Not even Mike McInerney’s long-reaching memory is enough to recall the illustrious history of the annual Holmes Harbor Rod & Gun Club’s open turkey shoot.

McInerney, the club’s vice president and organizer of the target shooting competition ahead of Thanksgiving, has been part of the event for 35 years. He’s been the man in charge for the past 16 years of one of Whidbey Island’s oldest traditions, which will have another installment next weekend, Nov. 22.

“It’s a long-running event, and one of our most popular,” he said.

Or, as club president John Brown said, it’s been around “as long as the club has,” which is in its 80th year.

The event can make for good entertainment to spectators, especially when there are a handful of eagle-eye shooters competing. As an avid gun sportsman, McInerney has participated in several of the shoots over the past few decades. Some are more memorable than others, such as the time he was in a shoot-off, a tiebreaker, that put them back several yards behind the original firing line.

“We’ve been back to like 35 yards, clear up next to the club house and shooting from there,” McInerney said.

There are 60 turkeys up for grabs as prizes for being the top gun in the squad, essentially a heat of five shooters. The competition rotates each shooter through five stations, with two clay targets launched at about 45 mph at each station. McInerney said the average shot is about 30 yards when the 4-inch discs shatter in mid-air.

Turkey shoots, according to Brown and McInerney, have an extensive history in the United States. They’ve heard stories of more literal “turkey shoots” where actual birds are shot, but both men were insistent that has not, and will not, be part of the Holmes Harbor Rod and Gun Club’s plans.

Not everyone who shows up need be a sharpshooter like Smith. McInerney said he sorts shooters into three categories based on proficiency to try to give each a fair shot at claiming a turkey.

“You’re shooting against some people of pretty comparable skills,” he said.

Sign-ups are only the day of the event, Nov. 22, at the club on Brooks Hill Road. Entry costs $20 and includes four tickets — essentially four chances to win a turkey, or four turkeys if the person wins each squad.

With state ballots currently approving Initiative 594, which limits gun transfers and requires more robust background checks for sales, McInerney said the turkey shoot will be unfazed. The new rules don’t kick in until December, plus the club’s turkey shoot is considered a regular competition, which is exempt from the regulations around handing someone a weapon.

“If it were just a regular shooting day, 594 would make it illegal for you to use my gun, unless we did a background check,” McInerney said.

The club recently changed its rules for having firearms on the property. Guns must be in cases, gun socks or boxes between the cars and the trap shack, and can’t be in the clubhouse.