WHY BUILD SHOOTING RANGES?
Recreational shooters have become major contributors to wildlife conservation. When shooters buy sporting arms and ammunition, manufacturers pay an excise tax to the federal government that is required to be apportioned back to the states for wildlife conservation efforts.
The North American Model of Wildlife Conservation is a user-pay, public-benefit system, and recreational shooters along with hunters and anglers are the top payers ensuring conservation happens and that wildlife abounds for those who love the outdoors.
With recreational shooting on the rise during the past decade, the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation is working to help meet the greater demand for places to shoot. ODWC has more than 20 shooting ranges in various stages of construction, environmental, engineering, and/or planning phases.
ODWC is committed to a multiyear program to renovate or construct shooting ranges on Wildlife Management Areas statewide as well as partner with outside parties to encourage enhancement, expansion, and/or new development of public target ranges in the state.
ODWC is addressing the need for increased public shooting access in Oklahoma for new hunters, and recreational and competitive shooters, while also encouraging existing hunters and shooters to enhance their skills by becoming more proficient with firearms, promoting safe and responsible hunting and shooting practices, and providing safe and environmentally responsible shooting areas. This guide shows where public land shooting ranges can be found, and also details plans that ODWC has for future development of ranges.
“We have made significant progress with planning, renovating and constructing shooting ranges on our wildlife management areas, and we are excited to continue to increase public shooting access across the state.” - Amanda Thomas, shooting range coordinator, Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation
Anyone who uses a Wildlife Department shooting range must possess a state of Oklahoma hunting or combination hunting/fishing license, which can be purchased by setting up or going to your Go Outdoors Oklahoma account.
Detailed rules are posted at each range. For more information, contact the wildlife biologist for that area.
- SHOOTING RANGE RULES
On all Wildlife Department-owned or -managed lands, the discharge of firearms for purposes other than when hunting is restricted to the target/shooting ranges provided for public use.
- Shooting ranges are open year-round, unless otherwise specified in the Oklahoma Fishing and Hunting Regulations (public hunting lands special area regulations, controlled hunt closures) or signs at the range.
- Shooting hours are official sunrise to 30 minutes after official sunset, daily.
- Any person younger than 16 using the shooting range must be immediately supervised by an adult 18 or older.
- All firearms shooting single projectiles or any pellets larger than conventional BB (.08 of an inch in diameter) must be shot at approved berms and target areas only. Airborne clay targets may be shot using pellets no larger than conventional BB.
- All rifle, pistol, shotgun and muzzleloader targets will consist of paper or clay targets only.
- All paper targets must be removed before leaving the shooting area.
- Centerfire rifles and pistols .50-caliber and larger are prohibited.
- Fully automatic firearms are prohibited.
- Fireworks, explosive devices, exploding targets, tracer and incendiary rounds are prohibited.
- Eye and ear protection shall be worn while shooting.
- Shooters, and accompanying adult, must possess a valid State of Oklahoma hunting license or State of Oklahoma combination hunting/fishing license, unless exempt.
- Shooting while another person is down range is prohibited.
- No person shall possess, consume or use any intoxicating beverage or beer, as defined in Title 37, at any shooting range or shooting range parking lot.
- ARCHERY RANGE RULES
On all Wildlife Department-owned or -managed lands, the discharge of firearms for purposes other than when hunting is restricted to the target/shooting ranges provided for public use.
- Archery range is open year-round, unless specified otherwise in the Oklahoma Fishing and Hunting Regulations (public hunting lands special area regulations, controlled hunt closures) or signs at the range.
- Shooting hours are official sunrise to 30 minutes after official sunset, daily.
- Any person younger than 16 using the shooting range must be immediately supervised by an adult 18 or older.
- Archers using the elevated platform must wear a safety harness meeting the standards of the Treestand Manufacturers Association and be attached to the platform at all times.
- Archers may only shoot at stationary targets.
- Archers must draw and release arrows or bolts from the tower or directly below the tower ONLY.
- All nocked arrows or bolts must point down range at all times.
- The archery tower is limited to four shooters at a time; no spectators are allowed on the archery tower.
- Shooting while another person is down range is prohibited.
- Broadheads may only be used in designated lanes.
- Shooters, and accompanying adult, must possess a valid State of Oklahoma hunting license or State of Oklahoma combination hunting/fishing license, unless exempt.
- Archery targets designed specifically for archery are allowed on the archery range. Archery targets must be removed after use.
- Only legal archery equipment is allowed on the archery range.
- No person shall possess, consume, or use any intoxicating beverage or beer, as defined in Title 37, at any shooting range or shooting range parking areas.
PARTNERSHIPS GROWING AT RANGES ACROSS THE STATE
Partnerships are key. From one corner of the state to the next, partnerships have been and will be a critical piece of shooting range construction and renovations. While each project is different in scope and details, the one thing that they share is that the collaborative relationships lead to a win-win for the Wildlife Department, for its partners, and most importantly for hunters and recreational shooters.
For example, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers owns the land for at least a dozen of the sites where ODWC plans to renovate or construct new shooting ranges. Without the Corps guidance and support, ODWC simply would not be able to move forward on those projects.
“The Tulsa District is proud to partner with ODWC on the construction of new shooting ranges and renovations to existing ranges across the state,” said Jason Person, a biologist with the Corps. “ODWC is providing a much-needed recreational opportunity that will benefit sportsmen and sportswomen across the state. This relationship is a great example of what can be accomplished when state and federal agencies work together to further agency missions and goals for the benefit of the people of Oklahoma.”
Other key partnerships include the National Rifle Association (NRA) and the Oklahoma Wildlife Conservation Foundation (OWCF). The NRA has provided match funding totaling $93,000 for a half-dozen ranges in Oklahoma through the NRA Public Range Fund. The latest donations have been for Optima WMA shooting range renovation and a new shooting range at Copan WMA.
Liz Bush, managing director of NRA Community Engagement, said, "Public ranges allow hundreds of thousands of hunters, competitive shooters, and target shooters to work on their marksmanship under safe and responsible conditions."
The future archery range at Arcadia Conservation Education Area has received major support from the OWCF. Silverleaf Shotgun Sports has been improving its facilities in partnership with ODWC.
OWCF is a great place to donate for upcoming projects that will soon begin construction. For more information, log on to https://okwildlifefoundation.org.
SHOOTING SPORTS EDUCATION DRIVES PARTICIPATION
More than 725,000 Oklahoma residents participated in shooting sports in 2022, and that participation is continually rising. Numerous team and individual sport-shooting champions arise from Oklahoma nearly every year.
Oklahoma’s recreational sport shooters contribute more than $1.65 billion annually to the economy. And that’ s one huge reason the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation has long supported shooting sports through education programs that involve school students across the state.
Nearly 6,000 Oklahoma students participate annually in the Oklahoma Scholastic Shooting Sports Program (OKSSSP), which is ODWC’s trapshooting curriculum for students in grades 7-12.
The Oklahoma National Archery in the Schools Program (OKNASP) and Varsity Archery program engage thousands of students in grades 4-12 to provide target archery training. ODWC also offers school programs for Explore Bowhunting and Explore Bowfishing.
Since 1995, ODWC has offered the Shotgun Training Education Program (STEP). These programs provide wingshooting opportunities to about 9,000 participants of all skill levels annually. STEP helps conduct the National FFA Organization’s state shooting competitions each year.
ODWC has also reached out to other entities in promoting shooting sports. Pass-through grant funding allowed ODWC to provide partial funding to create a shooting complex at Oklahoma Panhandle State University in Goodwell, and to upgrade trapshooting equipment at the Silverleaf Shooting Sports facility near Guthrie.
In the works currently is pass-through grant funding to help the City of Altus build the Bitter Creek Shooting Sports Complex.
"Shooting ranges have been one of my passions for many years, and recreational shooters are contributing about seven out of every 10 dollars into the conservation machine. Being a hometown Newkirk boy, I am excited to see a shooting range on Kaw WMA. The shooting range isn’t even 300 yards from where I harvested my first deer as a kid, which led to me being hooked on hunting, shooting, conser- vation, and ultimately having a career with ODWC. I’m certain the range will hook many more kids into hunting, shooting, and conservation. With the hiring of a full-time shooting range coordinator, ODWC is headed down the tracks with steam!”
- Wade Free, Director, Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation
To find additional places to shoot, go here.