Nov. 1, 2023
Contact: Lori Burford, 989-600-9114

New DNR shooting range in Barry County to open Friday

The Michigan Department of Natural Resources will open its new Barry County Shooting Range Friday, Nov. 3.

"Temporary closures may be necessary in the future to allow the builders to complete some remaining components, but the range will open to the public on Nov. 3, in time to help hunters prepare for firearm deer season," said Lori Burford, manager of the DNR’s Shooting Sports Section. "It will offer a safe, accessible shooting opportunity for residents and visitors in Barry County."

The all-accessible shooting range is located within the Barry State Game Area in Rutland Township, on Chief Noonday Road/M-179, approximately 0.8 miles west of South Whitmore Road. It will offer target shooting for handguns and rifles, as well as sporting clay shooting. Visitors will need to bring their own targets.

The range will be open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. October through December and 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. April through September. It will be closed during the winter months.

With the opening of the new range, other informal target shooting areas within the Barry State Game Area will no longer be available for dispersed target shooting. The DNR’s Wildlife Division will continue efforts to close and restore these areas.

The firing range will meet National Rifle Association and Americans with Disabilities Act guidelines and will employ state-of-the-art sound control measures and environmental containment features for lead.

Funding for the range is provided through a federal grant administered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and supplemented by the Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund.

For more information on the DNR’s public shooting ranges in Michigan, visit Michigan.gov/ShootingRanges.