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Review Summary

12
 
55%
9
 
41%
0
 
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1
 
5%
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Overall Rating
4.45 star(s) 22 ratings
Not Great
Overall Rating
2.00 star(s)
Pros
  • Safer Than Browns Camp
Cons
  • Always Crowded
  • Lower Lanes Can Have Crossifre
  • Lower lanes Turn Into Mudpits When it Rains
Have used a couple of the lanes over the past couple years. Even in the middle of the week there seems to always be people taking up all the lanes. To this day I still haven't shot at the biggest one due to large groups that stay there all day. The lower lanes can become a safety hazard if there's people shooting on the lower road towards the lanes, causing a crossfire situation. They also get really muddy in the rain, making target set-up a hassle. When you can get a spot then the lanes are okay for a public range. Occasionally you'll have a heap of trash on the ground from people not picking up after themselves. In the end you're better off finding a place further down the road to shoot at.
A good day
Overall Rating
4.00 star(s)
Pros
  • It was busy when we got there, but only had to wait a little bit.
Cons
  • Not everyone picks up after themselves
Over all, a good place to shoot. Enjoyed myself. Plus, not to far from home
One member found this helpful.
My (new) favorite place to shoot
Overall Rating
5.00 star(s)
Pros
  • Direct access parking, great for parties of 1-6
  • Designated lanes w/ posted safety reminders
  • Legally zoned
  • A very large backstop (a mountain)
  • No current access fees
Cons
  • Kinda far if you live in the city
  • Can be crowded, even on the off days
  • A ways away from emergency services
Since my favorite spot in Welches recently cut access for recreational target shooting... the next bit of research uncovered this little gem of a spot to the west. The Tillamook Forest Service set up this fantastic area for shooters to come and practice while enjoying the beautiful outdoors. Easy to miss if you don't have directions, and once found, definitely a place you'd wanna keep on the down-low so as to not gain excessive traffic in the future.
2 members found this helpful.
Good place go early on weekends!!
Overall Rating
5.00 star(s)
Pros
  • great clean shooting lanes
  • rifle ranges
  • pistol ranges
  • friendly
Cons
  • gets crowded fast
took my sons and grandson a few weeks back
was great and all were friedly. we ended up going a group already in lane 3.

all people we encountered were real nice.

was up at Wolf creek yesterday 4-24 we got in to lane 4, first time in that lane... had great day with family beautiful weather to be there.
1) We shared with 2 other great groups already there. the first group left early(2 younger kids probably 18-25) but they spent at least 30 mins picking up the left side of shooting line and pretty much the left half of the lane w 2 large bags of garbage. 1 with almost only 12 gauge shells. ***that they were not shooting BTW. i told them Thank you! and said we running a cleanup on 21st of may..
2)we also picked up the right half behind the Jersey Blocks and in front as well another 2 small kitchen bags of casings and garbage..

3) sad to see the sign missing everything and shot up a bit. What the hell possess people to shoot the damn wood sign? im guessing once new backboards up will take the urge to shoot a nice sign vs one thats beat up...only 1 can hope..

4) over all lane 4 looked good :)
5) did notice 1 and 2 were just filthy as we drove by. 3 looked ok but was still about 4 guys there when we left @ 5:30. hopefully they picked up some cuz 3 looked really cluttered w lots of shotty shells and target trash.

ALL IN ALL WAS A GREAT DAY TO INTRODUCE MY GRANDDAUGHTER AND YOUNGEST TO SHOOTING AND RESPECT FOR THE LAND WE HAVE TO USE IF WE TAKE CARE OF IT
I AM IN WHEELCHAIR TYE DYE🧑‍🦽:s0003:
ME MY SON AND OLDEST GRANDSON.jpg ME.jpg MY SON AND GRANDDAUGHTER.jpg MY SON ME AND GRAND DAUGHTER.jpg KASPIAN.jpg YOUNGEST GRANDSON.jpg !
6 members found this helpful.
Excellent Free Target Range
Overall Rating
5.00 star(s)
This public range is clean, spread out, well taken care of, and has a few decent options for both pistol and rifle practice. Two of the lanes at max can get you about 75-80m of distance for shooting rifle.

This is a great place for driving up, unloading, training efficiently, and hopping right back on the highway.
One member found this helpful.
North Form Fork Wolf Creek Public Shooting Range
Overall Rating
4.00 star(s)
Pros
  • Great pistol pits
  • Public land
  • People are (usually) friendly
Cons
  • Crowded (get here early/ later)
Been going here for years, used to be a lot easier to snag a range but it's become the worst kept secret in oregon since then. If you want a guaranteed spot, either get here before the sun comes up or after everyone has gone home for the day. Don't forget to pack out what you pack in!
Great "Free" Public Range
Overall Rating
5.00 star(s)
Pros
  • Set up well
  • Free
Cons
  • Fills up quick
  • Having to explain to people that I'm comfortable sharing a lane with complete strangers
Other than the absurd amount of people that show up after you thinking it's alright to set up 10 feet from you and share a lane, it's about as good as you could ask for in a free outdoor range.
Great Spot for first timers or regulars.
Overall Rating
4.00 star(s)
Pros
  • Free.
  • Not hard to find.
  • Friendly people.
Cons
  • Not ideal for long range
  • Busy
Been there a few times with friends. It was fun and would recommend. Cell phone service isn't the best. But be realistic you are out in the woods.
One member found this helpful.
Wolf Creek
Overall Rating
5.00 star(s)
Pros
  • Great location
Cons
  • SOmetimes it gets packed really fast.
Great shooting spot in general just finding the right time to go there.
One member found this helpful.
Well-Maintained Range - Great for Handgun and Plinking!
Overall Rating
5.00 star(s)
Pros
  • Well defined shooting lanes
  • Clean
  • Jersey Barriers as "tables"
  • Easy to Find
Cons
  • Can be busy
I've been to the lanes before and was unable to shoot as they were all full and I didn't feel like waiting. This time, I got up there early (7:00 AM) to beat the crowd. I took my son out for his first time shooting. Lane 3 was open and we parked by the day-use area. We enjoyed breakfast up there and then got some shooting in. There was another group that shot alongside us that was being safe and being respectful. I think the clean lanes, signage and well-maintained roads only encourage people to continue taking care of them.
This was a great first-time experience for my son and I couldn't have asked for it to go better! Thank you!

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2 members found this helpful.
Great resource with lots of local support
Overall Rating
4.00 star(s)
Pros
  • Easily identifiable safe firing lines
Cons
  • Very popular with limited capacity
Nicely developed firing lanes on public land. Jersey barriers make a nice firing line and a place to put your gear. Minus 1 star only because it's very popular and may have to wait a while for a lane to free up
One member found this helpful.
Outdoor range = good times!
Overall Rating
4.00 star(s)
Pros
  • Public access. Concrete Jersey Barriers for safety & convenience. Four lanes each separated by roughly 300 yards. Outdoors!
  • Free free free!
  • Use your own ammo!
Cons
  • No lanes longer than about 85 yards, so not ideal for rifles.
  • Often find garbage left up there.
  • A bit of a drive from Portland metro area (50 minutes or more).
My go-to place to get away for some range time. Often find garbage left up there. Please do your part in packing out all you took in. It's great we have such a place to shoot.
2 members found this helpful.
Overall Rating
4.00 star(s)
I went up with my wife on Mon am (Memorial day) some young kid was at lane 4. He was the only one there. When we were setting up he proceeded to tell me I couldn't use the lane because he was saving it for his 6 friend who were coming later. What is the rules/Etiquette on this? I left because I didn't want problems but I was pretty pissed... We drove from Portland. Any advice would be helpful.
Member 34319
Yes virtually all of the lanes are suitable for multiple parties. It's a common occurrence for folks to get there early and hold a lane for a group. We at Trash No Land and Oregon Department of Foresty understand these are a finite resource and hope to add additional lanes in times to come so there are more opportunities for more recreational shooters.
diegoranderson
diegoranderson
so are you saying lane four is only one lane that has two benches? It is designed for one party? I checked the ODFW website which states it is intended for two parties...
Member 34319
They all were designed to accommodate as many as possible. However without a Range Officer, these lanes solely rely on the users to be courteous to each other. The best thing to do if a person or party is unwilling to share the lane is to wait for a turn or go to another lane. There is no way to enforce it either way. We rely on everyone to be kind and share when possible.
Overall Rating
5.00 star(s)
as a first time gun owner I wanted to find a place that I could practice and be able to feel comfortable and this was the place, I was also looking for a place close to the city and thanks to this site we found north creek.
I went up there twice last weekend once by myself and the second time with friends, but I made sure to clean after we were done.
One member found this helpful.
Overall Rating
5.00 star(s)
Pros
  • Well Designed
  • Safe
  • Clearly Marked Rules
Cons
  • Road unpaved
Hands down this is the best place I've been to in Oregon. The hard work put in by Cogs and the others involved in setting this place up really shows. Rules are clearly posted, actual lanes and barricades are set up to give shooters an easy way to organize safe firing lines. While I've only been up here once so far the only thing I could imagine would be on the downside is when someone is set up at lane 1 or 2 the small size of the lanes and the way they are isolated from each other makes striking up a conversation with fellow shooters less likely. Finding this place is going to end up costing me a lot in ammo because its the first place I've found in Oregon that both myself and my partner enjoyed shooting at.
3 members found this helpful.
Overall Rating
5.00 star(s)
Pros
  • Designated shooting lanes and firing lines
  • Easily accessible - Just off the highway
Cons
  • Can be hard to get a lane
Hands down, this is my favorite public outdoor shooting area (when I can get a lane!). The fact that it's so busy is a testament to just how fantastic this place is. You'll definitely want to get there early to claim your spot.
2 members found this helpful.
Overall Rating
4.00 star(s)
The wife and I drove up early in the morning on 1/18. I had been reading about the range for several months but I live on the east side of Portland so the trip is a bit much for an old man.

I was pleasantly surprised to see how little trash there was. I shot a bit of .22 and 9mm and cleaned up some of the larger pieces I could see protruding from the mud. And there is mud! But that's to be expected at this stage of development. In time grass and native weeds will fill in wherever people don't walk or shoot. Perhaps a bag of grass seed judiciously spread around might speed up the process but nature will do the job too.

The road was in good shape though the high center scraped some barnacles off the bottom when I strayed directly into the normal driving lane... Back to the edge of the road!

All in all it was a good day - even in the unending rain! But this IS Oregon so I can't complain.

It's a good range with room to improve. Congratulations folks!!
One member found this helpful.
Overall Rating
4.00 star(s)
I've been shooting out here for years. It's a nice upgrade and a lot of people did good work improving this area.

Unfortunately for me I prefer unregulated shooting areas. I don't want to be approached by "stewards" some of whom seem more like the usual neighborhood association busy bodys that want to butt into everyone else's business rather than having anything critical to say.

While I understand the desire to show the state shooters can be responsible I don't feel that we owe the state anything. Shooting is legal and shooting in the forest is legal. They cannot infringe on our 2nd amendment rights and practice is part of firearm ownership.

I understand that many people trash areas where they shoot and sadly no amount of regulation will keep people from trashing natural areas. This is a nice experiment and I have no doubt that it can be kept clean but like everything else the work will be done by a handful of responsible people.

Either way again this is a nice area and it is in fact free to use. I still liked it better when there weren't neighborhood association cowboys patrolling it.
One member found this helpful.
Member 34319
It appears James joined the forum only to make this review. It is discouraging to hear of a gun owner that does not see the value in having stewardship in keeping recreational shooting alive on public lands.
Overall Rating
4.00 star(s)
Pros: Safest spot around. Four separate shooting areas with huge backstops and clear firing lines. Great example of shooters working with the state to create a facility that works. Stays surprisingly clean.

Cons: It gets busy/full. Could use more parking.
Overall Rating
5.00 star(s)
I have been going to this area for years, and since the involvement of NWFA and ODF, the area has only gotten better. I love the Tillamook State Forest, and being a steward of the land has become a passion. Thanks to all who help keep the area clean!
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