A rant about shooting on BLM lands

[Mike Honcho]

My friends and myself have been going to this particular area for the last 7 years, it is located on BLM lands. It has adequate backstops, around 300 yards of usable sightlines, and a excellent spot for skeet shooting.

In this 7 years I have seen this area (and many others decline) with trash and vandalism, unauthorized trails and in general just a complete lack of respect to the land and others that use it.

After seeing other areas getting gated off and shut down due to a complete lack of respect, I understand the importance of packing it out and respecting the land for every ones benefit. What I found at this spot yesterday was completely disgusting and it has me wondering why this area has not shut down.

We brought 5 garbage bags, and within a hour all 5 were completely full, and in the end we barely made a dent into the shear amount of garbage. It is frustrating to me seeing these beautiful areas get shut down due to shear laziness, its not all that hard to pack out what was packed in, its also not hard to stay on designated roads or to not shoot gates or signs.

The very people who do this to our public lands also complain that all the lands are getting shut down, I have noticed that this new "I don't give a ****" attitude is all to abundant.

So for all the responsible shooters and outdoor folks, thank you in your time trying to keep these lands open and doing your parts and in cases other peoples part in keeping these lands clean.

Please pack it out.



This picture was taken near Lyons

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[xlsbob]

I went shooting on BLM land out of Coquille today, filled a five gallon bucket full of rusty shotgun shells. Worst part was that somebody took the time to put most of them in a pile and left them. You piled them up, why not take them with you?

 

[308]

Thanks for being one of the good guys Mike Honcho

 

[drew]

I went shooting on BLM land out of Coquille today, filled a five gallon bucket full of rusty shotgun shells. Worst part was that somebody took the time to put most of them in a pile and left them. You piled them up, why not take them with you?

We left some shells we raked at another area but already had multiple contractor bags filled up with shells and other trash.

 

[Whaler]

From one Salem guy to another; Thanks.

My friends and myself have been going to this particular area for the last 7 years, it is located on BLM lands. It has adequate backstops, around 300 yards of usable sightlines, and a excellent spot for skeet shooting.

In this 7 years I have seen this area (and many others decline) with trash and vandalism, unauthorized trails and in general just a complete lack of respect to the land and others that use it.

After seeing other areas getting gated off and shut down due to a complete lack of respect, I understand the importance of packing it out and respecting the land for every ones benefit. What I found at this spot yesterday was completely disgusting and it has me wondering why this area has not shut down.

We brought 5 garbage bags, and within a hour all 5 were completely full, and in the end we barely made a dent into the shear amount of garbage. It is frustrating to me seeing these beautiful areas get shut down due to shear laziness, its not all that hard to pack out what was packed in, its also not hard to stay on designated roads or to not shoot gates or signs.

The very people who do this to our public lands also complain that all the lands are getting shut down, I have noticed that this new "I don't give a ****" attitude is all to abundant.

So for all the responsible shooters and outdoor folks, thank you in your time trying to keep these lands open and doing your parts and in cases other peoples part in keeping these lands clean.

Please pack it out.



This picture was taken near Lyons

 

[nwo]

I just don't understand that mentality.

People are pigs.

 

[Archer762]

it's not just BLM land, it's the entire planet

 

[Panther]

As the father of a young shooter he has been taught to leave area better than found. Our last trip he filled three bags of garbage without complaint. Now if I can only get him to clean his room.

 

[Panther]

And mike hit me up if you want to arrange a clean up shooting party. We are in Keizer.

 

[deadeye]

My friends and myself have been going to this particular area for the last 7 years, it is located on BLM lands. It has adequate backstops, around 300 yards of usable sightlines, and a excellent spot for skeet shooting.

In this 7 years I have seen this area (and many others decline) with trash and vandalism, unauthorized trails and in general just a complete lack of respect to the land and others that use it.

After seeing other areas getting gated off and shut down due to a complete lack of respect, I understand the importance of packing it out and respecting the land for every ones benefit. What I found at this spot yesterday was completely disgusting and it has me wondering why this area has not shut down.

We brought 5 garbage bags, and within a hour all 5 were completely full, and in the end we barely made a dent into the shear amount of garbage. It is frustrating to me seeing these beautiful areas get shut down due to shear laziness, its not all that hard to pack out what was packed in, its also not hard to stay on designated roads or to not shoot gates or signs.

The very people who do this to our public lands also complain that all the lands are getting shut down, I have noticed that this new "I don't give a ****" attitude is all to abundant.

So for all the responsible shooters and outdoor folks, thank you in your time trying to keep these lands open and doing your parts and in cases other peoples part in keeping these lands clean.

Please pack it out.



This picture was taken near Lyons

http://www.northwestfirearms.com/ou...three-trash-bags-=-supporting-membership.html

 

[mancat]

I always bring bags with me when I shoot public lands. Usually fill up a few. The stretchy black ones are the best - they handle shot-up VCRs and such with ease.

The last time I was picking stuff up, I reached down to grab a paper cup, and my hand ended up in a pile of human bubblegum. Someone had wiped their *** with a cup, no joke. I was wearing gloves, they went right into the bag, and I had enough.

If every shooter just took an extra half hour to pick up their crap, these places would be spotless. Let's face it: many shooters are lazy trash.

Ps the states use trash as an excuse to gate off public lands. The real reasons are more than that: pressure from environmental groups who believe public lands are for hikers only, or in some cases nobody at all; state selling logging rights, and loggers do not want to saw into shot up trees, or potentially get shot at accidentally; or just good old belief that the state owns these lands, not the people - fact is, it's OUR land and we allow the STATE to use it, not CONTROL it.

 

[xlsbob]

I was working out of Oakridge last month and a friend wanted to go shooting so I brought a couple pistols. We drove up in hills and found the local shooting spot by all the electronic trash laying around. People need to take their garbage to the dump and take targets shooting. There is no good reason on earth to take electronic crap out in the hills for targets.

 

[speeddemon94]

The most we ever took out in the woods to shoot was potatoes. If you place the potato in a hairspray fueled spud gun, it makes a great moving target to shoot at and is 100% organic.

I have never understood people doing this to the outdoors. Everyone seems to think that the gun culture is one of waste and destruction of the natural world, with little regard for the outdoors or conservation, and people who do this are the reason for that.

Gotta look after the world we live in.

 

[Mezzovex]

The most we ever took out in the woods to shoot was potatoes. If you place the potato in a hairspray fueled spud gun, it makes a great moving target to shoot at and is 100% organic.

I have never understood people doing this to the outdoors. Everyone seems to think that the gun culture is one of waste and destruction of the natural world, with little regard for the outdoors or conservation, and people who do this are the reason for that.

Gotta look after the world we live in.

My spud guns shot potatoes way to fast. We are talking football fields.

 

[coyote223]

It's not just on BLM land. There are just way too many slob shooters out there. I try to haul out as much as I can, when I shoot. But that usually means I'm spending more time picking up other peoples garbage, than shooting.

 

[DieselScout]

Sadly it just not shooters. Sure they leave the garbage associated with shooting, but you have people who abuse all portions of BLM lands and national forest. Illegal wheeling areas and trails, illegal mountain biking trails and people just out there to dump trash. All of these ruin access for responsible users.

 

[chariot13]

with trash and vandalism

I am with you on this but the

unauthorized trails

Oh well. Blaze your own path in life. To see these cookie cutter trail systems as the only place people are supposed to go out in the wilderness takes the fun out of that little bit of freedom we have left.

 

[BoonDocks36]

As the father of a young shooter he has been taught to leave area better than found. Our last trip he filled three bags of garbage without complaint. Now if I can only get him to clean his room.

Simple solution to that last part: "say, Son we can go shooting in an hour, if you spend that hour cleaning your room". He earned the right to shoot that First Time, or you would have waited. And be sure ~clean~ is a balance between his definition and yours"! I will say that his definition WILL CHANGE closer to yours, in short order: six months, than yours closer to his, just point out an issue or two, and say, "but lets go shooting" he will Strive to make YOU Happy, and that is $$$ inthe bank, so to speak.

 

[jdub75]

+1 to the OP on this...I've been cleaning up my regular shooting spots for a few years now. One of the reasons I'm pro 2a is the overwhelming trashiness of a lot of gun people, sadly. If stuff does hit the fan, its these same slobs who will be running around rampant trying to take from others. We really have lost touch with the freedoms we have, and forgotten why we have them...I think I read in a recent post on here about how we could really use mandatory military service, if nothing else to learn a little respect, and self respect.

 

[RVTECH]

Another part of the problem is the recent popularity of Tannerite. I know of people who have placed Tannerite 'targets' inside objects for the resulting effect. I also does not help when some of the gun related shows (Sons of Guns & Wild West Guns) seem to show nothing more than exploding targets on their final shoot for their customers, with some of them not looking too safe given what I have seen. I mean really - is it that exciting to shoot at an exploding target? Is accuracy on a paper target no longer a part of traditional marksmanship? Sorry but shooting at an exploding target seems boring and stupid to me.