Practicing at an outdoor range- awareness

[375supermag]

Hi...

I do most of my shooting at my local gun club outdoors.
I keep a loaded handgun on me all the time. I generally shoot with my son and he does the same.
I have read well publicized news accounts of murders at shooting ranges and do not intend to be the victim in one.

 

[GBExpat]

I have a backyard range set up ... but even when I am shooting out back, I always keep a SD firearm with me and keep my head on a swivel.

I wear Peltors so no one can approach me without my hearing them and, often, a few of my crows are in the surrounding trees having a chat while I am shooting. If anyone approaches, they will let me know.

When I walk the farm, I am never without a firearm. If I am carrying a longgun (usually) that means that I am carrying two.

I do not trust strangers, especially in open, outdoor situations.

 

[Zaydok Allen]

, often, a few of my crows are in the surrounding trees having a chat while I am shooting. If anyone approaches, they will let me know.

The utility of a familiar murder of crows, even if it's only a few birds, is a vastly underrated resource. It's good to hear someone else acknowledge how useful they can be.

I watched a PBS special about them, and they have figured out that crows don't recognize people as a threat, rather they recognize individual people as a threat, and recognize them by facial features. They performed a series of experiments involving different masks and different benign and threatening human behavior. The birds clearly were more vocal when the crowd involved individuals they were not familiar with, and the birds were openly aggressive towards individuals wearing the mask associated with threatening human behavior. They also have hundreds of sounds they make to communicate.

Working in the woods, there have been many occasions where crows have alerted me to the presence of an animal or a person. Birds of prey are good for that too. If they are screeching, and it isn't at you, pay attention. I had a similar relationship with a pair of bull elk also.

 

[hdwhit]

the deal wrote:
I live in an area that has plenty of "underground" drug activity and while generally a safe area overall, it's also an easy place to perpetrate criminal activity as it is so rural.

I do most of my shooting at a derelict catfish farm that my wife and I bought as a retirement property. It is in a very rural county whose principal cash crop is marijuana so I take each of your recommendations to heart.

 

[PegLegPeat]

I am very lucky to shoot a a freinds private range on his farm. It is WAY off the beaten path and noone would wind up there by accident. The only other people that shoot there are pretty close freinds too. If anyone ever showed up that I did not know, and know well, I would definately leave.

That being said I am always carrying and it is just habit to reload my carry weapon and my spare mags fully after firing, before I check targets. I am in the habit of leaving my rifle, unloaded but with ammo in the bag / can next to it, at the back of the range. Does not worry me much, but like I said I have NEVER seen anyone there that I do not know and trust.

 

[azrocks]

Not that I fault your choice in the least... I think your decision is a wise one, and your advice sound. But if I were to go off my rocker some day and decide to off someone at a gun range, I'm pretty certain I could get the job done easily unless they were willing to leave the minute I showed up. Pretty hard to aim at a target and protect your back at the same time. That's why I tend to avoid shooting alongside people I don't know in the middle of nowhere (more to avoid stupidity rather than insanity, but either one can kill you).

At a bare minimum make sure you go with at least one friend, who can watch your back while you're occupied & vice versa.

 

[TomJ]

The gun club we belong to is an hour outside of Chicago and is surrounded by farms. We usually go on the weekends and there are quite a few people there, but it's never too crowded to where we can't shoot. There are also range safety officers both walking and driving along the ranges on the weekends. I've never felt uncomfortable there until yesterday. I replaced the grips on my P229 with E2 grips and wanted to try it, so I went there at 6:30 in the evening. I was the only one there and kept thinking what a bad idea it was, as if I ran into trouble the nearest farms were quite a ways away. Fortunately nothing came of it, but a wise friend once told me that 90% of staying out of trouble is not putting yourself in bad situations. I'm going to stick to our weekend routine in the future.

 

[JeffG]

But it's just my personality type. People cause problems.

I think a lot of us share that sentiment.

 

[Good Ol' Boy]

Fortunately for me the couple of "outdoor ranges" that I frequent are personal friends of mine with their own land. Not really too much to be concerned about as most of the time everybody knows everybody.

However at the indoor range, which is where most of my practice is done, I keep my head on a swivel. Having your stuff stolen isn't a concern but being shot at certainly is. I'm truly amazed at what I've seen at indoor ranges.

 

[bikemutt]

The gun range I shoot at has on duty, paid, camera watching RSOs, I feel pretty safe there. The occasional unsafe person is usually shown the door long before I see them in operation.

Bird hunting these days is another matter; I never go without a partner. Especially grouse hunting in the woods.

 

[HB]

I sling my rifle muzzle down loaded chamber empty when I check my 100 yard targets at unstaffed ranges. Usually have my hip gun and always a snub in my pocket.

It would be very easy to hop out of a car and steal guns, hit the highway and be gone. Not sure of legality of shooting at somebody stealing guns in that situation but hopefully a slung rifle would deter such an act.

In addition, I always get up from the bench when a new car pulls up and stretch to check out the vehicle/occupants.

HB

 

[fpgt72]

I have a backyard range set up ... but even when I am shooting out back, I always keep a SD firearm with me and keep my head on a swivel.

I wear Peltors so no one can approach me without my hearing them and, often, a few of my crows are in the surrounding trees having a chat while I am shooting. If anyone approaches, they will let me know.

When I walk the farm, I am never without a firearm. If I am carrying a longgun (usually) that means that I am carrying two.

I do not trust strangers, especially in open, outdoor situations.

Same here....I am lucky enough to also shoot in my "backyard". But I never even walk the dogs without something. I have come across animals just not acting correct. Opossum should not be out in the day time....any critter that is really just not doing what it should be doing I get very leery of.

No one (human) is really going to come up on me, perhaps the wife, but she knows how to approach....but still I do keep a look out. Not really worried about getting jumped, but I have had people ask permission to track a deer across my land....you just never know.

 

[BearBrimstone]

I shoot on a private range on family land, but I still try to watch out just in case.

 

[toivo]

Yes, it pays to be careful. I had that epiphany once when I was shooting at my club. The parking lot is next to the firing position of the 100-yard outdoor range. So I was shooting a rifle, but I had a handgun on my person. Leaving my rifle on the bench, I went down to change targets. As I was changing my targets, a car pulled in. No problem -- it was another club member, but that's when I had my "Aha!" moment. If it had been somebody with bad intent, they would have had ready access to my rifle and a whole bunch of ammo, whereas I only had a handgun and one extra magazine. At 100 yards, they would have had the advantage, to say the least.

So now if I'm there alone, I take the rifle with me when I go to change targets.

 

[fpgt72]

Yes, it pays to be careful. I had that epiphany once when I was shooting at my club. The parking lot is next to the firing position of the 100-yard outdoor range. So I was shooting a rifle, but I had a handgun on my person. Leaving my rifle on the bench, I went down to change targets. As I was changing my targets, a car pulled in. No problem -- it was another club member, but that's when I had my "Aha!" moment. If it had been somebody with bad intent, they would have had ready access to my rifle and a whole bunch of ammo, whereas I only had a handgun and one extra magazine. At 100 yards, they would have had the advantage, to say the least.

So now if I'm there alone, I take the rifle with me when I go to change targets.

That is a big no-no at the club I belong to. I have been known to pull the bolt out of the rifle and slip it into my pocket.

 

[Warp]

Here I am just trying to contain my jealousy of all these empty ranges you folks are coming across. If I can get a lane at the one outdoor range near me without having to wait long I consider it a good day.

Yeah...catch is at a busy range you might get swept 15 times in a single visit, 14 of those with a loaded gun. People are unsafe, that's why tens of thousands die in automobiles every year.

 

[Fleetman]

Thankfully we have our own range since we moved to Pa. I went to a public range in Maryland ONCE; you were NOT allowed to carry any firearms past the firing line and if course, handguns must be in view at all times. The (very) few "officers" that stopped by either just drove through the parking lot or were busy in their vehicle. I have never felt so unsafe. Maybe Maryland has changed but I doubt it.....I feel it is unsafe using any range without a range officer. On a good note, my 9-yo and I had a couple of good laughs watching others shooting "gang-style. We also picked up a fair amount of brass to supplement our supplies.

 

[Sour Kraut]

That is a big no-no at the club I belong to. I have been known to pull the bolt out of the rifle and slip it into my pocket.

You pull the bolt so someone won't shoot you with your own rifle, or thinking that no one would steal a boltless rifle?

 

[TwoFirstNames]

Came here expecting something about being aware of what was downrange (and I was already to share my story about shooting out in the desert when a couple of ATV riders pulled up on the top of our backstop.
I never even thought of this angle. Thanks again for being a great wealth of knowledge THR!

 

[Walkalong]

had been firing while we were downrange.

Been there done that. Can't do much about morons other than chastise them.

Situational awareness is something that should be 24/7, but most of us let our guard down here and there. 99.99% of the time it isn't fatal, but it's like winning the lottery, someone will.

 

[toivo]

That is a big no-no at the club I belong to. I have been known to pull the bolt out of the rifle and slip it into my pocket.

You mean going downrange with the rifle? We have no specific rule against it. Pulling the bolt is a good idea, but not possible with other action types. I carry my rifle downrange empty and bolt-open. The purpose is to keep someone from using my own rifle against me in a worst-possible-case scenario.

It might be a better idea to just lock the gate behind me when I'm at the club alone.

 

[fpgt72]

You pull the bolt so someone won't shoot you with your own rifle, or thinking that no one would steal a boltless rifle?

I actually do both at home....I really don't worry about it to tell the truth, just that little feeling in the back of my head. At the club I can see someone just being a bone head....at home....I don't know.....just the idea of an unattended and unsecure firearm just laying there with a pile of ammo next to it just makes me uneasy.

At home is is more for critters, but having worked in law enforcement for 14 or so years I know that anything can happen anywhere.

 

[fpgt72]

Came here expecting something about being aware of what was downrange (and I was already to share my story about shooting out in the desert when a couple of ATV riders pulled up on the top of our backstop.
I never even thought of this angle. Thanks again for being a great wealth of knowledge THR!

This actually happened at our clubs outdoor range not long after it opened.

I have had deer at home while I was shooting just stand there and look at me.....they have that look in their eye...you can't hit anything can you...I am right here.

 

[buck460XVR]

Came here expecting something about being aware of what was downrange (and I was already to share my story about shooting out in the desert when a couple of ATV riders pulled up on the top of our backstop.

That too is a prime example of being aware while shooting. It's also why many areas on public lands are being closed down to target shooting. Used to be only ones in the woods were hunters during hunting season so the odds of someone randomly wandering across downrange was nil. Nowadays between hikers, mushroom hunters, bird watchers, fat tire bikers and ATV/UTV riders riding wherever they dang well please, the odds of a stray bullet connecting is much greater. The idea that more folks are enjoying the public lands is a good thing, but it means the old tacking up a target to a tree back in the woods, is no longer a good option.

 

[thedeal]

It is true that even at indoor, staffed ranges we must be vigilant. I've seen first time shooters who think it's all fun and games, pull off the line to giggle with their friends at the big boom, while bringing their loaded and chambered firearm with them, sweeping the range. Undoubtedly, their finger is still on the trigger.