Rules and Policies

Updated 2/1/10

Membership conduct on club grounds

1. Upon entry onto club grounds every member must sign the logbook located at the clubhouse and not sign out until the member leaves the club grounds.  Enter the date, time, your name, activity or type of shooting, and how many people are in your party.
2. Respect the club grounds, all negligent damage to club property by a club member, his family, or guest will be repaired by the member or he/she will be billed to have the damage repaired.
3. Each member will be supplied a membership button when annual dues are paid.  This button must be displayed while on club grounds.
4. Members 18 years of age but not yet 21 years of age are reminded that they are restricted in the possession and discharge of handguns by state law which will be strictly followed on club grounds. Further members in this age bracket are restricted in that any guest they bring onto club grounds must be 18 years of age or older.

Dues, Work hours, and Fees

1. Annual dues are $100 per single member, husband and wife membership $120

2. Annual work hours are 10 hours to be signed off by a board member on the provided work hour card.  (Senior members 65 years of age, and a club member over 5 years, are excluded from these work hours).
3. First year members must actually work all 10-work hours (this means 20 hours total for a husband and wife membership) or membership can be terminated.  The remainder of the membership can work the 10 hours or be billed at a rate of $25 for each hour not worked (due with annual dues).
4. First year initiation fee and Annual dues ($300 for single membership or $320 for a husband & wife membership) are non-refundable or transferable.

Shooting hours, days, and dates

1. With respect to the discharging of firearms on ranges, normal shooting hours are 9:00 am to dusk (15 minutes after sunset) Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Please note that these hours are controlled by the club, not by local ordinance. Ranges may be closed to the general membership during special events and matches. All ranges are closed during the traditional 9-day gun deer season. Shooting after dusk is allowed for the trap league.
2. All firearms ranges are closed on Tuesdays with the following exceptions:
3. New Years Day, Independence Day, Christmas Eve, Christmas, and New Years Eve. All ranges are open should these holidays fall on a Tuesday.
4. The Rifle Range will be open for rimfire shooting from 2:00 pm to dusk for participants in the club sanctioned Buffalo League dates. The rifle range is not open to centerfire calibers or non-Buffalo league participants on those dates.

Specific Range Rules

-General

1. Safety is our biggest concern.  Any member found not conducting themselves in a safe manner on club grounds will be dealt with by the board of directors up to and including termination of membership.
2. All shooters should come equipped with ear and eye protection when engaged in firearm use.  Spectators are required to be equipped with a minimum of eye protection.
3. During any cease-fire on any range, firearm must be left with actions open so all people on the range can see they are in a safe condition.  It is also mandatory to refrain from handling any firearm at a bench when others are down range checking or posting targets. Anyone can call a cease-fire on a range at any time if an unsafe act is observed.
4. Clean up behind yourself after shooting.  This means put away chairs, remove targets from boards, remove all steel targets, target hangars, and target bases set up in pistol bays, and pick up your brass (even rimfire).  If you brought it onto the range you take it off!
5. Use common sense as to the target you may use.  We have all shot at water jugs and cans, just pick up behind yourself and don’t use a target that promotes a bullet bouncing out of the range or back at the shooter.  If you are not sure what caliber a reactive target can safely sustain, DO NOT SHOOT AT IT!
6. No person under age 18 shall discharge a handgun on the club grounds unless under direct supervision of a parent or legal guardian. This is a  liability/insurance issue and no exceptions will be made for close family members (uncle, grandfather, etc) or friends. No person under age 10 shall discharge a rifle, shotgun, or muzzleloader on the club grounds unless under direct supervision of a parent or legal guardian. Again, this is a  liability/insurance issue and no exceptions will be made for close family members (uncle, grandfather, etc) or friends.

 

-Pistol Ranges

1. Members are asked to use the lower pistol pits (behind the rifle range) and refrain from using the upper pistol pits whenever possible.  This reduces the noise for our neighbors and promotes our community standing.
2. Club members may use any steel on pistol ranges, however only pistol calibers with target style loads are to be used (Note: magnum loads can damage steel targets).  No “Cowboy” steel should be used without SASS legal cowboy calibers and loads.  If in doubt, DO NOT SHOOT AT IT!
3. Any targets set in pistol bays must be done in a safe manner.  It is acceptable to use a maximum of 180 degrees of the bay in a safe manner; however care must be used to think about the entry points of others into the bay.
4. Match sets are often constructed early in pistol bays. It is acceptable to use the bay if one avoids the targets set for the match. This means you can’t shoot at the targets set up for the match, but you set up additional targets to shoot at. Remember to remove all additional targets when done.

 

-Rifle Range

1. Use only the target boards posted with backstops behind them.  AT NO TIME SHALL A TARGET BE POSTED IN THE MIDDLE OF THE RANGE WITH NO BACK STOP.
2. AT NO TIME SHALL A TARGET BE POSTED ON A POLE OR SUPPORTING MEMBER OF A BACKSTOP.
3. ALL TARGETS SHALL BE POSTED WELL BELOW THE ORANGE PAINTED TOP RAIL OF THE BACKSTOP.

4. Range safety lights shall be used whenever a person goes down range to paste or post a target.

5. Flying brass is the responsibility of the shooter to contain, use a board on a chair or the roll down screens hanging between benches to deflect brass from other shooters when necessary.

6. The rifle range is closed past the 100 yard berm during Wednesday night trap league.  If the trap range is being used while the rifle range is open, safety glasses shall be worn while changing targets downrange. A portion of the rifle range is in the potential impact area of our trap range.

7. Special rules for .50 BMG caliber firearms:
   1. Targets shall be placed and shot at the 300 yard berm ONLY.
   2. The club provided metal gongs may not be used as targets.
   3. It the range is in use by other member.50's is bothersome to some other shooters.

-Archery Ranges

1. No broadheads are allowed on archery 3-D or excelsior targets.  Broadheads can be used on the practice broadhead range (sand backstops).
2. Club owned 3-D targets are to be used for club functions only.  These are not for individual members to use.

 

-Shotgun Patterning

1. Shotgun patterning is generally done on either the 30-yard rifle range bunker, a pistol bay without a backstop, or the left most board on the upper pistol pit (the pit you first see when driving into the club).  We expect the boards to get a little ragged prior to turkey hunting season, however if we can contain this to just these two areas, it is less costly to repair.

Bringing Guests to the Club

1. Guests may be brought onto the club grounds as personal non-commercial guests.  What is meant by this is that no member shall use the club grounds for personal commercial gain or personal profit generating venture.  This behavior is against the club by-laws in addition to the liability/insurance issues it creates.  Note that this activity will be dealt with when discovered.
2. Family members are not considered as guests with the exception of members 18-21 years of age who are restricted to only have guests on the club grounds that are 18 years of age or older.  Guest fees do not apply to family members nor are they counted in the two-guest limit. However they must be with a member to be on club grounds.  (The only exception to this would be attendance at a club sponsored event like an archery shoot, trap league, etc.)
3. Members may bring guests, (limited to two at one time), to club to use the facility with a member.  These guests shall register and pay a $5.00 class B daily membership fee for that day’s use of the club grounds. Guests must be accompanied by a member at all times when using ranges.  Guests should arrive after or with members and depart before or with the member.
4. Guests must be made aware of the location of ranges and different functions on the club grounds.  They should not be allowed to roam aimlessly around.  Ranges such as the archery field range may not be apparent to the un-informed and could create an unsafe condition.  Please insure the safety of your guests at all times.
5. Guests and class B members shall not be allowed to operate club golf carts or other club vehicles.

Special Events on Club Grounds

1. The club sponsors special events and organized matches. These events generally use the club grounds as a whole. This effectively closes ranges to other membership activity.  The match director or sponsoring board member may reduce the fee for class A members. Permission to use portions of the club grounds during these special events must be secured from the event sponsoring board member or match director. The board member or match director should allow club members to use potions of the club grounds if it can be done safely.
2. All participants organized matches shall be class A or class B members. A portion of the entry fee for organized matches shall be used for class B membership.

Hunting on Club Grounds

1. The club grounds are open to hunting by members and the member’s spouses and children under the age of 18.  The member must be present at any time a family member is hunting.  No guests are allowed to hunt on the club grounds.
2. All state laws apply to hunting on club grounds.
3. Any member found trespassing on neighbor’s land without permission via the club grounds is subject to action by the board of directors.
4. Bow hunting and small game hunting behind the rifle range is allowed only when the rifle range is closed.
5. Permanent tree stands may be erected on the club grounds and shall be located west of the lower north south archery trail.  Any member erecting a stand must keep it in good repair and have the stand tagged with the member’s name. Any member using such a stand assumes all liabilities in its use.  The Oconomowoc Sportsman Club will assume no liability based on member using his/her stand or the stand of another.
6. Dog training using live birds will be permitted my members and their guests (See Bringing Guests) on the club grounds.  This exercise is not considered hunting by the club however the activity must adhere to all Wisconsin State dog training laws.
7. Deer hunting on the club grounds with a firearm (rifle or pistol) or muzzleloader is allowed during the traditional 9-day gun deer season only. The club grounds are not open to firearm or muzzleloader deer hunting at any other time. Centerfire rifles may not be used to hunt deer on the club grounds.