested in such event, or any rifle competition please respond to the address below. If you would “Most Likely” attend any events please respond “Yes -LR, Yes CF, or both” pick one. Entry fees will be $10.00 to cover targets and other small cost items.
WE welcome any and all comments, and suggestions with your reply. info@willowriver.org.
The following is from Al Neumann:
Hello fellow WRRG Club members,
We are seeking ways to enhance the experience of our 700 members by updating current facilities and introducing new conveniences and programs. We request your assistance in completing projects planned for 2025.
If you have any ideas for classes, training, or demonstrations you would like to see or conduct, please inform us.
Several projects and events requiring volunteers are scheduled for 2025, including:
Tree cutting to expand the rifle range parking lot
Buckthorn clearing
Trap-house rebuilding
Rifle range backstop bunker replacement
Assistance with deer season Sight-in Day
New pistol range development
General grounds maintenance
Line fence repair
We require various skill sets such as carpenters, arborists, electricians, plumbers, videographers, email managers, architects, operators (and their equipment), surveyors, website designers, attorneys, and laborers. Please consider joining our volunteer list. Joining our list does not commit you, you’ll simply be notified of upcoming projects that may fit your talents. Project start dates will be communicated well in advance for planning purposes.
Volunteering can also reduce yearly membership fees; details are available on our website. If you have questions or comments, please contact us.
Thank you,
-Al
Al Neumann
planning@willowriver.org
Board Member, Willow River Rod and Gun Club, Long Range Planning
Thanks,
Jerry Van Houten,
Treasurer
12/17/24
Hello Archery Shooters
12/13/24
Hello all,
Another year is drawing to a close. Membership renewal forms will be in the mail this week to all current members. Blank forms are also available on our web site if needed.
Spraying for Buckthorn and invasive brush is being done again so you may notice a smell of diesel fuel if you are on the club grounds. This is part of the process.
Our Annual Meeting and Election will be next month, January 9th. Two board members will be up for election. Members are welcome at all meetings, but the January meeting is special. There will be food and beverages, door prizes, and an early bird drawing. All members who are renewed prior to the meeting will be eligible for a drawing for a hunting rifle. This year it will be a Ruger American with scope. If you are renewing at the meeting, please be early.
Our email list is refreshed at the start of the year so if you were not a member in 2024 this will be the last email you receive from us.
A reminder that the club apparel store is online: https://www.stcroixcustomapparel.com/willow-river-rod-and-gun-club
Winter Archery:
- Winter Brush League signup Jan,2,7,9 from 5pm to 8PM $45.00/shooter
- Shooting to start on Jan 14th, Tuesdays and Wednesdays.
- Youth Archery starts on Friday 1/17. Open to public, Kids under 16 free
Summer Archery:
- work nights to start every Tuesday night in April to prep for summer league
- shooting will start May 6th.
Trap League:
- Organizational Meeting and practice night 4/24
- shooting will start May 1st.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year,
Jerry Van Houten
Treasurer
11/9/24
Hello all,
PS: order soon if you would like to make this a Christmas gift.
10/13/24
Hello all,
We will be having a club work day next Saturday, October 19th, starting at 10am.
Activities for work day in priority order.
– Build target backers for pistol range. 4 volunteers
– Complete the winterization checklist. 2 volunteers
– Clean up scrap pile near trap shed and pistol range. 2 volunteers
– Fix chains on rifle range road – 2 volunteers
Cordless drill required
– Clean clubhouse – 2 or more volunteers
– Pick up trash around property
Wayne Roller
Membership Director
We are also thinking about trying a Fall Trap League. This would be on Thursdays on the lower trap range. It would be individual shooters not teams. Details are not fully worked out yet, but if you would like to participate, please contact Chris Kupczak at ckwelding.design@yahoo.com or through Facebook.
Jerry Van Houten
Treasurer
8/27/24
Hello all,
8/16/24
Hello all,
A reminder that the Rifle Range will be closed for a rimfire shoot tomorrow.
From Jim Jenne:
On next Saturday Aug 17th there is a Rimfire & AIR gun (pellets) only event at the Willow River Rod & Gun club RIFLE RANGE.. this has always been a fun, and challenging event.
Choose from a verity of targets and bring a friend.
Gates open at 8:00 (to 10:30), first target shoot after 9:00 and goes on until 2:00 P.M.
Entry fee $10.00 …. $15.00 w/30 rounds 22lr Federal ammo and a free cookie!
Summer Archery League finished their season on 8/3 & 4 with a 3D shoot.
Trap League is still going until 9/12.
The soda machine has been removed from the clubhouse entryway and a whiteboard installed. This will serve as an additional communication means. Announcements can be posted on it with magnets. We will also try to keep an updated list of small projects on it for people who wish to get their volunteer hours in. Remember to document your hours by putting slips in the box in the entryway.
We are also installing a concrete pad on the shotgun patterning range. This will make for a consistent bench location and be easier for the volunteers that mow the grass.
Jerry Van Houten
Treasurer
8/13/24
There are still some openings for the hunter ed course. Sign up at gowild.com before Thursday.
Classes will be at Riverwood in Star Prairie, Willow River Rod and Gun Club will be hosting the field day.
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5/12/24 Hello all, We are scheduling a work party for the rebuilding of the Rifle Range Bunkers. This involves removal and replacement of a number of RR ties that are shot through. The current plan is to move the stacks of ties from their current location in the parking lot into the range on Saturday and then do the replacements on Sunday. There will be a skid steer to handle the heavy lifting, but we will need several people on Saturday to help slide ties from the stacks to the forks and also to monitor the range closure for safety. It is anticipated that the range will need to be closed from 10am to about 2pm on Saturday. On Sunday, the replacement will probably take 4-6 hours starting at 10am. We could use more volunteers on Sunday. There will be a dump trailer to take the debris from the range to the burn pile. If we have enough volunteers, we will also set up and build target backers for the rifle and pistol ranges. Note: the Rifle Range will be closed Saturday 10am-2pm and Sunday 10am-at least 2pm perhaps longer. On a different subject; if any members are insurance agents, I would like to talk to you about our property insurance. I feel we had an unreasonable increase in our rate this year and would like to investigate alternatives. As always, remember to check the calendar for range closures. https://www.brownbearsw.com/cal/wrrgc_calendar Thanks Jerry Van Houten
4/7/24 Hello all, Just a quick message to put out some more information about summer leagues and encourage everyone to participate. Archery: Rimfire: Thursday May 9, 2024 Pistol/22LR range, 9:00am to 2:00pm Shooting events will be in 30 min. segments, with 15 min. between each segment. The Range Master will start and end each segment. ALL Safety rules will comply with Club Rules. A $5.00 cost per day will cover target costs, any extra will go back to the club. Targets supplied for 50 yd. events will be: For more info contact Jim j.jenne@comcast.net Trap: As always, please check the calendar for range closures. https://www.brownbearsw.com/cal/wrrgc_calendar Jerry Van Houten 4/6/24 Hello all, Our non-winter is over and it is time to start thinking about Summer Leagues. Archery: Thank You Trap: Teams are 5 – 8 people with the best five scores each week counting towards the team score. If you don’t have a team, but would like to shoot, let us know and we can help find a team for you. Roster Forms and guidelines are available on the club website at: https://willowriver.org/trap-league/ One of the large pine trees along the driveway fell during a windstorm. It has been cut up. If anyone would like some of it for firewood, help yourself. Otherwise it will go on the burn pile. As always, please remember to check the calendar for events and range closures. Jerry Van Houten 1/14/24 Hello all, We have finally gotten some seasonably cold weather, but still very little snow. At the January club meeting the two board members up for election ran unopposed and it was decided that board positions would stay the same for 2024. Congratulations to the winner of the Ruger rifle, Patrick Lund. Several items were discussed and it was decided to proceed with starting construction on a dedicated pistol range. It will be south of the current rimfire/pistol range. Excavation may start soon if weather permits. Indoor Winter Archery will be starting this week. You can still sign up if you are interested. Brush League will be Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Youth archery will be Thursday evenings starting at 5pm. Kids under 16 are free with a family membership. Some youth equipment is available at the club. Spot League can be shot anytime outside of Tuesdays through Thursdays but signup on those nights. Please remember to check the Club website and calendar for schedules and other information. Jerry Van Houten 12/19/23 Hello all, Another year is drawing to a close. Membership renewal forms went in the mail last week to all current members. Blank forms are also available on our web site if needed. Our Annual Meeting and Election will be next month, January 11th. Members are welcome at all meetings, but the January meeting is special. There will be food and beverages, door prizes, and an early bird drawing. All members who are renewed prior to the meeting will be eligible for a drawing for a hunting rifle. This year it will be a Ruger American with scope and range finder. Our email list is refreshed at the start of the year so if you were not a member in 2023 this will be the last email you receive from us. Winter Archery:
Summer Archery:
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year, Jerry Van Houten 10/4/23 With the recent warm weather, it doesn’t seem like it, but Fall is here and hunting seasons are starting. 4/20/23 Hello all, Winter is hanging tough this year with the exception of our brief glimpse of summer last week. Spring will eventually break out and it is time to start thinking about summer leagues. Archery: Hello from archery league spokesperson, Ray. We are having work nights every Tuesday night till the first week of May when the summer league will start. This is an opportunity to get your work hours in. Summer Archery League will start the first Tuesday night in May, the 2nd. Membership and league fee’s must be paid by the second week or you will be removed from the league list. League fee is $45.00 per shooter, with 4 person teams. Kids under 16 years of age are free. I am hoping to have a larger number of teams this year. Looking forward to seeing some new and old face’s. Please reach out to Ray with any Questions. Email events@willowriver.org
Additional information on our website at: https://willowriver.org/archery-leagues/
Trap: Trap League will start May 4th with an organizational meeting the previous week (4/27) for Team Captains and new shooters. We shoot every Thursday evening through mid September with the exception of the July 4th week. Teams are made up of 5 to 8 shooters. If you do not have a team or your team has room for more shooters, please let us know. League fees are $20 per team and shooters do have to be club members. Rounds will be $5 this year and $3 for youth. Hopefully the ammo situation will continue to improve although prices will probably stay high.
Additional information on our website at: https://willowriver.org/trap-league/
Rifle Range Issues: We have been having some rule violations on the Rifle Range this year that have been quite concerning. Instances of shooting at objects like clay pigeons and containers, shooting buckshot or birdshot, and indiscriminate shooting are all clear rule violations and will result in membership revocation. The process of investigating violations is quite time consuming and frustrating. It is also disappointing that we have to do it, but for reasons of safety and the continuation of the club some changes may have to be made. Because of the design of our range, it is important that ALL bullets impact the target hanger zone which is approximately 6ft wide x 2ft high. A number of suggestions have been discussed regarding this and we would like to get feedback from members. Please give us your comments regarding the following:
1. As discussed at the annual meeting, an extensive video camera system on the ranges. — This is primarily reactive to allow easier identification of violators 2. An additional gate and card reader to track Rifle Range usage. — again primarily reactive 3. Ranges only open when volunteer Range Safety Officers can be present. — very restrictive unless we have a huge number of volunteers 4. Require qualification before getting permission to use the range. i.e. demonstrate that you can shoot a less than 12 inch group at the selected range. — cumbersome and hard to administer 5. Install baffles (tubes) to shoot through that are directed at the bunkers. — major change to the range
Jerry Van Houten 2/18/23 Hello all, The rifle range has been re-opened with some modifications. There were actually two rule violations brought to our attention last week.
The first was someone using birdshot on the rifle range. ONLY slugs are allowed from shotguns – NO birdshot or buckshot. There is a patterning area for birdshot between the Trap ranges. There is No place on the property to shoot buckshot.
The second was more serious. There was evidence of targets stapled high on the RR ties and bullet holes in the snow above the bunkers. These bullets were not stopped by the bunker. We cannot have that happening or we run the risk of being shut down completely. Several ranges have been closed because of this; Baldwin being one example.
Targets should only be hung on the fiberboard backers and should not extend above it. If you can’t keep your bullet impacts in this space then you should not be shooting on this range.
We have added signage to the bunkers to reflect this.
Everyone receives a copy of the range rules with their renewal forms. They are also posted at the ranges. There is no excuse for not following them. If you see someone doing something questionable, please say something.
We want to keep this club operating safely and the only way to do that is if everyone uses common sense and follows the rules. It is unfortunate that it seems necessary, but we will be installing a camera system later this year to ensure that this happens. Willow River Board 2/13/23 As of right now the rifle range is closed until further notice due to rule violations. Once again we are finding shotgun shell wads in front of the 25 and 50 yard bunker with clear sign of shot peppering the ties. Also there are remnants of targets being stapled above the backers on the ties with sign of rounds going over the top of the bunker. This is causing damage to the bunkers and is an unsafe practice along with a rule violation. As was talked about at the annual meeting it is the responsibility of all members to keep all actions on the property safe and by the rules. Also talked about was that we can not and will not tolerate these actions on our property. If any one wants to come forward with info on what was found today it will get the range open faster. If we hear nothing, the range will stay closed through the remainder of the week and possibly through the weekend. I know all of our members love our range as it is with being able to use it on their own schedule. Unfortunately if these actions continue to happen we will be forced to make some changes. There will be cameras going in sometime this year but unfortunately that does not help us in the meantime. This is an email I never wanted to send and hope I never do again but at this time we have no choice but to address these issues. I do feel bad for anyone that has to change their plans with the range being closed but I do hope you understand. Once we figure out more information there will be updates sent out. |
2/13/23
Hello all,
The Rifle Range at the club will be closed until further notice while we investigate a Rules Violation incident.
If you were at the range recently and witnessed this, please contact a board member.
Willow River Board of Directors