The Department of Natural Resources will temporarily close the archery area at the Pontiac Lake shooting range on August 24-25 for backstop renovations. It will reopen on August 26. As an alternative, the Ortonville shooting range has a 3-D archery range for bow hunters.

Modern restrooms are coming to the Ortonville, Pontiac Lake, and Sharonville shooting ranges to make them more user friendly for shooters! Construction will be done in stages at the three ranges, beginning the week of August 19 at Ortonville, continuing at Pontiac Lake, and then at Sharonville. We expect the work to be completed in the fall. While work is progressing near the center sidewalk, please utilize the driveway on the left side of the range to access the rifle/handgun range.

The Pontiac Lake shooting range will be open on Labor Day, September 2.

With this cool weather lately, you probably started thinking about the fall hunting seasons. Now is the time to sign up for a hunter safety class when offerings are plentiful. Search for a class close to home or sign up for an online class at www.michigan.gov/huntereducation. Remember, you can purchase hunting and fishing licenses online 24-hours a day or make a reservation at Michigan's 101 state park and recreation areas at www.michigan.gov/campgroundreservations. Visit the DNR shooting range website at www.michigan.gov/shootingranges.

Mary Benson
Shooting Range Specialist
Michigan Department of Natural Resources
bensonm6@michigan.gov