Two of Oklahoma's public shooting ranges are back open for business after months of construction, giving hunters and recreational shooters fresh covered benches, rebuilt trap fields and elevated archery platforms at the Lexington and Canton wildlife management areas. The Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation reopened both facilities this fall, rounding out a wave of range upgrades that stretches back more than a decade.
The renovated range at Lexington Wildlife Management Area, located about 45 minutes south of Oklahoma City, officially reopened for public access on October 2, according to the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation. The facility had been closed during construction while upgrades were made, the agency said. As reported by The Journal Record, the Lexington site now includes a 30-yard pistol range with four covered shooting benches, two 100-yard rifle ranges with six covered benches each, a trap range, and an archery range with an elevated shooting platform, along with ADA-accessible parking and access.
Canton's Lakeside Range Returns With Bigger Rifle Bays
Renovations at the Canton Wildlife Management Area target range were still being finalized ahead of its public reopening, per the department's own account. The Canton range sits on the east side of Canton Lake in northwestern Oklahoma, according to The Journal Record, a 7,910-acre reservoir surrounded by federal campgrounds and recreation areas managed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, as Hoodline previously reported on the lake.
Canton's upgraded facility features a 50-yard pistol range, 100- and 200-yard rifle ranges with four covered shooting benches each, a trap range, and its own elevated archery platform, plus ADA access and parking, The Journal Record reports.
Federal Excise Taxes Help Fund Range Projects
The federal Pittman-Robertson Wildlife Restoration Act provides one source of funding for public shooting ranges operated by the department. It levies an 11% excise tax on firearm, ammunition and archery equipment manufacturers, the wildlife department has explained. That federal excise-tax revenue can help fund eligible public target-range construction and renovation.
Covering that remaining share often means turning to outside partners. The National Rifle Association's Public Range Fund has granted the department money toward several projects — including $25,000 for the Optima WMA range in 2024 and $25,000 for the Copan WMA range — contributing more than $93,000 total to Oklahoma public ranges, according to Outdoor Wire. Outdoor Wire reports that the fund offers matching grants; funds connected to the NRA's online hunter-education course can be used to apply for Pittman-Robertson grants.
Rules On Caliber Limits, Safety Harnesses And Hours
Both reopened ranges follow the same statewide rulebook. Under Oklahoma Administrative Code Section 800:30-1-16, firearms targets at wildlife management area ranges are restricted to paper and clay, while archery-specific targets are allowed; centerfire rifles or handguns .50 caliber or larger and fully automatic firearms are strictly prohibited, according to the Cornell Law School Legal Information Institute. Shooters must remove all paper targets before leaving and wear required eye and ear protection, per the same regulation.
Archers using the elevated shooting platforms installed at Lexington and Canton are required to wear an approved safety harness under department rules. The ranges operate daily from official sunrise until 30 minutes after official sunset, and anyone under 16 must be directly supervised by an adult 18 or older. The department says ranges are open year-round, subject to regulations and posted signs, including closures for controlled hunts.
Part Of A Campaign Running Since 2015
Lexington's range has been renovated before. The department launched its statewide range modernization strategy in 2015, and that strategy has kept expanding: the department opened a new public range at Copan Wildlife Management Area featuring the agency's first built-in vault restroom and crossbow bench alongside standard pistol, rifle and archery facilities, according to a bulletin posted on Granicus.
Copan was the department's 11th completed range project in the campaign, according to the department. The Journal Record counts 13 projects completed since 2017, with more than a dozen additional sites planned for construction or upgrades. The facilities serve hunters, recreational shooters and competitive shooters. Users must hold a valid Oklahoma hunting license or combination hunting and fishing license, unless exempt, to use the ranges, and the department posts range locations and project updates on its website.
