North Fork Wolf Creek Recreational Shooting Lanes

[DirectDrive]

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.

There is no "saving" anything at Wolf Creek, except maybe brass.
It's first come, first served at those lanes.
It is Public Property.

What I would have said to him...
"OK, my wife and I are going to shoot here. You and your friends can shoot over there."
And I would have continued to do my setup.

Maybe next time Cogs is doing signage, he can put some verbage in there that would reflect
the "first come, first served" usage of the lanes.

 

[Member 34319]

There is no "saving" anything at Wolf Creek, except maybe brass.
It's first come, first served at those lanes.
It is Public Property.

What I would have said to him...
"OK, my wife and I are going to shoot here. You and your friends can shoot over there."
And I would have continued to do my setup.

Maybe next time Cogs is doing signage, he can put some verbage in there that would reflect
the "first come, first served" usage of the lanes.

I wouldn't recommend just starting to set up on anyone that is already there. This is were common courtesy and stewardship go farther.

Much like bays at local ranges, they are first come first serve. If someone does not wish to share the common courtesy is to wait or go to another bay.

We at Trash No Land and the Oregon Department of Foresty fully understand that these lanes are very popular and can get busy. Especially on weekends and holidays.

We are working to provide future opportunity in this area by developing additional lanes.

If you are ever interested in getting more involved to help further the efforts within the McGregor Basin please let myself or @Cogs know.

 

[diegoranderson]

There is no "saving" anything at Wolf Creek, except maybe brass.
It's first come, first served at those lanes.
It is Public Property.

What I would have said to him...
"OK, my wife and I are going to shoot here. You and your friends can shoot over there."
And I would have continued to do my setup.

Maybe next time Cogs is doing signage, he can put some verbage in there that would reflect
the "first come, first served" usage of the lanes.

I agree 100% My wife said he was bad juju and to let it go.... I had already put out my target and was going to proceed but she was uncomfortable. When there are guns involved...Ill trust her intuition over my reasoning any day.... SO I let it go. I did tell him off and let him know he was being a jerk.

 

[DirectDrive]

I wouldn't recommend just starting to set up on anyone that is already there. This is were common courtesy and stewardship go farther.

Much like bays at local ranges, they are first come first serve. If someone does not wish to share the common courtesy is to wait or go to another bay.

We at Trash No Land and the Oregon Department of Foresty fully understand that these lanes are very popular and can get busy. Especially on weekends and holidays.

We are working to provide future opportunity in this area by developing additional lanes.

If you are ever interested in getting more involved to help further the efforts within the McGregor Basin please let myself or @Cogs know.

I've seen Lane #4
There is room for more than 1 at Lane #4
Same for Lane #3....that can also take a small group.

I could see a solo situation at #1 and #2

 

[Member 34319]

I've seen Lane #4
There is room for more than 1 at Lane #4
Same for Lane #3....that can also take a small group.

I could see a solo situation at #1 and #2

Most certainly. Lane three and four have two sets of jersey barriers set up as shooting lines. They both have and are fully capable of allowing multiple groups.

The problem is there is no Range Officer on-site at these developed shooting lanes. Therefore we rely on the users to be courteous to each other and share when possible. Unfortunately not everyone wishes to do this, and there are folks that will show up at 3-4am to ensure they get a spot for their group later that day.

We do not wish to start enforcing any sort of time limits or reservations limits on these lanes.

Simply put, they are first come first serve. If a single person or group wants to use the lane solely for themselves, it would be entirely up to you if you want to press them further to share. My personal opinion is to be courteous of their wishes as they did get their first, and move on or wait.

We at Trash No Land only wish to promote safe and responsible shooting by asking those to share when able, that is all we can do at this time.

If it becomes an even greater issue in time, we may consider signage to promote sharing the lanes at that time.

 

[VietPho]

It's pretty easy to find a shooting spot. I do my wolf creek lane 1 to 4 check and if there is nothing, I do my checks at salmonberry. If there is nothing there, I head back to wolf creek. And if everything is still full I drive to browns Camp and share a spot there

 

[nehalemguy]

There is no "saving" anything at Wolf Creek, except maybe brass.
It's first come, first served at those lanes.
It is Public Property.

What I would have said to him...
"OK, my wife and I are going to shoot here. You and your friends can shoot over there."
And I would have continued to do my setup.

Maybe next time Cogs is doing signage, he can put some verbage in there that would reflect
the "first come, first served" usage of the lanes.

I'm going to disagree with this stance.

If I am currently shooting at a lane, it is entirely my discretion if I want to share it with another shooter.......or not. If I'm there first, it's my lane until I leave. If you choose to force your way in, you will get an argument from me. Call me selfish if you must, but I have my reasons.

A few months back I was shooting alone at Lane 3. Another group arrived and asked if they could use half of the lane. I grudgingly agreed and during the next 15-20 minutes I was sweep by a muzzle no less than three times. I left after that and was rather hacked off with myself that I had agreed to share in the first place.

Since then.....I don't share unless it's someone I know and trust.

E

 

[Member 34319]

I'm going to disagree with this stance.

If I am currently shooting at a lane, it is entirely my discretion if I want to share it with another shooter.......or not. If I'm there first, it's my lane until I leave. If you choose to force your way in, you will get an argument from me. Call me selfish if you must, but I have my reasons.

A few months back I was shooting alone at Lane 3. Another group arrived and asked if they could use half of the lane. I grudgingly agreed and during the next 15-20 minutes I was sweep by a muzzle no less than three times. I left after that and was rather hacked off with myself that I had agreed to share in the first place.

Since then.....I don't share unless it's someone I know and trust.

E

Thanks for sharing @nehalemguy this is a real issue. One of the main reasons I get from folks that are not willing to share.

I see nothing wrong with this. Others should fully understand.

Communication is crucial in these interactions.

Simply stating why you do not wish to share is usually plenty for folks to leave things be.

If pressed to the point of annoyance, it's best to just leave and let be.

When sharing, I do take these opportunities to try and give those acting unsafe like a word or two.

I also try to set up a common ground when sharing lanes. Have a prep talk with the other users on hot and cold range. Making sure guns are clear. Eyes and ears before going back hot. Etc.

 

[nehalemguy]

Thanks for sharing @nehalemguy this is a real issue. One of the main reasons I get from folks that are not willing to share.

I see nothing wrong with this. Others should fully understand.

Communication is crucial in these interactions.

Simply stating why you do not wish to share is usually plenty for folks to leave things be.

If pressed to the point of annoyance, it's best to just leave and let be.

When sharing, I do take these opportunities to try and give those acting unsafe like a word or two.

I also try to set up a common ground when sharing lanes. Have a prep talk with the other users on hot and cold range. Making sure guns are clear. Eyes and ears before going back hot. Etc.

I'm not looking to be a dick about lane usage.....but I'm also not looking to get shot by a negligent discharge either.

E

 

[bad pony]

Lane 3 is always an interesting situation. My 1st time up there, me and my coworker were on the shorter half of Lane 3 so we let other people use the longer half. Good time by all, I think they (people who used the longer half) were forum members as well. But other times I've gone up and experienced a single person calming the entire span of Lane 3 and rudely said so to me. No big deal, I just went to Lane 2 and did my thing. He did have the nerve to ask me for my expended brass on his way out, to which I replied no thanks I'm keeping it.

oh, was up on Lane 2 today, great weather, signs still in place. Lane was some what clean, took a trash bag home. I did notice a small pile of debris behind the sign that if it's still there later this week I'll grab it. Truck bed was a little full today.

 

[gunnails]

Use to be (years and years ago) if you got to a fishing hole and someone was there you asked if you could also fish there up or downstream from where they were and if they said no you would just move on, no big deal.
Things have changed and the preferred spots are overcrowded for the most part and is very common for folks to barge in, stand next to your elbow and cast over your line, what ya going to do?

 

[6Corsa6]

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.

I think you were referring to lane 3 cause I get there just before 7am and was told the same thing and he tried to scoot me off to Salmonberry. I proceeded up to lane 4 where 3 others were shooting and they had no problem letting us join. At least 1 of the shooters is a member here. When i left a few hrs later it was just the guy and 1 other person. I can't say for sure if he ever had more people or not. There were also 3 cars at lane 2, not sure how many people.
I can definitely see both sides to sharing and not wanting to share but if concerned about being muzzled maybe set some ground rules about safety.

 

[DirectDrive]

Maybe #3 and #4 need to be widened ?
Or narrowed ?
Presently, they are just the right size width to create consternation.

 

[nwslopoke]

I'm going to disagree with this stance.

If I am currently shooting at a lane, it is entirely my discretion if I want to share it with another shooter.......or not. If I'm there first, it's my lane until I leave. If you choose to force your way in, you will get an argument from me. Call me selfish if you must, but I have my reasons.

A few months back I was shooting alone at Lane 3. Another group arrived and asked if they could use half of the lane. I grudgingly agreed and during the next 15-20 minutes I was sweep by a muzzle no less than three times. I left after that and was rather hacked off with myself that I had agreed to share in the first place.

Since then.....I don't share unless it's someone I know and trust.

E

The problem is this is public land. If it was your private property you would be completely correct. I was at Brown's Camp a few years back an two guys were shooting clays with shot guns. They told me I couldn't shoot there because they needed the space. I reminded them it's a public space and told them the small area I was going to use. I was uncomfortable but they were being ridiculous and a little bit rude. Basically, no one wins because both groups are tense.

Every time I am at Wolf's Creek and I either shared a lane or asked to share, it's been a positive experience. Learned something or taught something. Its a small shooting world. You will see that person again.

 

[DivCurlGrad72]

We at Trash No Land and the Oregon Department of Foresty fully understand that these lanes are very popular and can get busy. Especially on weekends and holidays.

We are working to provide future opportunity in this area by developing additional lanes.

Check out this post for a possible new source of funding for expanding NFWC.

 

[Member 34319]

Great vid @VietPho

 

[Cogs]

Shot for the first time in Lane #4. Feels the same as Lane #3.

I'm likin that vid! Responsible shooting well represented! Good job!

I am pleased to see the dust under the target! It really shows what a bullet does when it strikes a steel target and how far the fractions spread out. It's a good argument for an angled target. If a steel target is set up over dry grass in the fire season, it could easily start a fire!

You are getting good at this video stuff! Nice work!

 

[CZGary]

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.

I would have politely informed him that he was wrong and I would have stayed and shot; there is no saving or reserving of space as far as I know. Many of us drive a long ways to get out and shoot outdoors.

 

[Cosimel]

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.

Indeed, over the last two+ years I've been going up to the lanes, it's become very, very popular, and I too have noticed the increase in the "I came all the way from Portland to use this lane" diatribe, but as others have stated, it's a public place with no 'authority' oversight where loaded guns are all about. It's best to exercise your best verbal judo, state your protest as a concern and if you feel the situation is only going to escalate, move on. Of all the times I've been up there, I've never been muzzled, to my knowledge, but like Reno911, I'd probably not hesitate to say something, but would still probably leave since getting shot, even accidentally, isn't worth it. Your best bet is to network with people like Reno911 and others (even myself) who have been around up there enough to know of other places to go, relatively quickly, if the lanes are full; we'd be glad to tell/show you where they are. Only once, up on lane four last 4th of July, did I wait at a lane for an opportunity to shoot simply because I don't find it comfortable when others to that to me, I always prefer to make room for them instead. The reason is that I've only once regretted sharing a lane and that's only because I was in the middle of making a video for my Youtube channel (Stevie) and they definitely jammed me up. Otherwise I've always had good times with others that either showed up after I'd set up or let me share the lane with them. Bottom line is something I learn from Buddhism; 'Avoid Attachments', which means avoid attaching what you would do onto to others for they have no more obligation adhering to your wishes than you have living up to their expectations. When you do this you are making a demand and will always be disappointed; in the end, you'll be the architect to your own discontent.

 

[Member 34319]

Well written @Cosimel

I can't express how much it means to us at Trash No Land and those heavily involved at the Oregon Department of Forestry that GOOD STEWARDSHIP is practiced at these lanes.

That is all that can be asked. Be kind to each other and treat others with good stewardship in mind.

I hope this subject can be put to rest moving forward.

If you have any further questions or concerns on this topic please do not hesitate to reach out to myself or @Cogs for further information.

Thanks!

Reno