Firearm target shooting temporarily banned at WMAs in 17 Utah counties over wildfire concerns

SALT LAKE CITY — Utah wildlife managers have paused firearm target shooting at wildlife management areas in 17 counties across the state, citing high wildfire danger.

The Utah Division of Wildlife Resources, in collaboration with various county sheriff’s offices, issued an order temporarily banning target shooting with firearms beginning on Wednesday, though legal possession of a firearm and hunting are not affected.

It helps reduce the risk of human-caused wildfires on lands that are considered “essential wildlife habitat,” which are currently experiencing extreme fire danger conditions, said Riley Peck, the division’s director.

“Significant resources go toward improving the habitat in these wildlife management areas to make them more beneficial for a variety of wildlife species, which is why these proactive, preventative measures are so important,” he said. “We support responsible target shooting on these properties when it’s safe to do so, but protecting these resources from wildfire is crucial for wildlife and is a huge benefit for the anglers, hunters and other wildlife enthusiasts who use these properties.”

The order, which also bans the possession of explosives, incendiary or chemical devices or exploding targets, will be re-evaluated every two weeks during the summer months, before any tweaks are made. As is, the counties the order applies to are:

• Beaver
• Box Elder
• Cache
• Carbon
• Daggett
• Duchesne
• Emery
• Grand
• Iron
• Juab
• Millard
• Morgan
• Sanpete
• Sevier
• Summit
• Uintah
• Wasatch

The decision was announced as acreage burned by fires in Utah surpassed 310,000 acres on Wednesday. It’s the most acreage lost to wildfires since 2020, and more than the last four years combined. Nearly 400 different fires have burned so far this year; human-caused starts account for over three-fourths of all fires with determined causes.

Middle Fork Wildlife Management Area in Weber County was among the areas affected. A 334-acre fire burned in it last month.

Fireworks and explosives are already banned on all public lands, including wildlife management areas. Several hundred acres of wildlife habitat were lost in 2020 by a pair of large fires that started by target shooting with firearms, said Eric Edgley, habitat section chief for the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources.

“With the extreme dry conditions, any spark can start a fire,” he said. “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.”

Utah Department of Natural Resources law enforcement officers will work to educate people about the restrictions, especially during the holiday weekend, division officials said, but violations could result in fines of up to $1,000.

Target shooting will still be available at two of the division’s public shooting ranges: the Lee Kay and Cache Valley in Salt Lake and Cache counties. That’s on top of various other public and private indoor and outdoor shooting ranges throughout the state, officials added.