About Us


Table of Contents:
1. Who We Are
2. Monthly Meetings
3. Our Elected Officers & Board Members
4. Junior Pheasant Hunt
5. Kid's Trout Pond
6. Hunter's Safety Course
7. Laser Shot Trailer
8. .22 Action Shooters
9. Taft Sport Shooters
10. Trap Shooting
11. Fireworks Booth
12. Scholarships
13. Contests
14. Annual Banquet
15. Friends of NRA Grants

Who We Are

The mission of the non-profit Taft Sportsmen's Club is to promote the sport of hunting, fishing, & trap shooting. This club has a long standing commitment to firearms safety training, hunter safety programs, and to teach respect for the environment for the present and future generations. We strive to practice skills necessary to become safe and successful sportsmen. Taft Sportsmen are dedicated to working with our youth to promote good sportsmanship for tomorrow's fishermen and hunters.

Taft Sportsmen's Club & Junior Division Constitution & Bylaws

Monthly Meetings

Our monthly meetings are held on the 4th Tuesday of the month beginning at 6:30 PM. We have changed the monthly club meetings to the Pizza Factory at 614 Center Street. We will be in the back party room. This move will save the club $300 a year and also enable members to eat, drink, and be merry while at the meetings. Sorry, it is still a no-host meeting so any food and drinks are your responsibility to pay.

Our Elected Officers & Board Members

President: Jeff Miller
Vice-President: Billy White
Secretary: Jennifer Liljeroos
Treasurer: Karen Chitwood

Two Year Board Members: Tom Brown, Greg Gill, Mike Liljeroos, John Miller
One Year Board Members: Jim Chitwood, Chad Chitwood, David Hardt, Sue Brown

Our Programs

Junior Pheasant Hunt

The hunt is free of charge and open to all hunters with a junior hunting license (18 and under).

There will be two hunts on Saturday and on hunt Sunday. The first hunt on both days will take place from 8 a.m.-noon while the afternoon will take place from 1-5 p.m.

The annual hunt is a family event and a chance for young hunters to become acquainted with safe gun practices, learn respect for the enviroment, work with hunting dogs and practice skills necessary to become a safe and successful sportsman.

The Taft Sportsmen's Club is pleased to offer this junior hunt in conjuction with the Claifornia Department of Fish and Game-Game Bird Heritage Program, the Kern County Wildlife Commission and our the Taft Friends of the NRA.

Please see our Junior Pheasant Hunt Page for registration information.

Kid's Trout Pond

The Kid's Trout Pond is held every year at the Central Valley Sportsmen's, Boat, RV & Outdoor Living Show. Trout will be supplied in order to fill this huge pond. Many children have never had an opportunity to catch a fish, and this trout pond will provide them with that experience. Some of the fish in the portable pond range from - lb. to 10 lbs. Each year the pond gets larger, and we've been told that the pond is even bigger and better this year.

Helping kids out in order to catch that "big fish" or even that "first fish" is the goal of the club. This pond is designed to give kids the real feeling of fishing. Poles will be provided to the young fishermen by the Taft Sportsmen Club, and they will also be providing a portable fish cleaning station so that they can get their fish cleaned. This event is a lot of fun for the kids, and it introduces them to the sport of fishing. There will be a photographer on hand to take pictures, and club members will be on hand to help the kids and also to sign up anyone interested in joining the club.

See our Events Page or the Central Valley Sportsmen's, Boat, RV & Outdoor Living Show homepage for this year's trout pond dates.

Hunter's Safety Course

In coordination with the West Side Recreation & Park District we provide all materials and instruction for obtaining a California Hunting License. A $5 facility fee is required and registration takes place on the first night of class. The class is taught in 3 mandatory sessions.

Who: All Ages - students must be able to read and take a written test
When: Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday Evening
Class Dates: See our Events Page
Time: 6:30-9:30 pm
Place: Community Center Auditorium, 500 Cascade Place, Taft, CA 93268
Cost: $5 per person

Laser Shot Trailer

Purchased solely with Friends of NRA grant funds, the Taft Sportsmen's Club Laser Shot Trailer is available for training youth and adults alike in a fun and safe environment

Most Hunters were fortunate enough to have mentors who introduced them to the outdoors and taught them the lifestyle of hunting and fishing. Laser Shot has made a considerable investment in the Hunter Education program that gives the youth of our country a simulation of what it's like to enjoy hunting and the shooting sports.

All across America Laser Shot's Hunting Simulator was designed with input from Hunter Safety Professionals from around the world. Students will experience the thrills of sporting firearms while at the same time receive instruction in safety, proper ethics, and the responsibilities of gun ownership.

Laser Shot's Hunters Ed motto: Youth recruitment is paramount to the survival of our hunting heritage.

.22 Action Shooters

The .22 Action Shooters program is designed to give all levels of shooters a fun and exciting way to shoot their .22 rifle or pistol. The .22 Action Shooters matches are shot on the 4th Saturday of the month at the Taft Sportsmen's Club Range. For more details see our .22 Action Shooters Website!

Taft Sport Shooters

The Taft Sport Shooters is a fun and exciting multi discipline shooting program.

The Taft Sport Shooters has received Friends of NRA funds and is able to offer free matches and free ammunition to qualified youth and first time ladies shooters.

For more information, please visit our Taft Sport Shooters page at http://www.taftshooters.com/

Trap Shooting

Trap shooting is every Thursday afternoon starting around 4:30 PM. We now have lights so we shoot as late as there are people there to shoot. We try to keep our costs low, so please come out to cehck out prices. Juniors always shoot for free. All trap shooting takes place at the Taft Sportsmen's Club Range.

Fireworks Booth

Every July we run a fireworks booth to raise funds for the club. Please see our Events Page for our booth location and hours of operation. Have a safe and fun Independence Day while supporting your club.

Scholarships

Every year the Taft Sportsmen's Club awards scholarships to local high school students who are outdoor enthusiasts or who seek to enter a career in outdoor services. Interested applicants can register with the Guidance Center at Taft Union High School.

Contests

Every year the club hosts a series of contests for its members. The winners are announced at the Annual Banquet. Common contest categories are:

  • A Zone Buck
  • Remainder of State Buck - George Napoleon Perpetual Trophy
  • Out-of-State Buck
  • Junior A Zone Buck
  • Trout - Sticker Lane Perpetual Trophy
  • Largemouth Bass
  • Ocean Bottom Fish
  • Adult Fish Barrel
  • Junior Trout
  • Nature Photography
  • Senior Trap
  • "A" Trap
  • "C" Trap
  • Women's Trap
  • Youth Trap
  • Life Time Service Award
  • Sportsman of the Year

    Annual Banquet

    Our annual banquet is held in January. It is a fun filled evening of fellowship, raffle prizes, a 50/50 drawing, and gun raffles. We also award the contest winners through the year and name the annual Sporstman of the Year. Don't miss out on this exciting evening and be sure to check our Events Page for the date. Old Blood and Guts preferred a Smith & Wesson Model 27 .357 Magnum Revolver.

    Friends of NRA

    What is the Friends of NRA?

    The Friends of NRA is the non-profit arm of the National Rifle Association. Friends of NRA banquets boil down to one goal- fund-raising for the future of the shooting sports.

    Since its inception in 1992, Friends of NRA has held over 12,000 events, reached over two million attendees and raised over $155 million for The NRA Foundation, a 501(c)(3) charitable organization. Each year, The NRA Foundation allocates half of all net proceeds to fund projects within the state in which the money was raised and uses the other half to fund similar projects with a national scope.

    Committee volunteers are appointed to State Fund Committees to make recommendations for local grant funding in areas such as youth firearm safety and education programs, hunter education, range development and improvement, women's training seminars, and wildlife conservation efforts. Recognizing that America's young people represent the future of the shooting sports, State Fund Committee grants are frequently given to youth programs, allocating more than 50% of grant monies to this important area.

    So whether you attend a Friends of NRA banquet for the fun, fellowship, or fund-raising, you can be confident that you are helping safeguard programs across the nation that prepare today's generations to be tomorrow's guardians of the Second Amendment.

    What this means to the Taft Sportsmen's Club?

    Every year any program that meets the Friends of NRA Grant Guidelines can be funded by our local Central California Friends of NRA Grant Meeting. The Taft Sportsmen's Club has consistently received funding to pay for the Junior Pheasant Hunt, our Lasershot trailer, the Trap Program, and the Taft Sport Shooters.

    The main limit to these funds is simply finding a way to use them. The Taft Sportsmen's Club can only exist with participation and support by its members. If you are interested in creating a new program within the Taft Sportsmen's Club, the Friends of NRA funding is available if you are willing to put in the effort to organize and run the program. The Taft Sportsmen's Club has many experienced grant writers that can assist your program with these funds. If you would like more information or have any questions, please e-mail us us or attend a monthly meeting.

    How can I help the Friends of NRA?

    Please be sure to attend at least one Friends of NRA Dinner every year. You can a complete listing of Friends of NRA Dinner Banquets here and especially try and support our local Taft Friends of NRA event.