The August A. Busch Outdoor Education Center in Defiance is hosting a Fun Day for Kids event June 25 from 3 – 7 p.m. This is a free open house-style event where young visitors can sample a variety of outdoor activities, like archery.
The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) invites kids of all ages and their families to the August A. Busch Outdoor Education Center’s Fun Day for Kids event June 25 from 3 – 7 p.m. This is a free event, and no reservations are necessary.
There’s a lot more than shooting at the Busch Shooting Range and Outdoor Education Center, and visitors will get a taste of the varied opportunities to enjoy the outdoors that the range offers. Fun Day for Kids is an open house-style event, and visitors can come and go at their convenience during the event hours.
There will by many activities for visitors of any age to enjoy. Participants can sample 18 educational stations, including an indoor nature center exhibit and a fun fishing game for the little ones, even disc golf. Several stations will engage visitors with atlatl throwing (an ancient dart, or spear, throwing tool that predates the bow and arrow), and a chance to try out archery at the Busch Archery Range. Lincoln County Conservation Agent Nick Bommarito and his K9 partner, chocolate lab Bertie, will be there to meet and greet participants. Nick will also discuss MDC’s K9 unit and demonstrate Bertie’s unique talents.
Of course, there will also be opportunities to try out firearm sports, like .22 rifles and shotgun shooting. All firearms and ammunition will be provided by MDC and normal range use fees will be waived for this event. There will even be free snow cones to enjoy.
The August A. Busch Shooting Range and Outdoor Education Center is located at 3550 Route D, approximately five miles west of Highway 94 in Defiance.
The Busch Shooting Range offers shooting lanes for rifle and pistols up to 100 yards. Normal use fees are $5 per hour at both facilities and include paper targets and eye and ear protection if shooters don’t have their own. The range features trap and skeet fields, a static archery range, and shotgun patterning boards. $5 covers a round of shotgun shooting and clay birds at either facility, or an hour at the patterning board. The Outdoor Education Center regularly offers classes programs about shooting sports, hunting, and a wide variety of other outdoor skills.
