Top-Notch Shooting Courses at
The Wilderness Reserve
The Wilderness Reserve is pleased to have freshly designed sporting clay and skeet shooting courses in Northern Wisconsin and ranges up and running! These shooting ranges provide a fun activity for big game hunters and corporate retreats attendees, and are available for reservation by local residents as well. Each course is set to a moderate skill level to accommodate shooters of varying abilities, in the beautiful setting of this 5,500 acre historic reserve.
Sporting Clay Course
The sporting clay range includes 10 different stations with different presentations at each for a walk through course with 50 shots. This activity, which is a great group sport, mimics the action of hunting pheasants and other upland birds, and even rabbits. Often called “golf with a shotgun”, shooting sporting clays is a fun way to practice and improve your bird shooting skills as you take aim at both single and paired off sequences. Because each terrain and design is different, no two sporting clay courses are the same.
Skeet Shooting Course
Skeet shooting is one of the oldest sport shooting games, and one of the most popular. The course is 8 shooting stations, with two houses throwing targets across. The high house throws the targets about 15 feet in the air from 10 feet off the ground. The low house targets reach a similar height, but launch from about 3 ½ feet from the ground. Shooters move around the course from station to station in a half mood shape to try and hit the 25 targets.
Shooting Courses in Northern Wisconsin
Designed by Talented Professional Shooter
The Wilderness is pleased to have the guidance of competitive shooter Matthew Gay for the layout and design of the new shooting courses. In addition to designing the course menu and target sequences to replicate hunting scenarios, Matt also helps with developing safety protocols and signage for each course.
Matt has been participating in shooting competitions since he was 15, partaking in everything from local events to world-wide competitions. He started shooting competitively after working at a club as a puller, where he began to learn the art. Matt has won many awards for his shooting, and even placed in a World FITASC tournament. He spends his summers traveling all over the United States to participate in several events a month. He stays equally as busy in the off seasons with other shooting and hunting activities.
Matt is proud to be a NRA (National Rifle Association) and ATA (Amateur Trapshooting Association) certified youth trap shooting coach. He enjoys sharing his passion and skills with young shooters. He is a state director and board member of the Michigan Scholastic Clay Target Program, which aims to recruit and increase youth participation in the various shooting disciplines. Matt’s own children follow in his footsteps. They find inspiration from their father to appreciate the art of competitive shooting and hunting.
When not traveling for shooting competitions or working with young shooters, Matt guides pheasant hunts and enjoys hunting in Michigan and throughout the country. Although he travels every year for pheasant hunting with his favorite hunting dogs, Matt explains that his favorite game to chase is the woodcock. The Wilderness Reserve is happy to welcome Matt to the team, as we work together to continue the rewarding tradition of hunting in Northern Wisconsin.
