Make a Day at the Range

You don't have to be a gun enthusiast or even a hunter for that matter, to enjoy a day out at the range. Spending even a few hours at a shooting range can be fun and a great way to just blow of some steam. Recently I went with some friends and family to the DNR Rose Lake Shooting Range in Clinton County where we enjoyed a morning of shooting and camaraderie.

After a quick breakfast in nearby Perry, our party of six head just down the road a bit to meet in the range parking lot. The range is adjacent to a very wild 4,100 acre state game area, which secludes the site. The range is completely outdoors and when the weather is nice, its beautiful. We prepped our equipment for our first round - target practice. Out of the trunks came our slug shotguns, muzzle loaders and rifles.

After we signed in, we were able to load up while waiting for the range to clear. Now there are a few things you need to remember for target practice. Of course you're going to need your firearms, but you'll also need ammo. Its important to bring the same ammo you plan to fire in the field in order to be accurate. Bring plenty too, it would be a shame to plan for a few hours of shooting only to run out of ammo. The next items you'll need are targets and a Sharpie. Targets can differ depending on what you're shooting and the Sharpie will come in handy for marking your previous shots. If you're sighting a firearm in or checking the accuracy, you may bring a mount to keep it from moving between shots. If you're like me and don't own one, the DNR provides sandbags which roughly allow you to stay consistent. Finally, the last items you can't go to the range without are ear and eye protection. Bring earplugs at the least to be in the area, and if you plan on doing the shooting, ideally you'd have polycarbonate glasses.

After around ten minutes of shooting the good people in charge will call for the range to be cleared. At this time you can pin your targets up on the posts according to which bay you'll be shooting in. Shortly after they'll allow shooting to resume, and the process will repeat the entire day. There are 25, 50 and 100 yard bays to test your accuracy at most weapons. We stuck to the 100 yard range, and I was able to try my brother's black powder gun for the first time. It was a real thrill. The best part about taking a group is that you can try firing weapons that you wouldn't try otherwise.

After an hour or so of target practice, the group returned to the cars to bring out our shotguns. It was time for a skeet shoot. You'll need to bring for this exersize something to throw the skeet with, shot shells and a box of skeet. Our friend was nice enough to bring his spring loaded thrower, but a hand thrower is inexpensive and will work well too. Here I was able to sample my friend's over-under 16 gauge which was a fine skeet duster.

An hour later it was noon, and the group had to leave. We had planned to hit the archery range as well, but that would have to wait for another date. Rose Lake's range has elevated platforms available to shoot at several target distances. I'll definitely be back to hit this area as archery season approaches.

One final note to anyone thinking of visiting this or any shooting range- please pick up after yourself. As my brother put it "If everyone who came picked up more than they left on the ground, we may be able to come here more often for free." He's right its a wonderful resource Michigan has free for sportsmen and sportswomen and can continue to be free if everyone chips in. I've already got my wife, a non-hunter, interested in going back with me. Give a shooting range a try if you've never been or if its been a while. You'll enjoy the day out.