New Tool Helps You Find Shooting Ranges In Minnesota

Minnesota shooting ranges serve multiple purposes. They provide the opportunity for spot, practice, safety classes, certifications, and more.

There are around 350 shooting ranges across Minnesota, each of which may offer different opportunities depending upon variables such as:

• Range size: How much land does the range operator control?
• Types of shooting venues offered.
• Is it an indoor or outdoor range?
• Open to the public or a private-use-only range?
• Archery or firearms?
• If it’s an outdoor firearms range, is it for rifle/pistol or the various shotgun sports?
• Does an archery range have a walking course, or is it a target line range?
• If it’s a game preserve, does it also have a shooting range?
• Proximity to population centers and/or extensive residential development.

However, finding where they are located and what each range has to offer has been challenging. Although the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources had a web tool to help, it only provided limited options for determining what was available at each range.

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Now, the DNR says finding a shooting range in Minnesota has become a lot easier thanks to a new, updated tool they have created.

New Minnesota Shooting Range Finder Web Tool

The DNR says the new, searchable Range Finder allows people to search for ranges by types of shooting sports and geographic location.

Chuck Niska, DNR shooting range coordinator notes that shooting sports continue to increase in popularity in Minnesota and this updated tool will make it easier to find ranges that meet individual needs.

Creating this range finder upgrade required the DNR to seek details from all shooting ranges in the state about what their ranges provide. The DNR then used the information from range managers and included it in the ranger finder web tool.

That allows the public to find information about what firearms and archery options are available at each range, as well as details about the specific activities, educational opportunities, hunting opportunities, and available amenities.

The range finder also includes links to shooting range websites, if available, and it can generate maps using Google Maps. You can check out the new tool, which is an interactive map, through the button above.