The Straight Shooter

I’ll never forget when my neighbor lent me his .22 so I could practice shooting in my backyard. Every day it was all I wanted to do. Then my dad bought me a .243, and I couldn’t wait to take it home and practice for the upcoming season. After that, we bought a 20-gauge and a trap thrower, and I was once again addicted. I now realize there was more to my passion for target practice than getting ready for hunting season. Shooting required time, patience, and repetition. Luckily, the Gallatin Valley has several options, whether you’re practicing for hunting season, pursuing a passion for precision marksmanship, or you’re just interested in giving target practice a try.

You can set up a target in your own backyard (provided you live outside city limits and have a safe backdrop), join a shooting club, or head out into the woods for some solitude. Gallatin Sporting Clays and the Manhattan Wildlife Association offer great ways to get out before the snow hits.

Located just north of Logan, Gallatin Sporting Clays is a private club that offers limited public shooting hours from May through September. (During non-public hours, non-members can accompany a registered member.) Cost per 100 clays is $50 for non-members.

Also near Logan, the Manhattan Wildlife Association offers a wider range of shooting opportunities, but no public shooting; all non-members must be accompanied by a registered member. At the Logan Shooting Range, a guest pass is $10. There's a 440-yard main rifle range; multiple smaller bays for rifle, pistol, and shotgun; and trap & skeet shooting.

The Greenway Shooting Range at the Gallatin County Fairgrounds has pistol and .22 rifle lanes open all year long, with limited open shooting for the general public, plus a wide range of programs and competitions. They also offer instructional classes throughout the year.

If you'd rather shoot on your own or with a friend, informal ranges exist throughout southwest Montana. The state land near Logan is popular (note that you can only shoot in the small portion off the dump road; all other areas are off-limits to recreational shooting.) Another mainstay is in Gallatin Canyon, near Red Cliff Campground. You can also just head to a safe spot in the woods and set up a target, or have a friend chuck clay pigeons from a personal trap thrower. Note that certain areas have firearms restrictions; for example, the entire Hyalite area is off-limits to recreational shooting.

Remember, safety first. Before you head to the range or pull off in the national forest, ensure that you're familiar with local and state gun laws, check your backstop, and responsibly manage your weapons.