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I just received an email from a forester in Tillamook State Forest (we are working on the idea of placing dumpsters in the forest). What he wrote is very disturbing. Our problem is growing. Bigger than the simple everyday milk jugs, paper targets, propane bottles and TV trash we typically see. The problem is the kind of shooters who are doing this.

"...Ultimately, I would really like to figure out a way to motivate target shooters to use legal responsible targets and to pack out their own trash and targets. It is very disheartening to drive by all the places where people shoot and see all of the target shooting trash left. It is becoming more and more visible as the use continues to increase and spread out. It is difficult to understand why people think it is OK to bring garbage out to the forest to shoot and then to just leave it after their done shooting at it. In the last three weeks, from just a handful of target shooting locations, I have hauled out a full size refrigerator, 6 tires, several computers, 5 gallon buckets, paint cans, fuel and propane tanks and canisters, several pallets and chunks of plywood, quartz countertop material, carpet, several pots and pans, hubcaps, car battery, stuffed animals, parts of a sink, and the standard bottles, cardboard, cans, and paper targets. This week I found a utility trailer that was hauled into one of the Salmonberry Road shooting sites and used as a target. We need to figure out a way to dispose of it."

This happened within the recent 3 weeks in just one forest and within a fairly close proximity of that part of the forest. It's getting out of hand. These kind of people are ruining our privilege to shoot on public land!

This reflects real bad on all 'gun owners'. It pisses me off to think that these few irresponsible low-life jerks are destroying the value of our 2nd Amendment and the heritage, we value so dearly, of free public land recreational shooting.

It doesn't matter if you shoot at a private range, public range or public land. It's the fact that some people are actually destroying the integrity of people who own guns. It hurts us all. We all need to step up to the challenge and find solutions to this problem.

Our dumpster in the woods is one idea. The rules/ethics brochure is another one. The improved shooting lanes is another. So is the promotions of being a good steward. Still, this crap goes on.

We gotta put a stop to this crap before we loose it all! It's going to take a lot of people, a lot of ideas and a lot of boots on the ground to make a difference.

Bill
 
It pisses me off to think that these few irresponsible low-life jerks are destroying the value of our 2nd Amendment and the heritage, we value so dearly, of free public land recreational shooting.
My inclination is that the "few irresponsible low-life jerks" is a much larger number than any of us would like to think.
Pretty sad indeed.
 
I just received an email from a forester in Tillamook State Forest (we are working on the idea of placing dumpsters in the forest). What he wrote is very disturbing. Our problem is growing. Bigger than the simple everyday milk jugs, paper targets, propane bottles and TV trash we typically see. The problem is the kind of shooters who are doing this.

"...Ultimately, I would really like to figure out a way to motivate target shooters to use legal responsible targets and to pack out their own trash and targets. It is very disheartening to drive by all the places where people shoot and see all of the target shooting trash left. It is becoming more and more visible as the use continues to increase and spread out. It is difficult to understand why people think it is OK to bring garbage out to the forest to shoot and then to just leave it after their done shooting at it. In the last three weeks, from just a handful of target shooting locations, I have hauled out a full size refrigerator, 6 tires, several computers, 5 gallon buckets, paint cans, fuel and propane tanks and canisters, several pallets and chunks of plywood, quartz countertop material, carpet, several pots and pans, hubcaps, car battery, stuffed animals, parts of a sink, and the standard bottles, cardboard, cans, and paper targets. This week I found a utility trailer that was hauled into one of the Salmonberry Road shooting sites and used as a target. We need to figure out a way to dispose of it."

This happened within the recent 3 weeks in just one forest and within a fairly close proximity of that part of the forest. It's getting out of hand. These kind of people are ruining our privilege to shoot on public land!

This reflects real bad on all 'gun owners'. It pisses me off to think that these few irresponsible low-life jerks are destroying the value of our 2nd Amendment and the heritage, we value so dearly, of free public land recreational shooting.

It doesn't matter if you shoot at a private range, public range or public land. It's the fact that some people are actually destroying the integrity of people who own guns. It hurts us all. We all need to step up to the challenge and find solutions to this problem.

Our dumpster in the woods is one idea. The rules/ethics brochure is another one. The improved shooting lanes is another. So is the promotions of being a good steward. Still, this crap goes on.

We gotta put a stop to this crap before we loose it all! It's going to take a lot of people, a lot of ideas and a lot of boots on the ground to make a difference.

Bill

I'm sorry Bill, but it's more than just a "few" individuals who are leaving trash and garbage out in our forests.... It should be very apparent that it's way more than a few irresponsible POS people doing this. Yes, they are POS as far as I'm concerned. They really screw the rest of us, by making the shooting public look irresponsible and reckless. There seems to be a lot of new shooters out there, who have not been taught to clean up after themselves. A new generation of shooters who have no respect for others or the land. My grandfather would be rolling over in his grave right now if he could see all the trash left behind by these so called "few" shooters. This bubblegum is getting pretty old and I am to the point right now that when I see a big group of shooters come to the rock quarry I frequently shoot at, I ask them to please pick up after themselves before they leave. Some do and some don't. Some look at me, like I'm the one that is crazy.
 
Just my 2¢ and many may not agree with me but blunt and opinionated and all...


Stop giving out maps to shooting areas to city slickers who wouldn't have a clue as to how to get into the forest in the first place.:rolleyes:

I'm sure it looks good on paper as a way to keep people shooting in designated areas but your giving the key to the forest to a bunch of people that have no training, respect or consideration for the places they are being led to.

If you take the time to attend cleanups or drive around to find good places then your way more likely to clean up after yourself imo.

Things given and gotten freely have very little value to the crowd y'all are concerned about.


I never thought putting forest shooting areas on the internet was a good idea for the reasons listed above.

That's just me though.
 
Dirtbags. I wish the Forest service had a bigger budget so that they could do more patrols. It wouldn't solve everything but if a few key people received significant fines then maybe word would get out to pick after shooting.
 
Yeah, I know it's more than just a few. I tend to think there are more good ones out there than bad ones. However, as it has been said, the volume of new shooters who don't care or know, has really grown recently.

Good point, Joe13. Perhaps we should not be so anxious to offer those links to new shooters.

Yes, Cigars, I agree. We need more law enforcement. Gotta keep pushing for that.
 
if game wardens can hide out in the dunes and ticket a dad for helping his young child dig a clam, they should be able to hide out in some of the more active shooting spots and bust these jack holes for littering. They could even raise the fine for dumping to make it worthwhile.
 
Sorry for my rant guys. I really have a lot of respect for you guys that help to clean up our forests. You are godsends!!!!!!!!!! I just wish more people were like the members here.
 
I got it!!! Let's call the Target Shooter Mafia! I think they can help!

TS Mafia.jpg
 
I hate seeing the phrase "target shooters" tied to people like this. Every time I see a thread like this, I think, if they were truly "target shooters", they would make a nice target stand and punch targets. Throw the stand in the back of their truck and go home when they are done. Leave no trash in the woods for others to pick up. I've been using this same target stand for going on 10 years now:
mVin02A.jpg
K6rTYoA.jpg

A real target shooter leaves no trash behind and they shoot rain or shine...:
Vr0DVy8.jpg

I was actually at that same pit today and fired off a couple hundred rounds. Please don't call these guys "target shooters". It makes the true target shooters look bad....
 
I just received an email from a forester in Tillamook State Forest (we are working on the idea of placing dumpsters in the forest). What he wrote is very disturbing. Our problem is growing. Bigger than the simple everyday milk jugs, paper targets, propane bottles and TV trash we typically see. The problem is the kind of shooters who are doing this.

"...Ultimately, I would really like to figure out a way to motivate target shooters to use legal responsible targets and to pack out their own trash and targets. It is very disheartening to drive by all the places where people shoot and see all of the target shooting trash left. It is becoming more and more visible as the use continues to increase and spread out. It is difficult to understand why people think it is OK to bring garbage out to the forest to shoot and then to just leave it after their done shooting at it. In the last three weeks, from just a handful of target shooting locations, I have hauled out a full size refrigerator, 6 tires, several computers, 5 gallon buckets, paint cans, fuel and propane tanks and canisters, several pallets and chunks of plywood, quartz countertop material, carpet, several pots and pans, hubcaps, car battery, stuffed animals, parts of a sink, and the standard bottles, cardboard, cans, and paper targets. This week I found a utility trailer that was hauled into one of the Salmonberry Road shooting sites and used as a target. We need to figure out a way to dispose of it."

This happened within the recent 3 weeks in just one forest and within a fairly close proximity of that part of the forest. It's getting out of hand. These kind of people are ruining our privilege to shoot on public land!

This reflects real bad on all 'gun owners'. It pisses me off to think that these few irresponsible low-life jerks are destroying the value of our 2nd Amendment and the heritage, we value so dearly, of free public land recreational shooting.

It doesn't matter if you shoot at a private range, public range or public land. It's the fact that some people are actually destroying the integrity of people who own guns. It hurts us all. We all need to step up to the challenge and find solutions to this problem.

Our dumpster in the woods is one idea. The rules/ethics brochure is another one. The improved shooting lanes is another. So is the promotions of being a good steward. Still, this crap goes on.

We gotta put a stop to this crap before we loose it all! It's going to take a lot of people, a lot of ideas and a lot of boots on the ground to make a difference.

Bill

Cameras of vehicles going in and out, pay a person to observe the area, etc, for all the crap the state spends money on this seems pretty easy to fix.
 
I hate seeing the phrase "target shooters" tied to people like this. Every time I see a thread like this, I think, if they were truly "target shooters", they would make a nice target stand and punch targets. Throw the stand in the back of their truck and go home when they are done. Leave no trash in the woods for others to pick up. I've been using this same target stand for going on 10 years now:
View attachment 388336
View attachment 388337

A real target shooter leaves no trash behind and they shoot rain or shine...:
View attachment 388338

I was actually at that same pit today and fired off a couple hundred rounds. Please don't call these guys "target shooters". It makes the true target shooters look bad....
So then offer up a name for them.

Problem is, the general public and forest management agencies see it only as target shooters. If it has a bullet hole in it, it's target shooters.

We know the difference, however, we are perceived as being of one group and are lumped in with the ones who are getting the publicity... the bad ones.

You may not have noticed, but I have avoided calling it, and us, "Trigger Trash", as other organizations do. We are not trigger trash and I do not want to promote that impression for our kind of recreation. We are the responsible ones. The good stewards of public land recreational shooting. The others... well, I just can't post their true ID because of the offensive 4 letter words I'd use to describe them!
 
Cameras of vehicles going in and out, pay a person to observe the area, etc, for all the crap the state spends money on this seems pretty easy to fix.
Good idea. Cameras get ripped off though. There are programs that encourage people to get involved in watching and reporting illegal acts. Forest Watch and Eyes In The Woods are the two who seem to be the most prevalent in the Washington & Oregon. Good programs and we always need more volunteers to join up for those.

The general idea is to observe, from a distance, record what you see, describe the details, report to law enforcement and avoid confrontation. A trail cam would be great if it could be secured good enough to last a while.
 
if game wardens can hide out in the dunes and ticket a dad for helping his young child dig a clam, they should be able to hide out in some of the more active shooting spots and bust these jack holes for littering. They could even raise the fine for dumping to make it worthwhile.

I think it's like everything else, we already have the laws or Reg's on the books, it's the lack of enforcement.
When was the last time you saw an officer of any kind out at one of your woods ranges?
I've never seen one.
Our woods all around Cave Junction are full of dump sites from appliances on up to abandoned RV's, just sitting there.
I've looked at lots of it that has mail included with names and addresses. Nothing has been done about it!
I think we need to start writing into our local News Papers demanding action of our Law Enforcement people County and Government as well.
Maybe if we sign as "Concerned Firearms Owner", the word will get out, and if we will volunteer to haul it if the county will pay for the transfer site fees, maybe more would step up to cleanup.
I've got a Pickup and could do some hauling if I could get the brawn to do the loading / unloading, I'm just not up to it anymore.
Gabby
 
Good idea. Cameras get ripped off though. There are programs that encourage people to get involved in watching and reporting illegal acts. Forest Watch and Eyes In The Woods are the two who seem to be the most prevalent in the Washington & Oregon. Good programs and we always need more volunteers to join up for those.

The general idea is to observe, from a distance, record what you see, describe the details, report to law enforcement and avoid confrontation. A trail cam would be great if it could be secured good enough to last a while.

Nah, I am literally talking about paying a handful of people to man stations that access the shooting pits,
Good idea. Cameras get ripped off though. There are programs that encourage people to get involved in watching and reporting illegal acts. Forest Watch and Eyes In The Woods are the two who seem to be the most prevalent in the Washington & Oregon. Good programs and we always need more volunteers to join up for those.

The general idea is to observe, from a distance, record what you see, describe the details, report to law enforcement and avoid confrontation. A trail cam would be great if it could be secured good enough to last a while.

Unfortunately you can't fix stupid and immoral behavior in a legal way that would stop this POS's, getting them on camera and imposing jail time and big fines would be effective though
 
These are not target shooters, gun enthusiasts, or hunters. These are bubblegums who dump bubblegum in the woods , have guns with them and shoot bubblegum full of holes.
This has been going on for years. It's nothing new. It will still go on even if the forest department "bans" target shooting.
The real problem is that the Libs in government need these bubblegums in the woods doing this kind of a thing so they can point to target shooting as the problem. Then every mountain biking, granola eating, spandex mafia douche can have their dream of getting the target shooters out of the woods.

Get off your bubblegum depatment of forestry , setup some game cams, and patrol the roads.
Have a system to turn people in just like poaching. Triple the fines. Very easy to fix the problem if they actually wanted too.
 
Last Edited:
Not helpful in the least to attack the forestry folks. They are working with us and will as long as we do our part. They are charged with fulfilling the ability for all folks to use the forest. We have a responsibility to practice good stewardship when we use something that belongs to all of us. So make it a practice. Take more out than you bring in, and do it every time you go up there. If you see someone leaving junk, brass or target material, offer to help remove it and put an extra bag out with the trash. If we don't police ourselves, we could see this experiment fail. Spread the word and do your part.
 
You'd think all the mall ninja's with thier closet full of bdu's and surplus face paint out there, would jump at the chance to get all gillied up to recon the trouble spots. Let's put them to work!
Armed with video cameras, they can expose the culprits, and maybe educate them at the same time.
There is the danger of getting hit by a wayward bullet... but mall ninja's live for that $#*+!
 

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