Target met: Ephrata shooting range remodels trapshooting bay
Mar. 29—By SAM FLETCHER
Staff Writer
Range clear! Excavators have moved off the Boyd Mordhorst Memorial Range outside of Ephrata, taking with them three acres of land and leaving behind the sound of songbirds and plinking metal, as well as a new backdrop for trapshooters.
The $30,000 project was paid for in part by membership fees, said Ephrata Sportsmen's Association Vice President Brett Bierley, but it couldn't have been done without generous donations.
Much of the construction itself was donated, he said. Ephrata's Tommer Construction Co. piled the hillside gravel free, hoping to break even on its resale. It ended up making back its money, but went into it not knowing if it would, Bierley said.
The Ephrata Sportsmen's Association is really grateful for Tommer, said President Mike DeTrolio.
"If it wasn't for them, we wouldn't be able to do this project," he said.
The association also mined the gravel pile for lead, which hasn't been done since the range opened in 1994, Bierley said. Now, more than three decades of ball bearings will be recycled and used again.
Tommer Construction covered the newly excavated hillside with pond liner. When lead hits the hill now, it will roll right down and collect at the bottom as opposed to seeping into the dirt.
"It's a big project," Bierley said. "It made the range a lot nicer to shoot on, though. We got a large uptick in trapshooters."
The Ephrata Sportsmen's Association was founded in 1952. In the 40 years prior to the range, members held monthly meetings, talked hunting strategies, held fishing tournaments and owned land for bird hunting.
The association, now primarily running the gun range and promoting outdoor activities, has around 800 members from throughout the state and beyond, DeTrolio said.
The Boyd Mordhorst Memorial Range features a 25-yard range, 50-yard range, 100-yard range and even 450-yard range. It has a pistol bay, shotgun bay, one for law enforcement training, one for competitions, one for private training, one for special events and an indoor range for archery and classes.
There's plenty of space to shoot, and some drive hours to do it every week, DeTrolio said. It's the only range that throws skeet — two clay pigeons from varying angles at once — in the area. The closest option otherwise is in the Tri-Cities, he said.
The association also launched a youth program, which is up to 62 members now, he said.
Club membership is actually a little bit down currently, he said. Because of COVID-19 and panic buying, distributors are short on almost every caliber of ammunition.
It's had to split the youth program into smaller groups, too, he said.
But folks have been keeping plenty busy, said Bierley. Wednesday is trapshooting day, Thursday is archery and skeet shooting and Sunday is five-stand day where they shoot clay birds from five different stations.
Every second Saturday the association holds a speed steel competition with handguns. Every third Thursday members play trap shooting games like Annie Oakley, where if the first shooter in the line misses the clay pigeon and the second shooter hits it, the first shooter is eliminated, and so on.
On April 24, the Ephrata Sportsmen's Association will hold a youth fundraiser meet shoot, where all the proceeds go to the youth program. Winners of the competition can receive prizes like ribs and bacon.
Shooting is like any hobby, DeTrolio said. It will take as much time as it's given. Members have to be careful, because it's easy to get hooked. Before they know it, they're on the association's board.
New membership costs $80, but it is not required for many of these events. To shoot, visit ephratasportsmen.com.
