Archery range opens at Big Arm State Park at Flathead Lake

Members of the Dayton Elementary School archery team practice at the new archery range at Big Arm State Park. (Provided by FWP)

A new archery range at Big Arm State Park at Flathead Lake is now open from dawn till dusk for bowhunters to come and practice.

The range, located on the west side of U.S. Highway 93 and directly across from the park’s main entrance, includes a covered practice area and 12 shooting stations located along a looped trail.

There is no fee other than the park entrance fee, which people driving Montana vehicles do not have to pay. The range will be open year-round.

“We’re excited to offer this new range as a place where new archery shooters or experienced shooters can spend time practicing and becoming better with their bows,” said Amy Grout, the FWP parks and outdoor recreation manager for the state park.

Archers can only use field points at the range; broadheads are prohibited and their use will lead to that archer being kicked out of the range.

The range is the second at a state park in the area; there is another public range at Lone Pine State Park in Kalispell. FWP and the Governor’s Office said the agency developed the range to include more shooting sports opportunities for children and adults. Several schools in Montana participate in the National Archery in the Schools Program .

“Since the beginning, hunters and anglers have carried the torch for wildlife conservation in not just Montana, but across North America. But in recent times, recreational shooters have contributed significantly to wildlife conservation in terms of our public range shooting,” said FWP Director Dustin Temple. “This is a little bit of those funds coming back to recreational shooters and yet another facility for us to help develop safe and ethical bowhunters.”

Temple and Gov. Greg Gianforte were joined by members of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes in late April for a ceremony marking the range’s completion. Members of the Dayton Elementary School archery team shot the inaugural arrow at the range.

“As a strong defender of the Second Amendment, I am always looking to protect our way of life and our shooting heritage,” Gianforte said in a statement. “Hunting and shooting sports are deeply rooted in our Montana heritage, and we need to practice. That’s why this new archery range is so important.”

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