NEWS
BLUE RIDGE SUMMIT — Orvis, a high-end outdoor retail company, has purchased a 520-acre property just east of Blue Ridge Summit formally known as the Hill Country shooting grounds.
The Orvis Company, Inc. announced the buy this past weekend, adding its third public shooting grounds in the country.
"We have a very loyal customer base in Pennsylvania and the Washington D.C./Baltimore area, so when this property became available it was a logical decision," said Scott McEnaney, senior manager of Orvis Adventures. "These opportunities do not show up often, and we believe the Hill Country property and its natural beauty have a lot to offer."
The property's official name will be Orvis Hill Country Shooting Grounds, with a physical address of 519 Gladhill Road. The grounds were privately owned, but Orvis is offering a majority of its services to the public.
A soft opening is scheduled for Saturday, Nov. 3, with a grand opening celebration planned in the spring.
"We have long been looking for a property to complement our other two shooting grounds," McEnaney said, referencing Orvis' properties in New York and Alabama. "We are thrilled to bring the Orvis tradition to the area."
Hill Country will feature a 15-station sporting clays course, 5-stand and upland hunts, with plans to make it a premiere location for Orvis' renowned wingshooting schools. Recognized as semi-private, the sporting clays course, 5-stand, pro shop and all instructional features will be open to the public. Upland hunts — where hunters pursue birds with guide dogs — will require a field membership, which has extended privileges and services.
According to Orvis, sporting clays is a chance for shooters to see target presentations reminiscent of hunting situations. Shooters will follow a course through the landscape while being presented different targets over a series of stations.
Increasing in popularity, 5-stand is a shooting game with five stations next to one another, with each station requiring the shooter to take five shots. It has the variability of sporting clays, but requires a smaller space.
A historic building on the property, known as the Main House, will be home to a full-service pro shop and gun room.
"We're in the process of upgrading the facility, in the pro shop and the course," McEnaney said. "We feel comfortable with a planned soft opening in early November."
Orvis Hill Country memberships will be reciprocal with the shooting grounds at Orvis Sandanona in New York and Orvis Shooting Grounds at Pursell Farms in Alabama.
For more information, visit www.orvis.com/hillcountry.
Contact Ben Destefan at [email protected] or 717-762-2151