Sad state of affairs

Went shooting again today, and this just sticks in my craw. We have some public land around where I live that is open to shooters. I’ve been to many of them, and they have signs posted that day “Shooters: if you brought it with you, take it home with you”. Sadly, every one of them is littered with trash, bottles, cans, old boards and tires, and enough shotgun shells to pave a road. What will happen is that people will get sick of seeing the trash, and they’ll wind up closing those areas to shooters. We always cleaned up where we shot and never left our targets or trash. Do you see this where you live?

Yup, a few of those places where I live that are closed now.

One day when our "private membership range" was closed, I headed up to the public shooting area. It's under the control of the Bureau of Land Management. Shot gun hulls about 6" deep, crap all over the place, shot up tv sets and old propane bottles all over the place.
Once before I headed up there when our range was closed. The parking lot is about 10' lower that the shooting area. The County had come in, cleaned the shooting area and pushed all the crap down onto the lower parking area, Looked like maybe 5 dump truck loads. One time I went up there and someone had set the NEW shooting bench on fire. It was still smoking.
About 100 yards away is a staging area for dirt bikes and 4x4 riding. New block house toilets had been built about two weeks before.
One of the "fine" County residents had driven over the new toilets with a BIG 4x4 and broke them all to hell.
And we wonder why all the open land is closed to the public?:mad:
I'll stick to my paid for shooting club membership thank you!!

yes I see it too. It has happened here in grand traverse county at the hoosier valley shooting range which is now shut down. The Mich. DNR has built a public shooting range in the far corner of the county. Us responsible shooters know what will happen there, the same ole thing.

Happening all too often. Public lands here too are littered with shotgun hulls and things used as targets.

Here in Washington we hunted on timber company land in the 60s & 70s. We set up camp on a spur road for a week or two. Then, in the late 90s, they closed the land to overnight camping (due to messes). Two years ago they closed the land to permit only due to improper use of the roads, etc. All it takes is for a few slobs to ruin it for everyone else.

That is the sad truth of anytime people have the free use of something that is not theirs. They abuse it, disrespect it, and trash it. They do it because there is no accountability for their actions. Once it gets shut down, they move on to the next place and do the same. When all the places shut down, they they typically will start trespassing.
The only way to stop it would be to have the places maned with someone who can stop it or ban people from being there. However most places do not have the man power or money to do so.
Privately owned ranges are about the only way to end it. That way the people have to pay, then also the owners have their info in case they do something they can be held accountable.

Sad but true.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by JeepsAndGuns

That is the sad truth of anytime people have the free use of something that is not theirs. They abuse it, disrespect it, and trash it. They make use of these probiotics for women and do it because there is no accountability for their actions. Once it gets shut down, they move on to the next place and do the same. When all the places shut down, they they typically will start trespassing.
The only way to stop it would be to have the places maned with someone who can stop it or ban people from being there. However most places do not have the man power or money to do so.
Privately owned ranges are about the only way to end it. That way the people have to pay, then also the owners have their info in case they do something they can be held accountable.

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Noticed this at almost every place I've been to as well. I wish shooting community was better than this, but I guess not.

I live in one of the cleanest, greenest, small communities in Alaska. What we consider our public shooting area which is at a city gravel pit, looks like a Waste Management landfill site. Absolutely disgusting. I clean it up once a year myself. Usually there is ample evidence left behind to figure out who’s mess it is. We only have 400 residents. Sometimes they’ll get a call from me or lately Facebook has been my chosen medium of shame. For the most part though it’s a wasted effort. One day we will get the “right” city council, and having a safe place to shoot will all become a distant memory.

This seems to happen in every state. Ya I it’s hard to find a private shooting place to take any new members because they don’t want their shooting range messed up.


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I mean going’s to start dragging a garbage can out there each time and fill it when I leave. At least it’ll help.

I grew up in northeast georgia and fished and hunted a lot of private property. As time went on people dumped garbage, building materials and pop bottles, beer cans etc. Now all the land is posted and off limits to everyone. It only takes a few slobs to ruin it for everyone.

We have quite a bit of public land here. At one of the shooting ranges it is not uncommon for people to be shot, happens 2 or 3 times a year. Firearms stolen while you are retrieving your targets if you have the nerve to venture downrange and so on.

Joining a club or private range will get you away from the prayers and sprayers but people will still trash the place. Seems to be a decline in morals in general.