Rod & Gun Club Open House Educates, Offers Hands-On Experience

held its third annual open house to the public last week. The private club, formed in 1957, is home to over 500 members and offers an indoor and outdoor range, trap shooting, and an archery course.

Patty Blute, who operates as the club’s membership secretary, felt the open house was a good time for the public to learn about the club and participate in shoots under the club’s supervision.

“It’s a matter of having them participate in a very safe ... environment. Someone that’s been thinking about it, and unsure about it, it’s a good time to find out,” she said.

The club employs range safety officers to make sure that members are adhering to the club’s rules and safety provisions.

“There’s always a range officer there, it’s a safety thing. We don’t have anybody down there unless there’s a safety range officer with them,” said Patty Blute.

Archery committee chairman Rich MacDonald, who is also a range safety officer, said that he has kicked people off of the archery range when they haven’t followed his safety rules. One infraction was a member who loaded arrows when people were still in the line of fire.

The club, while offering many adult programs, tries to appeal to youth as well.

“We have everything here, we have everything from youngsters up to ... seniors. We have a lot of kids’ programs,” said club president Jeff Blute.

The club offers both junior rifle and trap programs as well as a new archery program--started up by instructor Rich MacDonald.

“It’s in its infancy, there was no program for seven years, said MacDonald. “We’d like to see more kids come out.” MacDonald said the club is trying to join a regional archery committee.

“But we need involvement (...) Right now I have probably three regular shooters Tuesday night.”

Youth archery participate on both indoor and outdoor ranges, dependent upon the weather. A 3D archery course (realistic-looking animal targets) is currently closed due to flooding from beaver activity.

The club is also part of the Greater Lowell Trap League and offers a youth trap program, headed up by Steve Stella.

“We’ve had at least 5 to 10 kids every year. We go to all the shoots, the state shoots, the zone shoots, and all the other stuff with the kids,” he said.

The trap program has practice shoots on Monday nights and participates in the Greater Lowell Trap League on Tuesday and Wednesdays. Youth participate on Thursday nights.

The programs for children (ages 11-18) do not require membership, and are held weekly for a nominal fee.

A further amenity is the club’s indoor range. The club furnishes seven teams to the Merrimack Valley Pistol League. Members can train in a 50-foot range, open from 7 a.m. to midnight, though the type of firearm one is allowed to use at night changes.

“After 10 o’clock, the caliber of what you’re shooting is a little quieter,” said Patty Blute.

With all the club offers, president Jeff Blute hopes that the public will have a greater understanding of the club’s facilities and membership.

“We’re just trying to let people know what’s going on here,” said Tewksbury Rod & Gun Club President Jeff Blute. “And everything that we do is based on safety, first of all.

"We’re not a bunch of crazies running around with guns. It’s a hobby, and everything is safety, safety, safety.”