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Im gonna be camping near the Deschutes River and Maupin, OR with some friends in a couple weeks, and wonder if anyone knows any place or area around there that would be a good spot to do some plinking. I think theres quite a bit of BLM land there, but not sure what kinds of restrictions there might be. Any advice?
 
It's Maupin. I would think if you can't see a house and it's not posted that you can't shoot or trespass you will be fine. Lots of open BLM areas all over central oregon for plinking. If it doesn't look private, you can bet it's public. It's not like PDX over there. Just drive down a dirt road that doesn't have mailboxes at the end of it and find a nice spot. Taking a BLM map would also help which you could get for $5.
 
I'm just going to look for a safe spot with empty cartridges on the ground... probably go on a hike away from the river and find a berm.
I'm going next week, mostly for the fishing, but why not bring the rifle and pistol too.
 
When it comes to trying to find a place to shoot on public lands (without and recommendations from friends in the know), it may be best to get the OnXMaps app. Especially if you're not familiar with the area. Here's an example...

First screen shot (fr onXmap) is showing BLM land South of Maupin. I clicked on the green area and it pops up information about the land owner and the acreage. This is a large area of BLM land and right next to the Hwy 197, so you'd think you could access it. See the info on the left side of the pic.
South of Maupin 1.png


When I click on the brown spots, the land owner info changes. If you wanted to access that land, you'd want to contact the owner for permission.
South of Maupin 2.png


Zoom in on the land and you'll see if there are any gates blocking access and if there are trail heads around. Geez! Look at all the gates at this place! It looks like there is no access from any side you try. You can see the dirt roads and it looks like you could drive in and find some spots to shoot, however, you will find the 'trail head' and gates icons blocking access. It's pretty certain that this whole place is for hiking trails only. Not fair, I think. Still, if you were planning to explore this area for shooting opportunities, you'd be disappointed that there's no access.
South of Maupin 3.png

As I look around on onXmaps, I see lots of BLM land and lots of private land. Not too many BLM lands are accessible from the highway without crossing private land. So, you'd need to contact the owner to get permission to drive through.

In addition to onXmaps, you would want to look at the area on Google Maps. Zoom in to the spot that looks like it might be a clearing or gravel pit and angle the view to see the terrain. You should be able to see if there is a good earth backstop or not.

More about how to find a place to shoot is on the Trash No Land website page: FAQ

Hope this helps!
Bill
 
When it comes to trying to find a place to shoot on public lands (without and recommendations from friends in the know), it may be best to get the OnXMaps app. Especially if you're not familiar with the area. Here's an example...

First screen shot (fr onXmap) is showing BLM land South of Maupin. I clicked on the green area and it pops up information about the land owner and the acreage. This is a large area of BLM land and right next to the Hwy 197, so you'd think you could access it. See the info on the left side of the pic.
View attachment 1132545


When I click on the brown spots, the land owner info changes. If you wanted to access that land, you'd want to contact the owner for permission.
View attachment 1132546


Zoom in on the land and you'll see if there are any gates blocking access and if there are trail heads around. Geez! Look at all the gates at this place! It looks like there is no access from any side you try. You can see the dirt roads and it looks like you could drive in and find some spots to shoot, however, you will find the 'trail head' and gates icons blocking access. It's pretty certain that this whole place is for hiking trails only. Not fair, I think. Still, if you were planning to explore this area for shooting opportunities, you'd be disappointed that there's no access.
View attachment 1132550

As I look around on onXmaps, I see lots of BLM land and lots of private land. Not too many BLM lands are accessible from the highway without crossing private land. So, you'd need to contact the owner to get permission to drive through.

In addition to onXmaps, you would want to look at the area on Google Maps. Zoom in to the spot that looks like it might be a clearing or gravel pit and angle the view to see the terrain. You should be able to see if there is a good earth backstop or not.

More about how to find a place to shoot is on the Trash No Land website page: FAQ

Hope this helps!
Bill
Bill, if that's the spot I'm thinking it is (and I'm pretty familiar with that area) it's about 10 miles south of Maupin on 197. The BLM land is between 197 and the Deschutes River on the west. The best entry is a communications building with a bunch of antennas right next to 197. There's a BLM parking lot there with signs and public access. I used to hunt bobcat there with my dogs years ago. They are adding new BLM land there every year as they buy out the private property when it comes available. Not many trees and it slopes off down into the River canyon. But you could shoot there if you find a good backstop.
telecomBLM.PNG
 
Last Edited:
When it comes to trying to find a place to shoot on public lands (without and recommendations from friends in the know), it may be best to get the OnXMaps app. Especially if you're not familiar with the area. Here's an example...

First screen shot (fr onXmap) is showing BLM land South of Maupin. I clicked on the green area and it pops up information about the land owner and the acreage. This is a large area of BLM land and right next to the Hwy 197, so you'd think you could access it. See the info on the left side of the pic.
View attachment 1132545


When I click on the brown spots, the land owner info changes. If you wanted to access that land, you'd want to contact the owner for permission.
View attachment 1132546


Zoom in on the land and you'll see if there are any gates blocking access and if there are trail heads around. Geez! Look at all the gates at this place! It looks like there is no access from any side you try. You can see the dirt roads and it looks like you could drive in and find some spots to shoot, however, you will find the 'trail head' and gates icons blocking access. It's pretty certain that this whole place is for hiking trails only. Not fair, I think. Still, if you were planning to explore this area for shooting opportunities, you'd be disappointed that there's no access.
View attachment 1132550

As I look around on onXmaps, I see lots of BLM land and lots of private land. Not too many BLM lands are accessible from the highway without crossing private land. So, you'd need to contact the owner to get permission to drive through.

In addition to onXmaps, you would want to look at the area on Google Maps. Zoom in to the spot that looks like it might be a clearing or gravel pit and angle the view to see the terrain. You should be able to see if there is a good earth backstop or not.

More about how to find a place to shoot is on the Trash No Land website page: FAQ

Hope this helps!
Bill

I took a closer look at the map and yes, that's where I thought it was. The little black blob on the map next to the dropped pin (I) is the communications station. Like I said, there's good off road parking there, and you would walk in from there.
 
It would definitely NOT be a good idea to just drive down a road until you find a likely looking spot. My relatives who own ranches in the area take no prisoners. If you trespass you WILL be talking to the sheriff. Make sure you are where you think you are and that it is public land. Be aware that the country looks deserted, but the local landowners have sharp eyes, they know who belongs and who doesn't, and they all look out for each other's land.
 
It would definitely NOT be a good idea to just drive down a road until you find a likely looking spot. My relatives who own ranches in the area take no prisoners. If you trespass you WILL be talking to the sheriff. Make sure you are where you think you are and that it is public land. Be aware that the country looks deserted, but the local landowners have sharp eyes, they know who belongs and who doesn't, and they all look out for each other's land.
Yep, I'm familiar with that communications tower spot. I pass it all the time. It's my favorite route from WA to Klamath Falls. I avoid the city traffic, on I-5 to Eugene, and don't have to climb up over the range. I just drive up to The Dalles and down 197 to Madras and 97 to K Flats. I love that country drive far better than any 4 lane freeway!!! Next weekend will be another trip down, provided the weather is okay.

On this next trip, I'll stop there and take a look and any possible open gates to drive in. I really don't think so, but I should check (sometimes they may open it at certain times). If it's only walk in, most likely it will be primarily a hiking trail situation and that breeds conflicts with shooters. So, it'd be best to find a spot that doesn't have many trails and has open gates. Too bad BLM gated off so much of it.

I think I see an un-gated area, with a road, on the West side with access from the river. If I were serious about going there, I'd really search that road for potential pits or clearings. Then I'd go explore.

Thanks, John! Good to hear from someone who knows the area. Also, if your relatives experience a lot of target shooting on their private property, perhaps there's something Trash No Land could do to help. Let me know.
 
Yep, I'm familiar with that communications tower spot. I pass it all the time. It's my favorite route from WA to Klamath Falls. I avoid the city traffic, on I-5 to Eugene, and don't have to climb up over the range. I just drive up to The Dalles and down 197 to Madras and 97 to K Flats. I love that country drive far better than any 4 lane freeway!!! Next weekend will be another trip down, provided the weather is okay.

On this next trip, I'll stop there and take a look and any possible open gates to drive in. I really don't think so, but I should check (sometimes they may open it at certain times). If it's only walk in, most likely it will be primarily a hiking trail situation and that breeds conflicts with shooters. So, it'd be best to find a spot that doesn't have many trails and has open gates. Too bad BLM gated off so much of it.

I think I see an un-gated area, with a road, on the West side with access from the river. If I were serious about going there, I'd really search that road for potential pits or clearings. Then I'd go explore.

Thanks, John! Good to hear from someone who knows the area. Also, if your relatives experience a lot of target shooting on their private property, perhaps there's something Trash No Land could do to help. Let me know.

Thanks, Bill. I'll let them know.

I do believe the communications building area along 197 is walk in only. But I've seldom seen anyone parked there, and mostly it's hunters. They may have added access to the river since I've been there last. Like I said, they are always buying up private land that adjoins so they can expand that area
 

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