Thread: Close to Tacoma, WA areas to shoot?

I'm looking for some good areas around Tacoma. I usually make the trek to Capitol Forest down past Olympia, but it's quite a drive. My cousin says he usually goes by Dewatto, which is near Belfair. Know of anything else??? Thanks

I've been to both... and the spot out by Dewatto is closer for me. Plus it's more "professional" in that you can spend some time sighting in the rifle out to a couple of hundred yards without worrying about 20 other people just spraying rounds!! (That's what the gravel pit out in Capital Forest is for).

But I'd be interested in hearing about any other spots as well.

Where do you go in Dewatto? I have never been there, but I hear that it's cool. The Capitol Forest pit is SCARY! Ive been out there a few times....Last time about 5 guys were firing, and 1 of them puts down his gun and starts walking out to set up targets, while everybody was still shooting!!!! I dont go there anymore.....I just go up in the hills there. Also used to go to Wilkeson area, but that is now all private land. Know of any other good safe spots? Thanks!

Originally Posted by ZeroRing

I've been to both... and the spot out by Dewatto is closer for me. Plus it's more "professional" in that you can spend some time sighting in the rifle out to a couple of hundred yards without worrying about 20 other people just spraying rounds!! (That's what the gravel pit out in Capital Forest is for).

But I'd be interested in hearing about any other spots as well.

Originally Posted by pointnopoint

Where do you go in Dewatto? I have never been there, but I hear that it's cool. The Capitol Forest pit is SCARY! Ive been out there a few times....Last time about 5 guys were firing, and 1 of them puts down his gun and starts walking out to set up targets, while everybody was still shooting!!!! I dont go there anymore.....I just go up in the hills there. Also used to go to Wilkeson area, but that is now all private land. Know of any other good safe spots? Thanks!

I wish I'd had my GPS then so I could find the exact spot. Looking at Google Earth I'd have to say it what somewhere off of NE Belfair Tahuya Rd. just north of NE Dewatto Road (possibly 47°26'7.66"N - 123° 0'31.67"W).

A friend and I were out there a few months ago driving around trying to find a good spot when we stumbled onto this one where there were a half dozen or so other people who said they come there all the time. Since most areas out there are posted "No Shooting" (and this one wasn't) we went ahead and stopped.

Anyone else have any spots out in that area that are good?

I must be doing something wrong because 47°26'7.66"N - 123° 0'31.67"W is converting to a spot in the pacific ocean off the Baja coast about 400 miles.

That does sound like a safe place to shoot, though.

Converter

Any driving directions you could provide would be really helpful. (If coming from the south, would you guys keep heading north after tahuya road turns into Dewatto? Like onto a logging road?

Originally Posted by Doc In UPlace

I must be doing something wrong because 47°26'7.66"N - 123° 0'31.67"W is converting to a spot in the pacific ocean off the Baja coast about 400 miles.

That does sound like a safe place to shoot, though.

Converter

Any driving directions you could provide would be really helpful. (If coming from the south, would you guys keep heading north after tahuya road turns into Dewatto? Like onto a logging road?

Yeah, I got the same results when I pasted the coords into that converter site. It looks like it's misreading the coordinates.

Take the attached file and rename it to ".kmz" and you can add it to your places in Google Earth.

Keep in mind this is an approximate location!

WooHoo!!!

That worked perfectly, thank you a ton. Hopefully somebody won't build a truck depot on top of it, like they did my last Belfair spot just south of the Kitsap airport.

Originally Posted by Doc In UPlace

WooHoo!!!

That worked perfectly, thank you a ton. Hopefully somebody won't build a truck depot on top of it, like they did my last Belfair spot just south of the Kitsap airport.

Let me know how this spot works out. I really want to check it out. Looks like you are in University Place....I live in North Tacoma.

Hey Point, will do.

Yeah, I need to drive out there again and take my GPS to confirm the location. Sounds like a good excuse to get some more drive time in for the teenager who thinks she's getting her license soon...

That spot you picked on the first go-round looks like it holds a lot of promise, even if it's not exactly the place you guys were.

Originally Posted by Doc In UPlace

That spot you picked on the first go-round looks like it holds a lot of promise, even if it's not exactly the place you guys were.

Well, I'll find out for sure on Saturday... Gonna let the daughter drive me around 'till we find it.

I have friends in Olalla, I'll advise them to place old tires around their vehicles like a boat dock, until the alert is over.

Originally Posted by Doc In UPlace

I have friends in Olalla, I'll advise them to place old tires around their vehicles like a boat dock, until the alert is over.

Are you trying to say something here??

I hope Zero and crew make it back safely from the "expedition"...

Alright... everybody is back safe...

We managed to spend three hours of quality drive time and man was I way off on my guess as to that shooting location!!

This time though I had the GPS with us so just as it was getting dark and I was beginning to think that we weren't going to find the spot... the roads started looking familiar.

I'm attaching an ACTUAL place file for Google Earth and I put into the properties tab of the place file a web link to a Mapquest aerial map of the spot (since the Google imagery in the area is extremely poor). You'll need to rename the attachment to ".kmz" again in order to open it with Google Earth.

For those who want to just see the aerial photo, here is the link: http://www.mapquest.com/maps?city=De...:::::f:EN:M:/e

Holy cow, that was quite a trip! I don't care what they say down at FBI, I think you Zero guys are allright. Very few collisions, too.

Nicely done, too, with the map and Google coords. Thank you.

Would you reccomend going to Silverdale and heading down that way, or from the south through Belfair?

If you're coming from the south I'd go up through Belfair. Going all the way to Silverdale and then back down doesn't make a lot of sense.

Plug the info into Streets and Trips or Mapquest and let it give you the directions.

Scratch that last post! I forgot that not everyone is coming from my house near Vaughn!!

When I used the Tacoma Narrows Bridge as a start point, Streets and Trips 2006 gave me directions via Chico Way exit north of Bremerton and then via the Seabeck Highway and NW Holly Road...

48 miles total from the center of the Narrows... your mileage may vary...

Cool. Thanks, Zero! Have any of you guys ever shot up by Wilkeson / Carbanado area before? I used to shoot up there all the time, but was told that there is no shooting up there anymore. I know that some of that forest was bought by a timber company that does not allow target shooting anymore. I heard that some of it you can still shoot on, but I'm not sure where. We used to shoot up in the hills above Wilkeson and up by Evans Creek. It sucks....I shot up there since I was really young! Thanks!