Premier Hunting Club Stillroven Hosts The Glendale YMCA Board

by Laura Lieff

In recognition of their hard work raising the most money ever for the YMCA Community Support Campaign, the Glendale YMCA Board of Advisors will be shooting trap at Stillroven Farm in Mead, Colo., later this month.

“The Glendale YMCA Community Support Campaign, which is the YMCA annual fundraiser, had tremendous success in 2012,” said YMCA Executive Director of the Glendale Sports Center Debbie Ford. “As a result of our Board’s efforts, the significant support of the City of Glendale, and the generous donations of others we were the first YMCA branch to reach goal.”

“The Glendale YMCA Board is excited about being honored and recognized with the event at Stillroven,” said Board Chairman Joe Sprague. “Our Board worked incredibly hard to raise money for Glendale Day Camp kids and we are thrilled that Stillroven is acknowledging their efforts.”

Both Sprague and Ford said the Board is very much looking forward to their day at Stillroven Farm and some Board members are even looking into joining the club which is currently accepting new members.

Beautiful Location

Tucked away in rural farmland near Longs Peak, Stillroven Farm is a family-owned, members-only upland bird hunting preserve. Since its inception in 1970, when it opened as Bang-A-Way Gun Club, Stillroven Farm has attracted residents across the Cherry Creek Valley. Located just 45 minutes north of downtown Denver and 25 minutes south of Fort Collins, Stillroven is the oldest private upland hunting club in the state of Colorado.

“I’ve been a member of Stillroven for more than 12 years and like the fact that I can hunt pheasants and chukar with an outstanding gun dog an hour after I leave my downtown Denver office,” said Allan Hale, attorney with Hale Westfall. “ It’s a great place to take clients, but I also get a lot of family use out of it — I taught three daughters how to shoot there.”

Hale continued, “Best of all are the professional and personable guides who make sure everyone puts safety first while providing a quality hunting experience. Stillroven’s values and practices reflect that it has been family owned and operated for 40 years. I’ve hunted upland game all over Colorado and the surrounding states and there simply is no equal to Stillroven close to Denver.”

Featuring over 300 acres of wooded area, cattail draws, five ponds and open cover consisting of a variety of natural prairie grasses, Stillroven provides a natural habitat for pheasant and chukar partridge. To provide a great hunting experience, Stillroven’s hunts are professionally guided and use the Club’s trained flushing dogs, which are Springer Spaniels and English Cockers. Members and guests who wish to use their own dog for all or part of a hunt may do so.

The club provides four hunts a day, morning and afternoon, with each hunt lasting a little over three hours. Since Stillroven is a private hunting reserve and licensed by the State of Colorado, their hunting season is longer than the public hunting season within Colorado. The season typically runs from the beginning of November through the end of March and no state hunting license is required, although hunters under 21 years of age need to have their Hunters Education Card.

Close To The Valley

Many club members have indicated that in addition to the well-trained dogs and beautiful grounds and facilities, a big draw is the proximity of Stillroven to where they live in the Valley. Members have also pointed out the club is a great place to take business associates, as well as family and friends.

“I just joined last season and have used it both for business and personal,” said Donnie Witt, Sales Manager for Weatherford International Ltd. “It’s only 45 minutes from my downtown Denver office, so I can work in the morning and take off for an afternoon hunt in the country!”

Added longtime club member and Cherry Creek Valley resident Steve Mast, “I have been enjoying the club for more than 30 years and all three of our children learned how to hunt safely from the Stillroven staff.”

In addition to the hunting at Stillroven, their trap range is available to tune up shooting skills, have fun competitions or to introduce new shooters to the safe use and operation of shotguns. The Glendale YMCA Board members will be spending their day doing just that later this month.

Before each hunt, members and their guests can gather in the clubhouse, which was remodeled from an old barn dating back to the early 1900s. The clubhouse features a regulation pool table, card tables and a large open fireplace.

“During my 28 years with the club I have thoroughly enjoyed the literally thousands of hunts that members and guests have experienced,” said Stillroven General Manager Jim Dill. “It’s a great way to get outdoors and we offer family and business hunts so there really is something for everyone.”

Stillroven Farm is currently accepting new members. For information concerning membership contact Steve Mast at 303-946-7270 or visit www.stillrovenfarm.com.