The Demise of the Short Horn Buck Club

[Teegate]

All,

I have mentioned something about this before, but now I have been given the ok to publically mention it.

The Short Horn Buck Club that is located on the road behind Barnegat Wreckers will be history very soon. Here is most of what I have been privy too for some time. The club actually started at Union Clay Works as I have mentioned before. When they no longer could use that property back in the 70s, they purchased a 100 x100 piece of property right off of 72 on the sand road behind Barnegat Wreckers. You may recognize the place from this photo.

Back then there were hundred’s of 100 x 100 lots located there that were sold, but they were the only group who actually used their property. They purchased that building from Ft. Dix and it was delivered prematurely. Because the building was sitting on the truck and they had not had their property surveyed, they paced off from 72 where they felt their property was, and the rest is history. All was well over the years until they all started growing older, and the days of hunting were just memories. Now they use the place to socialize and occasionally shoot off their weapons. Unfortunately, the tax man still cometh, and their last tax bill was more than they wanted to spend, so they decided to not pay the taxes and see what happens. In the interim they have found out the building is not even fully on their property, so it appears some of them in the past needed to learn the finer points of “pacing off.” Because of this problem, they had to contact the owners of the property they have used all these years. I have not heard what came of that, and had been told finding them was going to be a problem.

They have asked the state to buy it, and as it turns out they have been given an offer from the state for the property, and I have been invited to attend the meeting of their club for the final decision. Unfortunately, I will be busy when this occurs very soon, and since they initiated the call to the state to buy it, it is obvious it is a done deal and the property will no longer be in their hands shortly.

Now comes the interesting part. I have been told that that building is free to anyone who will have it moved. So if you know anyone who is interested in it please contact me and I will pass the information on and I am sure they will want to talk to you. Otherwise the building will be demolished and hopefully I can make it there for that if that is it’s fate.

Guy

 

[Ben Ruset]

Interesting. I think that, eventually, there will be no more gun clubs in the Pines.

I wonder what the "golden age" of Gun Clubs were? 1960s?

 

[bobpbx]

Interesting. I think that, eventually, there will be no more gun clubs in the Pines.

I wonder what the "golden age" of Gun Clubs were? 1960s?

Interesting question Ben. Let me guess...1940's.

I had 50's, but changed my mind.

 

[LARGO]

I'll go with Bob's being likely yet I'll go one step and say older yet. Look at some of the stuff you read of or see pics of even farther back. Some "gun clubs" were hilarious by definition in the 20's, 30's etc.
Heck, most seemed a social gathering place and if you killed something in between food, drink, and unspeakable acts, all the better.
There was still plenty of character, pride, and tradition involved at some point.
While not a hunter, I'll go as far as to say the gun club as I envision it, is almost gone already. Seems new blood is running thin.

g.

 

[MarkBNJ]

Interesting question. I would say they got started in the late 1800's with the Civil War well over, reconstruction more or less completed, economic prosperity and reliable railroad transportation out to the wilds. Probably their "hay day" was in the 1930's and 40's.

 

[foofoo]

Probably their "hay day" was in the 1930's and 40's.

im gonna guess these clubs sprung up just after world war ii.recreational hunting became popular at that time with servicemen home and plenty of surplus guns. the deer populations were generally poor back then so you had to travel to BIG WOODS like the pines to find deer.

 

[Ben Ruset]

Given that most of the club ruins that I've seen are cinderblock built, I'd have to agree that the majority of them are post WW2.

 

[Jerseyman]

Given that most of the club ruins that I've seen are cinderblock built, I'd have to agree that the majority of them are post WW2.

Ben:

Cinder blocks and concrete blocks, although quite different in appearance, are both classified as CMUs or Concrete Masonry Units. Cast rock-faced or decorative concrete blocks first began to appear in the 1890s and became very popular in the teens and twenties of the twentieth century. While many foundations from that time period feature decorative-concrete-block construction, there are also houses around built completely from these types of block.

The cinder block began making inroads into the popularity of decorative concrete blocks during the 1920s and 1930s as a much less expensive CMU. Every locomotive, stationary boiler, and coke works produced cinders, so the availability of the raw material was quite abundant and cheaply obtained. During the late 1940s, CMUs such as Waylight Concrete Blocks became more popular.

The disadvantages of cinder blocks—such as crumbling and disintegration—became apparent over time and their popularity diminished in favor of returning to cast concrete blocks. With the loss of heavy industry in this country, production of cinders dropped precipitously and few if any cinder blocks continue to be made today.

I thought this information would aid in placing the ongoing discussion in historic context.

Best regards,
Jerseyman

 

[Mts83]

Clubs

Many clubs started hunting in tents. My club The Glendora Buck Club started in 1937 and set up camp outside Chatsworth at $100 Bridge. We did not build a clubhouse until th 50s. Back in the 70s Buzby's had a board that listed all the clubs and how they did. Club hunting is becoming a dying tradition.

 

[Y-BUC-BILL]

Prior to the State buying the Wharton Estate,there were may gun clubs on that land.All were demolished after the Wharton Estate became the Wharton State Forest.A lot of history was lost.

 

[GermanG]

I'll go with Bob's being likely yet I'll go one step and say older yet. Look at some of the stuff you read of or see pics of even farther back. Some "gun clubs" were hilarious by definition in the 20's, 30's etc.
Heck, most seemed a social gathering place and if you killed something in between food, drink, and unspeakable acts, all the better.
There was still plenty of character, pride, and tradition involved at some point.
While not a hunter, I'll go as far as to say the gun club as I envision it, is almost gone already. Seems new blood is running thin.

g.

This reminds me of Cliff Oakley telling me how he never shot a deer in all the years he belonged to the club that operated out of his cabin. He did spend quite a bit of time enlarging the bottle dump behind the garage for all the glass they generated!

Another ineresting aspect of the clubs was their makeup. I remember reading an account somewhere that many of the clubs were made up of members from outside the pine barrens, who used deer week as an escape from the more urban areas they came from. If this is true, it could help explain the slow demise of these clubs. Few people in urban areas grow up with a family tradition of hunting any more.

I've come from a more urban background myself, with little family tradition of outdoor pursuits. For whatever reason, I bucked the trend of the rest of my family and latched onto the past more than the present. I've often wished I was born 100 years ago. My wife often wishes I was too .

 

[Mts83]

You are right GermanG. For many it was a week vacation from home. It still is to some.The lost of the tradition is that many of the children of the hunters do not share that interest. Also it has become harder for hunters to get the time off. They have to manage thier time and money more closely. Our club has lost members due to these reasons.

 

[Teegate]

All,

Unfortunately, three weeks ago the building was torn down. The property now is officially Green Acres.


Guy