Gun Club Range Ready for Target Practice Near Moran
By Paul Gingras

Rudy Hennekes, president of the Mackinac Straits Shooters Association, poses at the pistol range near Castle Rock Road in Brevort Township. The association, which was dissolved in 1982, has been revived and is leasing land used for target practice and competitions more than 20 years ago. Remnants of the original pistol range can be seen behind him. In the distance is the bullet-stopping berm, which is to be heightened and augmented with bullet stops, which are tires filled with sand. Berms for 100-yard and 200-yard rifle ranges nearby will be heightened and completed with bullet stops, also.

The pop and bang of pistols and rifles can be heard in an isolated area near Castle Rock Road and M- 123 in Brevort Township, revealing the excitement of the re-organized Mackinac Straits Shooters Association, which recently secured a 10- year lease on land for its rifle and pistol ranges. The ranges offer a safe place to practice and hold competitions.

Membership is increasing rapidly and the nonprofit organization is improving the grounds to usher in a new era of safe-shooting practices and competitions on the site, which is open to anyone interested in becoming a club member.

"I'm picking up memberships as we speak," said association president Rudy Hennekes of St. Ignace Friday, July 11.

The club structure and facility are modeled after similar clubs throughout the United States.

The group has 27 members, including a five-member board of directors. It is open to anyone age nine and older. (Youths younger than 17 must be accompanied by an adult at the range.) Entire families have signed up, Mr. Hennekes said.

Open from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m., the isolated, open field range is complete with burms and bullet stops at its 100- and 200-yard rifle ranges and its 50-yard pistol range.

"The club is trying to promote the safe side of shooting sports," which are "clearly an American tradition," Mr. Hennekes told The St. Ignace News.

With guidance, marksmen learn how wind, temperature, and ballistics affect their shooting.

"Shooting is a science, and to be capable, you have to practice," he said. "Serious pistol shooters may go through 9,000 rounds of practice before one day of competition."

The Shooters Association includes experienced marksmen from local police and Coast Guard units, who can use the site to log required practice hours, hunters, former members of the military, youths considering military service, and others new to the sport who simply need a safe place to learn how to shoot well.

High on the group's list of goals is to promote marksmanship as a fun, family tradition, challenging the often-negative portrayal of guns by the national media, which often focuses on gun activity linked to inner-city crime, Mr. Hennekes said.

After trying out several locations to practice over the years, group vice-president Don Schairer said the location is ideal.

"I'm really excited. It's going to be nice," he told The St. Ignace News. "We're revitalizing the association so people have a safe place to shoot without interfering with anyone else." In other areas, shooters worried about bothering campers, all-terrain-vehicle riders, youngsters, or anglers seeking the serenity of fishing.

Having a fenced in, secluded area benefits everybody, he said.

The range will even offer outdoor fun on rainy days, once the roofs over the shooting benches are complete, he said.

This summer, the group is improving the facility to meet all National Rifle Association (NRA) standards, including increasing the height of burms to 15 feet and rebuilding backstops.

The group hopes the site will meet NRA standards by mid- August, enabling Mackinac Shooters to hold competitions next year, including black-powder rifle shoots, benefit shoots, and high-power rifle competitions.

Mackinac Shooters is working with an archery group called 3D Bow. The group will set up deer and bear silhouettes in a nearby orchard in 2009.

The group will also offer hunter safety classes and courses for people seeking concealed weapons permits.

For now, "the site is open to practice, sight-in deer rifles, and shoot for fun, which is what it's all about," Mr. Hennekes said.

Owing to concerns about lead accumulation in the environment, the group will not allow shotguns. Most lead from rifles can be easily contained, unlike the spray from shotguns, he said.

The group plans to hold about four competitions next year. They will include range safety officers and time keepers.

As an NRA affiliate, shooters at upcoming local competitions can use their score books to establish a solid shooting background, which helps if they seek to compete in major NRA competitions, such as national matches at Camp Perry, Ohio, where they can compete against expert civilian and military marksmen.

The site on Castle Rock Road was used in the '70s and early '80s by Mackinac Shooters. The group disbanded in 1982, owing to operation costs and low membership, Mr. Hennekes said.

Interest in a new shooters club has been building for the past three years. Mr. Hennekes has had frequent requests for a safe place to practice and compete. An avid hunter and competition shooter, he worked on reorganizing the association, which achieved non-profit status in June, secured the land lease, and obtained liability insurance.

Board members are Mr. Hennekes, president; Don Schairer, vice president; Mark Eby, secretary; Jimmie Miller, treasurer, and Jay Tremble, club contact representative.

New members sign waivers and receive the code to a combination lock at the entrance to the site. The cost is $35 for individuals and $50 for families.

To join, contact Rudy Hennekes at 643-8215. Don Schairer said potential members may call him at St. Ignace Automotive Supply, 643- 8038, or visit him at the store. Jimmie Miller can be reached at 643-6743.