Warning: Don't shoot from the road on Memaloose!

[Phillyfan]

Friend of mine last weekend or the weekend before went up Memaloose with a friend to site in some rifles. The big pit was packed and didn't have enough distance anyway so they went up further. They got to a point where there was plenty of room and the snow was pretty deep. They could tell by the snow that nobody was up further, no tracks.

So they set up and used the truck as a base to shoot from. After a little bit a forest service officer showed up and gave them the riot act for shooting from the road, even though there was absolutely no safety issue. The guy gave them each a $500 ticket.

I realize it's the law, but seems like under the circumstances a simple warning and asking them to leave would've sufficed.

Anyway, keep it in mind when you are out shooting.

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[Nwcid]

Hhhhmmm you dont get to yell at me and write me a ticket. One or the other.........

While what happened may have been safe and may have made sense it is still illegal to shoot from a roadway or across one........

 

[Phillyfan]

Can't argue that. I just know a lot of people have done it, and will do it in the future so I thought I would send out the warning. Hopefully everybody will take a few steps off the road and save themselves the cash.

 

[Mark W.]

Lot of people do 75 down the freeway they still get tickets when they get caught. The law was put in place for safety. Theres a good reason for it. I have watched videos of people shooting very long distances across switchbacks with targets set up in the middle of the road with no way to control who might come around a corner. SO while this one instance it might have not had a great risk there is always a risk.

 

[the4thshake]

It is possible that someone with a bigger truck may be coming down that road from the other way. That road isn't a dead end. Snow on the road doesn't mean it is closed. What if it was the sheriff coming down the road and your jackwagon buddys were shooting down the road at him? I think they got off easy.

 

[solv3nt]

Isn't it National Forest road? I thought that you couldn't shoot from the highway, didn't know NF roads were included.

 

[solv3nt]

Isn't it National Forest road? I thought that you couldn't shoot from the highway, didn't know NF roads were included.

I stand corrected.


166.630 Discharging weapon on or across highway, ocean shore recreation area or public utility facility. (1) Except as provided in ORS 166.220, any person is guilty of a violation who discharges or attempts to discharge any blowgun, bow and arrow, crossbow, air rifle or firearm:

(a) Upon or across any highway, railroad right of way or other public road in this state, or upon or across the ocean shore within the state recreation area as defined in ORS 390.605.

 

[Mark W.]

The hunting regs also offer this on page 27

PROHIBITED METHODS
No Person Shall:
■ Shoot from or across a public Rd, Rd
right-of-way or railroad right-of-way,
except that persons legally hunting on
closed Rds within Cooperative Travel
Management Areas are not violating
current prohibitions on shooting from
or across a public Rd. The same is true
for other Rds closed to use of motor
vehicles by the public.

 

[Focer]

Listen to common sense, listen to firearms safety and listen to law.

Stupid decisions like this and the mess people leave behind will have the area gated off and closed to shooting in no time.

 

[Phillyfan]

I'm not sure I'll be able to shoot anymore. What with me being blinded by the shimmer off some of your halos.

Get over yourselves. I know they were doing something wrong and so do they. Fact is they could see what was coming from the other side of the bend, ie, shooting into a curve. Nobody was coming out of an unseen corner. There was no safety issue, but an admitted legal one.

Take the warning for what it was meant for and get off your soap boxes.

 

[JAFO]

I realize it's the law, but seems like under the circumstances a simple warning and asking them to leave would've sufficed.

If you don't want differing opinions you should probably leave yours out. Just saying.

 

[Phillyfan]

Two lessons learned.

1. Don't shoot from a road

2. Don't admit you or someone you know did and got caught in an attempt to warn others from doing the same.


It's the same as when someone on this site admits that they had a gun safety screw up, and they post it in an attempt to keep others from doing the same. Then they get crucified for it.

Honestly, it wasn't me that got the ticket, so I shouldn't care. I was just trying to get it out there that the penalty for this offense is steep, and that it can/will be levied regardless of situation.

 

[daoism]

Ok, so I'm fairly new to shooting and was actually really curious about this. Hopefully not too dumb of a question.

My usual camping spot(s) are in the Tillamook State Forest up some logging roads.

The site we most commonly use has a road that shoots off from the 'main' road near our campsite that's maybe 2 miles long and dead ends in the middle of the forest. There's no clearing or turn around at the end, it just stops at a stream.

I was thinking of doing some shooting on this road after driving all the way to the end and making sure nobody would be coming down it.

My main reasons for wanting to shoot there a because it's one of the few places I could easily set up targets further than 50-75 yards and because I figure it'd be easier to clean up after myself if I had a clear patch of ground to shoot on instead of dropping several hundred casings onto the forest floor and trying to find them afterwards.

The nearest paved road is probably 10 - 15 miles back along the 'main' road from the site. It's relatively far into the forest.

I guess my question is what constitutes a 'public road'? Would this be irresponsible? Illegal?

Anyway, thanks in advance for any help!

 

[eldbillbo]

the op was just posting this as a public service message. If any thing is shed some light for some newbies out there what not to do . Its not uncommon to see guys shooting down from or on a road . He is just letting anyone reading this its not just a safety or common sense issue but something they do enforce.

also just a heads up the lumber jacks and tree huggers agree don't shoot the trees. there is a fine for that as well. No i don't shoot trees but read it on post like this where some one got a $500 fine.

 

[Phillyfan]

Did not know you couldn't shoot trees. Thanks for the heads up.

 

[drew]

Did not know you couldn't shoot trees. Thanks for the heads up.

I think there's a lot of people who don't know about it. I've been shooting with people who hadn't heard of it either.

Even if it was legal there are better alternatives.

 

[Mark W.]

How would you like to be buzzing along at work one day and run your very expensive chainsaw into a wad of copper bullet jackets buried in a tree trunk? Loggers have been hurt BAD by chains breaking when they hit metal in the wood. Granted lead will most likely not be a problem. But copper especially the thicker sections in the middle of some hunting bullets is pretty dang tough. I know I make things with copper and on my metal cutting bandsaw Copper and Brass only cut a little faster then steel.

To answer daoism if the road is open to public travel it is a public road. If you do not have to unlock a gate to drive on it. Most likely the law would look at it as a public road.

 

[1stklass]

Daoism. Private property is private property, and the rules apply to public roads not private ones. If the property is owned by a logging company it is private. If it is in the Tillamook National Forest and the property is a state logging contract then it might not be considered private. But the majority of the logging roads are gated off, so if you can drive the full length of the road it is likely public. To address the comment above about how the law looks at it, Regardless of how the law officer looks at it if you cross onto lets say, Weyerhauser property you are on private property and unless there is an agreement with the company and the local law enforcement there is no jurisdiction for them to ticket you. Although they might ticket you anyways and you would have to fight it it is a case you would waste a bunch of time on but should win.

 

[redhippie]

When you read the Tillamook State Forest shooting regs they reiterate the "no shooting on or across roads" bit. I get it. It creates a safety buffer around the roads. I think the challenge then becomes what is a road. I have a spot where there is an old forest access road that has been closed with stumps, rocks and dirt. So is it still a road?

Ok, so I'm fairly new to shooting and was actually really curious about this. Hopefully not too dumb of a question.

My usual camping spot(s) are in the Tillamook State Forest up some logging roads.

The site we most commonly use has a road that shoots off from the 'main' road near our campsite that's maybe 2 miles long and dead ends in the middle of the forest. There's no clearing or turn around at the end, it just stops at a stream.

I was thinking of doing some shooting on this road after driving all the way to the end and making sure nobody would be coming down it.

My main reasons for wanting to shoot there a because it's one of the few places I could easily set up targets further than 50-75 yards and because I figure it'd be easier to clean up after myself if I had a clear patch of ground to shoot on instead of dropping several hundred casings onto the forest floor and trying to find them afterwards.

The nearest paved road is probably 10 - 15 miles back along the 'main' road from the site. It's relatively far into the forest.

I guess my question is what constitutes a 'public road'? Would this be irresponsible? Illegal?

Anyway, thanks in advance for any help!

 

[Phillyfan]

It's a road less travelled.