Thread: near Quincy, WA

Hi, this is a last minute search for information; I hope it yields some information.

My girlfriend and I are staying for a few days at a vacation home in Crescent Bar that her employers are letting us use. It will be a nice short vacation for the two of us before I have to start school again during fall quarter.

Anyways, I am relatively unfamiliar with the area, and I am wondering if there are any free areas for shooting outdoors near Quincy or Crescent Bar, or maybe even as far as some place in Wenatchee, Ephrata or Moses Lake.

Also, does anyone have any recommendations for things to do in those areas? I would love to hear about any good short hikes, places to visit, or good places to eat at. Anything of the sort would be great.

I know this is a lot I am asking, and it is short notice. Any information will be much appreciated.

thank you!

East of Crescent Bar is almost all private land, mostly farm land. However west of Cresent Bar is almost exclusively state owned gameland, namely the Quilomene Wildlife Area and the Colockum Wildlife Area. The problem is which side of the river you are on as accessing from the east side has limited points of entry because you must cross the Columbia River. But the good thing is both of these areas have lots of backcountry RV roads and both areas are HUGE and you could shoot almost anywhere it is safe to do so. One way is to go to Wenatchee and double back south after you cross the river. Probably better is to go to Quincy, George, go west on I-90 and cross the Vantage Bridge going west towards Ellensburg and within a few miles the Quilomene is immediately on the right (north) all the way to Ellensburg. Like I said these are huge state game lands and are filled with jeep/motorcycle trails and places to shoot. But because they are big areas it might be wise to get yourself some Metzker maps or something so you don't get lost. I know you can drive an SUV all the way from the Vantage area to Wenatchee on back roads through these two game areas (have done it). You might also need a state game land vehicle permit which you can get from most any place that sells hunting licences. Hope this helps. Good luck.

wow, thank you so much. You don't know how happy I am to have gotten any information.

Your detailed directions are hopefully going to lead me to a legal area to shoot, and I have a feeling they will. It will definitely be an adventure. I'm not going to shoot unless I am 100% certain it will be ok, but it will be fun in any case driving 4wd while looking for a spot.

thanks again!!!

You're welcome. It's been a while since I was in the Quilomene but the wife and used to ride horses up there all the time and I have also been there on motorcycle and SUV/truck. I think right after you cross the Vantage bridge there is a side road exit to the right that gets you off the highway and takes you right up to access points that are right off the road. It goes by the Ginko petrified wood forest or some such off to the north and then turns back west. If you go left off the bridge there are some nice little picnic areas/beaches on the west side of the lake behind Wanapum Dam. Good luck.

Tacos Jalisco on C St. in Quincy is pretty good. They also have a Mexican bakery adjacent. Not fancy but authentic. If you like fish, the deep fried whole tilapia is good. If you flyfish, Rocky Ford Creek is nearby just outside Ephrata on the way to Moses Lake. Huge fish, C&R. Worth a drive just to go out and see them. Lots of open land out there and out in the Coulees. You shouldn't have a problem popping off a few. I'm generally out past Moses Lake near Warden and Othello (Hwy 17). Lots of areas out in the scab lands to shoot.

Originally Posted by zeppelin

You're welcome. It's been a while since I was in the Quilomene but the wife and used to ride horses up there all the time and I have also been there on motorcycle and SUV/truck. I think right after you cross the Vantage bridge there is a side road exit to the right that gets you off the highway and takes you right up to access points that are right off the road. It goes by the Ginko petrified wood forest or some such off to the north and then turns back west. If you go left off the bridge there are some nice little picnic areas/beaches on the west side of the lake behind Wanapum Dam. Good luck.

Are there any shooting areas near that exit that you mentioned, or would I be better off sticking to the more general directions you gave in your first post?

Originally Posted by hatchetjack

Tacos Jalisco on C St. in Quincy is pretty good. They also have a Mexican bakery adjacent. Not fancy but authentic. If you like fish, the deep fried whole tilapia is good. If you flyfish, Rocky Ford Creek is nearby just outside Ephrata on the way to Moses Lake. Huge fish, C&R. Worth a drive just to go out and see them. Lots of open land out there and out in the Coulees. You shouldn't have a problem popping off a few. I'm generally out past Moses Lake near Warden and Othello (Hwy 17). Lots of areas out in the scab lands to shoot.

Thank you very much for the information! I am very excited for my short vacation.

I gotta get off the computer now so I can get some sleep before work tonight. Leaving for central Washington tomorrow morning

If you're looking for a range, there's one in Ephrata. I don't know if they do day passes or not, you can go to Olde World Trading Company (pawnshop) in Ephrata or Moses.


Olde World Trading Co
25 Basin St NW
Ephrata,WA 98823
(509) 754-3230

Olde World Trading Co
306 S Division St
Moses Lake,WA 98837
Local: (509) 765-2909

Originally Posted by livewire98801

If you're looking for a range, there's one in Ephrata. I don't know if they do day passes or not, you can go to Olde World Trading Company (pawnshop) in Ephrata or Moses.


Olde World Trading Co
25 Basin St NW
Ephrata,WA 98823
(509) 754-3230

Olde World Trading Co
306 S Division St
Moses Lake,WA 98837
Local: (509) 765-2909

I'm not really looking for a range, because that is all I can ever use here in King County. I am hoping to go on an outdoor adventure and find some free places to shoot while roaming around. Thanks for the information anyways.

I am finishing up packing, and pretty soon will be hitting the road. Thanks again to everyone. I will post back after returning.

Hi, just wanted to post an update. Thanks to the information in this thread, I was able to search about and I found an entrance into the Quilomene Wildlife Area right by Vantage.

I was able to drive the SUV in 4wd for the first time since it got fixed, which was real fun, and I found a safe place to shoot. I literally had the whole place to myself, it was pretty cool.

The only "negative" is that I only found one road for entering the wildlife area, and it really only went one direction. It branched off a few times, but the "green dots" which specified the route we were allowed to take only went one way. I would love to be able to explore more of it sometime.

Thanks again!

I wasn't aware of this 'QWA' area before, thanks for posting. How far out could you shoot, measured in yards? My range tops out at 450 yards, so I haven't had the opportunity to shoot any farther.

Keith

It really wasn't all that far, maybe 100 yards max. The area is huge, but also pretty wide open. I had to make due with a hill for my backstop, so I was limited.

I have to say, (not directed at anyone here) and I know that I am preaching to the choir here, but everyone please clean up and pack out what you bring in. I was disappointed to see shotgun shells from where other people had been shooting (in unsafe parts I might add), and this is the kind of stuff that will make it so we can't shoot in these areas anymore. It doesn't take that long to clean up. I just wish I had brought more bags to clean up some of the other spent shells after I was done cleaning up my own.

Glad it worked out for you.

Originally Posted by roar

It really wasn't all that far, maybe 100 yards max. The area is huge, but also pretty wide open. I had to make due with a hill for my backstop, so I was limited.

I have to say, (not directed at anyone here) and I know that I am preaching to the choir here, but everyone please clean up and pack out what you bring in. I was disappointed to see shotgun shells from where other people had been shooting (in unsafe parts I might add), and this is the kind of stuff that will make it so we can't shoot in these areas anymore. It doesn't take that long to clean up. I just wish I had brought more bags to clean up some of the other spent shells after I was done cleaning up my own.

I'm glad you had enough respect for the area to clean up your own trash. . . and extra double kudos for you for cleaning up whatever else you could pack out from others. I hate that people litter so much in our wilderness areas.