PUBLIC OUTDOOR TARGET RANGES – Amends and adds to existing law to establish provisions for the opening of the shotgun sporting complex adjacent to Farragut State Park.
S1348A amends Idaho law to create a framework for the Coeur d’Alene Skeet and Trap Club’s transition from its current leased location at the Coeur d’Alene airport to a new shotgun sporting complex adjacent to Farragut State Park. The bill reflects an alternative to a prior plan that would have used federal Pittman-Robertson wildlife restoration funds to purchase the club’s existing site, after the federal agencies involved could not agree on a purchase price. Instead, the bill authorizes Idaho Fish and Game to lease the current site for a period of years while the club is relocated and expanded at the Farragut State Park area.
The measure codifies both the temporary lease arrangement and the future move and expansion of the sporting facility. In practical terms, it directs how the public target range project will proceed and formalizes the state’s role in supporting the relocation of the shotgun sporting complex. The bill was enacted and signed into law, with an effective date of July 1, 2026.
Its fiscal impact on the state General Fund is described as minimal to none because the costs are expected to be paid with Pittman-Robertson funds rather than state tax dollars. The bill therefore primarily affects Idaho Fish and Game’s use of federal wildlife restoration money and the legal structure governing the club’s occupancy and eventual relocation, rather than creating a broad new state spending obligation.
The overall sentiment reflected in the bill materials is practical and supportive, focused on preserving and improving a long-standing shooting sports facility after the original land-purchase plan became unworkable. The bill text does not include recorded committee debate or vote details, so there is little direct evidence of opposition in the provided materials. The main point of contention appears to have been the failed land acquisition at the airport and the need to settle on an alternative site and timeline for the club’s move.
More broadly, the legislation appears aimed at balancing recreational shooting access, land-use constraints, and the use of federal conservation-related funds. It likely matters to Idaho Fish and Game, the Coeur d’Alene Skeet and Trap Club, airport landholders, and users of public outdoor target ranges.
S1348A amends Idaho statutes governing public outdoor target ranges and related Fish and Game authority by establishing a lease-and-relocation process for the Coeur d’Alene Skeet and Trap Club. It shifts the project away from a direct land purchase at the airport site and toward a temporary lease of the current location followed by development of a new shotgun sporting complex near Farragut State Park. The bill is designed to be financed primarily with Pittman-Robertson federal funds, limiting impact on the state General Fund and affecting Idaho Fish and Game’s management of the project and associated property arrangements.
The overall sentiment appears favorable and solution-oriented. The bill is presented as a practical response to a failed land purchase negotiation, with the goal of preserving the shooting facility and enabling its expansion at a new location. Because no committee transcripts or recorded votes were provided, there is no detailed evidence of formal opposition or divided sentiment in the available materials.
The central issue of contention was the inability of federal agencies to agree on a price for the airport land originally targeted for purchase, which made the prior plan unworkable. The bill resolves that problem by substituting a lease at the existing site and a future move to Farragut State Park. Any remaining policy tension would likely involve land use, the use of federal wildlife restoration funds for a shooting facility, and the logistics of relocating and expanding the club, but the provided materials do not show organized opposition.