CLARKSVILLE, TN (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – The Montgomery County Shooting Complex is set to reopen this month after more than a two-year hiatus, with improvements and new features.

The shooting complex is owned by the nonprofit the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Foundation, and their executive director, Joey Woodward, sat down with Clarksville Now to discuss why the complex has been closed, as well as the site’s latest additions, which includes the introduction of a new, nine-bay steel reactive range.

History of shooting complex

“This property was purchased back in 2005, and the landowner at the time basically allowed us to purchase the property, and he held the note for five years while we paid it off,” Woodard said.

“Jereme Odom, who worked at TWRA (Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency) at the time, was instrumental in our grassroots fundraising efforts required. A lot of local businesses donated their materials, time and labor to make this place what it is today.”

The TWRA said Odom was the driving force behind the shooting complex raising close to $1 million toward its completion.

Addressing safety violations

Woodard said back in 2021, the Shooting Complex did a safety audit, which is an inspection of the range. “We found some safety violations. Range heights, backstop heights, things like that that needed to be addressed,” he said. “So, when we looked at all the infrastructure that needed to be repaired, because this is an aging facility at this point, we knew it was going to be a large undertaking, so we applied for a federal grant.”

Woodard said that after about a year and a half, they were awarded a federal grant of $3 million. “We were able to secure that grant, and we’ve been able to do a lot of work and make a lot of improvements.”

Improvements, new features

All the backstops are now set to a 20-foot height, said Woodard. They also used the funds to remodel their pro shop, put new roofs on every building, build a new concessions stand and build a nine-bay steel reactive range. The latter features reactive steel targets that drop away when hit, then pop back up.

Woodard said other additions include added amenities to sporting clays, and they have a plan to revamp their 400-yard range, which will be delayed in opening.

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The Scholastic Action Shooting Program held their state championship at the Montgomery County Shooting Complex, and they were the first to try the new steel bays, Woodard said.

“We’re very excited, we’ve been wanting to get this place reopened for a long time, so we’re looking forward to it. I think everybody will be impressed with the improvements that we’ve made, the safety features, and the new steel bays that we’ve added,” he said.

In addition to the shooting ranges, the Shooting Complex also offers hunting classes and camping opportunities.

Soft reopening, grand reopening

The Montgomery County Shooting Complex will hold a soft reopening on Saturday, Oct. 11, to make sure all internal systems are functioning correctly. “Then, we’re going to advertise a grand reopening a couple weeks after that maybe,” Woodard said.

The complex is located at 4201 Southside Road in Southside, TN. For more information, visit the Montgomery County Shooting Complex’s website or call 931-387-3456.

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