| The Boerne Schuetzen Verein (Shooting Club) was organized in 1864 by German immigrants who settled in the area now called Boerne. (Burn-ee). They worked hard all day to make a living for themselves and their families, and needed something to do for recreation at the end of the week, so they created the club where they could go to show off their shooting prowess and try to beat the other members in a sometimes day long shoot. The men would break out their rifles and shoot against each other, while the wives cooked meals and socialized and the kids played in the fields. For many years, it was thought that the Shooting Club was the place to be. Almost everyone was a member and they spent as much time there as they could. Through the years, the club was moved to two other locations before being settled where it is now in 1914, just north of Boerne on Shooting Club Road. The old German "Schuetzen" style shooting has been preserved, shooting from stair-stepped wooden ramps at a target 100 yards away. In the late 1970's or early 1980's, women were finally allowed to shoot with the men. They showed that they too have the ability to present some really high scores, even in adverse weather conditions. Only .22 caliber target rifles are used at the club, using standard velocity ammunition. Iron sights or scopes are acceptable when shooting, but in the beginning, only iron sights were used. Beginning in 2009 the club will be competing in the A.R.A. American Rimfire Association shooting 50 yard benchrest against other ARA clubs nationwide. The ARA schedule will be announced once construction deadlines for that range have been finalized. Dues presently are $40.00 per member annually. There is also a one time initiation fee of $10.00 per person. Members over 70 years of age pay half-dues. Each time there is a shoot, each shooter pays a $6.00 range fee that is used to pay for the general upkeep of the Club. Range fees for the ARA shooting have yet to be determined.
In shuetzen we shoot in competition against three other clubs. The Vogels Valley, Alamo, and New Braunfels clubs have also kept up the traditional style of shooting and each of the four clubs hosts a "prize" shoot once a year where various prizes donated by members or merchants are given out by scores. The top score picks what they want, then the 2nd top score, and so on. A lot of the members have been shooting most of their lives, and are direct descendants of the original club members. Memberships are open to everyone who can legally buy a rifle and use it safely,and their children. For information on memberships, you can come by the club at one of the shoots shown on the 2nd tab, "Shooting Schedule", or email us at info@boerneshootingclub.org .
Present Officers -
President - Steve Yates
Vice-President - Steve Blain
Secretary - Jay Brinkley
Treasurer - Sally Yates
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