Bozo's trashing my favorite shooting site

[Capt Steve]

Took my neighbor and his SIL out to my favorite spot on the back side of Mt Lemon to shoot on Friday. I found this spot about 5 years ago and it is perfect. Six miles down a dirt road, you need at least a truck and a 4X4 is better, you have to pull off and drive down and through a small opening in the heavy brush. The nearest structure (unoccupied), is 2 miles away, its not fenced or posted - you can shoot anything from a bebe gun to a Howlitzer without bothering anyone. A box of clay birds, the hand thrower and my Browning pump always make for a fun afternoon along with our handguns.

Not many use it as it's easy to miss but know that others do shoot there as I usually find their trash. We always bring a couple of bags and police up the trash, old targets etc., before we go but Friday was the worst. Some numbskulls had been shooting beer bottles scattered around - 5 to 10 yards apart with no particular pattern. I spent 20 minutes carefully picking up about 70% of the broken glass, all I could get without gloves. What really torques me is that place is perfect but someday jerks like this will end up getting it closed. At least they were shooting bottles of Coors Light which actually benefits from being shot vs drank, (I noticed every bottle still had the screw cap in place). (o;

 

[jkc]

This boorish behavior is closing federal public lands to informal shooting throughout AZ, and I suspect, similarly, elsewhere. Early this year, we were chased out of the Rincons, southeast of you, while trying to introduce youngsters to safe shooting. In an ever expanding ring around metro Phoenix, the Tonto NF has banned "target" shooting. Shooters, like hunters, can be their own worst enemies, by behaving badly, crassly, etc., and ruining the opportunities for others. My proposed solution is to offer bounties on litterers. I'd extend this to include those who violate fire restrictions, etc. As yet, there seems to be no groundswell of support for placing me in charge of such matters. Hopefully, this will change...

 

[glenncal1]

We have that problem in Colorado big time. People go out in the shooting spots in the National Forest and bring stuff like computer monitors and then leaveit there. A really nice spot up near Estes Park was closed last year for trash and people shooting in all directions instead of just into the natural backstops that are there. I joined a shooting club because of this activity. Too many Yahoos up there. We also had a fatality at a spot near Colorado Springs that closed that range.

 

[cowboy117]

We have had the same problem in Southern Oregon.One of my favorite sites was closed down and posted with a "No Trespassing,property of the County" signs.

 

[PALADIN85020]

Shooting slobs rank right up there with people who take their dogs on a walk and fail to clean up their deposits from your yard...

John

 

[zoom6zoom]

Shooting slobs...

John

That's a really good idea.

 

[Gasman1972]

I can't understand "shooting slobs" as I'm sure most of us cannot. If I make a mess I clean it up, simple as that. I want landowners to understand that I respect their land and the privileged of being able to have some fun on it.

If I fish I fish where they want and how they want, if they have any preferences. If I shoot I shoot where they want and at what they want. If they don't mind glass I'll shoot some, if they do mind glass I won't...etc. and I clean up behind myself.

Our world is full of lazy, disrespectful, sloppy, arrogant brats and they are ruining our world and no one really gives a **** because the majority fit the bill.

Short version.....the old days are gone for ever and we're screwed.

 

[Maximumbob54]

when I was younger and dumber I was guilty of this kind of thing. Now that I'm a little older and less dumb I try to clean the range better than when I got there. At least a little less dumber...

 

[CJ]

My, my, my! Such a lot of guns around town and so few brains!

Ain't that the truth. Seems like anyplace where unregulated shooting occurs that is within 30 miles of a city is usually trashed. I mean, who the hell loads up old washers, dryers, PCs, TVs, etc., drive an hour or more, turns the junk into swiss cheese and then leaves their garbage adorning the landscape?

 

[JcMack]

The whole thing extends to every facet of life. I was fishing off the bank of a little local lake a while back. A guy pulls up and he lets his little Sheltie out to exercise it. The dog found a giant pile of fish guts laying on the bank about 75 ft. from me. The dog flops in the mess and started rolling in it. The guy comes to me and asks do I have any soap? Lucky for him I had a big tube of GOOP in my company van. He told that dog to go stand in the lake, which he did. After a lot of clean up, the dog ran around to dry off. They both got in the car and took off. I know big deal, not a real exciting story. Slobs are everywhere.

 

[Maximumbob54]

Ain't that the truth. Seems like anyplace where unregulated shooting occurs that is within 30 miles of a city is usually trashed. I mean, who the hell loads up old washers, dryers, PCs, TVs, etc., drive an hour or more, turns the junk into swiss cheese and then leaves their garbage adorning the landscape?

See, now you are making me want to revert a little here… I had an old laptop that I can tell you it would have made my day to blast that thing to smithereens with a .44 magnum. Sigh. But I took the high road and gave it away finally. It’s like the whole “Error PC Load Letter” thing. But then again, I usually cleaned up most of my junk and some other stuff too. But this is a little similar to the whole, “One man’s trash is another man’s treasure…” I found an old TV that someone must have been shooting .22 at since the screen wasn’t broken. Some buddies and myself reduced it to chunks. We later picked up all the big pieces but it wasn’t like we raked and sifted the dirt for the bits. So while it was great fun at the time, I know see that we were making quite a mess.

 

[7tenz]

The whole thing extends to every facet of life. I was fishing off the bank of a little local lake a while back. A guy pulls up and he lets his little Sheltie out to exercise it. The dog found a giant pile of fish guts laying on the bank about 75 ft. from me. The dog flops in the mess and started rolling in it. The guy comes to me and asks do I have any soap? Lucky for him I had a big tube of GOOP in my company van. He told that dog to go stand in the lake, which he did. After a lot of clean up, the dog ran around to dry off. They both got in the car and took off. I know big deal, not a real exciting story. Slobs are everywhere.

Two things stood out here. Fishing and company van? I want a job like yours.

 

[JcMack]

Two things stood out here. Fishing and company van? I want a job like yours.

5 YRS ago after work on the way home. Things are little different now. I doubt you would have wanted my job, unless you want a job working in gang infested neighborhoods on Chicago's So. Side. Thanks for your observation.

 

[7tenz]

I gotta go in those kinda places once in a while too, in fact on Monday morning first thing. Way to start a new week. I was just ribbing you JC.

Actually since I get paid for what I do instead of by the hour, I could break out a pole, that is if I were into fishing, which I'm not.