Article Info
Utah Bans Range Shooting at WMAs
| Scope | |
|---|---|
| Jurisdiction | Utah |
| Impact | state |
| Key Entities | |
| Issuing agency; manages WMAs and issued the shooting ban order | Utah Division of Wildlife Resources |
| Director, Utah Division of Wildlife Resources | Riley Peck |
| Habitat Section Chief, Utah DWR; cited fire risk from target shooting | Eric Edgley |
| Law enforcement arm responsible for educating and citing violators | Utah Department of Natural Resources |
| What It Means | |
| |
| Timeline | |
| Summer 2025 | Temporary target shooting ban takes effect at WMAs in 17 Utah counties |
| Summer 2025 (biweekly) | Order reviewed every two weeks for potential modification or lifting |
| Summer 2020 | Two fires started by target shooting burned several hundred acres of WMA habitat |
Utah Bans Range Shooting at WMAs
Wildfire risk shuts down target shooting across 17 Utah counties — hunting and carry rights unaffected
From The Boise Gun Club Handbook
Utah's wildlife management areas are off-limits for target shooting after the state's fire season turned ugly fast.
Driving the news: The Utah Division of Wildlife Resources, working with county sheriffs, issued a temporary ban on firearm target shooting at all wildlife management areas (WMAs) in 17 counties, effective this week. The order also covers exploding targets, incendiary devices, and explosives.
By the numbers:
- 310,000+ acres burned in Utah so far this year — more than the last four years combined
- Nearly 400 fires ignited; human causes account for more than three-quarters of those with determined origins
- Several hundred acres of WMA habitat burned in 2020 from two fires started by target shooting
- Fines up to $1,000 for violations
The 17 affected counties: Beaver, Box Elder, Cache, Carbon, Daggett, Duchesne, Emery, Grand, Iron, Juab, Millard, Morgan, Sanpete, Sevier, Summit, Uintah, and Wasatch.
"With the extreme dry conditions, any spark can start a fire. With firearm target shooting, sparks from metal targets, a bullet or other projectiles glancing off a rock is all it takes to cause a spark and a fire." — Eric Edgley, Habitat Section Chief, Utah Division of Wildlife Resources
Reality check: This is not a gun rights issue. Legal carry, transportation, and hunting are all still permitted under the order. This is a land-use restriction tied to specific fire conditions on specific public lands — the same category of restriction that already bans fireworks on all public land year-round.
Alternatives still available: Two state-run public shooting ranges remain open — Lee Kay (Salt Lake County) and Cache Valley (Cache County) — plus private and public indoor and outdoor ranges across the state.
What to watch: The order gets reviewed every two weeks through the summer. If fire conditions ease, restrictions could lift. If the season keeps burning, expect them to hold or expand. Middle Fork WMA in Weber County — not currently under the order — already lost 334 acres to fire last month, so the list of affected areas could grow.
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