Hone Shooting Skills at Black's Creek Range

By Evin Oneale, Idaho Department of Fish and Game Whether your pursuit is elk, bighorns or mule deer, a few critical seconds typically separate hunts where memories are made from hunts where memories are made and game is bagged. As with most abilities, accurate shooting is a matter of practice, yet too many hunters fail to hone this critical skill even as they rush to prepare for a hunting excursion. With the fall hunting season fast approaching, now is the time to reintroduce yourself to your firearm and get out to the range to practice. Black's Creek Public Shooting Range at 2420 E. Kuna-Mora Road southeast of Boise is the place to do both. Offering a controlled, safe shooting environment, Black's Creek is the place for rifle, pistol and black-powder shooters, and at a cost of $8 per shooter for an entire day of shooting, it's a real bargain. That price includes your first paper target, and while some ranges charge by the firearm, there is no limit to the number of firearms one person can shoot per day at Black's Creek. There are six separate "ranges" available for use at Black's Creek, but the centerfire or "large bore" range is the focal point. Recently expanded to accommodate up to 60 shooters at once, the centerfire range allows for shooting distances from 15 to 200 yards. Further upgrades are planned for this range; a new firing cover will be erected over a portion of the range beginning in October. Black's Creek Range is the product of a successful public-private partnership. Idaho Fish and Game owns the range, and contracts with a local black-powder shooting group, the EE-DA-HOW Long Rifles Inc. for day to day range operations. This includes a range master who directs shooting activities whenever the range is open. Through August and September, the range is open from 10:00am to 6:00pm, Thursday through Monday, to help accommodate the rush of shooters preparing for the upcoming big game season. To further encourage the honing of accurate shooting skills, the Idaho Hunter Education Association has a special day planned at Black's Creek Range on September 12. That Saturday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., association members will host the annual "Sight In" event, assisting range patrons with all aspects of proper shooting technique. From correct positioning of the firearm to zeroing in a scoped rifle, association staff will be there to help. Proceeds from the day's activities will be used to further Idaho's hunter education program. For information about Black's Creek Public Shooting Range and for driving directions, go to the shooting ranges link on the hunting page at the Fish and Game Web site: http://fishandgame.idaho.gov/, the range website at http://www.BlacksCreekRange.com, or call 342-9614. Learn the locations of other Idaho shooting ranges at http://www.wheretoshoot.org. Have a safe and accurate hunting season. Evin Oneale is the regional conservation educator in the Southwest Region