DNR closeure of popular shooting spot near Trout Lake WA

[wence5]

I went up to Trout Lake this weekend to do some shooting in my favorite spot, an old gravel pit that sits just off hwy. 141 on DNR land about 3 miles from Trout Lake, just to find it posted NO SHOOTING. It was open a month ago when I went up to shoot! I can't figure out why they closed it, there wasn't a bunch of trash left by shooters and it is in an area where there are no houses near by. I'm starting to think DNR doesn't like shooters and shooting in general, since I had a run in with a DNR cop last December, but that's another story.
Does anyone from that area know anything about the closure?

[Special T]

In general  the state is trying to make it hard to shoot. They crowd us into shooting clubs and ban target shooting in general on public land. Then they either attack estaplished shooting ranges by  reqwuiring BS permitts or encourage lawsuits by anti groups. Gravel pits have ALWAYS been the reasonable safe place to target shoot... If garbage was not the issue then it is something else afoul...

[pianoman9701]

In general, shooters are pigs. The gravel pit where I go when I'm not going to a range is a mess. I always take a bunch of stuff out of there but it doesn't appear like anyone else does. When you have a liberal state government which wants more restrictions on gun ownership, this gives them a seemingly-valid excuse.

[wence5]

In general, shooters are pigs. The gravel pit where I go when I'm not going to a range is a mess. I always take a bunch of stuff out of there but it doesn't appear like anyone else does. When you have a liberal state government which wants more restrictions on gun ownership, this gives them a seemingly-valid excuse.

I've got to agree with you Pianoman. I've notice this in particular up in the Larch mountain area. I won't even go up there anymore due to the crazy people leaving trash everywhere and shooting like it's down town Kabul.

[timberfaller]

Public Safety and Lead contamination BETTER said, CONTROL

Have you ever offered a cup of coffee to a DNR employee while they were on the job???

[Curly]

Pianoman is right.  From signs shot up to trash left behind and potential safety issues caused by morons, it's a wonder there are any places left to shoot anywhere. 

[wence5]

Public Safety and Lead contamination BETTER said, CONTROL

Have you ever offered a cup of coffee to a DNR employee while they were on the job???

I've had contact with two DNR employees in the past, one a female employee and the other a DNR cop which resulted in a ticket, which I beat in court.  Both encounters were not a positive experience, and I've talked with others that have had similar experiences. I have noticed that the DNR employee in my area will go out of her way to give an extra ration of crap to hunters. I have also notice her drive by people with mountain bikes at a trail head without a discovery pass and just wave at them. The first thing they look for when they contact hunters is to see if I have their stinking pass on display.

[pianoman9701]

In general, shooters are pigs. The gravel pit where I go when I'm not going to a range is a mess. I always take a bunch of stuff out of there but it doesn't appear like anyone else does. When you have a liberal state government which wants more restrictions on gun ownership, this gives them a seemingly-valid excuse.

I've got to agree with you Pianoman. I've notice this in particular up in the Larch mountain area. I won't even go up there anymore due to the crazy people leaving trash everywhere and shooting like it's down town Kabul.

I spent an hour picking stuff up at the one straight up the hill about 3 miles, and filled the back of my truck. It didn't even make a dent.

[wence5]

In general, shooters are pigs. The gravel pit where I go when I'm not going to a range is a mess. I always take a bunch of stuff out of there but it doesn't appear like anyone else does. When you have a liberal state government which wants more restrictions on gun ownership, this gives them a seemingly-valid excuse.

I've got to agree with you Pianoman. I've notice this in particular up in the Larch mountain area. I won't even go up there anymore due to the crazy people leaving trash everywhere and shooting like it's down town Kabul.

I spent an hour picking stuff up at the one straight up the hill about 3 miles, and filled the back of my truck. It didn't even make a dent.

I know right where you are talking about. The L1500/1510 road was/is in bad shape. It's been three years since I've driven through there, and was amazed at the amount of crap people leave behind up there. It would take years to clean up all the trash left in that area. 

[bigtex]

In general, shooters are pigs. The gravel pit where I go when I'm not going to a range is a mess. I always take a bunch of stuff out of there but it doesn't appear like anyone else does.

If our shooting areas were spotless and people obeyed the laws we wouldn't see closures....

[logger]

I am neighbor to that pit, haven't heard a word about ot being closed. i'll ask around

[bbarnes]

I've personally talked with law enforcement,about larch mountian.The biggest problem there is,the people who don't speak English,and most of them have oregon plates.I ask the enforcement to come and run some of there plates,and see if they were legal to own a weapon in our state.My self and others have been on numerous clean ups there, and in a week it's back to the same mess.In other states the have dumpsters on main line forest roads, and you don't see the garbage in the woods.I think another problem there is,the neibors that dump there trash there.More times than not you find mail in the garbage,with addresses that are from the local area.I don't blame the state for closing areas,as said above there's a lot of slobs out there leaving a mess.

[wence5]

UPDATE ON THE CLOSURE OF THE KILOWATT PIT, I talked with Alan Lawson, the director of SW region DNR today. He told me they closed the pit not for what I thought, trash, but three reasons. One, they have prof people had been shooting towards the road, two, the neighbors nearest the pit did not like the noise of people shooting Tannerite, and three, they are in the process of leasing the pit and reopening it to gravel production. One and three make sense, but I don't know about the Tannerite thing. I have never seen anyone up there use it, but who knows. BTW, Alan was a very nice fellow to talk with, and he said he hated to see the pit close to shooting, he even shot there himself, but the lease is the main reason for the closure. 

[HUNT-HARD]

Yes people do shoot tannerite at that pit. When you first posted this I just figured it was going to get re claimed.