Wyoming’s State Shooting Complex Nears Sign-Off

Wyoming’s long-planned State Shooting Complex is close to locking in its blueprint. After unveiling a new site map on Sept. 25, the design committee says the full plan could get a green light as soon as this week, Gillette News Record reports.

Design lead Jim Saubier walked the board through a revised layout meant to match the state’s requirements and the board’s vision. The map carves out room for an events center and a big pole-barn storage building, plus space for multiple shotgun venues, pistol and action handgun/three-gun bays, traditional long-range lanes, and an extreme long-range zone where shooters can rent a bay — and a trainer — to take cracks at targets more than a mile out. That ELR area sits on the south end, which means visitors will pass the rest of the complex on their way in and out.

“They’re going to get to see all these different shooting disciplines on their way,” Saubier said.

Backers say the setting is a differentiator. Board member James Klessens argued the views and natural look will set Wyoming apart from more utilitarian ranges.

“Theirs looks institutional, ours is going to look natural, and it’s going to be amazing,” he said, comparing it to Rapid City’s facility.

Fellow board member Danny Michaels said the redesign fixes early snags and stays scalable so the state can add more later while still hosting “world-class” events from day one.

The nearly $20 million project is drawing plenty of enthusiasm — Rep. Paul Hoeft of Powell called it “exciting to see how it all comes out” — but not everyone’s sold on the scale. Veteran competitor Scott Weber warned the current shotgun footprint isn’t big enough to sustain large events, saying the complex would need roughly $500,000 a year just to cover salaries. In a letter to the board, he cautioned that hosting a major shoot without the right infrastructure risks a “disaster.” Gubernatorial candidate Brent Bien echoed the bottom-line concern, arguing the complex must pay its own way and should lean into training revenue from law enforcement and other agencies so “taxpayers aren’t on the hook.”

Project leaders say revenue will come from memberships and on-site sales — think camping and clays — augmented by sponsorships now in the works. The board meets Thursday morning at Yellowstone Regional Airport and could approve the design then. A public open house to show the final plan is slated for Oct. 15 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. in the alternate EOC room at the Park County Courthouse.