Curious about Blanket Shoots that Require an Entry Fee

[ApprenticeBuilder]

I just paid a family registration for our big shindig next month, $50.00. This fee is covers, camping, rifle, pistol, and H&K, I also purchased an extra card for trade gun.

Many do not take into account the actual costs to run a legit club.

We will typically spend between $3500.00 to $4000.00 to host this event.

 

[XXX]

My initial interest in the particular club that brought this up was that it was fairly close to home (2-3 hours), and might be interesting enough to join as a regular member, though I would not be able to go more then 2-3 times a year. If the club had not interested me for more than a day shoot I would have looked at the day shoot costs and simply dropped consideration for attending and looked for something else. Looking around the Interweb at other public shoots I came to the conclusion that there are one or 2 who have day shooter costs above the "average", but that most seem to be able to keep fees in the $25-$30 range. My guess is that somewhere in there is where the balance is between covering the cost of putting on the event and not scaring off prospective visiting shooters with sticker shock.

I have thought about the subject quite a bit since I posted the thread and I think it comes down to having a fair balance. In my mind, I think it is reasonable for the hosting club to at least meet the specific costs hosting the event with perhaps enough of a profit to make the effort worthwhile when setting a price for non-member dayshooters. If there is some attempt being made to raise money for a charitable purpose or for the club to help pay for some large project then I would probably like to know that that is why the fee is a little higher.
There has been a lot of mention of what it costs to run one of these clubs, and I understand that and it must be a challenge, but i'm not so sure shifting too much of that burden to non-members is a good idea if you want high attendance. What is the real impact of 1 person showing up and shooting a couple of rounds at some targets and maybe a t-hawk throw? Wear and tear on the targets, use the porta-pottie, maybe there was a need to mow some extra parking room, some trash to be disposed of sounds good. On the other hand, discussions about ongoing club maintenance carry less weight with me. Insurance, routine mowing, and gravel for the driveway are expenses that are in place all of the time and will still be so whether or not a shoot is held and whether or not x amount of non-members show up for it.

 

[stinkyfeet]

You bring a valid point to the table my friend. We have had so much bickering at our club events that club memeber are allowed to compete in the actually event with the non-club members. We have our own club shoot the day prior for member only and the evnet is closed to the public. The next day all members are there to assist in whatever needs to be done and assist non-members and make the event all about them. That way theres no non-member saying the event is fixed so a club member would win. It makes for better business, and by focusing on the non-member we have a higher turn out for the events because its affordable and they have a great time.

 

[ohio ramrod]

In our area (north central Ohio ) blanket shoots have a fee of from $2.00 to $5.00 for the club .Blanket shoots are considered "fun" shoots. The days of large prizes are basicly long gone. Local clubs that used to have 100 plus camps at a rendezvous now are lucky to get 15. :idunno:

 

[stinkyfeet]

Yeah but whats the reason people aren't attending is the generation getting older and its more work then fun anymore. Is the price of fuel to get there. Is it the headache for some to get powder and other shooting supplies. Cost of Guns?? Lack of interest ?? Or all of the above. I think its all of the above. I was part of a gun club that held 2 rondys a year winter and summer that had around 75-100 camps at each shoot. They held a winter BP league that had 40-50 shooters every year. But when sporting clays became the biggest money draw they shut the muzzleloaders guys out closed down the woodswalk trail to make a walk through sporting clays range and the muzzleloading events were done. All for the sake of making money most of the old club members left and new came in and no more muzzleloading fun. The club turned its back on what made the club to begin with it was a sad day and still leaves a bad taste in many of the guys mouth. :idunno:

 

[ApprenticeBuilder]

Ok,
So if I understand you correctly you’re showing up as a guest for a day to shoot at a club sponsored rendezvous, or is it more of a day (monthly) shoot type venue?

Our club has a monthly shoot that amounts to $3 for a shoot card, as a guest you may attend upwards of 3 to 5 shoots before your expected to join, single membership is (woefully low) $15 and $20 for a family. The membership gets you a key to the grounds (40 acres) and 100+ year old cabin, we do a turkey shoot where we give frozen birds to mostly each shooter for the price of a shoot card, we do a steak feed for a $5 shoot card, monthly news letter, etc.

I personally feel that our membership fees are way too low for what this club offers, but the ole’ timers won’t hear of raising the cost, they’ll buy their cartons of cigs and cases of booze but won’t spend $100 a year for what we have and do.


We host(ed) a large winter shoot each year (on rented land), back before the crash in ’08 numbers in the 375 to 500 registered shooter range were common, (the numbers have steadily dropped) we typically made money off of those shoots with our fee structure. We would charge $15 (single) to $25 (family) and that would get you camping (pays for the hooters) a rifle of your choice (flint or percussion) a pistol and a H&K, extra cards were $5, the extra cards are squirrel, trade gun, bow, and most novelty events like shotgun, fort shoot, long gong etc. 1st 2nd and 3rd place shooters in each division receive a medallion plus a pick off the blanket.

Today things are vastly different, last year we had 102 registered shooters, we made $50 due to a donated raffle prize, and our fees last year were $3 (single) and $40 (family) and $10 for extra card. The cost of the hooters has gone up as well as the medallions, hell all of the costs have increased right along. We have had to move our site 4 times now in 10 years as property changes hands etc. (this place seems to be stable) At each location the club paid for real improvements to the host property, that gravel and mowing made it easier on the visitors to access our event. The new place we acquired this year is in real need of a couple of 18” culvert replacements, the club will get this done for the visitors. Clubs cannot absorb losses on a regular basis and continue to offer things such as they do, it is tough competing for the entertainment dollar today.

“What is the real impact of 1 person showing up and shooting a couple of rounds at some targets and maybe a t-hawk throw?”

That is dependant entirely upon the individual, but what about the dozen or so that came in before you and the 15 or so that came in after you, the wear and tear all adds up.

I do know that when anybody walks onto our club sponsored events they are covered under our liability insurance policy not to mention the fact that the membership is now accountable for your actions, just the way it is today.

Our club also holds a spring shoot on our club grounds, last year we had about 45 shooters, and typically we would see 112 or so, things have changed a lot.

It is still one of the cheapest of the organized shooting sports available to the family.

 

[nit wit]

3x:
Come to the Ancient Ones in Maine,Join up, no shootin fee's lots of times we feed everyone too!
PlusRibeyes at spring vous and lobster at fall vous,Free, plus a rifle raffle for members,Free.
It's good to be an A/O
Check it out!
Nit Wit

 

[XXX]

Ok,
So if I understand you correctly you’re showing up as a guest for a day to shoot at a club sponsored rendezvous, or is it more of a day (monthly) shoot type venue?

Thanks for your thoughts Tom.

Yes, non-member day shooter at a public shoot put on by an organized club. The shoot runs all weekend and is also a vous for the members and any guests who want to pay to period camp as well. The camping fee's are significant but perfectly reasonable. I left the camping part out to avoid confusing the issue and left the discussion to costs for a non member individual just showing up to shoot for one day, which in this particular case would be $75 to get in and shoot 4 events and then drive home.

Our club has a monthly shoot that amounts to $3 for a shoot card, as a guest you may attend upwards of 3 to 5 shoots before your expected to join, single membership is (woefully low) $15 and $20 for a family....
I personally feel that our membership fees are way too low for what this club offers, but the ole’ timers won’t hear of raising the cost,....

That is essentially what I was getting at. I cannot find a listing of what this club charges for annual membership, but I can see what other clubs ask for. I just have to wonder why it would cost as much to shoot for one day as it would to join most clubs for a full year. I think that is how they do it at Friendship, and maybe that is the unwritten goal they have, but in this case there in no pretense of membership involved.

Clubs cannot absorb losses on a regular basis and continue to offer things such as they do, it is tough competing for the entertainment dollar today.

I think in your club's case the issue is clearly that the membership rates need to go up and the old timers need to be clued in. I would have no problem paying $100 annually for membership in a club that was as active and offered as much as you describe here.

“What is the real impact of 1 person showing up and shooting a couple of rounds at some targets and maybe a t-hawk throw?”

That is dependant entirely upon the individual, but what about the dozen or so that came in before you and the 15 or so that came in after you, the wear and tear all adds up.

I understand the wear and tear, but my interest as a non-member is what I am paying for. As an individual, I'm not going to wipe out the clubs gong targets in one afternoon. If 100 people show up to shoot and every target you have needs to be welded, then the price for repair should be an amount that would cover that cost. A $1 target repair fee would not kill anyone. A small stick welder goes for $100 at Tractor Supply, problem solved. Of course the welder is now part of the club property and should last for decades. Ongoing target repairs costs would effectively be just pennies going forward. What I don't want to do is basically buy 1/2 the welder for you as a guest.



[/quote]

 

[XXX]

3x:
Come to the Ancient Ones in Maine,Join up, no shootin fee's lots of times we feed everyone too!
PlusRibeyes at spring vous and lobster at fall vous,Free, plus a rifle raffle for members,Free.
It's good to be an A/O
Check it out!
Nit Wit

Thanks Nit Wit. I have seen your club up in Maine and it really is not all that far for me, Chances are I will take the plunge and show up one of these days. :hatsoff: