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Ben Avery Shooting
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Recreational
shooters are reminded that the Ben Avery Shooting Facility
is operating on winter business hours as of Oct. 15.
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Hey shooters, here is the latest in shooting sports news from Game and Fish.
Are you tired of endlessly searching for ammunition? Due to current supply and demand conditions, finding ammunition for target shooting can be a challenge. To help recreational shooters ease their troubles and reduce the impact on their wallets, the Arizona Game and Fish Department’s Ben Avery Shooting Facility is hosting an air gun league this fall. The off-hand air gun league is for shooters looking to have fun and learn about one of the fastest-growing forms of shooting sports competition. The league runs for eight weeks and meets every Thursday evening starting Sept. 10 at the Ben Avery Shooting Facility’s indoor Air Gun Range. Participants ages six and older are welcome and classifications will include rifle and pistol for men, women, juniors and highest overall. Each match includes 300 points consisting of three relays of 10 shots from 10 meters in 20 minutes. “Air gun shooting is a great way to introduce kids and ladies to shooting sports that might be hesitant to shoot live ammunition,” said Range Master Matt Schwartzkopf with Ben Avery Shooting Facility. “It’s also an excellent way to build character, discipline, patience and confidence.” Loaner air guns and pellets are available on a limited and first-come, first-served basis. Adaptive equipment may be available for disabled shooters, but please include any equipment needed during pre-registration. The range is restricted to a velocity of 600 fps (feet per second) or less. Schwartzkopf added, “All of our leagues offer participants a safe and recreational atmosphere to improve their shooting skills. Combined with our loaner equipment, and there’s no reason not to give it a try.” The cost is $60 for adults and $30 for youth 17 and under. Pre-registration is required, contact Matt Schwartzkopf at mschwartzkopf@azgfd.gov or (623) 236-7076. The Ben Avery Shooting Facility is on the northwest corner of I-17 and Carefree Highway in north Phoenix, approximately 10 minutes north of Loop 101. Located on 1,650 acres, it is one of the largest government-operated recreational shooting complexes in the world. It averages more than 120,000 shooters per year and is home to a number of regional- and national-class competitions and other major events. Offering a wide array of target-shooting opportunities, the facility has 67 covered stations at the main range (all handicap accessible), and more than 25 additional rifle, pistol, and archery ranges for recreational and competitive shooting. The Clay Target Center offers 18-lighted trap/skeet overlay fields and two sporting clays courses. To learn more about shooting sports and the Ben Avery Shooting Facility, visit www.azgfd.gov/basf.
The Arizona Game and Fish Commission has unanimously voted to enter into agreement with the Coconino National Forest for the proposed land exchange that would enable the Arizona Game and Fish Department to acquire a site for the development of a local/community shooting range in northern Arizona. At its June 27 meeting in Phoenix, the commission directed the Game and Fish Department to execute an Agreement to Initiate (ATI) with the Coconino National Forest for the proposed Willard Springs property, and to simultaneously investigate two other potential site locations. The Cochrane Hill and the Winona/Telephone Range sites, both Coconino National Forest properties, will undergo cultural surveys to determine if acquiring either of these sites would more adequately meet the critical need for a local recreational public shooting range near Flagstaff, Ariz. Both alternate sites are located 30 minutes east of Flagstaff, north of I-40. “While results from the cultural studies may negate the need to further consider either of these alternate sites, we want to start engaging with the citizens that reside near Winona,” said Ty Gray, the department’s assistant director of information and education. “Comments, concerns or suggestions may be emailed to nazsr@azgfd.gov. Additionally, the department will be inviting those neighboring residents to an open discussion, in late summer to early fall, when we can provide them with more details and answer any questions.” The commission reviewed a total of 23 potential alternate sites that included public, private, state, and tribal lands in an effort to identify the most suitable location and possibly reduce the timeline or costs associated with developing a fully operational local/community public shooting range. The commission’s guidelines for a site to be considered included the size of site (local/community range with the potential to expand to a regional range), site proximity/location (within a 30 minute drive from downtown Flagstaff), timeline (operational in a 3-5 year period if possible), and budget (consideration given to cost). Flagstaff is the largest city in Arizona without a public shooting range, forcing recreational shooters to use makeshift areas, such as cinder pits in the forest, and causing law enforcement personnel to travel to other cities with shooting ranges for training. A local shooting range is approximately 60-80 acres and provides multi-purpose shooting sites that may include rifle sight-in, pistol, shotgun, clay target, and archery venues. To stay updated, or to learn more about the progress on the Northern Arizona Shooting Range, visit www.azgfd.gov and select “Northern Arizona Shooting Range” under “In the Spotlight.”
The Arizona Friends of the NRA (National Rifle Association) and the NRA Foundation recently awarded the Arizona Game and Fish Department $25,000 in grant funds to purchase a mix of air gun rifles, air gun pistols, .22 rimfire rifles and shotguns to be used in introductory hunting and shooting sports programs. “The NRA Foundation’s state grant program provides much needed funding toward expanding and improving our programs,” said Ashley Lynch, shooting sports program coordinator with Game and Fish. “The grant is an increase of $9,000 from last year’s grant and a portion will go to good use buying quality air gun rifles and pistols, which allows us to hold shooting events in areas that can’t accommodate .22 or shotgun shooting.” Once purchased, youth shotguns and .22-caliber rimfire rifles will be packaged into “loaner kits.” These kits will be used by department staff and can be loaned to partnered sportsmen’s groups and other organizations to run marksmanship workshops or small game hunting camps designed to introduce families to shooting and hunting throughout the state. Lynch added, “A key element to the success of these traditional American pastime programs is being able to provide participants with a quality, safe and functional firearm to make their first experience positive and rewarding.” There continues to be a growing demand for target shooting. Each year, the department receives more requests from organizations like the Scholastic Clay Target Program, Boy Scouts of America, Future Farmers of America, hunter education instructors and more to host target-shooting events than they can run, mainly because of limited equipment resources. The National Shooting Sports Foundation research reports indicate there are nearly 48 million men and women who are interested in shooting and are simply waiting for an invitation. Grants of this kind will assist the department’s already successful shooting education programs. Target shooting is self-rewarding, builds hand-eye coordination skills, and teaches patience, discipline, and the understanding and respect for firearms. Shooting sports and hunting are rated among the safest forms of outdoor recreation. To learn more about the department’s many outreach
programs, visit
www.azgfd.gov/getoutside. |
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