By JESSA PEASE / Staff Writer 

PELHAM— After about two years of construction, Oak Mountain State Park will open its long awaited Archery Park on Aug. 4. The community archery park, located on Findley Drive near The Oaks golf course, will host a grand opening at 10 a.m. that day.

“It’s great. It benefits both the park and the shooters,” said Hunter Education Coordinator Marisa Lee Futral. “It’s a nice location and it’ll be a good asset for the community for sure.”

The archery park will be open year-round during daylight hours for recreational shooting, competitive tournaments and outdoor educational programming. The facility includes an eight-target adult range from 15 to 50 yards, an eight-target youth range of five to 20 yards and a four-target range of 10 to 40 yards.

Futral said Bowhunters of Alabama has already held a tournament at the site with about 270 shooters. To accommodate the population of hunters using the facility, the park also features a 12-foot shooting platform for them to practice shooting from an elevated position.

Use of the archery park is free for those under 16 or over 65, although Oak Mountain entry fees still apply. Alabamians ages 16 to 64 must have a hunting license, a Wildlife Management Area license or a Wildlife Heritage license in order to shoot. For non-residents, an annual Wildlife Management Area license or non-resident hunting license is required. Licenses are available from various local retailers or online at Outdooralabama.com.

This is the 11th community archery park in Alabama, and Futral said it is the first to open in conjunction with a state park. Other parks are located in Athens, Cullman, Dothan, Demopolis, Decatur, Foley, Heflin, Lincoln, Tuscaloosa and Ozark.

She said these facilities are one component of the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources effort to increase awareness and participation in archery.

Oak Mountain State Park also offers a range of outdoor activities include hiking, mountain biking, horseback riding, fishing, geocaching, golf, BMX and pump tracks, playground areas, basketball courts, kayak and paddle board rentals and cable skiing.

For more information about the Oak Mountain State Park’s archery park, call the park office at 620-2520 or visit Alapark.com/oak-mountain-state-park.