HARTLAND – The Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department has completed its upgrades and reopened the Hammond Cove shooting range in Hartland on Thursday, July 23.
Upgrades to the range include a new berm for the pistol range, improved acoustic tiling in the covered shooting ports, the installation of security cameras, and access road work.
“Vermont has some of the safest and most conservation-minded hunters anywhere,” said Vermont Fish & Wildlife Commissioner Louis Porter. “They need a publicly accessible place where they can sight in their rifles and practice their shooting skills. Hammond Cove Range provides that. The updates to this facility and our new range rules also reflect the need to be good neighbors and careful stewards of this facility. We appreciate the tremendous community support we’ve received for this project.”
The range will be operating under new rules set by the Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department. Range users will be required to sign in with an onsite range officer and have a valid Vermont hunting or fishing license or be the guest of someone who does. New hours and dates of operation, are listed below.
New range rules include:
- A Vermont hunting or fishing license is required for users 15 years and older.
- License holders can bring one guest, but after three visits that guest must purchase a license.
- Shooting more than one round per second is prohibited.
- Shooting long rifles or shotguns from the pistol bench is prohibited, as is shooting pistols from the rifle benches.
- Unless otherwise posted, the range will be open April 1to Dec. 14, Thursday through Monday.
- On Mondays, Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays, the range hours will be 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
- On Sundays, the range will be open from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
- The range will be closed from Dec. 15 through March 31 and on all Vermont state and federal holidays, except for special events approved by the Commissioner.
- To ensure that these rules are followed, a range officer will be present when the range is open.
Before using the range, shooters are urged to review the range rules at www.vtfishandwildlife.com.
