Panoche & Tumey Hills BLM questions???

[essjay]

Is there anywhere to camp around Panoche/Tumey? Planning a winter shooting/camping trip to Tahoe NF, but I'd like to keep P/T as a reserve in case the weather's too bad to make it work.

[emtmark]

Camping is allowed please be extremely clean in all aspects as rangers patrol regularly. Minimize hassles and helps protect the access.


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[essjay]

Pack in, pack out!

[GhostEmpire]

My friends and I almost got hit by a pair of ****ing rednecks shooting a bolt gun last week -_-

[emtmark]

Any more to go with that? Where it happen? Most of he shooting happens in the slot canyons left and right of the main roads. Natural shooting lanes


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[NapalmCheese]

Originally Posted by GhostEmpire

My friends and I almost got hit by a pair of ****ing rednecks shooting a bolt gun last week -_-

Out of curiosity, what tipped you off to they're being rednecks as opposed to simply being ignorant and/or careless calgunners?

[Skip99]

Went to Tumey on Sat. Wonderful day. Very relaxed and not a soul in sight. Drove back a few miles from the crowded entrance.

[ThreePercenterZX7R]

Hello Brother!!
I have been looking for somewhere in the desert to go shooting, I live in Upland, CA. anybody know of a nice spot to go shooting? Maybe even Camping out as well.

Where is Panoche/Tumey? Any Info would be great!

Thanks.

[ThreePercenterZX7R]

Just googled it, lol! So this is near Fresno. Anybody know a good spot in SoCal Desert Area? I was thinking of taking a drive to the BM Office in Apple Valley (I believe that's where it was) and taking a map with me so they can just mark where shooting is permitted. If anybody here knows, that would be great! save myself that trip to the BLM Office and just go straight to having fun.

Thanks All!

[NapalmCheese]

You might try asking the So Cal subforum instead of the San Jose chapter of the Northern California subforum? I certainly don't remember where to shoot in Southern California anymore.

[spyde12]

Originally Posted by Skip99

Went to Tumey on Sat. Wonderful day. Very relaxed and not a soul in sight. Drove back a few miles from the crowded entrance.

I thought it was already closed for the remainder of the year? We went there (1st time for me) about a month ago. It was awesome. We actually went waaaaay up. We set up various targets ranging from 25, 62, 100 and even 400 yards. It was nice being able to set up our own course. The best part was being able to rapid fire.

The thing that pissed us off was the fact that other shooters left their crap behind. So we spent about 40 minutes when we were all done to clean up after ourselves, as well as the jerks that came before us. We have to police ourselves so that we don't give them a reason to shut it down. SMH.

Originally Posted by ThreePercenterZX7R

Hello Brother!!
I have been looking for somewhere in the desert to go shooting, I live in Upland, CA. anybody know of a nice spot to go shooting? Maybe even Camping out as well.

Where is Panoche/Tumey? Any Info would be great!

Thanks.

Panoche/Tumey is about 1.5 to 2 hours away from Pleasanton off I-5. Exit is Panoche and you make a right. You keep going past the gas station and eateries. You'll eventually see a sign on your left.


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[emtmark]

Picking up crap is the price of admission to blm lands my friends. A sad frustrating off pissing price,


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[Skip99]

It is closed to vehicle traffic in the summer, open in winter. And yes, we cleaned up our brass.

[Fkbmw]

I live in Los Banos would I have to go south I5 and take panoche exit and how far down till I get there ?

[Fkbmw]

Never mind found it went there today love this place freedom you can shot whatever you want no one bothers you my new favorite spot

[emtmark]

Your new take pride in it keep it squeaky clean follow the few rules so we all don't get locked out place?


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[emtmark]

Fwiw I am always down for a clean up run!


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[grizzly_88]

My girlfriend and I are planning to practice our crossbow this weekend at Panoche Hills - It's the first time visiting BLM land.
I'm a bit worried about some posts like "Don't go anywhere near BLM land without IBA, 200 rounds for your primary and 4 mags for your secondary broseph".
Is it really that strange? should I be worried with "just a crossbow"?

Maybe its a stupid question but thanks in advance for informations :-)

[emtmark]

Your fine


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[grizzly_88]

Thank you!

[NapalmCheese]

Originally Posted by emtmark

Your fine

Yup, you'll be fine.
A lot of people like to play Army and enjoy creating some sort of drama about them such that they get to feel like they are going into harms way.

Other people just like to shoot.

Some people are just idiots and do unsafe things and leave trash strewn about.

It's BLM land in central California, not a war zone.

[emtmark]

Originally Posted by grizzly_88

My girlfriend and I are planning to practice our crossbow this weekend at Panoche Hills - It's the first time visiting BLM land.
I'm a bit worried about some posts like "Don't go anywhere near BLM land without IBA, 200 rounds for your primary and 4 mags for your secondary broseph".
Is it really that strange? should I be worried with "just a crossbow"?

Maybe its a stupid question but thanks in advance for informations :-)

You ARE going to pick up all your trash right? Be mighty swell if you brought an extra bag to help make up for the dbags. <------hint hint


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[grizzly_88]

Yup for sure we will pick up our trash, also I heard picking up left trash from groups before. I read all the rules and this is out of question.
We just want to have a nice day out there

[j-shot]

Originally Posted by NapalmCheese

Yup, you'll be fine.
A lot of people like to play Army and enjoy creating some sort of drama about them such that they get to feel like they are going into harms way.

Other people just like to shoot.

Some people are just idiots and do unsafe things and leave trash strewn about.

It's BLM land in central California, not a war zone.

The constant report of automatic fire can make you wonder...

[seany]

Was out there all last weekend. A bit cold Friday night, but other wise a good trip. Didn't see a ranger out there all weekend either which is a bit weird. We were at once of the last "decent" spots on P1 before it goes over the hill and get super rolly.

Was finally able to find a 2m repeater that works out there too. I could key up wb6ece with my HT, but it was loud and clear from the mobile in the truck with a magmount. Simulcast into the south bay, which is nice.

[seany]

Went out to Panoche for the last time this season over the 1-2nd. Rained basically the whole time we were there, so leaving was interesting. Probably shouldn't have brought the volvo wagon

Went out 4 times this season and didn't see the rangers a single time, last year I think we ran into them every trip.

[Whiterabbit]

ha. We canceled our last hoorah trip due to rain. Been there done that. That's what broke my easy-up.

Oh well, always next year.

[Whiterabbit]

Originally Posted by emtmark

Camping is allowed please be extremely clean in all aspects as rangers patrol regularly. Minimize hassles and helps protect the access.


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Never done this. You just pitch a tent any old where? next to your shooting area? or are there formal campgrounds if you choose ot use them? (parking spot, proximity to bathroom, fire pit...)

[emtmark]

Review the land use policies. We try to camp where it looks like others have to minimize impact. There are only pit toilets at the entrance. You'll have a great time


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[LAtoSF]

Hi all, if any of you are planning a trip and want to take a newbie please message me. I'll buy the sandwiches/drinks and chip in for gas. Just moved here from southern CA and need to get out and shoot. Thx.

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[canative]

Originally Posted by Whiterabbit

Never done this. You just pitch a tent any old where? next to your shooting area? or are there formal campgrounds if you choose ot use them? (parking spot, proximity to bathroom, fire pit...)

No formal campgrounds. bring your own potty tent. pick your spot with a good backstop, pitch your tent and start shooting.There are a lot of trails off the main road. Clean up when you leave. Although you have to wait till Oct. now. I believe Panoche closes this month.

[itsjustme]

Hey all,

Since the gate's closed for the season, how much of a trek is it from the entrance to a good spot to shoot? Also, how busy does it get now that the gate's closed?

Thanks!

[scootle]

Originally Posted by 1Bravo

Hey Guys,

So I've never been and not sure how it works. I would like to go out there and set up some targets from close to about 600yds.

Is there a designated or commonly used area for shooting? It looks like a huge area with many access points. I would hate to be shooting where people are recreating nearby.

Google earth coordinates welcome.

Cheers!

For anyone that's interested I imported the online BLM map into Google Earth overlaid the same area so you can zoom in and see details on the places and roads they have marked.

https://productforums.google.com/d/m...c/YiNlG--wQ94J

Thread necro!

So the OP is super old... but anyone know if the Google Maps overlay is still maintained by someone somewhere?

Thanks!

[2Aon2wheels]

My friend and I were just there this weekend. Fun times. set up a steel target ~450 yds and were ringing it with all of our rifles.

[CodyGT46]

Originally Posted by 2Aon2wheels

My friend and I were just there this weekend. Fun times. set up a steel target ~450 yds and were ringing it with all of our rifles.

I was planning on going out there within 2 week since I finally got a vehicle that I can fit more than a piece of string in and wont be bottoming out on a pebble. I was curious was fire season still in effect?

[curbside16]

Originally Posted by CodyGT46

I was planning on going out there within 2 week since I finally got a vehicle that I can fit more than a piece of string in and wont be bottoming out on a pebble. I was curious was fire season still in effect?

according to the blm website, fire restrictions are from mid-april to mid-october. I am planning to go in a couple of weeks as well.

[Nessal]

Just found this thread but I've been going to Panoche and Tumeys for the past 7 years and this is my experience. Maybe it's just bad luck but I ran into rangers more times than not out there. They just do a check of all of the firearms that are visible but never searched our vehicles. After the check they usually give us a lecture about keeping it clean and whatnot. We always pack out more than what we pack in so it's preaching to the choir, but whatever. We get checked a lot more at Tumey than Panoche. I think it's because Tumey is smaller and easier to access since it's right off the road. IMO, Tumey is much better for shooting pistols because you can setup quickly right after the gate whereas you have to drive in quite a bit to get to the shooting spots at Panoche. But they have some really long range areas there. We have a spot that goes to 1200 yards which I verified with a range finder.


Panoche Hills
I suggest that you check the weather before you go as it will get muddy when it rains. You can make the trek in a 2WD car as long as it is dry. Hell, I used to drive my VW Golf out there all the time. Do note that it can get pretty hot out there some times. I've shot out there once when it was 100F and it was NOT FUN. It is literally like a desert. Also make sure to bring a large trash bag to clean up. I'm not sure if anyone ever seen this but there are big *** tarantulas out there. One time I was picking up trash and my buddy freaked out. There was a fat tarantula about 4 inches away from my foot. It was camofluaged so well that I didn't even notice it. Also beware of where your backstop is. One time we were shooting long range and through my scope, I saw the top of a white trunk driving through our line of fire. I had to call ceasefire before something bad happened. This idiot was driving off of the designated roads and literally off road bombing it from the side of one hill to other. Also bring water and toilet paper....just incase.

Tumey
Like I said earlier, this place is better if you want to shoot shorter ranges since the shooting spots are pretty close to the road. There is another spot further in where the range is around 120 yards before it slops upwards on a very steep incline. Usually if we shoot clays when we go further in or run some practice drills. But if we are shooting pistols that day, we setup closer to the main road. There is an outhouse in the middle from the road to the inner shooting spot...but again...bring your own paper and water to wash up after. Do note that when it gets windy....it gets WINDY. When we go in the winter, I always layer up. Wear sunglasses out here if possible. The sun wear down your eyes. The last time we were there, some idiot brought a washing machine and shot it all up then left it there. With our luck we also ran into the ranger that day and we had to explain to him that it was not ours.


We never really ran into any "cartel members" or anything like that but we did have one encounter that was very sketchy. Once at Tumey, we were shooting at the furthest spot inside and this truck with 5 guys that looks like our neighbors to the south drove by. They pulled up to one of the ravines and carried in a large cooler and out of our sight. Since at the time it was really earlier, we were the only people there shooting. We called a cease fire to check targets and decided to stop shooting for a bit. Those guys didn't have any firearms on them that we saw when they initially got out of the truck. We didn't even hear any shots go off either. After about 45 minutes, they came back to the truck but without the cooler and drove off. As they drove back, they actually drove closer to us this time and one of the guys were staring us down. Not that we were afraid or anything since we were armed to the teeth. But that was the only uneasy experience that I have had there. I don't know if they were going there to make drugs or a bunch of guys that just decided to eat lunch in secret or whatever. But to this day I still think about it.

[ACastro89]

Anyone want to get a group together and head out for a day or weekend/overnight trip? PM me, new to the bay area

[Timphan]

What's the best way to get to Panoche hills from San Jose? 101 to 152 to i5? Exit Panoche road? Where do I go after that?

[acegunnr]

Originally Posted by Timphan

What's the best way to get to Panoche hills from San Jose? 101 to 152 to i5? Exit Panoche road? Where do I go after that?

The exit off I5 is Shields Rd. Heading west it is called Little Panoche Rd. Follow Little Panoche Rd for about 12 miles to the Panoche BLM entrance on your left. If you hit Mercy Hot Springs, you went too far.