Is your access to places to shoot or hunt slowly going away?

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[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Is your access to places to shoot or hunt slowly going away? (Page 1 of 2)

Posted: 4/20/2016 2:36:04 AM EDT

I predict that within 10 years, I will no longer have anyplace to shoot other than a local range.
Family land has been split in so many ways, that it will look like a subdivision by then.
I really need to find some land to call my own pretty soon.

Posted: 4/20/2016 2:36:57 AM EDT

[#1]

For now.

Of course the way this country is headed I foresee many new places opening for business.

Posted: 4/20/2016 2:40:06 AM EDT

[#2]

Quoted:
I predict that within 10 years, I will no longer have anyplace to shoot other than a local range.
Family land has been split in so many ways, that it will look like a subdivision by then.
I really need to find some land to call my own pretty soon.

View Quote

I'm ok for now.

You should really make this a poll. I'll bet it is a pretty high yes for people seeing hunting get smaller and smaller for locations.

Posted: 4/20/2016 2:42:25 AM EDT

[#3]

Yes

Should be a poll.

Posted: 4/20/2016 3:05:34 AM EDT

[#4]

No.

Not even close.

Posted: 4/20/2016 3:15:54 AM EDT

[#5]

Thankfully half my siblings make 7-figures. One of them provides me with awesome opportunities. I try to return the favor by influencing his children and our other nephews into the culture of hunting, fishing & shooting. I think we’ve done well.

Posted: 4/20/2016 3:20:27 AM EDT

[#6]

I've got enough land in a very rural area to not have to worry.

Posted: 4/20/2016 3:22:14 AM EDT

[#7]

Yeah we're about the only "growing" area in Upstate, so over the years the fields and farms of my youth have slowly been giving way to developments
I still have my personal land to shoot on, but I can see where the hunters I particular are having issues

Posted: 4/20/2016 3:24:00 AM EDT

[#8]

Those $10 to $15 per hour indoor places are more common now around here (DC area).

If you are referring to "open land" where a guy could just shoot without police intervention - I've never encountered that anywhere in the USA (and I've lived in 5 states).

- does it still exist near you?

Posted: 4/20/2016 3:41:39 AM EDT

[#9]

Quote History

Quoted:
No.

Not even close.

View Quote

Gun club

Hunting Club

scmar land

plenty of places

Posted: 4/20/2016 3:44:37 AM EDT

[#10]

Quote History

Quoted:
Those $10 to $15 per hour indoor places are more common now around here (DC area).

If you are referring to "open land" where a guy could just shoot without police intervention - I've never encountered that anywhere in the USA (and I've lived in 5 states).

- does it still exist near you?

View Quote

I think there are guys out west who are used to gov't owned land that they "go out into the desert" to shoot on.
There isn't "open land" here in the sense that it isn't owned by anyone.
The days of huge swaths of agricultural land with little residential development, where you could go out and shoot without bothering anyone, in much of the heavily populated areas of the nation is simply going away
That's not to say that there aren't many areas where people can shoot with relative ease

Posted: 4/20/2016 3:46:16 AM EDT

[#11]

Lots of places out here, dumbfucks keep dumping their garbage and trashing the shit out of everything though so i can see them drying up.

Posted: 4/20/2016 3:46:46 AM EDT

[#12]

Quote History

Quoted:

Gun club

Hunting Club

scmar land

plenty of places

View Quote View All Quotes

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Quote History

Quoted:

Quoted:
No.

Not even close.

Gun club

Hunting Club

scmar land

plenty of places

Plus I've got ask of those evil federal lands that people want to be dissolved.

I'm perfectly happy with the way it is now.

Posted: 4/20/2016 3:50:43 AM EDT

[#13]

The days of knocking on doors for hunting permission are all but gone, thanks to leasing agreements. I've had several folks ask me if they could lease my little 50 acres in NE Missouri, but I turned them all.away. I'd rather let some kid hunt if for free.

I'm actually getting ready to sell that place to the neighbor. I can use the profits to damned near pay my house off. Then I'll have all kinds of money freed up to buy more land.

Posted: 4/20/2016 4:03:20 AM EDT

[#14]

Quote History

Quoted:

Yeah we're about the only "growing" area in Upstate, so over the years the fields and farms of my youth have slowly been giving way to developments

I still have my personal land to shoot on, but I can see where the hunters I particular are having issues

View Quote

Plenty of abandoned farms in upstate, although hard to legally get permission to hunt some farm that has been foreclosed and is a boarded up house and bunch of overgrown fields.

There are plenty of little guns clubs in upstate and much more stuff like idpa, ipsc, and mainly outlaw precision and pistol matches. I found out about carbine matches that are held out in the sticks that are invitation only, all the guys work the same place.

Posted: 4/20/2016 4:11:32 AM EDT

[#15]

Quote History

Quoted:
Plenty of abandoned farms in upstate, although hard to legally get permission to hunt some farm that has been foreclosed and is a boarded up house and bunch of overgrown fields.

There are plenty of little guns clubs in upstate and much more stuff like idpa, ipsc, and mainly outlaw precision and pistol matches. I found out about carbine matches that are held out in the sticks that are invitation only, all the guys work the same place.

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Quote History

Quoted:

Quoted:
Yeah we're about the only "growing" area in Upstate, so over the years the fields and farms of my youth have slowly been giving way to developments
I still have my personal land to shoot on, but I can see where the hunters I particular are having issues

Plenty of abandoned farms in upstate, although hard to legally get permission to hunt some farm that has been foreclosed and is a boarded up house and bunch of overgrown fields.

There are plenty of little guns clubs in upstate and much more stuff like idpa, ipsc, and mainly outlaw precision and pistol matches. I found out about carbine matches that are held out in the sticks that are invitation only, all the guys work the same place.

I took OPs post to exclude formal range facilities and to be focused more on open property where you could go to shoot without getting 911 called.
There aren't many abandoned farms here
The land gets sold off to other farmers or developed.
Regardless, we still get a ton of calls to 911 when some citified snowflake pees themselves after moving to the "country" when they hear gunfire.
The good ol' boys blowing up Tannerite aren't helping matters of neighborly relations.

Posted: 4/20/2016 5:01:54 AM EDT

[#16]

We're pretty much out of spots to shoot out on public land.
Too much garbage, a few forest fires (supposedly started by shooters) and people dumping cars over the course of 10-15 years has whittled the spots down to nil.

I hardly go shooting anymore.

Posted: 4/20/2016 5:10:07 AM EDT

[#17]

I haven't had to shoot or hunt on public land in years. The other day I looked at 115 acres 30 minutes from the house for sale. The guy wants a reasonable amount for it, and there are atv trails all over it.

Posted: 4/20/2016 5:13:51 AM EDT

[#18]

Quoted:
I predict that within 10 years, I will no longer have anyplace to shoot other than a local range.
Family land has been split in so many ways, that it will look like a subdivision by then.
I really need to find some land to call my own pretty soon.

View Quote

It's been disappearing for me the last 25-30 years. Land behind my house was all once privately owned woodland/farmland. Land owners allowed and encouraged hunting..It's all (for the most part) now a horse park. Surrounding land around me used to all be farm fields. Much of that now has been developed and douchey NY/NJ transplants have moved in and almost immediately started complaining about my shooting, which wasn't often. I now shoot suppressed but even that is on limited time as the land next to me is slated to have a house go on it at some point.

Posted: 4/20/2016 5:26:29 AM EDT

[#19]

Quoted:
I predict that within 10 years, I will no longer have anyplace to shoot other than a local range.
Family land has been split in so many ways, that it will look like a subdivision by then.
I really need to find some land to call my own pretty soon.

View Quote

My shooting spots are slowly disappearing due to vandals, trash and inconsiderate shooters.

This is a too common sight in my area (yea, in order to shoot the targets hung it requires the shooter to send bullets over the berm and through the forest).

Posted: 4/20/2016 6:14:08 AM EDT

[#20]

Yes, but different than why you think-

Around here, the ranchers and farmers lease their land out to hunters. For years and years, hunting was cheap.

Now you have people with lots of money wanting to hunt. Since there is no place to hunt around DFW anymore, they drive 3 hrs my way to hunt, and it raises the cost of leases significantly. When it used to be "youre a friend of the family/ share some of your kill and do some work" to " that will be 500" to "that will be 1000". I know of leases around here that are 3k for the same acreage I pay 1k for. Out of towners are willing to pay more. Killing hunting for normal people nationwide.

Posted: 4/20/2016 6:17:11 AM EDT

[#21]

I've got 140 wooded acres where I live. It's not going away until I'm in the ground.

Posted: 4/20/2016 6:25:35 AM EDT

[#22]

Quote History

Quoted:
Those $10 to $15 per hour indoor places are more common now around here (DC area).

If you are referring to "open land" where a guy could just shoot without police intervention - I've never encountered that anywhere in the USA (and I've lived in 5 states).

- does it still exist near you?

View Quote

Nevada fuck yea

Posted: 4/20/2016 6:31:55 AM EDT

[#23]

Quote History

Quoted:
Those $10 to $15 per hour indoor places are more common now around here (DC area).

If you are referring to "open land" where a guy could just shoot without police intervention - I've never encountered that anywhere in the USA (and I've lived in 5 states).

- does it still exist near you?

View Quote

There's quite a few open land places here that are available but you have to be friends with people who own the land.

A newer shooter who has recently been bitten by the BRD bug is making a 120 yards range on his own land. He's talking about hanging steel for handguns and raising berms for rifles. He's about 2 miles from me and shoots quite a bit with me now so I hope he follows through with his plans.

Posted: 4/20/2016 6:37:50 AM EDT

[#24]

Quote History

Quoted:

My shooting spots are slowly disappearing due to vandals, trash and inconsiderate shooters.

This is a too common sight in my area (yea, in order to shoot the targets hung it requires the shooter to send bullets over the berm and through the forest).

http://i179.photobucket.com/albums/w303/theoneandonlyhoppy/11336871_1016524675032773_1683389600790647773_o_zpspjlswklm.jpg

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Quote History

Quoted:

Quoted:
I predict that within 10 years, I will no longer have anyplace to shoot other than a local range.
Family land has been split in so many ways, that it will look like a subdivision by then.
I really need to find some land to call my own pretty soon.

My shooting spots are slowly disappearing due to vandals, trash and inconsiderate shooters.

This is a too common sight in my area (yea, in order to shoot the targets hung it requires the shooter to send bullets over the berm and through the forest).

http://i179.photobucket.com/albums/w303/theoneandonlyhoppy/11336871_1016524675032773_1683389600790647773_o_zpspjlswklm.jpg

That negates the purpose of the berm

Posted: 4/20/2016 6:43:37 AM EDT

[#25]

Yes, to the point I haven't hunted in years and don't shoot recreationally very much.

Posted: 4/20/2016 6:48:08 AM EDT

[#26]

Quote History

Quoted:
Lots of places out here, dumbfucks keep dumping their garbage and trashing the shit out of everything though so i can see them drying up.

View Quote

Yep that will do it

Posted: 4/20/2016 6:55:40 AM EDT

[#27]

the places I have had the opportunity to hunt for small game, deer and ducks has decreased 50% in the past 5-7 years. shrinking fast.

Posted: 4/20/2016 6:57:55 AM EDT

[#28]

Quote History

Quoted:
Those $10 to $15 per hour indoor places are more common now around here (DC area).

If you are referring to "open land" where a guy could just shoot without police intervention - I've never encountered that anywhere in the USA (and I've lived in 5 states).

- does it still exist near you?

View Quote

I have that on my property. Live free or die.

Posted: 4/20/2016 7:25:07 AM EDT

[#29]

Quote History

Quoted:
Those $10 to $15 per hour indoor places are more common now around here (DC area).

If you are referring to "open land" where a guy could just shoot without police intervention - I've never encountered that anywhere in the USA (and I've lived in 5 states).

- does it still exist near you?

View Quote

I am fortunate in that I can shoot on BLM land that's ten minutes from my place.

Posted: 4/20/2016 7:28:59 AM EDT

[#30]

Unless they change the laws I have my own range beside my house.

Posted: 4/20/2016 7:32:16 AM EDT

[#31]

Quote History

Quoted:

Those $10 to $15 per hour indoor places are more common now around here (DC area).

If you are referring to "open land" where a guy could just shoot without police intervention - I've never encountered that anywhere in the USA (and I've lived in 5 states).

- does it still exist near you?

View Quote

It existed back in WV. Lots of places to go shoot before I moved. It could have changed by now but I would think with all the abandoned mining operations you would still be able to go out some place and shoot.

Posted: 4/20/2016 7:34:45 AM EDT

[#32]

Quote History

Quoted:
Those $10 to $15 per hour indoor places are more common now around here (DC area).

If you are referring to "open land" where a guy could just shoot without police intervention - I've never encountered that anywhere in the USA (and I've lived in 5 states).

- does it still exist near you?

View Quote

Yep....I bought my own hunting/range property but you got to pick and choose carefully.

We leased close to 2K acres at one time but I got tired of messing with it after Dad died.

Posted: 4/20/2016 7:35:30 AM EDT

[#33]

Depends on your situation.

Mine regarding family land in upstate NY, nope. Huge family with adjourning land from multiple members, talking well over 1000 acres. One has his own 800 yard gun range along side the crop field that a lot of us go to and we all hunt on each others land and neighbor's land who don't hunt yet give permission that they've known for decades.

Most of us hunt in drives together all over on each others land and none of us hunt on public land. We know and trust each other to not get shot at unlike the army of orange idiots out there on public land with incidents that have happened in the state past few years.

Not changing anytime soon, consider myself blessed in that regards.

Posted: 4/20/2016 7:53:09 AM EDT

[#34]

I live in NJ so we don't really have a lot of choices normally. It's either an outdoor club or an indoor one. There aren't too many of either and the way the state absolutely hates guns and gun owners once 2018 rolls around there won't be either ranges or guns in this state. Which is why I'm planning my escape before 2018.

Posted: 4/20/2016 8:17:38 AM EDT

[#35]

Nope. In fact, in the last 10 years it's almost doubled.

And I've been in the same place the whole time.

Posted: 4/20/2016 8:25:08 AM EDT

[#36]

Private land? It's going the way of pay to play. You get paid to have people take care of your land and if people are paying for something they tend to take care of it.

Public land? Depends on the state. Some states are fucked because there simply isn't that much state/Fed owned land. The remaining states are dependent on a states DNR/legislator and the public access programs they have in place. That can swing from nonexistent to fantastic. Some states offer tax breaks for open access programs. Those programs have been really successful.

Posted: 4/20/2016 8:36:48 AM EDT

[#37]

Quote History

Quoted:

Lots of places out here, dumbfucks keep dumping their garbage and trashing the shit out of everything though so i can see them drying up.

View Quote

This is what has happened in my AO. Like with so many other things, the inconsiderate assholes among us ruin it for everybody.

Posted: 4/20/2016 8:37:04 AM EDT

[#38]

As we all know, ARFCOM loves to hate California....usually with good reason. Our laws and our politicians just SUCK.

However, our gun culture is strong....and we have MANY MANY shooting opportunities.

There are multiple outdoor ranges to 1000-yards within a 30 minute drive. My 'home' range is 17 minutes away.

Pistol, Rifle, Skeet, Trap, Sporting Clays....

Indoor ranges are everywhere...but I hate indoor ranges.

If you're willing to drive 1-hour-+, there is BLM land....where you can shoot out to a mile with no issues.

We have plenty of competition in every shooting sport.

If we could just push the Liberals into the Pacific

Posted: 4/20/2016 8:38:22 AM EDT

[#39]

I keep buying more property. So no.

Posted: 4/20/2016 9:26:23 AM EDT

[#40]

So are places to go trailing/4x4ing, dirt biking, etc......

Posted: 4/20/2016 9:31:16 AM EDT

[#41]

Quote History

Quoted:

That negates the purpose of the berm

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Quote History

Quoted:

Quoted:
I predict that within 10 years, I will no longer have anyplace to shoot other than a local range.
Family land has been split in so many ways, that it will look like a subdivision by then.
I really need to find some land to call my own pretty soon.

My shooting spots are slowly disappearing due to vandals, trash and inconsiderate shooters.

This is a too common sight in my area (yea, in order to shoot the targets hung it requires the shooter to send bullets over the berm and through the forest).

http://i179.photobucket.com/albums/w303/theoneandonlyhoppy/11336871_1016524675032773_1683389600790647773_o_zpspjlswklm.jpg

That negates the purpose of the berm

Yea, I stood there for a few minutes to make sure I was really seeing what I was looking at.

Posted: 4/20/2016 9:34:00 AM EDT

[#42]

Slowly. I've been able to shoot and hunt on the back of what was undeveloped land in our subdivision. The developer didn't care as he had run out of funding and let the land grow up. A few of us approached him about making a shooting pit in the back and he was fine with it.
We shot back there for 8 years. I turkey hunted and archery hunted the deer season with good success.
The developer just sold the land to someone else to start building again. There went our shooting spot and my hunting spot.

Posted: 4/20/2016 9:34:43 AM EDT

[#43]

Yep. Also the good fishing spots of my younger years.

Posted: 4/20/2016 9:35:17 AM EDT

[#44]

Yep, has been declining year after year. We lose places to sale or original owners dying and someone else in the family taking over. Really sucks. Unfortunately land is at such a premium anywhere close (3-4hrs) from me, that purchase will likely never be in my future.

Posted: 4/20/2016 9:36:30 AM EDT

[#45]

yes to do it on public land is now impossible there is no game there after the bow season

so all you can do is pay or poach

I prefer neither

Posted: 4/20/2016 9:38:37 AM EDT

[#46]

Yup. Within my area there is only 1-2 decent ranges, as for hunting lol. Unless you have a million to buy a decent size chunk of land forget it. Main reason why I haven't hunted in two years. There are 3-4 plots that the state own that is open to the public that 600 people hunt on, most of which feel its perfectly fine to start their hunt at 9:00am with a pack of friends. Not even worth it anymore.

Posted: 4/20/2016 9:40:25 AM EDT

[#47]

Quote History

Quoted:
No.

Not even close.

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Posted: 4/20/2016 9:41:04 AM EDT

[#48]

I find hunting access is very different from shooting access. I have access to one, possibly two next season, tracts of land for hunting. The larger tract I can hunt with a rifle. The smaller tract I will only hunt with bow or shotgun.

While either owner is fine with the occasional firearm discharge from hunting, neither will allow any sort of target shooting.

For me, anyplace to shoot is a pay-to-play prospect at this point, so I'd say it's "gone". Hunting is going to become harder as more development occurs, but as long as people I know have property I think I can keep permission.

Posted: 4/20/2016 9:42:12 AM EDT

[#49]

Quote History

Quoted:
I live in NJ so we don't really have a lot of choices normally. It's either an outdoor club or an indoor one. There aren't too many of either and the way the state absolutely hates guns and gun owners once 2018 rolls around there won't be either ranges or guns in this state. Which is why I'm planning my escape before 2018.

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What changes in 2018 for NJ?