North Fork Wolf Creek Recreational Shooting Lanes

[MaruSan]

Where did you live in Utah? I grew up in

Where did you live in Utah? I grew up in Midvale. A burb 12 miles south of SLC. We came to PDX in June '83

Provo, mostly.

 

[Flymph]

Trust me when I say...

I've seen it all.

That's probably not accurate, I've seen more than others...

Ive driven up on folks in the woods, something I don't do anymore, to strike up conversations and get information on how people utilize certain areas and why they chose them. I did a lot of this while volunteering for ODF to assist in getting more lanes up at Wolf Creek developed.

Many would try and justify clear infractions on the basic rules of gun safety with nonsense answers that had more holes in them than Swiss cheese.

Simply put, I got jaded really quickly with the sheer amount of people who just thought they could do whatever the F they want.

This, and the birth of my son, is the reasons I stepped down my efforts to do more out in Tillamook State Forest.

I just do not see it getting any better without new restrictions. People refuse to change.

Ya know, I think you're right. Maybe a little more in the budget for enforcement, but like that will ever happen.

I'm just going to demonize the folks who would shoot an information sign, because I can't rationalize it otherwise.

 

[DirectDrive]

Ya know, I think you're right. Maybe a little more in the budget for enforcement, but like that will ever happen.

I'm just going to demonize the folks who would shoot an information sign, because I can't rationalize it otherwise.

I wouldn't give them the credit for being folks.
To me they are oxygen thieves.

 

[Cogs]

I addressed the issue of shooting signs in a recent blog Unpacking Safety (in public land target shooting), in the part about Natural Resources Safety. Even though signs are not a natural resource, I wanted to include mention of it because it has to do with vandalizing the forest (which is unsafe, costly and a bad look on shooters).

I don't expect the vandals to read and adhere to the rules because criminals don't bother to learn and/or follow. Just like we see everywhere else. My hope is that education and awareness information will help the good guys/gals to know what those rules are and help demonstrate responsible shooting when we're out there. Like teaching by example.

If we work at fine tuning our Situational Awareness senses, we may notice things before, during and after they happen. Might stand a good chance to nip it in the bud or get accurate information turned in to law enforcement.

 

[DirectDrive]

I had a visitor from the East remark, "So, is "sign shooting" some kind of a sport out here ?"
I think that the two brass pickers that were murdered out of Estacada last summer were randomly joy-killed by "sign shooters" that happened to run across them.

Education and peer pressure can help at our designated shootings areas, but I have no answer for the sign shooters.
They can strike and be gone in a few heartbeats.
They have to be caught in the act.

 

[ilikegunspdx]

Regarding permit for use. In traveling all over OR state I've noticed that outdoor/wilderness parks that are 100% free are the ones most likely to be populated with homeless and the worst dregs of humankind. They've the places most likely to have vandalism and facilities trashed.

Parks that have even the slightest fee are virtually empty a lot of the time and damage is much, much more rare. Something to think about. A $2 fee would probably drive away close to 100% of the bad actors.

 

[WildBills-AR]

Where did you live in Utah? I grew up in Midvale. A burb 12 miles south of SLC. We came to PDX in June '83

I grew up in that area as well. Went shooting lot's west of Utah Lake.

 

[Cosimel]

I was up on Lane four just before sunrise Saturday morning and holy crap what a mess. The usual State trooper stopped by around 8 AM and took some pictures of the downed sign. On close examination, it looks as though the sign went down by massive blunt force. While there were signs of bullet holes on the right post just below the breaking point, but the rest of that post's sever was splintered and the left post is about a two foot almost vertical split starting at the front of the post about a foot above the the point of severed on the right post, and running almost to the ground on the back side, no signs of bullet holes.

I just can't figure the impromptu target stand on the right on that ledge behind where the sign once stood. It's maybe three yards from it to where you can reasonably stand and shoot. All the other crap up there, regrettably, I've seen all to often. Tragically, I was too late to save Whinny the Poo

 

[LSWC]

Lane #2 fortunately looked good on Saturday AM - trash & spent casings were low & no damage to signs or anything else.

 

[Cogs]

If you're looking for an alternative place to shoot, other than NF Wolf Creek Rd or Beaver Dam pit, check out the Santiam State Forest. The drive is about the same from Portland and the opportunities are pretty good. It's just SE of Mollala and E of Salem. The Trash No Land organization is beginning a shooting lane improvement with the Santiam State Forest (ODF) and I need some letters of support for doing such an improvement to existing dispersed shooting places. See the details at this thread, Information for shooting on public lands. We're gonna make the forest Great Again!

Thanks!

Bill

 

[MaruSan]

I was up on Lane four just before sunrise Saturday morning and holy crap what a mess. The usual State trooper stopped by around 8 AM and took some pictures of the downed sign. On close examination, it looks as though the sign went down by massive blunt force. While there were signs of bullet holes on the right post just below the breaking point, but the rest of that post's sever was splintered and the left post is about a two foot almost vertical split starting at the front of the post about a foot above the the point of severed on the right post, and running almost to the ground on the back side, no signs of bullet holes.

I just can't figure the impromptu target stand on the right on that ledge behind where the sign once stood. It's maybe three yards from it to where you can reasonably stand and shoot. All the other crap up there, regrettably, I've seen all to often. Tragically, I was too late to save Whinny the Poo

View attachment 635498

Let us all bow our heads in prayer for Winnie the Pooh this fateful day. Til Valhala.

 

[Cogs]

ODF got the sign replaced at lane 4 yesterday. They are also cleaning off some graffiti.

 

[bolus]

ODF got the sign replaced at lane 4 yesterday. They are also cleaning off some graffiti.

Can they make the sign out of tannerite so the next vandal gets a surprise?

 

[Cogs]

How 'bout Flubber? Bullets bounce right back at ya!

 

[Cogs]

I kind of think we should have been the ones to repair it. ODF hasn't been seeing too much stewardship and care from the users lately and sounding rather discouraged. That, and reports of rogue shooting.

If we want more improved locations, we gotta chip in on a regular basis. And do it on our own, rather than waiting for a major cleanup event.

I think I'll start sending them emails every time someone posts about how they did their part to help. We hear about good efforts here on this forum, but they don't get to hear it. I'll keep an eye out and try to submit a weekly or monthly report to ODF.

 

[Mikej]

I kind of think we should have been the ones to repair it. ODF hasn't been seeing too much stewardship and care from the users lately and sounding rather discouraged. That, and reports of rogue shooting.

If we want more improved locations, we gotta chip in on a regular basis. And do it on our own, rather than waiting for a major cleanup event.

I think I'll start sending them emails every time someone posts about how they did their part to help. We hear about good efforts here on this forum, but they don't get to hear it. I'll keep an eye out and try to submit a weekly or monthly report to ODF.

Define reports of rogue shooting please Bill?

 

[Cogs]

Define reports of rogue shooting please Bill?

Ha! No, I mean I'll report the positive stuff. They already hear of the rogue stuff.

Rogue shooting would be the part about destructive stuff that goes on like holes in the signs, targets on top of the berms, trees being shot up in other parts... you know, the regular I'll stuff.

 

[Mikej]

Ha! No, I mean I'll report the positive stuff. They already hear of the rogue stuff.

Rogue shooting would be the part about destructive stuff that goes on like holes in the signs, targets on top of the berms, trees being shot up in other parts... you know, the regular I'll stuff.

Okay, okay, got it. Rogue. Shooting off the top of the berms, yeah. That other stuff would be considered "Destructive", "Illegal" and "Criminal"shooting in my book!

I'm still reeling from the thought of dirt bags taking the time and ammo to kill a perfectly defenseless sign post for Christ's sake!

 

[Knebel]

It just pisses me off when people don't take their trash...

I have accidentally shot a non paper target or two but at least I'll take mine and others trash out. Cant be that hard to have a trashbag and stuff your junk in it.

 

[GMGen]

I keep a small box of black contractor bags in my target shooting kit that goes with me out to Tillamook. Every single trip I do my best to fill up a bag and take it back with me. Taking my own trash out is just the tip of the iceberg of garbage I've hauled out of that place. And I don't think I'm special at all among users of this forum. I learned those habits from watching and shooting with others that post here.

I have handed out bags to others on occasion when I see them unloading milk jugs or whatever to shoot and asked them to pack out what they brought in when they are done. Some of these problem folks are not the most reasonable sort and that's about as close as I want to get to an armed confrontation in the middle of the woods when I only have the one first aid kit.

As others have said, if you're reading this, it is unlikely you are part of the problem since the entire point of this thread is information and stewardship of the area. The problem is developing an effective approach to educate the various fudds about the eventual consequences of their poor behavior. If they want to be counted among the ranks of "responsible and law-abiding gun owners" then how they behave in our natural areas is part of that, too. Right now, it doesn't seem like a lot of folks get that.