Nov. 20, 2019
Randy Zellers Assistant Chief of Communications
MAYFLOWER — If you’re looking for a place to sight in your rifle or knock the rust off your shotgunning skills before duck season opens, the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission’s Dr. James E. Moore Jr. Camp Robinson Firing Range has a special deal to promote license sales and shooting sports. Any customer who purchases a hunting license at the range will receive free passes to shoot.
Grant Tomlin, AGFC Assistant Chief of Education, says the range recently added the ability to sell hunting licenses onsite to make it more convenient for hunters who frequent the range.
“We have a lot of customers who shoot at the range regularly but don’t necessarily hunt or fish,” Tomlin said. “We wanted to give them a way to help contribute even more to conservation than they do through firearms purchases. We also wanted to add convenience for many of our hunters who are sighting in rifles to make sure they are legal when they hit the woods. You can buy your license online now, but some people still want to have someone help them through the process.”
Tomlin says the free passes are available only if the person purchases their license at the range and will be valid for one year from the date of their issue. The number of passes given vary according to the license purchased.
“You can get one round of skeet or trap or one pass to the rifle or pistol range with the purchase of a state duck stamp or a federal duck stamp,” Tomlin said. “
Normal prices are $3 per person for the pistol and rifle ranges, which includes targets and sandbags. Spotting scopes to evaluate shooting between firing rounds are available for rent at $2. The skeet and trap range costs $4 per round of 25 clays.
“If a person purchases a Sportsman’s combination license, which is $35.50, they’ll get 10 rifle passes, which would be $30,” Tomlin said. “They’re basically only buying their license for $5.50 then.”
The range at Camp Robinson offers a 200-yard rifle range with covered shooting benches, a covered 50-yard pistol range, a special programs range for classes and events, a trap field, skeet field and a 3-D archery range complete with targets and a 20-foot tower to practice shots as though a person were in a treestand. The clubhouse recently saw a major renovation to give customers a comfortable place to sit and socialize while waiting to shoot and even has big-screen televisions running outdoors programming throughout the day. The range is open to the public, 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m., Wednesday through Sunday. Registration to shoot ends at 3:45 each day, but customers are encouraged to arrive as early as possible during hunting seasons, as the shooting stations can fill up fast.
“We see a steady stream of hunters sighting in rifles and getting ready for duck season, the range stays busy from October all the way through the new year,” Tomlin said. “We always see our biggest push right before rifle season, but it tends to stay busy with people who are rechecking rifles and making adjustments throughout deer season,” Tomlin said. “Then we’ll see a nice increase around Christmas with people bringing in new rifles and shotguns they received as gifts or purchased for themselves during holiday sales.”
Visit https://www.agfc.com/ranges for more information about the AGFC’s shooting ranges. Updates can also be found at the Camp Robinson Firing Range Facebook Page.