This is why we cannot have nice things.

[boattail]

I live 15 minutes from the only BLM land that allows target shooting. Over the years I have learned to stay away from that range except for times in the middle of the week. It is a pretty good spot to shoot out to 500 yards. One issue though is rocks...lots of rocks to cause ricochets and fires.

Second biggest issue is people....or more like idiots. For years I have gone in to just turn around and leave because of stupidity that is too numerous to list here. The shooting area is about 120 yards wide marked with barriers. Those boundaries are always pushed on busy days which makes safely going down range to change a target too risky.

I have not gone up there to shoot in years other than this is where I go to renew my CCW. I belong to a private range that I do most of my target shooting on. Today the wife and I took my Jeep out for a drive as it is the first day we have seen the sun in a month. Being the Saturday after Xmas and a sunny day I knew the range would be packed. We decided to just drive up near it to see how many people were there. It is 1.5 miles of dirt road getting to the range. We made it .5 miles in before we spotted trouble...two rigs along the road set up and shooting. Just past them were more rigs along the road set up shooting. We never made it to the spot you can see the actual range to get a look at how many were there. When folks decide to line the side of the road for a mile, out of bounds for shooting, I am not going anywhere near them. The second group of rigs was set up back from a straight line to the first group of shooters. The second groups shots had the potential to ricochet over to the first groups area.

I know two people that have been accidentally shot at that range.

The BLM has been trying to get this range closed and the only reason it stays open is from the pressure of the few instructors that pay a fee to use it for their ccw classes.

If the people took care of this range and followed the rules they would double the capacity of the area and would be welcomed.....instead it's a fight to keep the animals contained.

[acaligunner]

I use to go shooting at the old Kentucky ( public ) shooting spot. Didn’t last too long, they closed it down.

[mjo55]

I use to go shooting at the old Kentucky ( public ) shooting spot. Didn’t last too long, they closed it down.

Back in the '80's that was one of the places I went too.

[GOEX FFF]

Back in the '80's that was one of the places I went too.

Brings to mind Dry Gultch and Texas Canyon. They used to be such great spots back then.

[cudakidd]

Brings to mind Dry Gultch and Texas Canyon. They used to be such great spots back then.

Stopped going to Texas canyon decades ago way too unsafe, garbage everywhere,...

[GOEX FFF]

Stopped going to Texas canyon decades ago way too unsafe, garbage everywhere,...

I'm sure, as time went on.

When we first found the place, my Dad would always take my brother and I there. It was nice and not a lot of people.
I remember we'd always try to get the same spot. It was a little grassy area under a big shade tree. We'd put all the guns and ammo in my Dad's open trunk of his car and set up our lawn chairs under the tree and plink away all day long.

Perhaps you might remember this too. There was a guy who would ALWAYS be there in his van who would collect brass, I assume for scrap. He had bucket loads of brass in his van and we'd always stop and give him ours on our way out.
Just one of those random memories I'll never forget about TX canyon. lol

[splithoof]

I hate to say it, but IMO way too many folks who shoot are an extension of the trash they shoot at. I am a long-time member of a private club, but even there I routinely observe bad gun handling. Some of them are living proof that a dildo can drive a car, own a gun, and attempt to shoot it.
Some day if I can get out of this state, I will have my very own private range, nobody else, and no BS.

[ar15barrels]

I live 15 minutes from the only BLM land that allows target shooting. Over the years I have learned to stay away from that range except for times in the middle of the week. It is a pretty good spot to shoot out to 500 yards. One issue though is rocks...lots of rocks to cause ricochets and fires.

Second biggest issue is people....or more like idiots. For years I have gone in to just turn around and leave because of stupidity that is too numerous to list here. The shooting area is about 120 yards wide marked with barriers. Those boundaries are always pushed on busy days which makes safely going down range to change a target too risky.

I have not gone up there to shoot in years other than this is where I go to renew my CCW. I belong to a private range that I do most of my target shooting on. Today the wife and I took my Jeep out for a drive as it is the first day we have seen the sun in a month. Being the Saturday after Xmas and a sunny day I knew the range would be packed. We decided to just drive up near it to see how many people were there. It is 1.5 miles of dirt road getting to the range. We made it .5 miles in before we spotted trouble...two rigs along the road set up and shooting. Just past them were more rigs along the road set up shooting. We never made it to the spot you can see the actual range to get a look at how many were there. When folks decide to line the side of the road for a mile, out of bounds for shooting, I am not going anywhere near them. The second group of rigs was set up back from a straight line to the first group of shooters. The second groups shots had the potential to ricochet over to the first groups area.

I know two people that have been accidentally shot at that range.

The BLM has been trying to get this range closed and the only reason it stays open is from the pressure of the few instructors that pay a fee to use it for their ccw classes.

If the people took care of this range and followed the rules they would double the capacity of the area and would be welcomed.....instead it's a fight to keep the animals contained.

Where is it that you are talking about?
1N09?

[boattail]

Where is it that you are talking about?
1N09?

Spring Branch

[12pewpew]

You guys sound like a bunch of old women. I grew up going to Lytle Creek in the 70's and 80's. Getting accidentally shot was a right of passage back then.

[boattail]

I went back out to the public range in the Jeep again just to see what it would be like in the rain on new years day. Two of the out of bounds shooting areas from last weekend were still erected. All the targets and trash still set up. The actual range had two groups shooting in the rain. They were set up right with canopies and rain gear. The entire range was a mess. Not so much with targets but junk pallets and appliances. The biggest issue was the shotgun hulls. There were hundreds of them left on the ground.

What was nice to see were the two groups shooting had gathered trash and hulls near their shooting area and look to have been prepared to haul it out from where it was piled. I was going to stop and fill the bed of my Jeep with hulls but the main area they were in was slightly down range from the shooters so I did not stop. It was raining pretty good and the groups were actively shooting and I did not want to make them stop for the old man picking up trash.

I will say as a reloader that range is a good place to scrounge range brass. I usually end up with a few pounds of brass and a trash bag or two of trash when I do go out there. There were a few locals that hit the range every morning to scrounge brass but I have not seen them in a while.

I did bring a gun to shoot but decided against it as it started raining too hard to enjoy myself. I just ended up driving the Jeep out past the range and drove around on the flooded roads trying to break this new engine in.

[yuccales]

Couple of tarps on the ground makes for easy brass cleanup. We've been doing this for years. Even the pesky Mini is no match for my homemade brass catcher! 😉 100_0257_resized.jpg 100_0593.jpg

[MajorSideburns]

I went back out to the public range in the Jeep again just to see what it would be like in the rain on new years day. Two of the out of bounds shooting areas from last weekend were still erected. All the targets and trash still set up. The actual range had two groups shooting in the rain. They were set up right with canopies and rain gear. The entire range was a mess. Not so much with targets but junk pallets and appliances. The biggest issue was the shotgun hulls. There were hundreds of them left on the ground.

What was nice to see were the two groups shooting had gathered trash and hulls near their shooting area and look to have been prepared to haul it out from where it was piled. I was going to stop and fill the bed of my Jeep with hulls but the main area they were in was slightly down range from the shooters so I did not stop. It was raining pretty good and the groups were actively shooting and I did not want to make them stop for the old man picking up trash.

I will say as a reloader that range is a good place to scrounge range brass. I usually end up with a few pounds of brass and a trash bag or two of trash when I do go out there. There were a few locals that hit the range every morning to scrounge brass but I have not seen them in a while.

I did bring a gun to shoot but decided against it as it started raining too hard to enjoy myself. I just ended up driving the Jeep out past the range and drove around on the flooded roads trying to break this new engine in.

The BLM shooting spots near me were all shut down for target shooting by the BLM due to the constant trash and dumping. I hate to say it but if you want to continue to shoot at your spot try to do the best you can to pick up after the lowlifes who leave their garbage there and when you catch them in the act let them know to clean up after themselves. You might even want to organize dedicated cleanup days with a group of other friendly shooters who use the spot to haul the appliances and crap out of there. It's always a few scumbags who ruin things for everyone else. And the government is always looking for an excuse to shut down shooting spots, try not to give them one.