Marking A Private Range

[bearcreek]

Those of you who have firing ranges on your property what do you do to signify the range is in use?

When I lived back east, I built a 100 yard range in my back yard. I signified that the range was in use by firing guns......... I don't think the signs are necessary, but they certainly won't hurt anything.

 

[The Night Rider]

I don't think the signs are necessary,

IDK man, people are dumb

 

[The Night Rider]

I think I said it elsewhere but I'm going to put some t-poles around the firing area and put some twine on the t-poles just enough so you know there's a barrier, cuz I'm sure he'll not paying for a metal fence that would cover two or three backyards. And then I'm going to hang signs from the twine

 

[Varminterror]

Here's what happened when I had "Controlled Shooting Area" marked on some of my property...

New trespassers electively came to my range when I wasn't there to use the range, above and beyond the other trespassers who had previously came onto the property hunting, "exploring," or whatever other BS excuse they came up with for breaking the law.

"No Trespassing, Private Property" are the only signs I would ever use unless I was required by law to mark a controlled shooting area.

 

[dartor]

My biggest concern is that her children, who are, I'm pretty sure, less than five or five at the most, have absolutely no boundaries.

Call me callous, but that's part of the problem with today's youth. No parent in their right mind should allow a 5 year old to run loose.

As for your other concerns I think the members here have them covered. Shoot and enjoy.

 

[rr2241tx]

A fence sufficient to contain livestock is de facto enclosing private land, no additional posting is required. Family or other residents and their guests are a complication you're going to have to deal with diplomatically. My range has a road across it close to the firing line. I have had family, who USE the range, drive around my truck and trailer parked across the road while the range was in use. Couldn't be bothered to even honk to let me know they wanted to cross, certainly couldn't take the other road that doesn't cross the active range. Effective fencing around a range is going to be very expensive and if on communal property, a sore spot between you and others in the family, might not be the right approach.

 

[Necessary_Nutrient]

None of the proposed solutions so far are going to account for wandering kids of that age. If there is a such a likelihood, you'll need to be incredibly vigilant.

 

[The Night Rider]

Prompts me to ask why the previous owner is moving out. Were there complaints about shooting from the neighbors that prompted a closure of his range? Did you check that out?

Investment property, owners live in Texas and Georgia(?). The seller is in Houston.

Previous tenants were running an illegal grow. Cops shut it down. Owners are selling the property.

The property has been vacant for 3(?) years.

 

[The Night Rider]

New trespassers electively came to my range when I wasn't there to use the range.

Did you live on the property?

How did you handle it?

 

[Meeks36]

Fence around the area 5 ft tall and additional electric cattle fence around that. With signs trespassers will be prostituted. Not prosecuted.

 

[Varminterror]

Did you live on the property?

How did you handle it?

No, I did not and do not live there, and that intermittent personal presence was, always has been, and remains to be the problem. Trespassers will trespass, and having an established range where shooting benches and known distances were ready and waiting, even with security cameras, there was very, very little I could do to stop it - and remains to be very little. But there was a marked uptick when I formalized the range, and until I rolled the berms back into field and took out the shooting benches, people still trespassed to shoot there. I still get "hikers" and hunters and general dipshits who trespass there, but the "controlled shooting area" was an invitation to trespassers who made use of the facility for that purpose, above and beyond the existing trespasser traffic before that.

When it comes to my property, frankly, maybe it's just the Midwest redneck in me, and the surrounding laws for liabilities, but my concern for a trespasser incidentally catching one of my bullets because they were uninvited and unannounced downrange on my marked private property at which I have right for safe use of my firearms, standing where and when they should not be is very, very low. That's very much a "them problem," not a "me problem."

 

[jmorris]

Did you live on the property?

How did you handle it?

Kids tresspassing?

I put out cameras to see what everything is doing. Animals don't steal cameras but humans do. Most are not very smart and lazy, so if you put another out of reach, sometimes you can catch an adult making them put your camera back.



I then take that image to a teacher at the County school (neighbor) and then the problems seem to go away. Had they not, I would then talk to law enforcement. We also own the range the Sheriffs department uses.

 

[teerex.otw]

Someone on another forum suggested an internal fence around just the range. I think I'm going to do that

Great idea. Someone might ignore a “no trespassing” sign, but nobody ignores a sign that says “warning, electric fence” !

 

[AbbysDad]

Okay first of all you have to understand that I am that guy. If somebody's going to get in trouble for something, even if everybody else in the world gets away with it, I'm going to be the one that gets in trouble

The place that my wife and I are moving to has a private shooting range on it. It's in a dry wash in the middle of the property.

The previous owner put berms all the way around it and when you're standing on the firing line which I guess is wherever I want it to be on all four sides around you the ground level is higher than the targets.

In order to get to the range on all four sides you have to cross a fence. You have to pass multiple no trespassing signs and you have to walk all the way to the middle of somebody else's property.

I'm considering getting four of these signs and posting them north south east and west of the firing line.

View attachment 1265303
I'm talking about posting them on the edges of the wash and Beyond the firing line and Beyond the target line. I'm not talking about hanging them on my fence. So by the time you get to the signs you already are someplace you're not supposed to be


Also the property we're going to be living on is bounded on the North and South by a fenced in cow pasture. On the East by someone else's ranch. So before you even get to my property you already trespassing on someone else's land
Those of you who have firing ranges on your property what do you do to signify the range is in use?

You might want to get more and post them about every 3-500 feet, similar to the No Trespassing signs they post on the fences of the quail plantations around here

 

[The Night Rider]

You might want to get more and post them about every 3-500 feet, similar to the No Trespassing signs they post on the fences of the quail plantations around here

Quail Plantation?

 

[dogtown tom]

Quail Plantation?

Managed habitat. Not at all uncommon in the southeast.
Texas has dozens, if not hundreds of "high fence" ranches for deer and exotic game.

 

[AbbysDad]

Quail Plantation?

Here in the SE US of GA and N FL, the plantations post their No Trespassing signs about that distance; it has the force of law here and there are security companies that specialize in protecting the plantations from folks. many of these plantations are 3-5000 acres in size

 

[230RN]

I can't help thinking you have a profit-making situation there, if you can solve some resultant problems. (These might not be insurmountable with some thought and effort.)

They used to say,"the way to get rich is to find a need and fill it."

You've found the need. But you will have to conquer the "yeahbuts" in your head.

Just to get your thinkin' goin', might make it a members-only range with members reporting non-member usage. With signs all over the place saying so.

Resident manager?

Won't work? OK, think of something else....

Jes' skylarkin'.

Terry, 230RN

 

[bearcreek]

IDK man, people are dumb

True. The thing is though, we're talking someone who has already trespassed across multiple properties, as you described, and then was inclined to wander onto a range where folks could be heard to be firing guns. I doubt that a sign would deter such a moron. In the unlikely event that such an imbecile did make it onto the range, and remained oblivious to the noise, the shooters would then have to not realize that there was a person wandering about down range and continue firing in order for there to be an injury. It all just strikes me as being rather unlikely. As I said, I can't think of a reason that the signs would hurt anything though so....

 

[Barmcd]

If your just wanting to warn family members the range is hot, simply install a flag of some sort. Red flag = hot range. Tell them to only approach from the south or something predetermined if the flag is flying. No flag = cold range.

As far as general trespassing, I think that is pretty well advised above.

My thoughts too. A flagpole where you can run up a red flag when the range is active and training the family to look for it before entering the area should suffice.

 

[luzyfuerza]

When I moved to my (very) rural property and built my ranges, the first couple of years were interesting.

Even though my property is fully fenced, people were used to coming out here to jacklight for coyotes and rabbits, drive side-by sides through gullies, etc. And we had several unfortunate incidents. One of which led to criminal convictions for the drunk perpetrators.

I added solar-powered lights to structures. And no trespassing signs. I added a couple of "Danger--Shooting Range--Keep Out" signs at access points.


My lighted flagpole even seems to have helped. Something about a flying flag tells people who pass by that a parcel isn't just a piece of vacant land.


We've been visible members of our local church and community.

My neighbors all have shooting ranges. And they have also improved their signage.


I watch out for neighbors' property...letting them know when I see stuff happening on their land. And helping to educate reasonable visitors.

Gradually, the word has gotten out. We haven't had any incidents for some time. The rowdies seem to have gone someplace else to do what they are going to do.

Your experience might be similar.

 

[The Night Rider]

So, I overthink how much milk to put on my breakfast cereal in the morning.

I intend to use the range because it makes better sense than paying 300 bucks a year, plus a range fee, plus a separate fee if my wife goes, plus having to drive out to Pikes Peak Gun Club instead of walking down to the range with whatever I feel like shooting and some targets.

I do not see this shooting area getting a lot of use. I'm certainly not going to be down there every day, maybe not every week.

So, I have decided that signs are Overkill.

The entire property is fenced there are "No Trespassing" signs on the gate.

That's gonna have to be enough.

 

[Basura Blanca]

I do not see this shooting area getting a lot of use. I'm certainly not going to be down there every day, maybe not every week.

So, I have decided that signs are Overkill.

This would be the basis of my decision too. How many people are likely to wander into, let alone intentionally try to enter the space in the first place? If it's not a high traffic area to begin with, the signs aren't going to even be seen.

That said, I'll relate a story about shooting on an unofficial BLM "range" in the desert with a buddy. We had used this particular place for years, never seeing a single soul. One day, we set up as usual, shoot, stop to go move some targets around and notice these two guys standing in the periphery of where we we're firing (this is in a wash with a very tall back stop). When we realized they'd been there while we were shooting, we just had to ask the obvious question. The one guy's answer was to the effect of "we knew you wouldn't hit us because we saw where your targets were". As you said up-thread, people are dumb. Some more than others.

 

[Bazoo]

I have a spot that I shoot that is private property....but along the river....folks seem to think it's public .....its not.
View attachment 1265354

A lot of folks think that a portion of the land adjacent to the river's edge is public. In my state it is not, only the water is public.

 

[Caplock]

Pikes Peak is all I needed to hear. There are crystals and minerals all around Pikes Peak. Have a uncle that has a 120 acres by Lake George. He has had people open his gate, drive right by the no trespassing signs. Right in front of himself and a group of people put their boots on and pull out digging tools. Literally going to start digging holes right in front of him on his property.