Enjoy a Free Day at Ohio's Public Ranges in August

The Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) Division of Wildlife and the National Shooting Sports Foundation are partnering to host Free Range Day at five of Ohio's premier public shooting ranges on Saturday, Aug. 19.

Visit one of the following public shooting ranges on Free Range Day to gain hands-on experience with firearms from certified instructors at no charge from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

• Deer Creek Wildlife Area, corner of State Route 207 and Cook Yankeetown Road NE, Mt. Sterling 43143
• Delaware Wildlife Area, 1110 State Route 229, Ashley 43003
• Grand River Wildlife Area, 6693 Hoffman Norton Road, Bristolville 44491
• Spring Valley Wildlife Area, 3570 Houston Road, Waynesville 45068
• Woodbury Wildlife Area, 41384 State Route 541, Warsaw 43844

On-site staff will provide equipment, ammunition, ear protection, and eye protection.

Free Range Day is offered in conjunction with the National Shooting Sports Foundation Inc.'s National Shooting Sports Month. Division of Wildlife public shooting ranges provide comfortable, safe places to hone skills with rifles, shotguns, handguns, and archery equipment. A complete list of range facilities, and the amenities offered at each, can be found at wildohio.gov.

Class A shooting ranges offer supervised rifle and pistol target shooting. Class B facilities offer unsupervised rifle and pistol target shooting, while Class C ranges host unsupervised clay target shotgun shooting.

The shooting range permit requirement is waived on all Division of Wildlife Class A, B, and C shooting ranges on Saturday, Aug. 19. Outside of Free Range Day, all persons 18 and older shooting on Division of Wildlife Class A, B, or C ranges are required to purchase a shooting range permit, available at all hunting and fishing license outlets, via wildohio.gov, or on the HuntFish OH mobile app. Daily permits are available for $5, or an annual permit can be purchased for $24.

The mission of the Division of Wildlife is to conserve and improve fish and wildlife resources and their habitats for sustainable use and appreciation by all. Visit wildohio.gov to find out more.

ODNR ensures a balance between wise use and protection of our natural resources for the benefit of all. The visit the ODNR website at ohiodnr.gov.