News - Wern Valley Sportmens Club

For hunting reservations please contact: jonik@wernvalley.com
or call us at 262-968-2400

The Club opened for hunting October 1st with cooler than normal weather and lots of birds being released as members have been quick to take advantage of the Fall Pheasant Special (ends at start of the gun deer season). Additional birds can be added for just $12.50 each.

There has been a lot of activity on the sporting clays range with numerous group outings and nearly 20 teams in the fall league. 68 shooters participated in the last registered shoot of the year held last Saturday. It was a great sporting clays season at Wern Valley once again!

Hunting cover is looking very good as there have been several killing frosts that have transformed the fields from green to gold. The hunting season has definitely arrived! Remember 50% blaze orange is required for hunting during the various gun deer seasons and don’t forget to call ahead if you want to use the rifle/pistol range.

The Club is very pleased to have had a nice flurry of membership activity during the past month. That’s a big help when it comes to paying the feed bill on 30,000 mature birds. It’s time to shoot’em up! Don’t forget to bring along those young hunters and note there is no minimum release (per gun) requirement for kids. Over 50 ladies and kids shot for free at the National Hunting & Fishing Day event hosted by Wern Valley last month. The Club hosted another successful “Learn to Hunt Ducks Program” put on by the DNR last month and the fall Hunter Safety Education Class is finishing up this week. The next class at Wern valley will be starting after the holidays.

The Club requested comments from members on streamlining reservations in last month’s newsletter with the idea members could reserve rather than request certain fields if they put out a minimum number of birds- 12 was the suggested number. No comments were received so this may not be a big deal, at least at this time. The Club will continue to look for more feedback on how it can continue to improve its in-the-field and after-the-hunt services as the season goes along. Meanwhile, if there is something the Club can do to make your hunt more enjoyable, please let us know!

It has been suggested the south portion (about 20 acres) of the Pit Hunt Area be added to the South Marsh Hunt Area. The Club may do some experimenting with that in the near future. Also, some new custom made signs have been added to help identify hunting areas for new members and other first time hunters.

A variety of Wern Valley hats, jackets, sweat shirts and other items including ammunition are currently available if you need. These are always popular items over the holidays and if you have a special garment you would like to have the Club logo added to, the Club can have it done for you.

There are several Club Rules members need to be aware of during the hunting and off-seasons. For everyone’s sake, please take the time to look them over. They are enclosed in this newsletter. Remember, safety is the first priority at all times!

Over the past 25 years, the Club has been operating under a conditional use permit with the Town of Genesee. Many public hearings have been held along the way, and numerous conditions put in place the Club has followed in order to operate. Many of those conditions are now outdated. With only a few complaints to the Town in many years, the Club is looking to eliminate and/or consolidate some of the conditions under which it has been operating. This would allow the Club greater flexibility across the board, something it would like to have if it is going to be around for another 25 years! See you all soon!

• Hunters must wear blaze orange as well as eye protection at all times while hunting. No ammo larger than #5 shot allowed. Members are encouraged to use non-toxic shot.
• Hunters must stay within their assigned areas.
• Members must check in at the clubhouse before and after hunting.
• All birds leaving the property must be recorded.
• No more than 4 guns per group without permission.
• Hunters must be of legal age.
• Please pick up empty brass, litter and exercise care in smoking.
• All hunting is by reservation and should be reserved 24 hours in advance, and must include the minimum number of birds released for that type of membership.
• Morning hunts start at 8 am and end at noon. Afternoon hunts start at 1 pm and end at 5 pm.
• Members are responsible for knowing area boundaries and reminding guests of basic hunter safety rules.
• Cancellations due to bad weather must be placed no later than one hour prior to your starting time. Failure to show if not weather related will result in your account being charged for the number of birds you requested released or the minimum as required per hunt.
• There are no additional charges for over bagging on released bird hunts. Scratch hunting is permitted where time allows. Scratch hunting will be allowed to harvest up to the number of birds previously released (discount hunts excluded) without being charged for additional birds.
• All birds under contract must be released by March 15th of the current year.