Public lands trash packout

[FI460]

I am a member of a club with locked gates, member cards are scanned and recorded along with photos of everyone that passes through the gate...and our ranges still get trashed. Weekly. People feel entitled and act like a-holes.

If you put gongs out they will be stolen and or destroyed - our members bring large-caliber and armor-piercing rounds that will destroy anything.

Similar story at my local club. One road in. Locked gate. Unique pin codes for access. Every year some loser walks out on the range and blasts the 4x4 posts of the target stands with their shotgun until they fall over. They'll keep doing it until they're caught in the act.

I suspect that it will continue to be our burden to clean up after the losers.

 

[mtmuley]

[QUOTE="BuzzH, post: 3074090, member:]

I think the only solution is literally dedicating a day to clean up after the hogs...
[/QUOTE]
Yep. Unfortunately I think you are right. I've packed my share of garbage out of the woods. Pisses a guy off. mtmuley

 

[dcopas78]

In the spring when I'm out mushroom hunting I always carry a trash bag with me to carry out the trash that others have left behind. Makes me sad to have to do this but if I can leave the woods cleaner for my sons it's all worth it. Good on all of you all Buzz.

 

[TheTone]

I’ve picked up a ridiculous amount of trash while driving around and hiking this year. Grabbed a beer can today a mile or so off road while chukar hunting. I get disgusted about how much the beer cans along FS roads increase between September and November around me each year.

 

[Deleted member 40728]

A lot of people are just plain slobs. We dug a couch out of a nice public land fishing stream during work a couple years back along with a washing machine and other crap. It takes a special kind of asshole to just discard there junk over a hillside or in the middle of public land and drive away.

Thank you for taking time to clean up the lands where you live.

 

[diamond hitch]

There must be a tremendous business is flat screen tvs cause I find them in the darndest places with bullet holes in them. A lot of work to them there just no idea why there isn't any impulse to pack them out. Attaboy Buzz!!

 

[Dinkshooter]

While setting up camp last Sunday night with @Khunter , another "camper" came over to introduce himself. He warned us the locals were none too friendly. Seems he was "legally" target shooting around his camp and some locals came to shut it down.

..............fine print, statewide fire ban means no target shooting. He looked a little glazed over when I mentioned that to him.

There's no doubt, Covid has thrown a bunch of Ass Clowns into the great outdoors.

 

[Dinkshooter]

Now if I could just get a couple TVs, Propane bottles and dead Washing machines from Buzz I could really make my camp "special"

 

[longbow51]

Some friends who live in a tiny subdivision on a river said when the rona ban was lifted people were camping at every spare spot along the road, likely many who had never done so before based on the shoddy nature of the camps. That's certainly not an excuse though.

 

[jabber]

I haven't seen it mentioned, and maybe it wouldn't work or may already be there, but if you have a concentrated shooting area, could you put up signs to pack your trash out. Obviously it won't work with everyone, but if even a few did it, it would help.

Good job on the clean up @BuzzH

 

[Carl 9.3x62]

I haven't seen it mentioned, and maybe it wouldn't work or may already be there, but if you have a concentrated shooting area, could you put up signs to pack your trash out. Obviously it won't work with everyone, but if even a few did it, it would help.

Good job on the clean up @BuzzH

I have had the same thought. But you'd basically be putting up more targets for people.

 

[VAspeedgoat]

Buzz, you need to post this thread next time someone bitches about non resident fees or number of tags. How many out of staters helped clean up that crap?

I'd bet 0

 

[Gerald Martin]

Buzz, you need to post this thread next time someone bitches about non resident fees or number of tags. How many out of staters helped clean up that crap?

I'd bet 0

Not that I disagree with the sentiment, but I doubt much of the trash from recreational shooting is from N.R.

 

[VAspeedgoat]

Not that I disagree with the sentiment, but I doubt much of the trash from recreational shooting is from N.R.

I think what I was trying to say was what I've read buzz write many times. Is that NRs rarely do this sort of thing. Not habitat restoration, trail building etc. But then will be critical of tag allocation and cost. Now I don't want to pay any more than I have to, and I want more opportunities, but I certainly tip my cap to the guys who dedicate a heck of a lot of time to keep public lands from looking like a land fill. Like you pointed out, it is unlikely NRs but clearly it wasn't the hard working people giving up their time to haul this out either.

So I guess this was a weird way of saying thank you and much respect.

 

[BuzzH]

Not that I disagree with the sentiment, but I doubt much of the trash from recreational shooting is from N.R.

Probably right, but its within a pretty short drive of the CO border...

 

[Gerald Martin]

Dang Coloradans. Build that wall.

 

[Gerald Martin]

Thanks for organizing the cleanup and raising awareness. It’s probably going to take a lot of education and continual reminders that it’s unacceptable to trash our public lands. Some people will never change but some are just stupidity ignorant of how ridiculous littering is.
Put pew,pew, devices in their hands and manners vanish completely. God forbid those folks ever have an opportunity to have to execute a single well placed shot around a herd of elk.

 

[BuckMore]

You wouldn't want to outlaw recreational shooting because bringing LE into the situation will just cause innocent people to die. Perhaps once we get firearms heavily restricted the problem will go away!

Thanks bha, glad to know you're out there doing great work!

 

[rustednuts]

Good questions...we've thought about hanging interactive targets in these areas, gongs or the like so people don't bring a bunch of jars, cans, etc. to blaze away at.

I don't think banning shooting will work in these areas either...close one spot, they'll just move to the next closest area and do the same thing.

LEO's are so sparse...doubtful that will work.

I think the only solution is literally dedicating a day to clean up after the hogs...

The BLM in AZ is opening 3 shooting ranges on their property. The hope is that more available shooting ranges will reduce cleanup cost and reduce fires. I know the projects are being watched closely nationally.

 

[thomas89]

Would be sad to see a “no recreational shooting” enacted on these sections to curtail this but perhaps needed.

One too many phone poles got shot down on a piece outside of Cheyenne and that ban did seem to stop that nonsense.