shooting crackdown on WA DNR lands?

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Chip Down
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shooting crackdown on WA DNR lands?

Post by Chip Down » April 24th, 2021, 2:44 pm

On a drive through Rock Creek/Yacolt neighborhood SW of Silver Star, I saw a lot of new signage reminding visitors that they can't go shooting anywhere they feel like it.

I don't know if it will help.

Disclaimer: I'm not anti gun. I just don't like having to hear it all day (along with screaming two-cycle engines).

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sgyoung
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Re: shooting crackdown on WA DNR lands?

Post by sgyoung » April 24th, 2021, 3:06 pm

I suspect these signs will be thoroughly shot up in no time, unfortunately. All the same, I appreciate the effort to limit unregulated shooting on public lands. Not necessarily anti-gun either, but agreed that people shooting off in the woods is not a great idea.

Aimless
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Re: shooting crackdown on WA DNR lands?

Post by Aimless » April 24th, 2021, 4:09 pm

Additional signage doesn't seem to produce any real improvement in where target shooters decide to shoot. The responsible ones already know the rules and follow them. The irresponsible ones just ignore them. A vigilant enforcement presence would work, especially if it were coupled with high fines, and with liens or wage garnishment if the fines aren't paid. Of course, that's not going to happen unless the public demands it and is willing to pay for it.

Here's an example of a similar problem.

The trails in my local park are leash-only, but enforcement is non-existent because the trails are not accessible to vehicles and the officers never walk on the trails. Dog owners easily discovered this and about half of them use it as a place to let their dogs off-leash. One day last year the city put up a bunch of new signs about leash-only at the trailheads. These were MUCH more prominent than the old signs. The dog owners were a bit spooked by this. Some of them started leashing their dogs. Others would wait until they saw someone coming and then leash up. But the new signs were never backed up with further enforcement. After about two weeks it was back to half the dogs being off-leash. So it goes.

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Chip Down
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Re: shooting crackdown on WA DNR lands?

Post by Chip Down » April 24th, 2021, 4:24 pm

sgyoung wrote:
April 24th, 2021, 3:06 pm
I suspect these signs will be thoroughly shot up in no time, unfortunately.
Literally LOL, you're right. :lol:
Aimless wrote:
April 24th, 2021, 4:09 pm
Additional signage doesn't seem to produce any real improvement in where target shooters decide to shoot. The responsible ones already know the rules and follow them.
Oh, that reminds me, I have a recent story: I heard shooting as I was approaching my car (parked at gate). Turns out shooter was at gate, shooting at his target which was down the road. He knew I was down the road, because there was nowhere else for a person to go after parking at that gate. I admonished him when I reached the gate, but he said he was doing nothing wrong, insisted it's okay to shoot on a road if cautious. Suggested I was at fault for being on road when people are shooting. I didn't even bother, what more can you say at that point?

Aimless
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Re: shooting crackdown on WA DNR lands?

Post by Aimless » April 24th, 2021, 4:29 pm

Chip Down wrote:
April 24th, 2021, 4:24 pm
what more can you say at that point?
Considering you're talking to someone holding a loaded gun... not much. :shock:

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Chip Down
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Re: shooting crackdown on WA DNR lands?

Post by Chip Down » April 24th, 2021, 4:32 pm

Aimless wrote:
April 24th, 2021, 4:29 pm
Chip Down wrote:
April 24th, 2021, 4:24 pm
what more can you say at that point?
Considering you're talking to someone holding a loaded gun... not much. :shock:
Exactly! :lol:
He was actually a nice kid, other than the stupidity, and I shifted the conversation into friendlier territory.

squidvicious
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Re: shooting crackdown on WA DNR lands?

Post by squidvicious » April 24th, 2021, 4:59 pm

Aimless wrote:
April 24th, 2021, 4:09 pm
But the new signs were never backed up with further enforcement...
I had someone curse me out and tell me their "sweet" dog absolutely did not need to be on a leash at Powell Butte (1) while literally standing directly in front of one of the several prominent signs that say dogs must be on leash (2) after the dog just bit me.

So yeah, signs turn out to be not great substitutes for people actually giving a crap.

Webfoot
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Re: shooting crackdown on WA DNR lands?

Post by Webfoot » April 24th, 2021, 5:36 pm

Chip Down wrote:
April 24th, 2021, 4:24 pm
Suggested I was at fault for being on road when people are shooting.
squidvicious wrote:
April 24th, 2021, 4:59 pm
I had someone curse me out and tell me their "sweet" dog absolutely did not need to be on a leash at Powell Butte (1) while literally standing directly in front of one of the several prominent signs that say dogs must be on leash (2) after the dog just bit me.
Someone please arrange for these two to meet. I'll bring popcorn. :twisted:

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Re: shooting crackdown on WA DNR lands?

Post by justpeachy » April 25th, 2021, 6:51 am

"No shooting" signs are just another target to be shot at. I agree that they will soon be full of bullet holes.

Land agencies don't seem to have the resources to really address the issue. Before the Riverside Fire shut down that whole area, shooting and its related litter was such a huge problem in the Clackamas River Ranger District that I asked them about it. They said that they had tried closure orders, signs, educational materials, site rehabilitation, blocking access, and law enforcement, but had limited success. There is only one law enforcement officer for 440,000 acres, signs get removed or destroyed, and closing areas just results in displacement: bad behavior moving to another spot on the district.

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5.2 pounds of shotgun shells gathered in just five minutes

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retired jerry
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Re: shooting crackdown on WA DNR lands?

Post by retired jerry » April 25th, 2021, 7:01 am

maybe they should identify areas where shooting is acceptable

of course, this could cause liability problems

there's a lot of shooting along Lolo Pass Road that you can hear from the Zigzag ridge and north side of Mt Hood

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