History

The Souderton Game Fish and Forestry Association was organized on February 22, 1921. The Harleysville Gun Club was organized on April 13, 1928. The two organizations were consolidated into the Souderton – Harleysville Game, Fish, and Forestry Association, Inc. on March 13, 1953.

Motivation for the consolidation of the two organizations came from the opportunity to purchase a 57-acre tract of land, adjoining the 47 acres already owned by the Souderton Association

Excerpts taken from the Monthly Bulletin, from its start in April 1948, find the following items of note which reflect the progressive nature of the Association of the past 67 years.

• 1947/48 – 47 acres purchased by the Souderton Organization.
• March 13, 1953 Souderton – Harleysville merger complete.
• April 7, 1953 – 57 acres purchased by Souderton Harleysville.
• June 1954 – Trapshooting facilities upgraded and a regular program of shoots established.
• Sept. 1957 – The Lake was completed and opened to fishing.
• April 1967 – A new Club house was built to replace the one in use since 1948.
• October 1967 – The indoor rifle range was opened in the new club house/
• Winter of 1970 – A two car garage and storage shed was built in the Schultz Road parking lot.
• April 1976 – A new larger garage and storage facility was erected on the site of the former two car garage.
• November 1976 – A class for Junior Rifle Shooting Instruction was introduced.
• March 1978 – The Shultz road parking lot was expanded to accommodate approximately one hundred vehicles.
• November 1978 – Purchase of 33 acres of ground adjoining the Club.
• 1982 – Purchased Allis Chalmers tractor & mower.
• August 1984 – Purchase of 15.9 acres of land adjoining the Club, from the Schaffer estate.
• August 1985 – Purchase 22 acres of land from John & Joe Matczak.
• 1988 – The lake and Pickerel pond were aerated.
• 1989 – The rifle range firing line was covered.
• 1990 – The fish raising program started.
• 1990 – Replacement of the old Fisherman’s cabin.
• 1991 – Purchase new automatic trap.
• 1991 – Revetments/berm built around the rifle and pistol ranges.
• 1992 – Installation of the 3-D Archery Course.
• 1993 – Regulated shooting grounds program started.
• 1993 – Installed 12.5kv backup generator for fish raising program.
• 1994 – Trap range lights replaced.
• 1995 – Installed deck on Fisherman’s cabin.
• 1995 – Installed new electric supply for fish raising program.
• 1995 – Installed new walkways on trap range.
• 1995 – Installed the Catch and Release pond.
• 1996 – Purchased Case 4×4 backhoe.
• 1996 – Cleaned lead out of indoor pistol range.
• 1996 – Club House / Caretakers quarters refurbished.
• 33.1997 – Added additional height to berm on rifle and pistol ranges.
• 1997 – Pistol range firing line was covered.
• 1998 – Built new backstops on the rifle range at 25, 50 and 100 yards.
• 1998 – Expanded fish raising to 9 above ground tanks.
• 1999 – Purchase of Zelley property 7.049 acres.
• 1999 – Constructed what is now called Catch & Release pond.
• 2000 – Constructed new storage building for trap range.
• 2000 – Moved walk around archery course to the East end of the Schultz Road parking lot.
• 2001 – Expanded Schultz road parking lot and added exit.
• 2001- Purchased new John Deere 940 4×4 tractor loader.
• 2001- Purchased new Wooble trap for trap #3.
• 2002 – New dock installed in Pickerel pond.
• 2002 – Constructed three above ground fish raising tanks.
• 2002 – Purchase of Franke property 5.035 acres.
• 2003 – New windows installed in Clubhouse.
• 2004 – New garage doors installed in 3 bay garage.
• 2004 – Williams easement granted.
• 2004 – Upgraded generator to a 25kv unit with automatic transfer switch.
• 2005 – Replaced/upgraded two automatic traps. Traps #1 & #2
• 2005 – Built a 40’ x 80’ Pole Barn adjacent to the Schultz Road parking lot.
• 2006 – Covered the Archery Range firing line.
• 2007   Added an additional Pistol Range to the left side of the existing pistol   range.
• 2008 – Purchased 2006 Polaris Ranger 4×4.
• 2009 – Purchase of Swartley property 4.87 acres.
• 2009 – New Pistol Range firing line covered.
• 2009 – Caretakers quarters refurbished.
• 2010 – Rebuilt rifle range backstops and added steel plate to backs.
• 2010 – Purchased 10,000# gvw dump trailer.
• 2010 – Repair chimney at the Fisherman’s Cabin.
• 2011 – New shingles on Fisherman’s Cabin, Archery Cabin & Garage.
• 2011 – Concrete pad poured on the rifle range.
• 2011 – Concrete walkways and retaining walls constructed on trap range.
• 2011 – New electric service breaker panel in Clubhouse.
• 2011 – New commercial refrigerator in Fisherman’s Cabin.
• 2011-12 Built a new dock near the Catch and Release pond & replaced two others in the big lake.
• 2012 – Purchase of Matzcak property 22.902 acres.
• 2012 -Replaced deck on Caretakers/Clubhouse building.
• 2013 – New lights in Clubhouse and Archery Range.
• 2013-14 – Raised the height of three trap houses.
• 2014 – Completed walking trail from pole barn down to four pipe bridge.
• 2014 – Constructed and installed 10 benches around lake.
• 2014 – Purchase of Utz property 13.28 acres.

Activities

The activities listed below are those currently available. The Club does not have facilities for Skeet or Sporting Clay Shooting at this time. Other activities will be looked into if a sufficient number of members, willing to support an activity, request the activity.

Trap Shooting

• Summer League
• Winter League
• October Hunters practice shoots
• Informal shooting from manual traps

Big Bore Rifle Shooting

• DCM matches 30 cal. League
• Informal shooting

Small Bore Rifle Shooting

• Indoor Small Bore Rifle League
• Tuesday evening shooting
• Thursday evening shooting

Fishing

• Raising fish
• Fisherman’s breakfast
• Children’s pond
• Stream fishing
• Lake fishing
• Ice fishing
• Catch and Release Fly fishing only pond (see posted dates)

Indoor Pistol Shooting

• Wednesday evening shooting
• NRA Certified Pistol Instruction

Outdoor Pistol Shooting

• Bowling pin shooting
• Various pistol league shooting
• Informal shooting.
• NRA Certified Pistol Instruction

Junior Rifle Instruction

Archery

• 3-D bow shoots – open to all
• Informal shooting

Hunting

• Regulated Youth Pheasant hunt
• Open hunting Monday thru Saturday during the proper seasons

NO WATERFOWL HUNTING.

NO SINGLE PROJECTILE AMMUNITION.

There are no formal identified nature walks on the property. This is an area where the interest is large, but those that are willing to help lay out the trails and maintain them are few. Members may roam the property at will, but remember a Copperhead was shot on the Clubhouse parking lot. When you are walking the Associations grounds remember the firing lines and impact areas of the rifle, pistol, archery, and trap ranges.