FLSC
Forest Lake Sportsmens Club

The Forest Lake Sportsmen’s Club traces its roots back to a 1916 photo appearing in a Forest Lake newspaper article describing how Forest Lake Sportsmen’s Club members helped the DNR to stock fish in Forest Lake that summer. 

 The Forest Lake Sportsmen’s Club was founded by local shooters who desired a safe, private and user-friendly place to shoot firearms with their families. A small parcel of land was acquired and a trap & rifle range was carved out.  The club was incorporated in 1937 but during the war years of the early 40’s, the club curtailed its activities, directing their focus on winning the war.  When peace was won, its members could once again enjoy their sport on their own land.  A clubhouse fire seemed to doom the club but in the latter 40’s, & early 50’s, a rebirth of the club found membership shares being sold for $100 dollars each, to current members and new, to bring new life to the club and help pay for the growing costs of new improvements to the grounds including a clubhouse.  Five trap fields were eventually built where the six fields are located today including two skeet fields.  A 300 yard rifle range was also incorporated into the area, superimposed on the trap & skeet fields, making it difficult to enjoy both shooting venues at the same time.  It was found in the 50’s that a larger clubhouse was needed and a construction add-on, more than doubled the size of the clubhouse.  The modification can be seen today, in the two different levels of roofs on the existing building.

In the late 50’s, early 60’s, more land was purchase west of the clubhouse, where the tall pines grow today.  These were planted by club members and the boy scouts.   

In 1993 a trail was cut through the woods on the east side of the property to start a walk through archery range.  3-D league archery shoots were started as a result of the increased interest in archery and to help finance the club.  Also in 1993 a new rifle range was planned and constructed, in a safer, more convenient location, becoming active a year or so later.  Located at the northwest corner of the club's property, we could now safely allow rifle, pistol, and shot-gun and archery activities to run at the same time without interfering with one another. 

In August 19, 1995, the White Bear Rod and Gun Club merged with the Forest Lake Sportsmen's Club, bringing in 40 members and creating a more solid membership base and new resources.

Forty acres if new land was purchased east of the club in the latter 1990’s, making our total area just over 100 acres.  The 40 acres acquired has become the home of FLSC’s Archery venue.  By clearing the land around the clubhouse of older Archery targets, FLSC paved the way for the new wave of interest in Sporting Clays shooting, allowing us to build two separate Sporting Clays courses through the woods, along the perimeter of the present location of Trap and Skeet.  Safety concerns made it necessary to install a 6 foot chain-link fence around the entire property through a partnership with the Minnesota DNR. 

Questions?

Please contact our Club at 651.464.9931 during normal business hours or send an e-mail to our club manager.

Last Modified:  01/16/2008