Situated on the edge of town, the local shooting range and gun club are one of the best kept secrets of our little community. Though many people know about the range itself, far fewer are familiar with or take advantage of the Bear Paw Sportsman Club's full offerings and facilities. With an archery range, skeet, and clay shooting facilities, safety courses, and other opportunities, the organization is a potential source of fun and education for any local who wants to engage in recreational shooting locally at a very reasonable rate.
The club itself was formally established in the 80's, though it goes back much further as an informal collection of local residents who gathered to engage in shooting sports. The main club building was erected in the 70's.
Steve Stiles, who is the club treasurer, talked with me about its history and facilities. "There used to be over 100 and some members in this area. But over time, it's kind of dwindled." Steve suggested that the loss of interest was attributable to the expense of the sport and the increasing busyness of life getting in the way of engaging in recreational target shooting.
"We have a skeet and trap range and rifle and pistol range on premises. We predominantly will shoot skeet or trap on Monday evenings during summer as long as we have people coming down and have daylight." He explained that the evening shooting events typically draw between 5 and 20 people, largely from the Havre area. Participants only need to bring "their own shotgun, and if they have their own shells, that's fine. We have all the clays and machines and throw them." The facilities for shooting trap and skeet are quite impressive, with multiple buildings housing the machinery and lanes for shooters to stand in. Steve pointed out that the trap throwers were all upgraded a few years ago: "We have newer, used machines that are automatic loading. We bought the skeet machines new, and they are sequenced through the controller, which is radio controlled. You don't have to have wire sticking out of everything." The cost for evening shooting is only $5, which is quite inexpensive compared to most ranges.
In addition to skeet and trap facilities, the range also has a rifle and pistol range. Those wishing to use the facilities "...just they have to have a membership, and mainly that's for insurance purposes. But they can come in any time during daylight hours." The pass to use the range is $20 for an annual pass and $100 for a lifetime membership. Passes can be purchased from Steve Stiles or Kenny Martin, who works at Ezzie's and can typically be contacted there.
The range also has archery targets, which are a more recent addition. In recent years, an archery club has met at the range as well. The club typically hosts an FFA shooting day every year, with varying levels of participation. In the past, student competitive shooting organizations have met at the range, though waning interest has ended that aspect of their offerings. However, several schools in the region have started their own competition shooting teams, opening the door to a possible return of the sport if a local adult felt called to pick up the torch and organize it.
"We've essentially wrapped up the Monday evenings the rest of the year because it's getting dark early." However, the rifle and pistol range is open year round. For more information, contact Kenny Martin or Steve Stiles. Steve's number is 406-945-0302.
