Welcome to the Mendon Conservation League!

A quick reminder that we WILL NOT have our monthly meeting in April, May, July or August. We passed this change this to our constitution this past October. We will have a meeting on Wednesday June 3rd and then be on a summer hiatus till our meeting in September. If there are any issues or questions associated with the club, including bringing in new members, please contact me and they will be addressed.

Enjoy the spring as we approach peak T&T time……… Trout and Turkey.

Stay safe out there,

John J Conley President Mendon Conservation League 585-626-7944

On Saturday May 2nd Eric Falkman will be conducting the NYS BowHunter Education Course at the Clubhouse of Mendon Conservation League. This is a great opportunity to get your required training in order to get your license or to get the young hunters in your family certified. This course is required for those who wish to hunt with any form of Bow in NYS.

On May 16 and 17 one of our newest members, Jim Kinsman, who is a certified instructor, will be teaching the 18 hour NYS Pistol Permit class. As you most of you know completing this class now mandatory in NYS prior to submitting your Pistol Permit application.

This is primarily a classroom event and you will be required to pass the course which should not be an issue. You will need to bring a notebook to take class notes along with a pen or pencil. All other items required for the course will be furnished including pistols and ammo for the range and shooting training of Sunday. Please do not bring your own weapon to the class ....... which of course you do not own since you do not yet have a NYS permit. yet.

On Sunday May 31 Mendon conservation league will host Harlan Campbell for a one day clinic for 5 trap shooters who are looking to improve their shooting and step up their game. There are only 5 spots available and they will go on a first come first serve basis

Hello everyone! The holidays also bring us around to the annual renewal process.

Members who joined MCL late in 2025 still need to send in a renewal form even though they are paid through 2026.

Dues are due in January.  Dues not paid by the February meeting will have a $10.00 penalty added.

Please download and print this years renewal form. After filling it out, please mail it in or drop it off at a monthly meeting.

For readability, we prefer you use the fillable form. If you use IPAD or IPhone, you can fill it out and hit the books option to move it to your books file then print it. If it does not open the fillable form with text fields you can fill in, you should try saving/opening it with Acrobat.

Fillable form (preferred):
MCL 2026 Renewal Form (fillable)

Traditional form (write-in):
MCL 2026 Renewal Form (write-in)

These forms are also on our website under the membership section.

The membership fee was increased at the October 24, 2023 Board of Directors meeting to $110 ($120 After Feb. 2nd Meeting).
The current $25 "no work" exemption will remain in effect.

NEW MEMBER DUES EXEMPTION - We still need you to fill out a renewal
form, but if you were introduced to be a member at the October,
November or December meeting and voted‐in as a member at the
following meeting there is not a fee for 2026.

As we process the renewals, we will send out the normal renewal material with a new card which will allow you to enter at the gate.

Your individual card will be unique, assigned to you in our data base. Eventually your gate card will be the only way you can gain entry at the gate. There will be no code entry available. So if you lose your card you will need to wait until we deactivate your card and make a replacement card. That will not be a quick process particularly this first year of card access.

At the beginning of the new year we will identify a date when the current code entry will no longer work. At a minimum you will have code access until the February 2025 Mendon meeting.

When you receive your renewal material your paper membership card will have a new code printed on it. That code will open the club house, 65 yard and 100 yard range doors.

This is also going out in an eblast.

Following your submission of an MCL 2025 Renewal form and payment for dues you will
receive your new credentials. Your credentials will consist of:

• A membership ID card which will include a new four digit code which will open the
  club house door, the 65 yard range door and the 100 yard range door. That code will
  not open the gate.
  
  
• A 2025 badge you are required to wear any time you are using our MCL shooting
  ranges.
  
  
• A card which will open the MCL gate. The gate card will have a number on it which
  identifies to MCL who the card was assigned to. That gate card will open the gate.
  Swipe the card over the top of the key pad to open the gate. The number on that gate
  card will not work to open the gate via the keypad. You must retain this gate card
  because it will be your access through the gate once you renew for each future year.
  Swipe the card over the top of the key pad to open the gate.

The current four digit gate code used during 2024 will be removed after the March 2025 MCL
meeting. From then on you will need to use your gate card to open the gate. You will also
need the 2025 four digit code to open the club house and shooting ranges.

For the 2026 club membership year you will need to renew by February 15, 2026 to continue to
enter through the gate and to enter the club house and ranges. After February 15, 2026 gate
card access as well as club house and range access will not work until you renew.

You are responsible for the gate card issued to you. You are not allowed to give it to another
individual for use to enter MCL facilities. MCL rules state that you must be present while your
significant other or children or a guest are using MCL facilities.

If you lose your gate card there will be a $10.00 fee to replace it with a new card. You original
card will have its gate access shut off when a new card is provided. You will need to notify the
MCL Vice President John Conley to arrange for a new card.

Ron Stappenbeck, President, Mendon Conservation League

This is a short list of Mendon Conservation(MCL) League rules related to hunting on MCL property:

Your first responsibility is safety, make sure you practice it all all times.

You are required to sign in and out each time you hunt on MCL property. A sign up sheet is posted on the outside of the porch entry door so you will not need to enter the clubhouse. Next to the sign up sheet is a metal topographic map of MCL’s property. When you sign up for that days hunting place a metal magnet on the spot where you plan to hunt. This will help others know where you are and where to avoid.

Only MCL members, their spouses, and member’s children age 12-21 are allowed to hunt on MCL property. The MCL member must be with family members when they are hunting on MCL property.

Follow hunting dates and hours defined by NYS DEC. You are not limited to only hunting during MCL shooting hours.

Any tree stand. climbing device, or ground blind must be carried in and out on the day you are hunting. You are not allowed to leave them overnight. We expect you to stay on MCL property. There is a property map posted inside the clubhouse. Take the time to learn the property boundaries in the day time, so you do not make a mistake in early morning darkness.

We have posted most of the MCL property. MCL posted signs along with posted signs from other property owners will help keep you on MCL property.

NYS law does not allow you to trespass on private property. For example, you are not allowed to follow a wounded deer onto property where you do not have permission to hunt. You must first get permission from the property owner.

You are responsible for following NYS hunting laws. There are houses on all sides of MCL’s property. You need to insure that your are far enough from those houses and that shots you take terminate on MCL property. Shooting at anything where you are not absolutely sure your projectile will land on MCL property is not acceptable.

MCL property is in Monroe County! That limits the firearms that it is legal for you to use for deer hunting. You may use a shotgun with slugs, a muzzle loader with a single projectile, and a hand gun. You may not use center fire or rim fire rifles for deer hunting. Check the DEC Web site for details.

Be considerate of other hunters. Maintain adequate distance from other hunters, practice good hunter etiquette. Make sure of your background before you shoot. MCL only owns about 50 acres, that amount of space can only support a small number of hunters at any given time. Check the sign up sheet before you start to hunt! If several others are already hunting then come back another time.

The following was copied from the NYS DEC website:

“It is illegal to discharge a firearm, bow or crossbow: within 500 feet (for a firearm), 250 feet (for a crossbow) or 150 feet (for a bow) of a dwelling, farm building or structure in occupation or use unless you own it, lease it, are an immediate member of the family, an employee, or have the owner's consent.” You do not need to meet these distance requirements from the MCL club house and shooting buildings.

Ron Stappenbeck, President MCL

New metal targets have been installed on the 65 yard range by Steve Sloan and Ken Tomaszewski.

Thanks Steve and Tom for another great job

Ron

The gate should now be working. Use the door code followed by a # symbol.

The earlier gate issue was the result of a lose wire and has been fixed.

If you are inside the gate it does open to let you out.

Ron

We have had at least two recent occasions of people hunting on MCL property who did not sign in our sign out. That is a good way to lose your club privileges. All those hunting on MCL property must sign in and sign out. They must also indicate where on the property they are hunting.!

Also, only club members, their spouses and children under 21 may hunt on MCL property! Spouses and children of members must be accompanied by the MCL members when hunting on MCL property. No guests may hunt on MCL property.

Ron Stappenbeck, President MCL

We have installed locks on the 65 and 100 yard range buildings. The code is the same as the MCL club house door. Do not share the code with anyone who is not an active member! Do not enter the buildings by going around the sides!

Ron Stappenbeck, President MCL

Mendon Conservation League

Acceptable use of the 65 and 100 yard ranges

4/19/2023

You are responsible for obeying the MCL General rules, 65 yard range rules, 100 yard range rules, MCL Code of Conduct and the 65 and 100 yard range shooting rules stated below. These rules are posted in the club house, on our web site and in the range buildings. You are also responsible for insuring your guests obey all MCL rules.

Shooting on the 65 yard range.

You may shoot at:

1. Paper targets that you mount using the wood holders and 1” x 2” boards with cardboard stapled across them or home made holders. You must put the targets high enough so your bullets hit the back bank, not the ground. You may place clay pigeons on such a target. These targets may be any distance from the shooting bench to the 65 yard bank.

2. Steel plates, which should be 500 grade steel. They should be mounted in a safe manner so when bullets hit them they help drive the bullet toward the ground. They should be placed at a safe distance from the shooter based upon the cartridge being fired.

3. Targets mounted on the wood backer that has been permanently placed at the back left side of the range. This backer may also hold a hanging steel target that you may shoot at.

4. You may shoot at clay pigeons placed on the back bank of the 65 yard range.

When you finish shooting return all target holders back to the shooting building and clean up any targets. Place trash in the trash container.

Clean up your brass and place it in the white brass bucket or take it with you.

Do not put live rounds in the brass bucket or leave live rounds anywhere at MCL.

Shooting on the 100 yard range.

You may shoot at:

1. Paper targets placed on the wood backers positioned only at 100 yards. No other distances are acceptable.

2. You may temporarily place a steel or home made target at 100 yards positioned to the left or right of the existing 100 yard targets.

Do not shoot at the Timbers at the base of the target stands or the 2” x 4” uprights that hold the target backers.

Cleanup your targets, put trash in the trash container, pick up your brass and place it in the brass bucket or take it with you.

Do not put live rounds in the brass bucket or leave live rounds anywhere at MCL.

Mendon Conservation League
Policy on Misuse of MCL Facilities
April 2023

If members or their guests are found to be disobeying MCL rules and/or destroying MCL property the MCL member is subject to immediate expulsion per the policy adopted by the MCL Board of Directors on 4/12/2023. Members or guests may also be subject to prosecution. You are responsible for knowing MCL policy, no excuses.

MCL members are responsible for directly monitoring their guests. You may only have three guests at one time and you need to be close enough to give them visual and verbal commands. Members are responsible for paying a $3.00 fee for the day for each guest they bring to MCL. Once a guest has attended three times they must join MCL or no longer come to MCL.

We will be monitoring MCL facilities!

Misuse of MCL Rifle and Pistol Ranges that has led to our policy decisions.

We have had a number of instances of people misusing our Rifle and Pistol Ranges.

Examples include:

• shooting our yardage markers until they fell over
• shooting up the stands we provide for people to put targets up
• shooting at our orange safety cones
• shooting holes in our trash containers
• shooting at various inappropriate objects that they placed on the range.
• shooting at rocks shooting at the 8” x 8” Timbers that hold up the 100 yard range backstop
• shooting at the upright 2” x 4” that the 100 yard target backers are attached to.
• someone stole the white metal target stand that was in the 65 yard range. shooting at a 22 flip target with a high powered rifle which destroyed it.
• acting in an unsafe manner
• leaving target set up on the 65 yard range when you leave.
• members not being on the same range with the guest they brought.

We assume that by the time you are old enough to own a firearm and join MCL that you should know how to conduct yourself in a mature manner. If you can’t then find another place to shoot.

I want to thank Doug Merrill and Dick Killeen for creating and installing new yardage markers on the 65 yard range to replace those that were destroyed. The yardage markers are not targets, don’t shoot at them.

Ron Stappenbeck, President MCL

This is a link to the pdf Ron sent around from the NY DEC:

NY DEC FAQ on Hunting and Hunting-Related Activities in response to Recent Changes to New York State Firearm Laws

At the September 7, 2022 Mendon Conservation League(MCL) meeting the MCL membership voted to eliminate the requirement to join NRA in order to join MCL. We will be updating our membership forms and web site to reflect this change.

The MCL Board stressed that they still encourage members to join NRA and other organizations that are defending our Second Amendment rights. The NRA is a primary reason we have our Second Amendment rights today and the effort to eliminate those rights continues at both the state and federal level. Recent NYS gun laws make that pretty clear! So make sure you vote.

Ron Stappenbeck, President MCL

These link to the DEC Statistics Ron shared vis eBlast.

NY DEC 2019 Hunting Safety Statistics

NY DEC 2018 Tree Stand Safety Statistics

A few weeks ago we found one of the white metal stands that we placed in the 65 yard range had holes shot in it. It was meant to be used with 1” x 2”s to hold up targets not to be a target. It was found stuck in the bank at the back of the 65 yard range. It appears someone used it to prop up a target and in the process shot holes in the stand.

Those stands are not meant to be targets and we do not appreciate someone shooting holes in the stands. Destroying club property is not acceptable!

Please think a little before you do something like that. Access the possible negative affect of your actions before, not after!

Thank you

Ron Stappenbeck

Dated April 1, 2018 as approved by the Board of Directors.

CODE-OF-CONDUCT-MCL.pdf

We generally have between 10 and 20 people, but not every one stays for lunch. We also don't know whats on the menu untill that very day. We encourage anyone interested in the club and our activities to visit then.

Example from 7/12/2017:

Today we had chicken and biscuits for $4.

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Pictures from September 19, 2015

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