Free: Contests & Raffles.
Hunting and target shooting is dispersed throughout the forest, although target shooting is supposed to be at manufactured targets placed against earthen backstops no closer than 500 feet from a campground, structure or residence and not on, down, next to or across roads and trails, according to recent rules developed by DNR.
It looks to me that the article perfectly orchestrated what they are trying to do......shut down guns. You couldn't grasp the anti- gun spin on that? It even worked on one of our members. THen they managed to tie it into all DNR lands. hmmmmmmm Seems pretty evident to me.I think they should shut down Mtn Bikers from there as there are numerous accidents every year. Whats it going to take, a young kid hiking to get run over. (Get my point)
Hate to throw this in here: "Do to the danger of wolves this area is now closed" Not a nice thought is it? Could be in the near future we will be seeing these signs.
but there are too many idiots
Maybe they shouldn't shut down guns, but have enforcement, which the obviosly don't have,
Well, maybe when the people get shot at, or "pinned down" They should shoot back, self defence.
Quote from: alecvg on July 14, 2009, 05:04:30 PMWell, maybe when the people get shot at, or "pinned down" They should shoot back, self defence. What a dumb response. Do you want someone shot or killed?Have you ever been in the woods and had a shot fired (in a safe direction) that scared you because you were not aware someone was nearby? That is what is happening. No one is being shot at or "pinned down". This article is part of an agenda that probably includes the Democratic head of DNR as well as the "Friends of Capitol Forest".
Wow! I would love to make this happen, and nice to see a few potential volunteers. I was just thinking that striking while the issue was current, may get a bit of good press for hunters. We always pick up a bunch of trash. Every time. We keep vinyl throwaway gloves and trash bags in the truck all year just for this purpose. My kids have already learned that sometimes we need to pick up after others! I know of three spots in particular that get slammed with junk, two on the Rock Candy side, one at Delphi..... We all know of spots that get it. Maybe we could attack it from all sides and post the results here, with pictures and estimates of how much trash we gathered, how many people hours we donated...?In the long run, we ought to have a mid summer yearly cleaning of the Capitol forest, organized, maybe get someone like Lemay or somebody to donate one trash dumpster for the day...I envision in the future planning it out well in advance, having a check in station, assign roads to each person arriving to volunteer, have a volunteer fire rescue team standing by for "owies", get a vendor to donate hot dogs and sodas, do it up right. I even can see getting a radio station to push it, to get all users involved. A yearly clean up day. I would love to help organize something like this, what a great legacy to be involved with. I bet I could get Cabelas on board, even get a few door prizes...For this weekend, I could do Sunday. Anyone interested in donating a few hours to trash duty, post it up here. Could be a great weekend for it, nice weather, the berries are ready to pick.....Let me know!
If we do it, we should do it because we think it is the right thing to do. If we do it to call attention to ourselves, then we are the same as the special interest group that is driving the article.
Get Capitol Forest shooting under controlTHE OLYMPIAN | • Published July 21, 2009 Comments (31) Recommend (2)Officials at the Department of Natural Resources have a choice to make. They either have to enforce shooting regulations in Capitol State Forest or ban target shooting. The situation today, with target shooters dispersed throughout the forest and not following basic safety guidelines, simply is not working. It endangers the lives of residents and other recreation users.With more private forest land owners installing gates to keep people out, there are few places left for gun owners to sight-in their rifle or practice their shotgun skills by shooting clay pigeons. Many shooters reject the idea of joining a sportsman’s club and paying dues to target shoot.But the Capitol State Forest of today is a far different place than it was 50 years ago. Today the forest draws an estimated 100,000 visitors a year and those visitors — people on horseback, mountain bikers, four-wheel enthusiasts, hunters, hikers, campers and motorcyclists — say that regularly they have to dodge bullets from target shooters.Like any other activity, a few people abusing the rules can ruin things for everyone else.There are shooters who follow the rules. They shoot at manufactured targets making sure that earthen backstops will contain their bullets. They know not to go closer than 500 feet from a campground, structure or residence and don’t shoot on, down, next to or across roads and trails. The responsible shooters pick up their shell casings, ammunition and other debris. Many leave the area cleaner than what they found.Then there are the irresponsible shooters. They pull off a road, throw an old television set or living room coach into a clearing and start cranking off rounds. They could care less about the safety of others and leave a terrible mess behind.Their reckless and destructive discharge of firearms threatens the legitimate use by others.We’re not talking about hunters, here, although like any other sport there are those who follow the rules by focusing on safety and those who don’t.Firearm enthusiasts are just two of the user groups that take advantage of the publicly owned forest. The question for Department of Natural Resource officials is how to accommodate forest users engaged in a variety of recreational activities and keep everyone safe.“Sometimes you hear gunshots from 50 feet away,” said John Kramer, a Capitol Forest mountain biker and member of the volunteer group Friends of Capitol Forest. He said multiple riders have been pinned down by fire from rifles and handguns.“I don’t have an issue with hunting,” said Capitol State Forest neighbor Marshall Oatman. “But it’s like a free-for-all up here with the random shooting. Nothing short of an outright ban is going to work. What are we waiting for? A stray bullet to hit a biker?”That’s a frightening thought, but well within the realm of possibilities given the situation in the forest today.It’s not that much different than the debate over fireworks, which sparked anew with loud Fourth of July celebrations. It’s illegal to buy firecrackers, bottle rockets and other explosives from tribal stands and transport them off the reservation. It’s also illegal to ignite fireworks within the city limits of Lacey.But violations are the rule, not the exception. Law enforcement officers have all but thrown their hands in the air and given up. As a result, the Fourth of July sounds like a war zone with illegal fireworks exploding everywhere. It’s similar to what’s happening with people discharging firearms in Capitol State Forest. Violations are everywhere and law enforcement officers who already are spread far too thin are not likely to spend a couple of hours driving the roads or searching the 180 miles of trails in the forest to track down lawbreakers.What’s the solution to the vandalism and reckless shooting that continue unabated?“This is a big emerging issue statewide; it’s high on our radar screen,” DNR spokeswoman Jane Chavey said. “With increased public-access closures on private forestlands, we’ve become the last spot in the lowlands.”There’s not a lot of options. Either step up enforcement and hold the lawbreakers accountable, or ban shooting — not legitimate hunting — in the forest boundaries.
Good idea, Ice. My only suggestion would be to try and contact the Capitol Forest Manager and see if they might be willing to supply a dump trailer, or bring one and park it at the Rock Candy parking lot there, and everyone could just bring the trash they collect there. Plus, they might be able to offer suggestions on the areas they feel need the most attention. Just a thought...
