Salmonberry Road

This thread is for the general discussion of the outdoor shooting area Salmonberry Road. Please add to the discussion here.

 

[iBlueVirus]

Thanks @

The requirement, for any vehicle traveling through the forest, is min 1 shovel and 1 gallon of water. A better pack would be a shovel and 2 gallons water. Acceptable, and better yet, is a shovel and a fire extinguisher (I add an axe to that).

Thanks @Cogs!

Would a camping shovel do? or a legit full size shovel required?

 

[Cogs]

Thanks @


Thanks @Cogs!

Would a camping shovel do? or a legit full size shovel required?

I believe it can be a short handle shovel... 27" long with an 8" blade. The ones I've seen, at Sportsman's Warehouse and Harbor Freight, have been about $10 for the short spade blade.

 

[iBlueVirus]

I believe it can be a short handle shovel... 27" long with an 8" blade. The ones I've seen, at Sportsman's Warehouse and Harbor Freight, have been about $10 for the short spade blade.
View attachment 744607

cool beans! Just wanted something easily portable. Thanks!

 

[bad pony]

cool beans! Just wanted something easily portable. Thanks!

I bought a surplus e-tool, it does the job and the Rangers approved it lol

 

[Turnmesideways]

Just wanted to ask, as this is hunting season in the tillamook state forest, can I still go target shooting? Or is there an unwritten rule somewhere to not shoot during this time?

 

[Cogs]

Sure you can go. Some hunters don't like it and others know it doesn't bother the deer because they're used to it. Best to shoot in an area where target shooting typically happens, and not out in some new area where hunters are likely to be. Might want to wear some hunter orange to be on the safe side.

 

[bad pony]

I have never seen Salmonberry as busy as it was today Not only where target shooters and hunters out, but there was HUGE influx of people out hiking and mushroom gathering. The bad of it was they were parking in the most random of spots on the various roads. Every pit seemed to have multiple cars in it. One pit on Wheeler had 4 cars crammed into with 2 more parked in a random spot down the road.

 

[Deavis]

I have never seen Salmonberry as busy as it was today Not only where target shooters and hunters out, but there was HUGE influx of people out hiking and mushroom gathering. The bad of it was they were parking in the most random of spots on the various roads. Every pit seemed to have multiple cars in it. One pit on Wheeler had 4 cars crammed into with 2 more parked in a random spot down the road.

I belong to a very nice club with multiple shooting disciplines and facilities but still find myself shooting a handful of times per year on public lands. I routinely leave areas I use better than how I found them.

This weekend I was in Washington County visiting a buddy and we got up early for a shooting, deer hunting and mushroom picking morning (not in that order) and found ourselves on Salmonberry Rd.

It was SHOCKING how many people were up there, and the volume of gunfire was un-real, and I'm no stranger to LOTS of gunfire.

It seemed every landing and dead end road or pull out in the area was trashed and shot. I don't think these are shooters who litter, these are litterers who shoot.


Sadly, I doubt the mushroom hunting, Prius driving, NPR listening crowd is able to discern the difference.

I applaud the efforts of those in this thread to keep areas like this open, but I am afraid its a losing battle ultimately. Especially in Kate's state.

I hope I am wrong. Please keep up the good work.

In a related topic, I think all counties should be mandated (though not a general fan of expanding governmental operations) to provide a public shooting area (like Jackson Co) giving safe (safer?) options to folks who don't have access or means to clubs. I'll never support banning shooting on public lands, but I think the environmental, safety hazard and public perception impact could be GREATLY reduced.

Perhaps Pittman Robertson funds can be used? Based on gun and ammo sales, there has to be a deep pocket there as of late.

 

[FreedomPI]

Last I heard it's closed to shooters due to "hiking trails"

 

[Cogs]

Last I heard it's closed to shooters due to "hiking trails"

If any parts of the Tillamook are closed to shooting, it would show up on their blog and those of us who subscribe to it would get an email notification. I don't see Salmonberry Rd listed as closed to shooting. I also get notified from the Recreation Director because he knows I'll inform shooters.

http://tillamookstateforest.blogspot.com/p/target-shooting.html

 

[Koda]

That pullout on the left just past the second shooting spot is still being heavily used. There are no official hiking trails in the area but there are many old roads and the off trail areas are being heavily used by hunters and mushroom pickers. That pullout spot has no backstop.

 

[Cogs]

I think all counties should be mandated (though not a general fan of expanding governmental operations) to provide a public shooting area (like Jackson Co) giving safe (safer?) options to folks who don't have access or means to clubs. I'll never support banning shooting on public lands, but I think the environmental, safety hazard and public perception impact could be GREATLY reduced.

Perhaps Pittman Robertson funds can be used? Based on gun and ammo sales, there has to be a deep pocket there as of late.

To help move forest agencies and county governments, as well as to qualify for most grants, you need to be state and federally registered as a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization. Otherwise, you don't get the grant funding and agencies don't pay much attention to you but listen and nod their heads.

What you pointed out about public perception and the Pittman-Robertson Act, is exactly why I started the (c)3 nonprofit Trash No Land. Since then, we've gotten agency recognition and attention, qualified for a couple NRA Grants for shooting improvements on Oregon State lands and have an application in for the Federal Pittman Robertson grant (yes, there's lots of money available in the PR fund).

When agencies are ready to get on board with making improvements to public land shooting, we'll be ready to help. I talk with them often about it, but they act like their hands are tied. They seem to want to stay as PC as possible and have very little to do with the shooting sports in their forests. ODF has been the best so far.

Till then, we do our best to organize shooters to help promote being responsible in shooting, sponsor group cleanups, produce education & information materials and videos and work to save our good places to shoot.

Be a member, if you can, and help support responsible shooting on public lands!

Bill

 

[bad pony]

Made the trip up earlier today to practice some AK reloads, found a decent amount of snow on the ground! Pretty sure it'll be washed away with the coming rain though, this storm doesn't seem to be a cold one.

 

[a6m5]

I tried to go up Salmonberry RD from 26 today...... Be careful unless you have proper 4x4 & traction. I almost didn't make it out. Main road was fine, so I thought I could at least reach that big gravel pit? My crossover, even with AWD & all-terrain got stuck couple of times, even before reaching the pit. I had to keep going, as snow made it impossible to turnaround.



After finally being able to turn around down in the pit, I REALLY didn't like my chances, as it's uphill back to the main road. Got stuck again, it took some good rally driving to keep from driving off the road(uphill, had to keep momentum).

 

[nwslopoke]

A few weeks back I missed the access road to my spot because no one had traveled it since the heavy snow. I had to reverse 1/4 mile. With references everything looks different.

Lucky for me on the way back a couple shared their spot. The snow zones are pretty dramatic there in what gets hit and what is not too bad.

 

[a6m5]

A few weeks back I missed the access road to my spot because no one had traveled it since the heavy snow. I have to reverse 1/4 mile. With references everything looks different.

Lucky for me on the way back a couple shared their spot. The snow zones are pretty dramatic there in what gets hit and what is not too bad.

I wasn't so lucky. I was going to hit up couple of smaller pits on the way back down to 26, but at the first pit, it looked like logging truck was pulled over to put chains on, so I headed to the next pit(the very first pit from hwy 26). Every time I drive past it, it looks muddy for flooded. This time, there was someone clearing out of there, but it looked like that whole surface was ice? On top of it, different logging truck, it stopped right in front of it. lol I think it was trying to let me pass, but it now created a jam of the truck, me & the guy trying to leave that spot, so I had to keep driving past it.

I was bit frustrated, but I decided to visit the Wolfcreek range everybody's talking about. Google on my phone found it, told me where to turn, but there was no road I could see, so again, I had to keep driving.

I had the whole day off anyway, so I ended up driving across town to English Pit in Vancouver. Special thanks to the kids shooting AR's in pistol range. I think one of them had muzzle brake on his. As I took the muffs off to leave, he fired couple of shots off in stall next to mine & my eardrums did not like that!

 

[nwslopoke]

About a year ago going to the pit at SBrd, there was snow on the ground. I'm driving my Ram pickup, standard suspension and hit a deep run that was covered. It bottomed out pretty good. There is a small factory bracket that protects a few things,, thankfully. It's probably a good hour walk to the main road.

 

[Knebel]

About a year ago going to the pit at SBrd, there was snow on the ground. I'm driving my Ram pickup, standard suspension and hit a deep run that was covered. It bottomed out pretty good. There is a small factory bracket that protects a few things,, thankfully. It's probably a good hour walk to the main road.

Was that you that had to be pulled out holding up the traffic going up there huh? Lol

 

[nwslopoke]

Was that you that had to be pulled out holding up the traffic going up there huh? Lol

Thankfully no. There was the time I had to have my truck flatbed back from that small town of Elsie, between Salmonberry and Camp 18. I had just got new tires and the shop didn't torque the lugs properly. After shooting one day on the way up to the coast I could barely keep my truck on the road. I kept stopping to see if I had a flat (on brand new tires) and on the second look I notices a few studs were broken off. I nursed the truck back to Elsie around 5pm and it took until 2am for the tow truck to get up there. Thank God for good neighbors who helped us out.

 

[Cogs]

I tried to go up Salmonberry RD from 26 today...... Be careful unless you have proper 4x4 & traction. I almost didn't make it out. Main road was fine, so I thought I could at least reach that big gravel pit? My crossover, even with AWD & all-terrain got stuck couple of times, even before reaching the pit. I had to keep going, as snow made it impossible to turnaround.

View attachment 832357

After finally being able to turn around down in the pit, I REALLY didn't like my chances, as it's uphill back to the main road. Got stuck again, it took some good rally driving to keep from driving off the road(uphill, had to keep momentum).

Wow man, thanks for the cleanup! That pit hasn't looked that 'Sparkely' clean in a long time! Don't know how you did it, but it looks great!