The Swan Creek WMA Shooting Range provides shooting opportunities at distances up to 100 yards. There are four ranges (25, 50, 100 yards) located side by side with a dividing berm to allow shooters to go down range independently of each other. An area to shoot shotguns at clay targets is located to the north of the 100 yard rifle range. All ranges are wheelchair accessible and have concrete walkways for downrange access to the target lines. The range is operated by the Alabama Division of Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries in cooperation with the Tennessee Valley Authority.
Hours of Operation
The range is closed in late fall and winter during the dates of open duck season. (November 18, 2023 - February 3, 2024)
Summer Hours (April – September)
- Wednesday - Sunday 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Winter Hours (October – March) (Closed during dates of open duck season as noted above).
- Wednesday – Sunday 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
The range is closed Mondays and Tuesdays.
License Requirement
- For Alabama residents, a valid hunting, heritage, fishing, or WMA license is required for all range users between the ages of 16-64.
- For nonresidents, a valid WMA license or non-resident hunting license is required for all range users age 16 or older.
Purchasing a license can be done in one of three ways:
- Online by clicking here
- By calling 1-888-848-6887
- Visiting a retail vendor in your community
Location
The range is located west of Highway 31 at 18936 Harris Station Road, Tanner, AL 35671 in Limestone County.
View an aerial image of the range location.
GPS coordinates for the range are: 34 deg. 40" 51.74" N; 86 deg. 59' 20.97" W.
General Range Regulations/ Rules
- Operational hours will be posted on the Swan Creek Range website. License is required of shooting guests 16 to 65 years of age utilizing the facilities.
- Guests under the age of 16 must be accompanied by an adult while on property.
- No alcoholic beverages allowed.
- Any legal firearm and ammunition (except armor-piercing, tracer or any ammunition considered to be incendiary or explosive) may be used on the range.
- Keep all firearms unloaded and muzzles pointed down range when not firing. Action on uncased guns shall be open when not on the firing line.
- All persons are to remain behind the shooter while firing is taking place. No firing shall be allowed while anyone is down range.
- Firearms must only be fired from designated stations on the concrete shooting line into the embankment at stationary paper targets, self-healing or metal automatic reset targets. The targets must be placed so that shots will not strike flat ground before hitting the backstop and so that the shots will impact the bottom 5’ of the backstop. Only one person may shoot from each designated location at any given time.
- Shotguns with no. 4 shot or smaller may be fired at moving clay targets on designated clay areas only. Shotguns on Rifle/ Pistol range for patterning only.
- All used targets, shotgun hulls, and other trash shall be placed in a garbage can, or removed from the range. All brass shall be placed in barrels designated “Brass Only”.
- It shall be illegal to violate any posted restriction. Violations may result in citation or loss of privileges for 24 hours.
- WFF does not allow commercial use by private entities on any of its public ranges.
Clay Target Range Rules
- All shooters must register with the range officer at Range House before proceeding to the firing line.
- Single individuals will not be allowed to shoot clay targets without someone to pull for them.
- Shotguns must remain unloaded with the action open until it is time to shoot.
- Shotguns may be loaded only while the shooter is on a firing station with the muzzle pointed down range.
- Shooters are responsible for picking up all of their spent shotgun shells to be placed in garbage barrels or removed from range.