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$10 million dollars approved for new Wyoming Shooting Complex - CODY selected

I decided to spend 2.5+ hours of my life watching the video of the taskforce meeting, it had final presentations from Cody and Gillette and all 12 task force members evaluations. Here is what I can share:

This is not your "Mother's" shooting range....(square, flat with bays etc.).
The task force had a rubric for scoring proposals, the #1 area to be evaluated was "Site". The criteria for the site was a high degree of topographic relief and diverse vegetation. Cody/Park County had it the others did not. There are higher costs associated with it,..

The task force also had a panel of experts provide info on prioritizing disciplines. There were 4 identified that were then given a priority for evaluating the compatibility of proposed sites.
1] 3D Archery
2] High terrain long range
3] Sporting Clays
4] Technology ranges

Traditional competitions such as NRA Highpower or Benchrest are not part of what the complex is being developed for.

Cody also had an advantage when it came to draw and marketability.
 
lawman29 said:
Now we get to watch sausage being made...
cowboystatedaily.com

Critics Say Cody Too Isolated For $10 Million Wyoming Shooting Complex

Now that a spot about 7.5 miles south of Cody has been picked for the coveted $10 million Wyoming Shooting Complex, critics say it’s too isolated. Backers…
cowboystatedaily.com cowboystatedaily.com
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Well, that’s a little hard to understand why their back tracking on the decision to bring the complex to Cody. Leave it to a politician and the gun hater crowd and that’s what we get nowadays.
 
They say they want to hold competitions. Are there any organizations or groups of people in Cody that are competitive shooters in the prioritizing disciplines? You need a local people who are vested in their competitive shooting sport if you are want to hold successful competitions.

Unfortunately shooting ranges are not like the Field of Dreams, "If you build it, they will come."
 
AI response to my question as to what constitutes a technology range. No "real" firearms and no "real" ammo. :D

A technology firearm range is a shooting range that uses technology to simulate shooting scenarios, or to manage targets and lanes. Technology-enhanced ranges can be virtual or use video technology to simulate target distances.

Virtual shooting ranges
  • Safe
    Virtual ranges are designed to be safe and comfortable, without the noise or risk of live ammunition

  • Low cost
    Virtual ranges use sim guns that look and feel like real guns, but without the cost of ammunition

  • Variety of scenarios
    Virtual ranges can put shooters in a variety of scenarios without having to reload or reset

 
nmkid said:
Casper?? They would only be able to shoot a couple of days a year...When the wind isn't blowing! Yes, I lived in Wyoming for 16 years. Boy, shooting against a backdrop of the Tetons near Jackson would be nice. But, $10 Millon would probably on get you 1 acre of land there.
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Notice the other side of the divide, near Rexburg in Madison County Idaho, there is a nice well developed range that goes to a thousand yards. Near enough to Jackson to be a pleasant quick drive, except when Teton Pass is closed and you can't get between the two places at all.
 
lawman29 said:
That is a question that the committee is going to have to answer - each location has strengths and weaknesses. 9 sites were whittled down to 4 - Casper, Cheyenne, Gillette and Cody; and then a final 2 Cody and Gillette. Cody is the 'little engine that could'...of those 4. There are 4 criteria Site, Future, Accommodations and Draw.

Looking at Site & Future I don't have information on the specific site plans and future expansion etc. to make a comparison. Site development infrastructure would also include road access, power, water, septic/sewer, natural gas, fiber optic, etc. and specifics of ranges, buildings etc.

Accommodations - don't know the number of motel rooms for each city but I'm sure the committee has that number, Gillette does have the Cam-Plex which has a lot of RV parking. Both have a regional airport that provides jet service to and from Denver via United Airlines.

Draw - This criteria would be one reason why Cody is a finalist. There is no comparison to the other 3 sites that made the initial cut. If you think about trying to attract organizations to pick your complex, you better have a great facility, but looking at what a deciding factor could be is what is there to do outside of participating in the competition before during or after - sort of form vs function. So if you're trying to decide whether to attend an event one factor could be making it a family trip (bringing along your wife or husband or kids...). What is there to do while the event is going on or for you as a family to take in before or after. This is one criteria that any organization will consider when deciding on a location to hold their event. It is also important to Wyoming to have a site that has impact outside of shooting, that encourages people to stay and come back and could attract new businesses to Wyoming.

Cody is a gateway community for Yellowstone National Park, with Grand Teton NP not far either. Buffalo Bill Center of the West with 5 museums; Firearms, Whitney Western Art, Plains Indians, Draper Natural History & Buffalo Bill - something for everyone. Cody Stampede Rodeo July 1-4 with a parade on both the 3rd and 4th and the Cody Night Rodeo (every night from June - August). Beartooth Highway - dubbed the most beautiful roadway in American by Charles Kuralt in his On The Road series. Buffalo Bill Dam and lake along with the State Park with camping. Shoshone National Forest with lots of camping and fishing on a multitude of rivers and creeks, including Shoshone River, Clarks Fork River, Sunlight Creek, etc., this includes river rafting excursions on the Shoshone River offered by operators out of Cody and a plethora of Lodges up the Northfork. Cody itself has 20 minute Stagecoach tours based out of the Irma Hotel, trail rides out on the west strip, the Cody Firearms Experience where folks can get a chance to shoot a variety of weapons including black powder rifles and pistols up to and including machines guns (Gatling gun, Thompson submachine, M16 & FN P90) and then there's main street with a variety of restaurants, nice gifts shops to the venerable rubber tomahawk shops. In winter months there is major snowmobile use at Pilot Creek parking area which is used to access the Beartooths and Cooke City and ice climbing up the Southfork. There is a small ski hill up the Northfork with lifts however it can be hit and miss depending on snow fall, but Red Lodge, MT just around the corner has a good one.

To be fair to Gillette, they do have a Holiday Inn Express...
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Is Cody still Wyoming? I couldn’t remember if Jackson annexed it along with lander and pinedale.
 
Matthew Schwartzkopf said:
They say they want to hold competitions. Are there any organizations or groups of people in Cody that are competitive shooters in the prioritizing disciplines? You need a local people who are vested in their competitive shooting sport if you are want to hold successful competitions.

Unfortunately shooting ranges are not like the Field of Dreams, "If you build it, they will come."
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I’ve never met a “competitive shooter” in my time here. Not to say that they aren’t here?
 
dcali said:
While we're talking about Wyoming, if you haven't been through Cody to visit the firearms museum at the Buffalo Bill Center of the West, you're missing out. There's also a little range in town that has rentals of everything from flintlocks to machine guns to a proper gatling gun.
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I've been to both in two separate trips. Shot exactly the three you mentioned. A full auto (they only allowed burst mode), a gatling gun and a flintlock. It was a hoot to shoot the gatling gun ! Flintlock was very surprising.
 
These days, taxpayers funding anything not already laid out in the constitution, is a turnoff.

I’m all for privatization. If there’s a market, let the free market work. Government is not the answer.

Half the state is public. Anyone can shoot there, anytime.
 
ISS said:
Easy answer: put it on State or Fed Gov land. If it's like here in Idaho, those two own 71% of the ground.
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But we need to spend 10 million though. To shoot.

If. If, I could get behind the idea, it’d make more sense to build ten, one million dollar facilities across the state. What do people need? A covered area to shoot under and miles of dirt. Everything is a long way from everything as you can appreciate. No good straight line to any destination with mountains etc.

Seems focused on tourism. We have enough of those. I don’t own hotels and restaurants so…
 
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