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open carried in santaquin canyon!

b1ack5mith

Regular Member
Joined
Jul 13, 2007
Messages
1,146
Location
Payson, Utah, USA
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so i talked to my friend who's a gun dealer in santaquin, and i told him that a guy once told me it was "illegal to shoot in the canyon" and my friend told me "bull, i shoot there alllll the time, just go past the road, on the dirt road where nobody is". and surely enough, i found a pretty open area with bullet casings all over the place and moose crap all over the ground, so i assumed "SWEET shooting area!" only took about 20 mins or so to get from my house allll the way up to the shooting area. we shot probably 50 rounds with the .22 (need a cleaning tool now) and only 8 with the .40 (shoulda got earplugs, cause i have a headache now).

well, we were gettin ready to leave... and then we heard a car... "oh sh** trevor... what is that..." "oh man its a bad lookin car" "oh sh** theyre stopping *pulls out gun, cocks it, puts it in holster* gotta be ready man" well they got out, TOTALLY drugee lookin people, one was missing teeth, (3 guys total) i was afraid they were gunna start crap... but 2 walked over to the cross that was hammered into the dirt... one walks up to us "what are you guys doin?" "target practice" "what are you usin?"
".40 caliber" "ooh cool, those have a kick, are you doin anything else up here?" "nope, just shooting, maybe a little offroading" "man this is the perfect place to do drugs" "yes, it would be, but we dont do drugs" (other guy changed the subject) and i grabbed the .22 that trev was holding, and shot a can 2 times, and the guy mentioned border patrol (cause i was wearing a "U.S. BORDER PATROL" hat, and he assumed i was, so i went along with it) and then the other guy asked if we took a deer antler from the cross that they had in the ground, and we said no, and they said their brother got lost up there and noone has found him (lost just recently) but i was cautious, didnt know if they were the killers or what. so one looked drunk/high, and asked me if he cound "pull off a round" and i put my hand on my gun and told him i wasnt authorized to let him, and he said "oh okay, fine" then they got in their car and left. but these guys looked SCARRY. they drove back down the dirt road, and i saw them drive up a hidden looking road, up a hill, and one guy got out, and trevor said "oh sh**" (and i kept my magazine in the front, with my gun, just incase) and they got out and were stumbling and stuff, but MAN was i scarred, i feel like if i hadnt had my gun, i woulda died... NOBODY was around, and we were shooting high velocity ammo, so you could hear it tearing thru the air, and no sirens came, so you know it was rural. but there was HUUUGE moose pies up there! and kevin, ill show you this place when i get back from work on sunday (if im back by then)

but i think i gave them the impression that i was border patrol, so they left us alone (thank GOD)
 

combatcarry

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Aug 12, 2006
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In one of my Nevada CCW renewal classesthe instructor told us we should never shoot in a remote area. He told us that many guns used in crimes are actually taken from target shooters in remote areas. Since I was given this advice I never allow someone to approach me while I'm shooting in the boonies. If it is a remote area I always shoot where I can see people coming and I keep my eyes and ears open.

If your situation would have happened to me I would have immediately jumped in the car and avoided them as much as physically possible.

Paranoid? Maybe... but, it might help you avoid this type of situation in the future.
 

Sup3D

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Sep 21, 2007
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I go target shooting in the boonies all the time. I'll have to remember to always leave at least one mag loaded. I'm in Orem, and usually go up to Heber Gun Club or across the lake. That story really sends chills down my spine. Some of the remote shooting areas are kind of creepy.
 

b1ack5mith

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Jul 13, 2007
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Payson, Utah, USA
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yeah i wanna go do some more shootin up there tomarrow or sunday (maybe both!) and ive been lookin at glocks, S&W, and the springfield XD as my next firearm to purchase. by the way! my friend in TX... her brother was beaten up bya group of illegal mexicans... were gunne be seeing more and more of this soon :/ we need to stop them!
 

eBratt

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Joined
Jun 4, 2006
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Location
Fort Collins Area, CO
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When I lived in Provo, I went shooting out in Spanish Fork canyon. Where I went wasn't too remote (I could still see the highway) but it was out of the way enough that I was never comfortable going by myself.

I always had at least one other person with me and I always kept a loaded gun holstered on me (in addition to whatever I was shooting at the time).

You can never be too careful when shooting in the rural area.

Ethan
 

xmirage2kx

Regular Member
Joined
Jul 5, 2007
Messages
478
Location
Lehi, Utah, USA
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Sadly the best places to shoot are remote, and so are the best places to do illegal stuff. I would avoid acting like law enforcement of any kind, but good move not giving the guy your gun.
 

b1ack5mith

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Jul 13, 2007
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Location
Payson, Utah, USA
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i didnt "pose" as law enforcement, he just assumed i was, and i didnt say anything, that doesnt mean i was "posing as law enforcement" ;) if a cop ever saw me carrying my gun and wearing my border patrol hat, hed ask if i was, and id say no, and if he asked why i was posing as a LEO, id simply tell him im defending my right to bear arms, and im also promoting the U.S. Border Patrol :D
 
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