Montana Land Board approves FWP’s proposal to acquire 86-acre easement for public shooting range
HELENA – During its meeting on Oct. 19, the Montana Land Board approved a proposal by Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks to acquire an 86-acre easement from The Montana Department of Natural Resources & Conservation (DNRC). The acquisition is the first step in developing a public shooting range south of Logan.
The acquisition and development will be funded by a federal Pittman-Robertson grant matched with state general license dollars.
“Hunters and target shooters need places where they can practice safely,” said FWP Director Christy Clark. “This project would help meet that need in the Gallatin Valley while addressing safety concerns for other users and neighboring landowners.”
Once developed, the shooting range will include a rifle range with targets set out to a maximum of 400 yards, separate lanes for pistol and short-range shooting and an area for shotguns. The range will be designed and developed to separate shooting disciplines for safety purposes, prevent bullets from leaving respective ranges and locate target areas so that each shooter is pointed in a safe direction.
The Logan Public Shooting Range will fill the need for public access to land for recreational shooting in the Gallatin Valley while also addressing safety concerns. The primary objectives for the project are to:
- Mitigate safety concerns from recreational shooting;
- Improve overall safety for recreational users of the affected site;
- Improve overall safety for nearby landowners;
- Reduce the introduction, spread, and accumulation of shooting-related trash/debris;
- Provide established infrastructure for safe and environmentally responsible recreational shooting;
- And to encourage (and, as necessary, enforce) responsible recreational shooting practices on the site.
