Talon White waits his turn to trap shoot on Wed. August 2 2023.
LOGAN—August is National Shooting Sports Month, and as temperatures begin to cool slightly things begin to heat up at the area’s shooting ranges. Brent White from Paradise was at the Cache Valley Shooting Range Wednesday evening Aug. 2, with two of his boys Talon and River. They were trap shooting.
“This is a fundraiser for the Cache Crushers, a trap shooting club,” he said. “During the last couple of weeks of July and the first couple weeks of August we shoot to raise funds to cover expenses for the kid’s competitions.”
There were a lot of kids and adults shooting clay pigeons during the afternoon and evening.
Mike Funk, a builder working at the Cache Valley Shooting Range, brought his shotgun and was also there with some of his employees to participate in the fundraiser.
August is when things pick up at shooting ranges in Utah because it is National Shooting Sports Month. Shooting Sports Month makes it a great time to hit the range and send some bullets into targets.
Utah’s established ranges are a safe option for shooting and wildfire prevention, especially if you’re planning to target shoot with firearms during the current hot conditions.
Cache Valley Public Shooting Range Manager Steve Bassett said things are starting pick up in August.
“It is one of one of our busier months at the shooting range,” he said. “Temperatures are starting to cool and shooters start thinking of hunting and they want to shoot more to get ready for fall hunts.”
The bigger rush starts in September. Both the shotgun and rifle ranges get buy.
Whether you are a beginner and want to shoot a bow or rifle for the first time, or you’re a seasoned hunter prepping for the fall hunts, the two Utah Division of Wildlife Resources shooting ranges offer something for everyone.
Cache Valley Public Shooting Range offers indoor/outdoor range opportunities for shooting sports fo people located in the northern part of the Beehive State. Located at 2851 W. 200 North (SR 30, also known as the Valley View Highway) in Logan, this shooting range also has a wide variety of amenities for target practice, including:
- A 100-, 200- and 300-yard rifle range
- Trap shooting
- Skeet shooting
- Five-stand shooting
- 90-meter outdoor archery field
- 20-yard indoor archery range (which also offers cosmic archery, a glow-in-the dark shooting opportunity)
- 50-foot indoor .22 caliber rifle range
- 50-foot handgun range, with targets at 5, 10 or 16 yards
- 25- and 50-yard outdoor ranges that are open to archery and firearms
“Safety is our top priority, which is why we are a great place to come and shoot,” Bassett said. “That is a big draw for people who practice shooting here or want to try it for the first time. We have range safety officers who can offer assistance as needed.”
The range has targets available for purchase, but people should bring their own firearms and ammunition.
“We provide a family-friendly environment where you can try a new hobby or pass your tradition along to someone else,” he said. “We just want people to come enjoy themselves.”
The shooting ranges will offer free entry to the rifle, pistol and archery ranges on Saturday, Aug. 5, as well as discounted rounds on the shotgun ranges.
The Cache Valley Public Shooting Range is open Wednesday and Thursday from 2-7 p.m., Fridays from 12-7 p.m., and Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is $6 for an adult day pass and $3 for a youth day pass (for those 15 and younger). Fees for trap and skeet rounds can be found on the DWR website.
And for those living outside of Cache Valley there is the Lee Kay Shooting Range in the Salt Lake City area, located at 6000 W. 2100 South in Salt Lake City. It is the only outdoor shooting range in Salt Lake Valley. It also has a variety of amenities, including:
- A 100-, 200- and 300-yard rifle range
- 25- and 75-yard ranges with multiple lanes for handgun, rimfire, muzzleloader and rifle use
- Trap shooting
- Skeet shooting
- Five-stand shooting
- An archery range with 15 lanes, ranging from 20-100 yards
- A dog-training area with upland game and waterfowl habitats
- A bird-watching area, complete with gazebo, on the north side of the property
Both shooting ranges also offer an ongoing, year-round promotion that allows someone to shoot for free or at a discounted rate if they purchased a firearm or archery equipment within 30 days. Proof of purchase must be provided to qualify for the deal.
Visitors can also shoot for free or at a discounted rate on National Hunting and Fishing Day (the fourth Saturday of September) if they present a valid hunting, fishing or combination license.