Turkey Shoot: Local Tradition, Field Guns & Community Marksmanship

The Union Grove Masonic Lodge Annual Turkey Shoot is one of those local shooting traditions that feels familiar even before the first round begins: old shotguns, practical field guns, friendly competition, and people gathered around a simple fall event.

Every fall, a good turkey shoot reminds us that firearms collecting is about more than polished wood, blued steel, and serial numbers. It is also about the places where these guns were used, the people who carried them, and the community traditions that kept practical field guns in service generation after generation. The Union Grove Masonic Lodge Annual Turkey Shoot is one of those events where friendly competition, local fellowship, and old-fashioned marksmanship all come together. Shotguns and field guns that might otherwise sit quietly in a safe get another afternoon in the open air, doing what they were built to do. This gallery captures that tradition and preserves a small but meaningful part of local shooting history.

Event Type Local shooting competition and fall community event.

Usual Format Multiple rounds with a line of shooters competing for the closest shot.

Collector Angle Shotguns, field guns, family guns, and practical firearms still doing what they were made to do.

Collector Takeaway

Events like a turkey shoot remind collectors that firearms are not only display pieces. Many older shotguns and practical field guns carry their meaning because they were used at gatherings just like this — in fields, clubs, lodges, farms, and small communities where marksmanship and fellowship were part of the same afternoon.

Turkey Shoot Photo Gallery

Sig Sauer P365X Micro-Compact 9mm

About the Author

Greg Cook

Greg Cook writes about firearms collecting, personal history, and the stories behind interesting guns. His Army MOS was 76Y, Unit Armorer, and he brings that practical background to his collector articles.