When planning a trip to Jackson Hole there’s a very unique, decidedly Western family bonding option to consider trying: The Jackson Hole Shooting Experience. In fact, Jackson Hole Shooting Experience is rated No. 1 on Trip Advisor for “Fun and Games in Jackson Hole!”
Educational, Fun Family Activity
The Jackson Hole Shooting Experience is a different kind of bucket list “blast” for you and your family. Taking a whitewater rafting trip, trail ride, and/or an Aerial Tram trip up to the top of Rendezvous Mountain at Jackson Hole Mountain Resort are of course all some of the usual suspects of activities to engage in while here. But shooting pistols and rifles as a group is both empowering and educational. And, it offers more bang for your buck, if you will.
Owned and operated since 2010 by husband and wife team Lynn Sherwood and Shepard Humphries, the Jackson Hole Shooting Experience has introduced thousands of people to the history and culture of firearms as well as the techniques that help make them safe and enjoyable.
“About 80% of our guests have never picked up a gun before in their lives,” says owner Lynn Sherwood.
“It’s a really unique experience for families and the way that we do it is so exceptional and professional and fun,” she says. “We focus in on safety and the fundamentals of shooting, but we also have a lot of fun along the way.”
While engaging in this luxury shooting experience families are involved in competitions against their personal best as well as each other. The aim of the activity is to foster opportunities for families to slow down and get out of the tech world and off of their cell phones and bond with each other in a really fun competition, according to Sherwood.
“The way that they look at each other after they slow down from their busy lives back home is such a special thing to watch,” she says.
Professional Coaches To Guide You
Jackson Hole Shooting Experience boasts a team of 16 coaches, which includes people with former military and law enforcement experience as well as veteran hunters and National Rifle Association instructors.
When you call to book your experience, the Jackson Hole Shooting “guest care gurus” speak with you to really get to know your family and match it with the perfect coach. You will be asked about your experience level with firearms, any concerns with the shooting experience and what your family’s goals are for a day out on the range.
The Multi-Gun Experience unfolds with your private coach meeting you in the parking lot with eye and ear protection and then walking you to the shooting area to engage in a safety briefing. Each person will be shown the proper way to grip and hold a firearm, starting with a smaller caliber gun (.22 caliber) before moving on to larger caliber ammunition and guns. Those hoping for a Wild, Wild West feeling will be able to shoot a cowboy revolver if they so choose!
“We talk about the gun: It’s a firearm, it’s a hunk of metal, it is not a weapon.”
Metal targets like a red cross, blue heart and a yellow banana are used for shooting, not humanoid-type targets.
“Because you are not choosing to use it [the gun] to harm somebody else there’s a whole psychology behind how our coaches work with some of the families to dispel the fears and the myths, to soothe the family who has never been out to shoot before, but keeping a really healthy respect for the guns,” says Sherwood.
Quick Facts
Location: 20 minutes south of Town Square; 30 minutes from Teton Village
Ages: 8 years old and up
Firearms familiarity needed: None
Length of time of Multi-Gun Rifle & Pistol Experience: Approx. 3 hours
Cost: $1,000 for up to two people, $250 for each additional person up to 5.
Phone: 307-690-7921
Website: shootinjh.com
Customizable Experience
The Multi-Gun Rifle and Pistol Experience is by far most popular option at Jackson Hole Shooting—90% of summer travelers chose this one. But Sherwood says there have never been two that are exactly alike, because your family has a different shooting level than the one next to you. One family may love the historical rifles and the other family may really love the long-range rifles.
“Another family may want to focus on the hand guns or the cowboy revolvers—everybody’s experience is completely customizable,”says Sherwood.
For instance, there are bays for kids and families who only want to shoot .22’s. In the case of inclement weather, there are bays that are the covered for shelter and families can choose to set up a cowboy stage complete with red feather boas and cowboy hats and revolvers and have a blast rotating through the stations. Families can also add in activities such as archery and tomahawk and Western knives throwing.
Perhaps this reviewer on TripAdvisor wraps things up best:
“This is by far the most fun we have ever had together! With three family members visiting for the weekend, I decided to sign everyone up for the 3-hour multi-gun and rifle class… Pistol shooting for everyone went from zero to hero… This really is the No. 1 fun and games activity to do in Jackson. If you are shy, or just skeptical because of a lack of knowledge, get out of your box and go have a blast… Thanks for making our 3 hours something we will relish forever!”
For more information and reservations, call or visit shootinjh.com.