September 1st is opening of dove season around these parts  it marks the official start of hunting season. By 1900, the farmers/ranchers in the Standish/Tule District routinely advertised in the local papers that no trespassing would be tolerated during bird season.  This resulted in evolution of local gun (hunting) clubs. It was beneficial for the property owner and the hunter. Through a club the hunter gained access to and in exchange patrol the lands as a deterrent to trespassers.

Since these were private affairs, some formal and others informal, there is a lack of information about them.  I know this well, since I managed the Ring Neck Club for Tanner Ranch for nearly forty years.This club was established in the 1940s. As my grandmother Lola Tanner only cooked on a Home Comfort stove, which supplied her hot water, the gun club furnished her wood supply for their hunting privileges.

Tim