Chandler Rod and Gun Club

The Chandler Rod and Gun Club is one of the Valley’s most constructive and live-wire organizations. It does a lot of good in promoting the welfare of sportsmen all over and particularly in helping the youth, teaching gun safety in the use of firearms and respect for the law.

A popular yearly event hosted by the club is Chandler’s Buffalo Barbeque. Sportsman hunted javelina for many years till they switched to buffalo. The reason being that the stomachs of many of the patrons of the annual feeds were too fragile for pig meat. The buffalo meat had a much wider appeal to diners than pig. The event would later expand to include varmint-calling and other popular attractions.

The buffalo meat comes from one of two herds, at Houserock Valley, north of the Colorado River, or at the Raymond Ranch near Flagstaff. The Arizona Game Department designates one spot for culling the herd one year and the other the next to keep the herds from diminishing too rapidly. There have been years when local sportsman missed out in the drawing for hunting permits and the Rod and Gun Club had to appeal to sportsmen in other parts of the state for their barbeque meat.