Range Annoyance

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loose noose

loose noose

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The other day my son and I were out shooting the Mini-14 and the Mini-30 at my makeshift range out in the middle of the desert. Note I've got a dirt trail that I made using my Polaris Ranger side by side, and dragging chainlink fence. The range is good for a little over 500 yards in a box canyon. Note I did get permission from the BLM officer prior to doing this and for the sole purpose of sighting in my rifles, shooting trap and just all around shooting.

Right after getting the two rifles sighted in, and getting ready to shoot at the steel plates we had set up previously before the sighting in, low and behold a red UTV came up the trail and wanted to know if it was ok to go down that trail that we were shooting down. My son and I looked at each other, and began to wonder if we heard them right. So I inquired why they would want to go down that trail, that ends at the end of huge bunch of boulders that is definitely impassable. Besides we were still in the process shooting.

The young lady driving the UTV simply stated we haven't been on that road before, then the young man stated, isn't this BLM land we should be able to go wherever we want to with this rig. I then explained to them that it goes about 500 yards or so into a box canyon, and is impassable, besides the fact that we are shooting high powered rifles down that trail, and I told my son to go ahead and shoot at the steel plates. The two took off shortly after that and the young man said something in regards to my mother, who has been deceased for nearly 20 years.

How stupid can some people be, wanting to go down a trail where two people are obviously shooting rifles, are all set up with a portable shooting bench, the bed of the pick-up open with related shooting gear. Besides there are hundreds of trails available to them to use. Dang that gets my gall.
 
Here in Colorado, If you follow a trail that's not gated, likely as not you'll find a vehicle at the end of it.
 
loose noose said:
The other day my son and I were out shooting the Mini-14 and the Mini-30 at my makeshift range out in the middle of the desert. Note I've got a dirt trail that I made using my Polaris Ranger side by side, and dragging chainlink fence. The range is good for a little over 500 yards in a box canyon. Note I did get permission from the BLM officer prior to doing this and for the sole purpose of sighting in my rifles, shooting trap and just all around shooting.

.
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Just curious, did you get written permission? I am surprised they gave you permission. Not to mention the amount of fires that shooting causes. Perhaps not in your area. While you many have some rights, they most likely go out the window if someone were to be killed from your range shooting. What do the laws actually state? For both you and the riders?
 
You should have just asked the kind souls to snap a pic of your targets while they were at the end of your trail. Would have saved you a trip down range, they could have explored their newfound trail. Win-Win.
 
It seems to me you're getting bent out of shape about access to public land. From their perspective, they were curious about a trail that they had not been on before. They know NOTHING about all of the alterations/work you have done to make it what it is. They see a trail (maybe new) and want to follow it. That's not unreasonable.

Now, using common sense (that isn't so common these days), they would have looked at your equipment, observed what you were doing, listened to your explanation where the trail led and set aside their sense of entitlement to explore the trail at a later time.

I wasn't there so I don't know the tones used to communicate all of this, but no one seems to be very polite through all of this.
 
Sorry, but I lived in NV and BLM land is BLM land, and it is just as much their land as yours. Southern NV has a great facility where you wouldn't have to worry about it. What if they had been there first and set up a camp?
 
George P said:
Sorry, but I lived in NV and BLM land is BLM land, and it is just as much their land as yours. Southern NV has a great facility where you wouldn't have to worry about it. What if they had been there first and set up a camp?
Click to expand...

I bet they would have returned to a tent and camp stove full of holes.:)
 
MutinousDoug said:
Here in Colorado, If you follow a trail that's not gated, likely as not you'll find a vehicle at the end of it.
Click to expand...
I followed one with a friend into a box canyon and we found a rusted, but intact old 1930s auto; even the wooden floorboards were there. Usually abandoned cars like that are full of bullet holes.
 
Wow. No way I’d shoot on public land. That officer should lose his job and no one should be shooting in BLM land.
 
Sounds like shooting in a area like this could be very dangerous to just ordinary hikers etc. Bullets can travel a long way. I just find it hard that they simply allow people to come in and set up individual target ranges. Dragging chain link fences across the land, lead all over the place, fire hazards, Liability issues and on and on. Don't they have outdoor ranges in your area? Did you post warning signs? Something not right about this whole thing. And the possibility of telling people to remove themselves from land that they have a right to, and doing it with guns around in a remote area seems like it might not be a good thing to get into with someone. It would also seem to me, that once a persona enters your Private range, that it would be YOUR responsibility to shut down the range until all cleared and people have left the area.
It would seem that the goal of the authorities would be to preserve the area, the habitat, the wildlife and the safety of all, rather than help individuals across the state set up private gun ranges.
 
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mgresh said:
Wow. No way I’d shoot on public land. That officer should lose his job and no one should be shooting in BLM land.
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Excuse me but I whole heartedly disagree. We have a huge amount of BLM land here. You are free to hunt, shoot, camp, trail ride, or cross country ride anywhere on it. Stop in a BLM office and talk to them. I have and about the only restrictions are if you are hunting game animals you have to follow the state's regulations. If you are hunting unprotected species you are free to hunt anytime. Just don't camp within a certain distance, I forget the exact distance, of a water hole or water source at anytime.

If I had the experience of the OP I would have politely explained what we were doing and what they would find if they followed the trail. If they insisted on following the trail I would have just taken a break and waited on them to return since it was a dead end. I would have probably offered them a drink of water or a soft drink while we were talking. Honey catches more flies than vinegar. Also like others have already stated, it's public land, they have same rights to use it as you do.
 
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George P said:
You must not live out West. 85% of NV's 110,000+ square MILES are open public land. Most folks find a canyon or area with sufficient height for a backstop and go shoot.
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I don’t. I didn’t realize. I can’t imagine shooting on any public land. I’m shocked people don’t get shot.
 
Sure , public land belongs to all comers. However , it seems unreasonable that a late arriving party should impose upon an on site party and insist that the on site party cease and desist from its activity so that the arriving party can use it for a different activity.

By the same token , if the OP shooter arrived at the site to find a picnic underway he would have no right to evict the picnickers.

Up here in Wisconsin tens of thousands of deer hunters will take to the field in a few days , a good portion of them on public land. Deer stands locations are first come first served , early bird gets the worm. Seems fair to me.
 
Jeb Stuart said:
Sounds like shooting in a area like this could be very dangerous to just ordinary hikers etc. Bullets can travel a long way. I just find it hard that they simply allow people to come in and set up individual target ranges. Dragging chain link fences across the land, lead all over the place, fire hazards, Liability issues and on and on. Don't they have outdoor ranges in your area? Did you post warning signs? Something not right about this whole thing. And the possibility of telling people to remove themselves from land that they have a right to, and doing it with guns around in a remote area seems like it might not be a good thing to get into with someone. It would also seem to me, that once a persona enters your Private range, that it would be YOUR responsibility to shut down the range until all cleared and people have left the area.
It would seem that the goal of the authorities would be to preserve the area, the habitat, the wildlife and the safety of all, rather than help individuals across the state set up private gun ranges.
Click to expand...
It isn't his PRIVATE range, he set up to shoot on open public BLM land; it seems folks who have never lived out there have no understanding of how the West is compared to the East where most land is privately owned or off limits to things like shooting.
 
I've ran into this before hunting in National and state forests. One year I showed up and setup camp in a national forest day before deer gun opener and encountered a large group of hikers. They were from all over our state and surrounding states and I politely explained tomorrow morning was rifle season so ya may not want to be walking around. One girl says yeah, I know we have just as much right as you do! I said whoooaaaa there I was just saying some of these guys get a little carried away and you guys walking around isn't safe! I was really thinking to myself. B.... I get one week a year to deer hunt down here so take your preppy, Columbia, north face, jingle bells wearing rear end (yes she was carrying jingle bells to scare the deer) elsewhere but I realized they have just as much right as I do I just was concerned with them wondering around and catch a stray round!

A few years after the above encounter I was in a state forest that has a lot of horse trails and here comes a group of horse riders and they are complaining we are deer hunting and we shouldn't be allowed to do that until horse riding season is closed. I did agree with them on this particular day as it was a special October ML weekend and I encountered a family of 4 hiking and they didn't know what was going on. They should have either closed the forest to hunting or normal hiking or horse back riding for safety issues. I encounter them all the time walking out at lunch or for the day and everyone always has something smart to say about us hunting in the forest! One day I heard the lead person yelling to her other riders how we shouldn't be allowed to hunt while they ride. I yelled back as I was walking away my hunting license and tags and taxes pay for this place so everyone can use it!
 
George P said:
It isn't his PRIVATE range, he set up to shoot on open public BLM land; it seems folks who have never lived out there have no understanding of how the West is compared to the East where most land is privately owned or off limits to things like shooting.
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That maybe "the way things are done out west" but doesn't make it smart! :(. Rocks and bullets and people riding around on ATVs doesn't sound too safe. West is all flat and canyons where are those rounds going once fired?
 
George P said:
Sorry, but I lived in NV and BLM land is BLM land, and it is just as much their land as yours. Southern NV has a great facility where you wouldn't have to worry about it. What if they had been there first and set up a camp?
Click to expand...
Worse yet, what if they were down the trail and not visible to the shooters. That could have been catastrophic. OP, do you check the trail all the way to the end before you start shooting?
 
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Everyone understands that a canyon is a large hallway made of rock, right? (Would be the polite way to say that.)

I can think of no safer place to shoot than fifty miles away from "civilization", in a deadend stone hallway, several tens to several hundred feet high...

Infact, I think most commercial ranges are designed in this fashion, to the best of their abilities. Mother Nature did it better...

Twits on fourwheelers, you kept shooting and they excercised their first amendment rights. I see no problems.;)
 
JONWILL said:
I bet they would have returned to a tent and camp stove full of holes.:)
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Even with the smilie, this can not be what you think of other firearms owners...

mgresh said:
That officer should lose his job and no one should be shooting in BLM land.
Click to expand...

I suppose it's only for Hunting Hiking and taking pictures and for politicians to sell off logging licenses?


Just, really...
 
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