Welcome to the Gopher Campfire Conservation Club

SHOOTERS - Please be sure to check the Calendar for open range times and read the range reminder.

- Welcome - Board of Directors - Prose from the President - March 2008 Calendar at a Glance

The Board of Directors welcomes you to our website. Our goal is to make the Gopher Campfire Conservation Club one of the finest organizations of it's kind in the area.

Our latest newslettter is out. View it here.

Founded in April, 1910 by Carlos Avery and Sam Anderson, the Gopher Campfire Conservation Club is located approximately 6.5 miles North of Hutchinson, MN at 24718 County Road 7 (Bear Lake Road).

The purposes for which this club is organized are to conserve, restore, and manage the game, fish, and other wildlife and it's habitat; to seek and procure improved hunting and fishing for landowners and sportsman. To promote interest in hunting, shooting, archery, fishing, and to encourage and educate it's members and the general public in the principles of safety. To encourage and provide social and friendly interaction among it's members.

September 2008 Prose From Your President

Another year is passing quickly and we are already almost into October.  2008 has been a busy and exceptional year for Gopher Campfire!  All of the events and shooting sports went well this summer and fun was had by all! I would like to thank all of you that helped Gopher Campfire with these events and would like to ask those of you who haven’t had a chance to help to come forward and volunteer your time for at least one event.  If everyone would do this it would help the club immensely and give some of the regulars a little break. So come on out and help.  See the fun we have!

I would also like to take this opportunity talk about some additional projects that has been happening this year. First, our sanctuary improvements are well underway.  Our sanctuary board worked with the city of Hutchinson on the improvements to the sanctuary and the dike and ponds have been shaped and reconstructed. Seeding and tree planting is being done presently and then the fence will be replaced.  We are looking for volunteers to help with the fence construction, so if interested please give me a call. After the fence has been installed a learning center with an observation deck will be constructed inside the fence so kids can better learn about and view the animals and birds.  We are still way short of funds for this project so if you can, please make a donation we can really use the help.

Dave Larson has gotten a good head start on 100th Anniversary of Gopher Campfire.  He and his committee have been scheming feverishly and have come up with many special events for the year.  Please watch for the coming events.

Also Skip Quade’s book with pictures and stories about Gopher’s first 100 years has been coming along very well.  He is taking orders now for either a soft cover edition or a limited hard cover copy.  I am not sure when these will come off the press. Skip or Dick Schweiss can be contacted to order.

Another great project we accomplished this year was to build a 50 yard rifle range. All that remains is to set the cement benches in place.  Once this task is complete we will have four ranges, two pistol and two rifle, next to each other that are now safe to shoot all simultaneously.  I would like to thank everyone who helped with this project, it constructed very professionally and done quickly.

I would like to again close this letter with a plea for all of you to become more active in the club.  We are in the eve of our 100th anniversary and I would like to show everyone in this state how proud and active this club has become. Our club general membership meetings are held at 8 PM every second Tuesday of the month.  (There is no meeting in November.)  Currently we have from 20 to 30 members at these meetings.  I would like to see these numbers grow so much that from now on we would have to use the larger back room of the clubhouse for the meeting.  So please try to make it and we will have the door open and waiting for you.

Well again I just got started and already used up half of the newsletter so I will have to close for now.
Thanks for listening and I look forward to seeing all of you at our next meeting!
Keith Berwald - The Prez!

Also, please be sure to review our range rules.

Last Updated: 11-26-2008