An active hunter and angler, Kyler Wells set out in search for a place where he could test his gun and adjust the sights while using ammunition.
The Toronto-area indoor facility he had been going to had moved beyond easy reach from his Etobicoke home and others were limited in their offerings. One club, for instance, was designed for pistol calibre only, not so handy for a hunter wanting to practice shooting his rifle.
Then he landed on the Sharon Gun Club, a private, outdoor club that runs year-round, seven days a week, clustered on about 70 acres in the rolling hills of the Oak Ridges Moraine outside Newmarket. It definitely wasn’t handy, but it fit the bill.
The club has 10 ranges, including a dedicated 100-metre, action-rifle range, a 300-meter rifle range as well as action-pistol and bench shooting facilities appealing to a wider range of shooters, as well as police services interested in different practice areas. While the ranges are all outdoors, some are covered and somewhat protected from the elements.
“Sharon had the most to offer, at least to me,” says Wells, who eventually became a board member of the non-profit club. “We do attract a wide range of sport shooters.”
The club’s 100-yard-plus ranges allow him to practise before he goes out to hunt deer and moose,
Most members live closer to the Aurora-Newmarket-Markam areas, but others, like Wells, come from more distant communities.
The Sharon Gun Club got its start in the 1950s and formally organized in the 1970s, explains Wells. The property is managed by a separate corporation whose board of directors mirrors that of the club.
“In order to become or be eligible to be a member of the gun club and participate and shoot, you need to own a share in the real estate holding company, or, this is fairly common, you rent a share from someone who has one,” he says. “Once we confirm you have access to a valid share… then Sharon Gun Club runs regularly a safety/orientation course.”
Members come with their own firearms, there are none available for use there. It’s up to members to get their possession and acquisition licence, although instructors regularly rent classroom-like space in the clubhouse to give courses.
The board also regularly makes its facility available to law enforcement organizations looking to practice shooting.
There are about 850 members, with the number of outstanding shares roughly double that. The shares have been fully distributed, so new members typically buy a share, somewhere above the $10,000 range, or rent one from an existing member. There is also an annual fee and firearms insurance is required.
Members are encouraged to participate in a variety of sport shooting disciplines such as Olympic style, trap, bullseye target and western with opportunities to take part in matches and events using different firearms.
“As a result of that you get a membership that is diverse,” says Walls adding that the club attracts both sport shooting enthusiasts as well as people who have never before fired a firearm.
As a private club, the facility isn’t open to the public, but members are allowed to bring guests, although repeat guests are encouraged to consider membership. The clubhouse is open on Saturdays for visitors wanting to explore membership possibilities.
At least once per year, a Scout troop is invited to try out the sport of shooting. Each boy is paired with a member to learn how to operate the firearm safely.
And the membership enjoys gathering as a group, making breakfast available in the clubhouse on Saturday mornings.
“It’s usually a fun morning," says Wells.
