Utah News Dispatch
Firearm target shooting temporarily banned in these wildlife areas across 16 Utah counties
The Middle Fork Fire, which was started by target shooting, burns near Huntsville, Utah, in a photo shared by fire officials on June 20, 2026. (Photo courtesy of Utah Fire Info)
Due to tinder-dry conditions and concerns of wildfire risks, Utah wildlife officials announced firearm target shooting has been temporarily restricted within wildlife management areas in 16 counties across Utah.
The Utah Division of Wildlife Resources officials announced on Wednesday it has coordinated with county leaders and sheriff’s offices, as required under Utah law, to implement the target shooting restrictions.
Effective immediately, target shooting with firearms — or the possession of explosives, incendiary or chemical devices, or exploding targets — is not allowed on wildlife management areas in these counties:
Some cities opt out of Gov. Cox’s statewide fireworks ban, but most keep it in place
- Beaver
- Box Elder
- Cache
- Carbon
- Daggett
- Duchesne
- Emery
- Iron
- Juab
- Millard
- Morgan
- Sanpete
- Sevier
- Summit
- Uintah
- Wasatch
Coordination for target shooting restrictions on wildlife management areas is ongoing, wildlife officials said, so the list of counties may be updated. For a full, up-to-date list of where target shooting is restricted, visit the division’s website.
“Because wildfires can destroy essential wildlife habitat, this temporary restriction will help protect Utah’s wildlife management areas during the extreme fire danger conditions Utah is currently experiencing,” Riley Peck, director of the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources, said in a prepared statement.
Peck added that “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.”
“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,” Peck said.
The temporary ban only applies to target shooting with a firearm on wildlife management areas, while legal possession of a firearm and hunting remains allowed. Fireworks and explosives are never allowed on any wildlife management area in Utah.
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The temporary ban is part of an effort to decrease the risk of human-caused wildfires amid Utah’s drought conditions. Wildlife officials said they’ll re-evaluate the restrictions every two weeks for the duration of the hot summer months.
“With the extreme dry conditions, any spark can start a fire,” Eric Edgley, Division of Wildlife Resources habitat section chief said in a prepared statement. “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.”
Edgley noted that in 2020, two large wildfires that were started by target shooting with firearms on wildlife management areas burned several hundred acres of wildlife habitat. And he said the recent wildfire in the Middle Fork Wildlife Management Area was also started by target shooting.
Wildlife management areas provide access to hunting, fishing and wildlife-releated recreation. They’re meant to help minimize wildlife depredation on private property and are critical for important winter ranges and feeding grounds for many wildlife species, including big game animals, division officials said.
Utah wildlife officials use $3.4 million from hunting, fishing license sales for habitat restoration
The division purchases and manages wildlife management areas using funds generated by hunting and fishing license sales.
Law enforcement officers with the Utah Department of Natural Resources will be “educating and enforcing the temporary restrictions” in the wildlife management areas, wildlife officials said.
They encouraged visitors to “keep their eyes open” and to report any fireworks or any firearm target shooting by calling their hotline at 1-800-662-3337 or by texting 847411. Violations could result in fines of up to $1,000.
Wildlife officials also noted that Utahns still have other options for target shooting, including the division’s two public shooting ranges — Lee Kay and Cache Valley — and a variety of public and private indoor and outdoor shooting ranges throughout the state.
To find a nearby shooting range, visit the division’s website. Statewide fire restriction information and wildfire prevention tips can also be found on Utahfireinfo.gov.
