Check out the newsletter in the original format here
Blair County Game,
Fish and Forestry
301 Riggles Gap Sportsmen Rd Altoona, PA 16601 ♦ 814-942-8522
Trap Shooting
Tentatively, Sunday shoots start April 5th at 1pm. Shoots are open to the public. $4 per round (25 shots) $2 for youth. Summer months we shoot on Tuesdays at 5:30pm.
75yd Groundhog Shoot
First week is Mon, June 8th. The shoot is open to the public and the cost is $6 per scored set of targets. 25 shots at 75yrds on a rest and 5 shots off hand at 50 yards. Prize money will be paid out each week.
T-Shirt Sale and The High Power House
Check out the last page of the newsletter! It is the form for our Preorder Shirt Sale. Forms must be submitted by March 28th and we expect shirts will be available for pickup by the end April. We will contact you when they are available. Proceeds are going towards the restoration of the high power house. Check out Page 3 for a bit of history of the range in 1939.
Indoor Range Project
The board is looking for assistance with designing an addition or new building for our indoor range. Do you know an architect or engineer? The main goal is to be able to have 8 to 10 shooting positions with room for storage and viewing. Please contact us ASAP if you or someone you know can help or if you are interested in being on the committee.
Spring Raffle
Check out the prizes for this year’s spring raffle. Tickets are $5. Drawing is May 16th at 4:30pm. More tickets are available at the Lodge.
1st Sig Sauer SP2022 9mm (or $360)
2nd Ruger American Ranch (or $300)
3rd Springfield Hellcat 9mm (or $360)
4th Ruger MPR Rifle 5.56(or $450)
5th Glock 44 .22lr(or $300)
6th Win. SXP Mossy Oak 12guage 28inch barrel (or $320)
7th S&W Shield .45 ACP (or $300)
8th KelTec CMR30 Carbine (or $350)
9th S&W M&P9 M2.0 Shield EZ 9mm (or $300)
10th Thompson Center Venture Synthetic (or $320)
If you provide your email address with your tickets you can get a receipt.
Important Dates
Feb. 9th Work Day
Feb. 20th Work Day (Thursday 9am)
March 19th Work Day
March 21st Hunter Ed
March 22nd Work Day
March 26th Landowners Sportsmen Banquet
April 16th Work Day (Thursday 9am)
April 19th Work Day
May 2nd and 3rd Spring Cleanup
May 15th Work Day
May 16th Blair Women Take Aim & Raffle
May 21st Work Day (Thursday 9am)
May 31st Black Powder Pistol Shoot
June 8th Ground Hog Shoot Begins
June 7th 3d Archery Course Opens
June 13th Work Day
June 14th Membership Picnic 4pm
June 18th Work Day (Thursday 9am)
July 16th Work Day (Thursday 9am)
July 18th Work Day
Sept. 6th and 7th Ox Roast Festival
Blair Women Take Aim
May 16th is the 6th Annual Blair Women Take Aim event. We will still be accepting 100 women this year. Pre-registration is required to participate and will not open until April 1st. Events include rifle, pistol, shotgun and much more. For more information check out blairwomentakeaim.com. Again, this event is hosted and run by this organization. If you are interested in helping or sponsoring, please contact us at 814-942-8522.
Expensive projects
As we continue to improve and plan for the future, we have had to bid out certain projects due to lack of volunteers. In 2019 we contracted out concrete range work as well as trap house concrete work and lodge floor refinishing. This year the board has already contracted out a new driving bridge and roof work. These projects have been done internally in the past but we have been short on enthusiastic volunteers. To volunteer contact the lodge or come to work days.
Indoor Shooting Events
The 22 Pistol league is back again this year on Wednesdays at 6pm, running until March 11th. We have had a lot of positive feedback with the in the past and it looks to be another great year. Check out the weekly scores on blairgame.com/pistol. $3 per round.
22 Bottle Cap league is also going well. Shooters compete with 22 rifles to see who can get closest to the center. $10 per night on Thursdays thru March with money prizes every night.
These events are all open to the public.
Youth Air Rifle
We are still running youth shooting every Monday evening at 5:30pm Ages 818 (Public Welcome).
$2 fee per week and everything is provided. We are also looking for volunteers to help.
Landowners Sportsmen Banquet
March 26th at 6pm we will hold our annual banquet to thank landowners who keep their ground open to hunting. If you are a landowner or know one that keeps land open, please contact us for free tickets. Other tickets can be purchased for $10. Our guest speaker will be from the PA Fish Commission this year.
Youth Field Day
This year is the 27th anniversary of the Keystone Sportsmen for Youth Field day on June 6th. Tyrone Sportsmen will be hosting this year, but we always have a large crew from Blair Game helping. Contact us if you are interested.
2020 Archery
The 2020 3D Archery Season will begin on June 7th. Open every day at 8:30am until dark. The 15 targets are positioned along a shortened wooded trail to allow quicker shooting sessions.
There are reduced prices for members and children under the age of 18. Season passes are also available.
Crossbows are not allowed.
The targets are Field Tip only.
Members pricing starts at $5
Non-members Starts at $10
Youth Start at $3
More info at blairgame.com/3d
We need help with the archery course! Contact us if you are interested in helping!
Muzzleloader Matches
2020 Shoot Dates:
March 28: PFBPS Fun Shoot 9am & Banquet 6pm Light lunch available
April 19: Woods Walk 1pm
Any muzzle loading rifle, any ignition
May 8-9: PA Company of Rifleman Spring Tryout
Friday- Primitive Woods Walk 11am; Period dress encouraged
-Black Powder Trap 7pm
Saturday- Qualification Agg. and paper re-entry
May 31: Pistol Match 1pm
Any black powder pistol
November 15: Woods Walk 1pm
Legal PA Flintlock season guns only
December 6: Rest Match 11am
Any muzzle loading rifle, any ignition, iron sights only
Maximum weight of 14lbs. Get more information at blairgame.com/tvm
Membership Dues Discussion
The Officers and Board of Directors are opening discussion about potential future dues increases. The last dues increase was large and much overdue. Being forward thinking, the Board is looking at incremental increases to cover increasing expenses. Many projects that previously would have been completed with volunteer labor have been outsourced due to lack of participation causing more money to be spent. Taxes and insurance always seem to be increasing as well as the cost of materials for general maintenance. We encourage members to come to the monthly membership meetings to discuss future dues. It is always the first Thursday of every month at 7pm.
Orientation/
Tours
Every second Thursday of each month we provide 30min to 1hr tours of the buildings and main property. These tours are full of historical facts and great information on what is available for members to use. Members or potential members are welcome.
Sponsorships Available
Do you have a business that would like to sponsor an event? Sponsorships are available for the 3d archery course, Blair Women Take Aim, and Newsletters. Sponsorships range from $25 to $300. Contact the club at blaircountygame@gmail.com or at 814-942-8522. Some sponsorships are time sensitive so contact us as soon as possible if interested.
Upcoming Projects
Big projects that are planned
- Main Driving Bridge replacement
- High Power Range Roof Repaired
- Concrete at ranges and pavilion
- Overhang for back door of Lodge
- Steel Plate Range reconfigured
We have some volunteer opportunities that may be of interest to you. These are projects that you may be able to accomplish at home or on your own.
- Small Engine Maintenance (keep our equipment running properly)
- Electrical Work (new lighting, Generator Hookup etc)
- Picnic Tables built
- Beehive design and Maintenance
- Hiking Trail Maintenance.
- Parade Float Design
Are you not sure how to get started? Contact the lodge and set up an appointment for a project you would like to work on. Or reach out if you have any interest in working with a committee.
Conservation and Outreach
Did you know we are more than just a gun range? We work with the game commission and other groups to keep our forest open to the public and healthy. We could use your help! We would like to host a honeybee colony on our property and need help designing, building and maintaining it. We would also like to get out into the community more with a parade float. These projects need new faces to get going and maybe one of those faces could be yours. As always, this would contribute to your volunteer hours. In Search of
We are always in need of material throughout the year to keep the ranges up and running. Products that you may have left over from a project could be trash for you but a perfect target backer for us. We use plywood and 2x4s on almost all the ranges. If you want to donate some leftover material, contact us to see if we can use it.
From the Auxiliary President
The Auxiliary would like to THANK Everyone who has supported our efforts this far and hope you will again support us in our Annual Pre Order Merchandise Sale.
Our Auxiliary is open to anyone male or female who wants to be involved with planning our family friendly events. If you are not available for meetings, but still want to be involved we have created a Private Auxiliary Page or you can Friend “BlairGame Aux” on Facebook.
We would love to welcome everyone into the auxiliary. The Auxiliary meets the Second Thursday of each month at 6:30pm in the Lodge.
Donations
In 2018 for the first time we had a family donate and dedicate a shooting bench. Since then we have expanded our options. Currently you can donate a shooting bench with no plaque for $240. A bench with a laser-fused brass plaque for $300 or a bench with a cast bronze plaque for $425. More info at blairgame.com/donations
High Power Building Repair
This year our Shirt order sale is raising money to help restore our High Power Building. Here is a quick history of that range.
Just over 80 years ago, Representative James E. VanZandt announced that President Roosevelt approved a WPA rifle range project at Chief Logan Lodge in Riggles Gap, an appropriation of $3,820. The plans called for construction of a target pit, firing platform, shelter building and road. This announcement was made in early January 1939, work began in early April and it was dedicated on June 24th of the same year with record crowds participating in one of the biggest…
For More of the history go to blairgame.com/shirtorder
blairgame.com 