Courtesy Photo | U.S. Army Yuma Proving Ground's environmental stewardship efforts have earned plaudits...... read more read more
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As a natural laboratory for testing virtually every piece of equipment in the ground combat arsenal, US. Army Yuma Proving Ground (YPG) has a vested interest in responsible stewardship of the land.
Though located in one of the nation’s most extreme desert climates, the proving ground is still home to a vast diversity of wildlife, including Sonoran pronghorn, desert tortoises, and bighorn sheep.
YPG’s environmental stewardship efforts have earned plaudits from within the Army and from agencies like the Arizona Department of Game and Fish. YPG officials are quick to note that the success of the installation’s wildlife management program is in large part thanks to the longstanding support of area hunters and sportsmen.
“We get so much support from groups like the Yuma Rod and Gun Club and Arizona Bighorn Sheep Society for construction of wildlife water catchments and monitoring animal populations,” said Daniel Steward, YPG wildlife biologist. “A lot of these things rely on volunteer labor to accomplish, and it is our sportsmen who reliably help get these projects done.”
Generations of Yuma-area sportsmen have hunted YPG’s ranges— with over 1,200 square miles of land area, there is enough room to allow safe access to hunters without interfering with the post’s vital mission on behalf of warfighters.
“We have an obligation to have public use of some of our installation where it is not hindering our mission,” said Steward. “The mission is always first, but where it is not a conflict we can bring in hunters.”
Still, YPG’s developmental test mission of virtually every piece of equipment a soldier is likely to shoot, drive, or wear means that safety and security considerations make access here less liberal than on other public lands.
“We have restricted access because at YPG we are shooting things we have never shot before,” said Steward. “We have safety buffer zones we have to observe for our tests. Periodically, if we have a test with a large safety buffer zone, we may have to close specific hunting units.”
YPG’s hunting areas are divided into these small units to ensure that any such closure is surgically targeted, not a wide swath of land well beyond the needs of hunter safety and mission security.
“It’s kind of a balance between safety and security when we establish these hunting areas,” said Steward. “They are in places that avoid our busy impact areas and where people can be safe without being a security issue for our testing.”
Steward says that the goodwill of YPG’s hunting population is invaluable in preserving and perpetuating the installation’s wildlife.
“Hunters have been helpful to our program: They help be our eyes and ears on the range. Under the North American model of wildlife management, fees that our sportsmen pay in large part fund all wildlife conservation efforts nationwide.”
The biggest communication and administrative tool used is an online system called iSportsman, and the web address to YPG’s is www.yuma.isportsman.net. When hunting areas are closed temporarily for military test operations, iSportsman is used to email notifications of the closures in advance when possible. Closures are also posted to the app’s news page.
“YPG has special security and safety requirements,” said Steward. “To access YPG requires a background check.”
As such, hunters must submit their full names, addresses, and if requested, their driver’s license number, and Social Security Number. Steward stresses that all members of a hunting party coming within YPG’s boundaries must undergo this step, even if they don’t personally plan to participate in the hunt. Folks must also watch a range safety video and sign a hold-harmless agreement as part of the process. Upon completion of the background check, all members of the party can purchase their Hunting Access Pass. Adult permits cost $35, while minors 17 and under, seniors 65 and older, and persons with disabilities can receive free permits.
Hunters must also register all firearms they bring onto YPG, whether they own the item or are borrowing it from someone else.
“If you’re quail hunting and might use two or three different shotguns, or deer hunting with a rifle and a sidearm, you have to register them all,” said Steward. “You can get an unlimited number of these free weapons registration permits.”
Most importantly of all, the final step once a hunter who has acquired access and firearm permits enters the range is to check-in through iSportsman online, and to check out upon leaving. Both things are easily done on a smartphone.
“The online check-in is closely monitored by range control,” said Steward. “For safety reasons, it is vital that our range controllers always be aware of your location as you come and go on the range.”
| Date Taken: | 08.26.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 08.26.2025 14:46 |
| Story ID: | 544132 |
| Location: | YUMA PROVING GROUND, ARIZONA, US |
| Web Views: | 50 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Hunters help sustain Yuma Proving Ground wildlife conservation efforts, by Mark Schauer, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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