Officials with the Daviess County Gun Club didn’t know what to expect in the first year after Fiscal Court reopened the facility, but said that it turned out to be an “exceptional” experience.
Zach Crisp oversaw the Gun Club’s activities and helped bring the previously closed establishment back to life. Once the club opened up in March 2020, everyone hit the ground running, Crisp said.
“The number of people who came out to shoot from early March to the middle of December was absolutely amazing,” he said. “Our shooters ranged from people who have never shot a shotgun before to some of the best shooters in the region.”
While the Gun Club held some competitive events, Crisp said clay shooting was an activity enjoyed by entire families. Families visited “countless” times over the year to shoot clay targets.
“Clay target shooting can be intimidating for a first-time shooter, especially for women and children. In some situations this may be the first time they have shot a firearm,” Crisp noted. “Next year I would like to host events to help these individuals become more confident, including youth and women’s shooting sessions that will cover basic safety and fundamentals.”
Already, the Daviess County Gun Club has two registered National Sporting Clays Association (NCA) shoots scheduled for the upcoming season. One will take place in May, and the other in September.
Crisp said those events will draw some of the best shooters in the region to Daviess County. In the future, Crisp said he’s hoping the Daviess County Gun Club can host the state sporting clays championship.
During the 2020 season, the Gun Club held two official sporting events that will become annual competitions. The Dove Warm Up was held in August and featured discounted sporting clay rounds that were intended to imitate a dove hunting scenario.
“Coming from a hunting background, I knew it was a great way for hunters to get their shotgun out early and get some practice,” he said. “It was a huge success, drawing one of our biggest crowds of the year.”
The Haunted 7 was another event held in October, which included a “spooky” sporting clays course that featured seven advanced stations decorated with spider webs, crows, zombies, candy and witches. Those who came to the event called it one of the most fun shooting events they’d participated in.
The Gun Club, a 72-acre shotgun shooting sports complex, is located at 7740 State Route 2830 in Maceo. It offers trap, skeet and a 14-station sporting clays course.
It is scheduled to open for the season on March 5.
