Arizona airgunning opportunities?

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FunGun

FunGun

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Jun 21, 2015
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OKLAHOMA, United States
Hey guys,
I would like to hear from some of you that call Arizona home. I am really interested in hearing about the opportunities that exist to be able to go out and shoot your airguns either target or hunting. I have been to Arizona and love that part of the country. My wife and I are thinking about retiring to this great part of the US but I am interested in being able to go out and safely shoot my airguns without imposing on anyone else or taking the chance of being mistaken for something other than an airgunner. As I understand, much of the land is available for public use, so I am wanting to hear from you guys (gals) that live out there and give me some insight on how you enjoy your ariguns in Arizona whether it be at ranges, open lands, hunting etc. It is my hope that I can continue to enjoy my airgunning should I relocate to Arizona. Thanks for your time and if you don't feel comfortable sharing on the forum, feel free to PM me. Your feedback and guidance are greatly appreciated.
 
That is a definite plus to have so many opportunities to meet up with fellow airgunners and share the sport, but I am very interested in hearing about personal experiences of going out in the desert and shooting on the public lands. Anyone have some input on the use of the public lands that are available? Do you run into other folks out there that are using the land for other activities that might prove to be a hazard to either yourself or to them? Or is there so much available that you never see anyone? I just don't know, and would like to get some first hand views on the subject.
 
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I don't know about AZ, but around here, going out on public lands to shoot often requires turning a blind eye to all kinds of illegal activity. Automatic weapons, drugs, exploding targets (more than 'Tannerite')...I've encountered all of them while out shooting. I've witnessed an Alphabet org/DEA raid on a nearby property and that's just in the last 6 months. I've also met some really cool people doing really cool things. I saw a guy sighting in his black powder gun at 150yards with open sights. I was able to shoot a .22lr handgun with a silencer (my Marauder was still quieter, but it was close). I got to shoot a Desert Eagle .50cal and all manner of other firearms. I've also let numerous people shoot my Marauder. On the whole, I enjoy it, but you never know what you're going to get.
 
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Being "LE" here in Arizona and working with State Trust, Forest Service, BLM. There are still a lot of opportunities. 10 minutes on the internet will provide you with "use areas and restrictions". BLM is open, National Forest is open unless otherwise posted or Fire Restrictions are in place. State Trust is no shooting except for hunting with a valid license. You need a permit to do activities on State Trust unless hunting, then your license is your permit. I haven't met one Officer that looks twice at Airguns for violations. 60% of the citations I write are people that don't check to see if there are restrictions in the area they are in. and the others are people that just don't give a damn. Anyhow. tons of shooting opportunities especially for Airguns.
 
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Investigate a place called Quail Creek in Green Valley, 25 miles south of Tucson. It's a gated community with it's own outdoor airgun range. I believe they have matches open to the public year round. I don't think you have to live there to be a member of the range.
​ Phoenix has several dedicated "airgun shops", airgun clubs and matches . Check out the Extreme Benchrest event. Rio Salada and Ben Avery shooting ranges are where most of the matches take place. Field Target, Benchrest , Silhouette, 10 meter rifle and pistol, matches. There's something happening for airgunners almost every weekend. Check out Phoenix Airgun Club.
​ Theres a field target club called Airgunners of Arizona. They have Field Target matches in Flagstaff in the summer and in the Winter the matches continue in Phoenix at the Ben Avery range.
​ Wickenburg has an airgun club that sponsers matches at that town's gun range.
​ I live in Prescott we are surrounded by National Forest. Finding a place to shoot airguns is no problem. Going North about 10 miles on hi-way 89 is the town of Chino Valley. They have a great shooting range, covered stations. They hold airgun pistol matches during the summer. Another 5 miles north on hi-way 89 is a huge shooting range called Gun Sight in Paulden Arizona.
​ Maybe some of the good people here can chime in on this. Freddie
 
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I am aware of two very active airgun groups in the Phoenix area. The Phoenix Airgun group at Rio Sadao Sportsmans Club (www.rsscaz.com) which has monthly benchrest, field target and benchrest silhouette matches and the Airgunner's of Arizona which shoots field target at the Ben Avery shooting range. There may be others in the area but I shoot with the Phoenix group at Rio Salado. You can check their activities and match scores on the Rio Salado website. They also shoot the extreme bench rest match here in October.
 
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Shooting is permitted in most of the US National Forests which are managed by the United States Forest Service which is an agency under the US Department of Agriculture. It's important to note that US National Forests are not to be confused with US National Parks which is a completely separate entity under the US Dept of the Interior. US National Parks typically prohibit firearms and any form of shooting including airguns.

Always check with the local park rangers before you plan on shooting. Each of the six US National Forests in Arizona have extremely informative websites, many of which have maps showing where shooting is allowed. I have found some of the Forests have more info than others but all of them provide contact info for the local ranger stations which can provide more info on their specific districts. National Forests are often subdivided into various ranger districts so it's best to call the ranger in the district you plan on visiting.

Note that all Hunting activities are regulated by the Arizona Game and Fish Department. This applies for hunting in any of Arizona's US National Forests. For licenses, regulations, and other information visit Arizona Game & Fish Department.

Arizona's US National Forests:
  1. Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest‎
  2. Coconino National Forest‎ (Here is info on Big Game Hunting in Coconino National Forest)
  3. Coronado National Forest‎
  4. Kaibab National Forest‎
  5. Prescott National Forest‎
  6. Tonto National Forest‎ (see example of areas to shoot in map below)
    [/LIST=1]
    Each of the National Forests have their own website and some are broken into different ranger districts. The websites can provide more info on areas where shooting is allowed or prohibited. If you can't find info on where you can shoot, the phone number and addresses for each of the ranger stations are provided so you can call and find out where to shoot.

    I have personally shot my airgun while camping in one of the dispersed campsites in the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest‎ (not far from Mogollon Rim Campground) and at dispersed campsites on top of Mt. Lemmon in the Coronado National Forest.

    I have also rented various cabins from the US Forest Service (best kept secret around) where I was able to shoot in total privacy at the Fernow Cabin in the Coconino National Forest and Hull Cabin in the Kaibab National Forest. At Hull Cabin, I actually was even able to shoot my FN SCAR 17 (7.62/.308) assault rifle.

    Example: Tonto National Forest Recreational Shooting Map:


    Hope that helps.
    Scott
 
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Arizona is an airgunners paradise.
If you like shooting Field Target, Airgunners of Arizona (www.airgunnersofarizona.org) is one of the oldest active field target clubs in the US and is statewide. We have over 25 lanes available (with more to be developed) at Ben Avery shooting range in Phoenix and shoot there from November through May on the third Saturday of each month. From June through October, we move our matches up north to the cool pines at Mormon Lake, about 20 miles south of Flagstaff. We have an ENDLESS amount of area for setting up field target matches and our sight in ranges are available even after the matches if you like to sit and plink. We tend to stretch the shooting by camping on the leased facility (USDA forestry dept) for the entire weekend and enjoy each others company. We have over 140 airgunners on our email distribution list and would have one heck of a match if they all decided to show up at the same time.

If you are into hunting, you can obtain information from the Arizona Game & Fish department regarding legal game, hunting seasons, and hunting areas. Same would hold true for varmint hunting.

There are a number of privately owned feedlots/ranches/dairy farms that allow airgun pest control (pigeons, rats) to minimize the losses from these critters eating sizable amounts of the cattle feed. Best to locate specific areas, make personal contact with the owners, then obtain written permission.

Most municipalities (except Scottsdale) will allow you to shoot on your own property provided the pellet does not exit your property and does not cause a nuisance with your neighbors. Check (online) the city codes for the municipality where you wish to live. Additionally, there are other clubs within the state that have active airgun groups; Green Valley, Mesa (Phoenix Airgun club), Lake Havasu City (Havasu Airgunners) from which to choose.

Needless to say, I never run out of opportunities or places to shoot when the mood strikes me.

Hope this helps.
Mark Kauffman
Secretary, Airgunners of Arizona
 
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