LP Sportsmen’s Club

By Ivan Raconteur
Staff Writer

Among the changes in store for the Lester Prairie Sportsmen’s Club in 2007 are five new trap houses, complete with automatic traps.

“Safety is the primary reason for the change,” said club mentor Ed Mlynar.

He explained that, up to now, 10 young people worked on the trap range during events, setting targets in the manual traps.

“We have never had an accident, and we have probably thrown 8 or 9 million targets,” Mlynar said. This amounts to nearly a semi load of clay targets each year, he explained.

The 18-week trap shooting season draws shooters from a 25-mile radius.

As many as 40 teams compete on Wednesday nights from April to August, Mlynar said.

In addition to being safer, the new automatic traps will give shooters more consistent targets, Mlynar commented.

One automatic trap was installed two years ago, and the remaining four manual traps will now be replaced with automatic traps, Mlynar said.

The current trap houses were built by club members. After many years of service, they need to be replaced. The houses that were purchased will be built off site and moved to the club, which is located south of Lester Prairie on McLeod County Road 1.

The improvements will cost $10,000 per house, and the club has saved the money to make the purchase.

“Trap shooters have paid for the improvements over the years, and they deserve to have this equipment,” Mlynar commented.

He said that many members socialize and grill food at the club during events, and the roofs of the old trap houses will be used to build additional picnic tables on the site.

Club history

The Lester Prairie Sportsmen’s Club was incorporated in 1967.

It was founded on the site of an exhausted gravel pit, and was leased from two families at a cost of $1 for each of the two parcels.

Although he is not a shooter, Mlynar has been involved in the club since the beginning.

In the early days, the club sponsored dog trials and snowmobile races in addition to shooting sports.

The first clubhouse measured 24 by 40 feet, and was built in 1968-69. Like most of the improvements the club has made over the years, it was built almost entirely by volunteer labor, according to Mlynar.

The club saw an opportunity to offer trap shooting, and the first trap was installed the same year, Mlynar said.

A second trap was added three years later.

Today, the club has five traps.

The first big expense incurred by the club was a well that was dug in about 1970. It is still in use today, Mlynar said.

A second building was added, and the two were connected in 1975, to form one large facility.

The club house is available for rental, which provides additional revenue for the club.

The club purchased the land in the 1970s, and now owns about 30 acres, according to Mlynar.

The land purchase was paid off by annual father and son banquets that the club sponsored for 25 years.

The clubhouse was renovated three or four years ago, with the addition of new siding, a new roof, and new windows, Mlynar said.

In addition to trap shooting, the club offers youth snowmobile training in late October or early November, as well as firearms training every spring, Mlynar said.

Today, the club has between 200 and 250 members, many of whom are the children or grandchildren of some of the original members. Some members that were around on day one are still members, Mlynar said.