West Mountain State Forest - Closed to target shooting!

[foolinwfire]

Went to my spot today to sling some lead, found a lot of signs: No Target Shooting In This Area part 190.8 of NY Codes Rules and Regulations.

I don't know how many of you know this area, it "was" the best free spot to target shoot. Folks ignored the signs of clean up your mess and brought in crap to shoot at, destroyed trees etc... Thanks A-Holes you ruined it for the guy like me who always cleaned mine plus everyone else's mess.

 

[Carlos Hathcock]

Yup. Always one or two assholes to ruin shit for the rest.

 

[joemb]

Wow. That's really shitty news. That was my favorite spot to practice drills without all the typical range B.S.
I'm not too surprised though considering how some shitheads treated the place. I was always hauling people's trash out of there and the last time we showed up to 3-4 giant trees literally shot down.

 

[Doc8404]

At least that section allows this. Not sure how

q) Unless accompanied by a parent or guardian, no person under 21 years of age shall possess alcoholic beverages.

 

[Acer-m14]

At least that section allows this. Not sure how

q) Unless accompanied by a parent or guardian, no person under 21 years of age shall possess alcoholic beverages.

6 CRR-NY 190.8
Current through August 31, 2017 .. guess the drinking law just got superseded .. the boy n girl scouts will love this while camping on state lands LOL ..

 

[Glenn B]

When I was down in AR earlier this year, I went to a part of a national forest that was designated as a firearms range. There were several not all that far west of Hot Springs. I drove down a crappy dirt road to a point where there was a chain across the road and although my GPS said I had about quarter or half a mile to go, I got out and looked around and there was the range just 20 yards or so from my car out my right window (and not any further down the road).

There were a couple or few benches from which to shoot and a target stand or three in terrible condition but I made due. There also was a disgustingly huge mess, looked as if almost no one ever cleaned up after they shot. There were old blown away wood target stands, paper targets here and there, splintered wood abounding, an old fridge shot to shit, metal fragments of some good size all around, some other shot up junk, brass and steel shell casings galore (mostly steel for the obvious reason as will be seen) and lots of shotgun cases too.

I decided to shoot a bit and figured since it was a weekday, I would have the range to myself. I don't recall for sure but seem to remember I did not even fire a shot and another guy showed up with an AR. I had a couple of my pistols and a Remington Model 141 in 35 REM. He seemed okay and we talked a bit, got things straight on how we would do this and call cease fires and such, then started shooting. In a short while, along come three other guys. They were clowns at best and unsafe at that - very unsafe. They put cans up on the target stand I was using and when I very politely asked the guy who did it to make sure not to shoot my paper target as I was sighting in a gun - he said can't you see my bullets hitting the can. He had not hit it once so I had figured he had been shooting at the paper. Shit, I even gave him and another of them ear plugs because they were shooting without hearing protection. Same guy later was pointing his gun at everyone on range and when I called him on that, again politely, he got angry and said 'it ain't loaded'. He showed me the mag on the bench and I pointed out the closed chamber on his rifle. When I mentioned that many people get shot with an unloaded gun, it whizzed right past him, and he told me he 'I just don't understand how that is possible' (as best I can recall those were or are very close to his words). At that point he was lectured by the guy among the three who seemingly owned the few guns they had with them and the owner told me the other two had never shot before (obviously never been taught any firearms safety either). I left after another volley of fire as I was becoming very uncomfortable. Just before finishing my last rounds of fire, another guy shows up, an old geezer who looked like a 49er, and starts scrounging around my feet while almost having his face in my butt. I almost hit him with the rifle stock and showed great restraint not to have done so because at first I thought he was reaching for my pistol.

The old motherf'er was reaching to grab a 35 REM shell casing as I turned to confront him. I told him to back off and also told him to leave my shell casings where there were on the ground. He huffed and puffed but walked away. After that, I cleaned up my shell casings as best I could and packed to go. As I was leaving, the guy who had shown up right after me gave me a knowing shake of his head. He was getting ready to leave too from the looks of it. I imagine he was feeling just as unsafe as was I. He had explained to me a bit earlier that the range used to be kept fairly clean because a military base sent out troops to clean up with relative reliability every so often but he said it obviously had been a practice that was halted for quite awhile. I could not believe the friggin mess people had left there but while it might have had to do with arsehats, my bet is that it also had to do with government nannyism. I mean, why the hell should anyone come to depend on the government to clean a range - thus when they stopped - it got more disgusting than ever because people expected them to clean it but they did not. Of course, it was not the G making the mess, it was the shooters. Clean up your own messes folks - it isn't that hard.

 

[wizrd]

On some Oneida county land, close to me - open for hunting, target practice - came across three young guys this summer, they set up BOTTLES - in the midle of the dirt road that allows access and proceeded to shoot them. I know they weren't going to pick them up later, - tried reasoning them out of the shooting bottles - left in disgust. Assholes are gonna asshole - just saying. Didn't stick around to see if they stopped, - too many evil thoughts going thru my mind!

 

[PDR_AR15]

What kind of signs - official NYS DEC signs? I would not put it past some of the people I saw there to make up and post their own signs and hope people stopped showing up to target practice. Do you have a picture of any of the signs that were posted? Any phone numbers to call on them?

The 190.8 regulations state --- (ab) No person shall possess breakable targets, including but not limited to clay pigeons, on State lands and no person shall target shoot at breakable targets, including but not limited to clay pigeons and glass containers, on State lands. Unless legally engaged in the act of hunting, no person shall discharge firearms on State lands posted or designated as closed to target shooting.

I always liked to go there, I hope it is not officially closed to target practice. Could it just have been closed temporarily for hunting season?

Went to my spot today to sling some lead, found a lot of signs: No Target Shooting In This Area part 190.8 of NY Codes Rules and Regulations.

I don't know how many of you know this area, it "was" the best free spot to target shoot. Folks ignored the signs of clean up your mess and brought in crap to shoot at, destroyed trees etc... Thanks A-Holes you ruined it for the guy like me who always cleaned mine plus everyone else's mess.

 

[joemb]

What kind of signs - official NYS DEC signs? I would not put it past some of the people I saw there to make up and post their own signs and hope people stopped showing up to target practice. Do you have a picture of any of the signs that were posted? Any phone numbers to call on them?

The 190.8 regulations state --- (ab) No person shall possess breakable targets, including but not limited to clay pigeons, on State lands and no person shall target shoot at breakable targets, including but not limited to clay pigeons and glass containers, on State lands. Unless legally engaged in the act of hunting, no person shall discharge firearms on State lands posted or designated as closed to target shooting.

I always liked to go there, I hope it is not officially closed to target practice. Could it just have been closed temporarily for hunting season?

It is very possible it's a homemade sign. A lot of the locals have been crying about the noise of gunshots. Calling DEC wouldn't be a bad idea.

 

[SNORTHRUP1]

There was a Wildlife Management Area 1/2 a mile down the road from where I grew up in my hometown in Ovid. They had a 100 yard shooting lane where people could sight-in their rifles & slug guns for hunting season. The last few times I shot there, there where about 4-500 spent shotshells all over the ground, broken beer bottles all over and what was left over from people camping overnight there & having a bonfire in the middle of the parking area. Its sad when people gotta be such pigs and have these area's closed for the rest of us.

 

[Saltwater60]

Samthing with fishing streams. I don't blame these people for not opening their land to become a garbage dump for these a holes.

 

[Onjikaruto]

For all: I reached out to the Region 3 DEC and have affirmed that the notices are legitimate and area is closed to Target shooting indefinitely. According to a later phone call with them, they cited the increased garbage left behind as well as the killing (blowing up) of several live trees in the area.

Maybe if we get a petition signed and propose a volunteer crew to clean it up once in a while, we could get it reopened?

In the mean time; does anyone know any spots in Orange County? Or private spots in Putnam or Dutchess?

 

[Dinkus the Stinkus]

I go to a spot similar to this in Spencerport called the Alabama swamps. Same kind of garbage goes on there and there are days we feel very unsafe.

Haven't been in a while. Would rather just buy my own land and make my own private range.

 

[dubleuhb]

I go to a spot similar to this in Spencerport called the Alabama swamps. Same kind of garbage goes on there and there are days we feel very unsafe.

Haven't been in a while. Would rather just buy my own land and make my own private range.

Alabama swamps is quite a drive from spencerport, not even the same county.

 

[Dinkus the Stinkus]

Alabama swamps is quite a drive from spencerport, not even the same county.

I swear Google said Spencerport last time I went. I guess I meant middleport

 

[nyguy_817]

Good morning everyone . I'm new to this site and came across is when I was searching about west mountain. I've been shooting there for years and felt the need to start a petition to allow us to shoot there still . Hopefully everyone can check it out and help spread the news and sign it . Thank you . Sign the Petition

 

[PDR_AR15]

I signed it, thanks for setting it up. I hope it works, I would like to see the place reopened. Although I have to admit - I am not on-board with some of the comments offering to clean up all the mess that others leave behind. I will clean up my own shells/targets and my friends shells/targets, but I am not cleaning up after slobs who intentionally left a lot of crap behind. An inadvertently missed shell or two I will pick up any time and every time, but I will not clean up their mess.

Whortlekill Rod & Gun has indoor pistol shooting several nights a week and also sat/sun mornings. It is open to the public. $15 for 30 minutes, $25 for an hour.

 

[Boricua2706]

Good morning everyone . I'm new to this site and came across is when I was searching about west mountain. I've been shooting there for years and felt the need to start a petition to allow us to shoot there still . Hopefully everyone can check it out and help spread the news and sign it . Thank you . Sign the Petition

I hope we can do something about this...even if i gotta join a clean up crew I'll do it just to have it back

 

[Boricua2706]

Is there any other spots to go ?

 

[Eddie Gunks]

How about this.

Everyone wmthat cutrently shouts at a state forest type “range”. Go out RIGHT NOW, THIS SEEK AND CLEAN IT UP!

And every week go back and clean it more....till the end of days.

This may assure it never being closed.

Act now. Do not wait.