In 1946 a group of local sportsmen foresaw that growth of local towns would affect the amount of land available to hunting and fishing. So, they met to discuss the formation of a sportsmen’s club.
In 1947 the Westford Sportsmen’s Club came into being. Our main purposes were bettering the outdoor sports of hunting and fishing locally, and to improve relationships with landowners by educating sportsmen about landowner rights, and Fish and Game regulations.
Our first President was Michael A. Woznac, with Vice President Charles W. Lund, Secretary Victor B. Daly, and executive board members Louis Oliver, Peter Sechovich, Salvatore Paduano, William Robinson, Ralph Dubey and Benjamin Barker. Our charter was granted to us on January 12th, 1948.
In 1980, our clubhouse was expanded and the pond was added:
We’ve worked hand in hand with the Department of Fish & Game by setting up duck nest boxes, planting feed patches and trees for cover, raising pheasants, liberating fish, posting safety zone signs where needed and many other projects essential for the betterment of hunting and fishing.
We formed the first Junior Sportsmen’s Club in our state to teach youngsters gun safety, respect for others, safety in the field and how to be real sports in every day life.
We were among the first clubs to send youngsters to the Department of Fish & Game’s Conservation Camp, where they are taught outdoor skills for two weeks.
We founded the first Sportsmen’s Blood Bank for use of local residents.
We equipped our club house to be convertible into a self-dependent 60 bed disaster hospital in a matter of a few minutes. This project was made possible through 100% local financial contributions and many donations of material and services from surrounding business firms.
We instituted an annual Fishing Derby for all children under license age. The Derby was first run at the Town Farm brook which had been set aside for the small fry and well stocked with trout by the Department of Fish & Game. The Derby now continues in the club’s own trout pond.
We have helped make the outdoor sports better locally and nationally through affiliations with Middlesex County League, Federation of Sportsmen’s Clubs, Conservation Now, National Association of Casting and Angling Clubs, National Rifle Association, and the Amateur Trapshooting Association.
Our club house is located on West St. in the Graniteville section of Westford. Originally we had 38 acres of land with a large open field which houses our Trap Field, Casting Field and long range rifle pit. Since then we have acquired an additional 169 acres to secure our position as a club. We have quite a few members from the Boston area as there are not many clubs around which can offer sighting in high powered rifles.
The efforts of local clubs such as ours have improved hunting and fishing, and knit closer relationships between landowners and sportsmen. This has helped to keep the town of Westford open to hunting.