Buying land to shoot on?

[PaulB47]

Also, many neighbors don't appreciate gun fire. It may be your land and you can do what you want with it but nobody needs the aggravation of a feud with their neighbors.

Maybe on Orcas Island, but the kinds of plots most of us are talking about, east of the Cascades, it is highly unlikely there is going to be such a problem, nor would the cops do anything if somebody complained.

The real problem (I think) will be among the participants. Generally when a lot of people go together on something, lots of misunderstandings develop and different people have different expectations. There may be ways to get agreements and straighten things out but it is not a trivial problem.

My company leases tens of thousands of acres throughout the USA, this includes over 20,000 acres in Oregon alone

Please tell us more. Are these shooting places open to the public or to a membership? How can we get access to them?

I've always wondered if I could help a farmer out either with shooting varmints or just fixing fences and so forth, in return for occasional camping and maybe hunting during deer season. I think that is something I would enjoy.

 

[edslhead]

Let's see,

$8.00 Range Fee
$3.00 Shooter
$47.00 At $1.00 per gun = $58.00

Nope, to much!

Just think if you took all your guns

 

[TechMarine]

Not quite sure where that came from...

$8.00 to shoot all day + $3.00 per shooter (generally one) + $1.00 for each gun (assume 3) does not add up to $47.00 in my math world

 

[The Heretic]

from what I understand yes, but you have to be outside of both any city limit and the urban growth zone. Since you mentioned a plot at the edge of town remember that both of those do not get smaller...

This ^^

1) In either of the three counties - Washington, Multnomah and Clackamas, there are no-shooting areas outside the city limits. There are county maps online.

2) The acreage is not inexpensive. I live well outside Portland (Yamhill county line is at the end of my private road) and my acreage is appraised at $20K per acre. You cannot buy just one acre - you have to buy the full plot - ag/forest land cannot be subdivided in WA county.

3) You would have to search for a safe and adequate place to shoot. Even though I have 20 acres, I have neighbors on three sides, and it is not safe to shoot in that direction. Most of my land is also heavily forested, so no clear lines of fire.

4) The growth boundary moves outward over time. At Roy Rogers and Scholls Ferry road, it just this year moved a mile out towards Scholls.

 

[Vendor Hidden]

The biggest Con about buying land to shoot on is actually a Pro: You won't want to leave.

If it were me, I'd be looking at the land as a future home as well. If not for you, then for the people you sell it to eventually. The value will likely increase with time, as most land does, but if it has a good build site (or several options), a water source and access to power, you can look at it as more of an investment than just a shooting range. It might nick you a bit more at the start, but you'll likely make it up when you sell.

My wife and I, when we first got married would take long drives every other week or so just looking at land and exploring new areas we hadn't seen before. That's how we stumbled upon the land we live on now. Ten acres that cost us just $25K in the late 90's. We paid it off in a couple years, then had a well drilled. Once that was paid off, we had a house built and have been here for 17 years. It's crazy quiet, we've got access behind us to hiking trails, and on our property I've got at least three or four great shooting areas with natural berms.

My wife keeps talking about taking vacations to other places, but as far as I'm concerned I'm already living in paradise. Why visit anyplace else?

 

[BlackRyder]

This is a super subject for several shooters and especially shooting organizations, as reference to 'Ducks Unlimited'. My company leases tens of thousands of acres throughout the USA, this includes over 20,000 acres in Oregon alone and more in the Pacific Northwest specifically for shooting related activates.

Over the last ten or more years in the USA, the farmers and ranchers alone have been hit with several cost increases and EPA regulations that are killing the privet ranch/farm owners. The company launched a program to create long-term leases with large land owners specifically for shooting activates and as far away form highly populated Aries as possible yet not far off major highway networks.

A brief summary of shooting activates the company manage include: Federal/State/Local Agency Training, Open Long-Range Cracker Shoots, Interagency Critter Walk-n-Shoot Challenges, Gun-Club Walk-n-Shoot Critter Challenges, Open Walk-n-Shoot Critter Contests and Guided Training Hunts for everything 'non-game' rodents/varmints & predators.

The only issues have been the liabilities, and solid participant/property damage contracts are a must including the following:

- Signed 5-year minimum written and properly signed/notarized lease contracts.
- Signed Safety Rules/Training.
- Signed Participant Liability Wavers
- Local anti-gun activists and trespassing issues.
- EPA, too many problems to list and a Lawyer should be part of any land leasing team.

Several of these long-time lease locations even have Portable Raised Helipads capable of small craft and in some cases the large ones are even installed by the primary agency. The supporting revenue for ranchers in these bad environments is highly welcomed and so is the reduction in ground holes harming livestock along with predators that are killing the landowner's animals. ALL GOOD.

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Wow man- it sounds like you've figured out a pretty cool way to make a living. If you don't mind me asking- what's your company called and do you have a website? Do you cater to "civilians" Don't worry I'm not trying to edge into your niche- I'm just genuinely curious about what you do.

 

[torpedoman]

Would like to know more! Why wait until the weather warms up?

more people in the market then but i'm open to selling now

 

[torpedoman]

The biggest Con about buying land to shoot on is actually a Pro: You won't want to leave.

If it were me, I'd be looking at the land as a future home as well. If not for you, then for the people you sell it to eventually. The value will likely increase with time, as most land does, but if it has a good build site (or several options), a water source and access to power, you can look at it as more of an investment than just a shooting range. It might nick you a bit more at the start, but you'll likely make it up when you sell.

My wife and I, when we first got married would take long drives every other week or so just looking at land and exploring new areas we hadn't seen before. That's how we stumbled upon the land we live on now. Ten acres that cost us just $25K in the late 90's. We paid it off in a couple years, then had a well drilled. Once that was paid off, we had a house built and have been here for 17 years. It's crazy quiet, we've got access behind us to hiking trails, and on our property I've got at least three or four great shooting areas with natural berms.

My wife keeps talking about taking vacations to other places, but as far as I'm concerned I'm already living in paradise. Why visit anyplace else?

 

[torpedoman]

age and health and the kids are the things driving my selling the range in chattaroy . i'm with you there is no better place to live than the area we are in.