MAYFLOWER –-(Ammoland.com)- Aside from being the kickoff to hunting season, the dove opener is always a wake-up call for hunters who haven’t practiced before going afield. A visit to the Dr. James E. Moore Jr. Camp Robinson Firing Range is just the ticket to get in some practice before archery season and rifle season for deer, or the opening weekend of duck season later in November.
The range is part of the Camp Robinson Special Use Area, surrounding a corner of Craig D. Campbell Lake Conway Reservoir, with field-trial facilities, retriever-training areas, a fishing derby pond and a watchable-wildlife auto tour.
“There are facilities for pretty much any sort of outdoor activity here,” said Grant Tomlin, range development program coordinator for the AGFC. “We have ranges for archery, rifle, pistol and shotgun.”
Archery facilities include an 18-station 3D archery course, with animal targets ranging from turkey to white-tailed deer. Archers shoot at 11 of the stations from ground level, but the latest improvement to the archery course is a 5-foot-by-16-foot elevated platform to simulate shooting from a treestand.
“You can shoot seven other targets from the platform,” Tomlin said. “It’s great practice for shooting in a real world scenario.”
A bag target range set for 20, 30 and 40-yard distances rounds out the archery range, letting archers dial in their shooting before moving on to the 3D course.
“If the course has a few folks on it, we also have a nice pavilion and picnic tables to rest and wait until it’s your turn to shoot.”
Modern gun and muzzleloader enthusiasts are well taken care of at the Mayflower range as well. Thirteen covered stations are available, with plans to add a few more in the next year. The 200-yard range enables hunters to stretch their practice, and zero in at most distances a deer will be taken in Arkansas.
“We’ve upgraded the rifle range with new all-weather target backings and rubber rifle rests,” Tomlin said. “And we have Vortex spotting scopes available to rent for shooters to check their shots between shooting times.”
The pistol range includes 32 stations for patrons, and has been improved in the last year.
“We’ve reopened the 7-yard line on the pistol range and replaced the wooden baffles with dirt berms to increase safety,” Tomlin said. “The berms also eliminate the upkeep cost of replacing baffles each year.”
Shotgunners have separate trap and skeet fields to choose at the range. Although trap is popular for many shooting sports participants, skeet is more popular for hunters looking to practice shots akin to field shooting.
“With dove and duck hunting, the birds can come from anywhere, and that’s represented much better on the skeet field,” Tomlin said.
Another pavilion at the trap and skeet ranges is equipped with a ceiling fan to keep shooters cool between sessions. Tomlin says shooters also are given a handout for the skeet range that helps them establish the proper lead on the fast-flying targets.
“Part of our mission is to educate people on firearms safety and shooting,” Tomlin said. “We have three staff members who are law enforcement training instructors who can help people get dialed in on the rifle and pistol ranges as well if we have the manpower available.”
The range is open 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m., Wednesday-Sunday. Shooting is on a first-come, first-served basis and shooters must register at the clubhouse to be assigned a space. Registration ends at 3:45 p.m. each day and shooting stops at 4:10 p.m. to allow users to clean and pack their gear before the gates close. Fees are $3 per person for pistol and rifle ranges and $4 per 25-shot round of skeet or trap. The archery course is free, but archers must register at the range house before shooting.
Skeet and trap shooters should have at least two people in the party so someone is available to operate the clay throwers.
“When it’s busy, we don’t have the staff available to pull for shooters, but the trap and skeet machines are maintained and filled regularly for shooters to use them,” Tomlin said. No ammunition is sold at the facility, but eye and hearing protection are provided free at the range. Each paying customer at the rifle and pistol range is given two targets to start. Additional targets cost 25 cents, or customers may bring their own.
“Conventional targets or those with wildlife images on them are allowed, but we do not allow human silhouettes or zombie targets,” Tomlin said. “We occasionally get someone that wants to use one, but they are few and far between.”
Tomlin suggests people plan if they want to use the rifle range this time of year, because many people are beginning to sight in rifles for deer season.
“The most important rule at the range is safety,” Tomlin said. “And one rule in particular that we occasionally see violated is that no firearm may be loaded unless it’s on the firing line, even when it’s first brought onto the property. We have signs at the gate, but every once in a while, someone shows up with their gun already loaded or a loaded magazine in the case with the firearm, and we have to ask them to leave. The penalty is being banned from the range that day. We don’t like sending anyone home, but we have to maintain safety at all times.”
Visit http://www.agfc.com/aboutagfc/Pages/AboutFacilitiesRobinsonFR.aspx for more information on the range and a list of range rules.