By Shaun Szkolnik, for the Tribune
Residents of the Trussville area have a hidden gem in their backyards. The Southern Skeet and Trap Club is the oldest continuously operated gun club in the United States. The members-only club, with a strong emphasis on providing a family-oriented atmosphere, offers several options for the enthusiast.
“The venues that we have are skeet,” said gun club board member Tom Powers. “We have skeet, trap, 5-stand and wobble trap. We may have international bunker trap in the future; may. Primarily it is skeet, trap, 5-stand and wobble trap.”
The Southern Skeet and Trap club has plenty of room to accommodate enthusiasts.
“We have a total of eight skeet and trap fields,” said Powers. “Field number nine is the wobble trap, and field number 10 is the 5-stand. Most of them are lighted for night time shooting.”
Each field can cover five people, meaning that if all the fields are covered, the club can accommodate 50 people at the same time.
Despite being a member’s only club, options are available for non-members to make use of the facility.
“We have a manager’s guest program, where someone that doesn’t know if they want to join or not can come out and shoot as a manager’s guest,” said Powers. “They have to shoot three rounds, a minimum of three rounds, as a manager’s guest.”
The Southern Skeet and Trap Club can even help novice shooters get a handle on the sport.
“We have instructors there,” said Powers. “(So) that people can take instructions from them. Instructors are available. Let’s say they shoot as a manager’s guest. The manager would go out there with them and actually help them learn how to start hitting birds … if he is busy, one of the other top shooters would be out with them. I’ve taught several people how to shoot, who had never shot before. We try to make it as much fun as we can and try to make them as proficient as possible.”
Manager’s guests should be aware, however, that they will have to provide their own firearms and ammunition.
Billy Pound, General Manager of the Southern Skeet and Trap Club, is especially knowledgeable of the club’s history.
“It is the oldest continuously operated gun club in the United States,” said Pound. “There are others that were started before that one, but they had to close for depression or war or whatever. This one remained opened. It has been opened since 1881.”
Pound also related the story of one famous American that often used the club.
“There is one guy who had family here in Birmingham named John Phillip Sousa,” said Pound. “He wrote Stars and Stripes Forever. He shot at the club every time he was in the area.”
Pound believes in the power of the sport as a means for promoting quality time for families to spend together.
“It is a great sport,” said Pound. “It is a great family sport. It pulls families together. We have a lot of family members that come out with their whole families, children and all. We encourage that.”
The Southern Skeet and Trap Club also offers its facilities to a couple of famous universities.
“We are also the home range for the University of Alabama’s Clay Shooting Team,” said Powers. “They practice on our facilities, and annually we’ll have a big tournament with schools from all over the Southeast. We (also) have a group of people from Auburn that come up here and practice. The rivalry in that is not nearly what it is in football.”
The Southern Skeet and Trap Club will also offer its facilities to parties or groups.
“We welcome parties,” said Powers. “We’ve had bachelor parties, we’ve had bachelorette parties, we’ve had the BAR association, we’ve had the cardiologist association. We welcome people to come to the club for a half a day or a whole day, using all the facilities. The main thing that we want to emphasize is that it is a family-oriented, youth-oriented club. We welcome youth; we welcome the whole family.”
For Powers, the best part of the Southern Skeet and Trap Club is being able to get together with good friends for good times. When asked what his favorite part about the club is, Powers did not hesitate to answer.
“The comradery,” said Powers. “We have such a varied variety of people that shoot. We have doctors, lawyers, mechanics, plumbers, electricians. It’s open, and we have a lot of comradery. That is the main reason that people go. You shoot, and then you go sit on the benches under the pavilion and you talk and cool off and go shoot another round. The comradery is a big, big factor.”
Pound loves his time at the Southern Skeet and Trap Club, as well.
“It is a hobby,” said Pound. “It’s turned into a passion. I think I’m fortunate enough being able to work doing my hobby and my passion. I just always enjoyed bird hunting, and that brought me to the sport. I’ve been a member out there since 1972 … it is just something we enjoy doing.”
The Southern Skeet and Trap Club is located at 4655 Gun Club Road, which is along John Rogers Drive between the Guiding Light Church and the dog track. The club is open Saturday and Sunday from 9 a.m. until dark and on Wednesday from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Only shotguns may be used at the club and only with Number 7 shot or smaller.
The Southern Skeet and Trap Club may be reached at (205) 956-6800 or pull@southernskeettrap.org
Their website is: www.southernskeettrap.org
