3-D target animals peer out of a storage trailer at the Beer Creek Shooting Range Monday, Aug. 15.

The Bear Creek Rifle Range plans to offer archers a place to hone their skills.

Range organizers are currently working on converting several acres on the southern portion of the range into an archery range, according to Joe Hitz, the club president of the Canyon Creek Bowhunters.

The range plans to offer a 10- to 20-yard short range geared more toward youth, as well as a 20- to 80-yard permanent range. When completed, the range will have over a dozen targets. It is expected to open next spring.

“We’ve got a lot of the materials we just need the manpower to put it all together,” Hitz said.

Some dirt work has been done using heavy machinery, and a 40-foot semi trailer is being converted into a storage facility for 3-D targets. They plan to cover the trailer in donated wood siding to match the office building near the rifle range.

The Bear Creek Shooting Sports Club originally approached the Canyon Creek Bowhunters to see if they would be interested in helping develop the range, according to Michael Springer, secretary of the Canyon Creek Bowhunters. The idea behind adding an archery range was to make the shooting club more inclusive for all disciplines and to better serve Grant County’s shooters.

“We want to make it so that you can walk onto the site, pull your bow out and start shooting,” Springer said. “That’s our plan, to make it an easy access, easy to use type of facility.”

The roughly 90-acre Bear Creek Rifle Range is located a mile north of Highway 26 between John Day and Prairie City. It is a members-only range. For information about membership, contact Bob Bagget of Benchmark Land Surveying at 541-575-125.