The "pit" near Olympia needs to be shut down

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SO, due to the advice of many members on opencarry.org and personal friends, me and the wife went to what has been dubbed "the pit" to shoot here in Olympia/Capitol Forest. The pit is "the place" around here to shoot from what I understood. So we went. When we arrived, there were others shooting here, with a giant dirt mound (and I mean GIANT) as a backstop. Seemed safe enough...until I saw the trails leading up and down said mound. I had seen some dirt bikers/ATVers in the area, so I immediately became worried. I walked over to the nearest group of shooters, and asked them if there were off-roaders in the area. Their response was "yeah, but when they come down that hill there ("that" hill WAS OUR BACKSTOP), we stop shooting". "They are always here, and we kinda share the area". SO, I set up my equipment away from them and the ATV murdering mound, using a smaller, different mound as a backstop (although still not foolproof should someone decide to ride through the area). As I was setting up my equipment, this same genius hick continues to inform me that my 19rd Glock mags are illegal unless I am LEO (all this while I am wearing my California Highway Patrol T-shirt with the CHP badge on the breast..only available to CHP personnel for OBVIOUS reasons!). At this point, another group shows up, and starts shooting. I look over at them a while later, and they are DRINKING BEER while shooting a AK-47s. The final straw was when a third group shows up, and 3 men all start shooting at once with pistols, rapid fire, at cans that they threw out on the (all rock) ground approx 15-20 feet in front of them. I said "screw it, I'm outta here". I left and vowed to never go back to that god-forsaken place. I can't believe that when I support the 2A, I am supporting these guy's right to be downright retarded with their guns. No wonder "accidents" happen so often. I am disgusted.

Does anybody else know of a place where I can go to shoot for free? Sometimes I just don't want to pay $10 to go to the range, and sometimes I want to shoot my large caliber long guns. Any help would be appreciated!

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What time of day was this? I've haven't had any issues yet early in the day during the week.

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This was at 1300 on a Sunday.

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Why shut it down, then they will all just go someplace else and be stupid. I am glad they have there place to go, I will just keep not going there.

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Theres a lot of crazy people out there:banghead:

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BIll98501 wrote:

Why shut it down, then they will all just go someplace else and be stupid. I am glad they have there place to go, I will just keep not going there.

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OK, I guess I can agree with this point. If you are dumb enough to go back, then you are "one of ''em..."

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luvmyglock wrote:

BIll98501 wrote:

Why shut it down, then they will all just go someplace else and be stupid. I am glad they have there place to go, I will just keep not going there.

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OK, I guess I can agree with this point. If you are dumb enough to go back, then you are "one of ''em..."

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I think thats the only reason its still open, if it gets closed, all that trash and idiocy will just continue but spread out in a bunch of different places.

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So what did the police say? You did call the police when you saw someone drinking and shooting right?

Let me add that I’ve been to that pit numerous times and I’ve only witnessed responsible and cooperative practices from both the shooters and ATVs.

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I don't think there is a public lands shooting site that's immune from idiots.

I try to:
Leave with more trash than I brought
Point out stupid where possible
Leave when stupid exceeds my personal comfort zone

By the way, I never shoot back toward the mounds by the entrance for the very reason you mentioned. You might just nail a bear (45/70 that is) on an ATV!:shock:

It sure is annoying to drive that far to be disappointed. Sorry you had a bad experience.

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luvmyglock wrote:

SO, due to the advice of many members on opencarry.org and personal friends, me and the wife went to what has been dubbed "the pit" to shoot here in Olympia/Capitol Forest. The pit is "the place" around here to shoot from what I understood. So we went. When we arrived, there were others shooting here, with a giant dirt mound (and I mean GIANT) as a backstop. Seemed safe enough...until I saw the trails leading up and down said mound. I had seen some dirt bikers/ATVers in the area, so I immediately became worried. I walked over to the nearest group of shooters, and asked them if there were off-roaders in the area. Their response was "yeah, but when they come down that hill there ("that" hill WAS OUR BACKSTOP), we stop shooting". "They are always here, and we kinda share the area".

SO, I set up my equipment away from them and the ATV murdering mound, using a smaller, different mound as a backstop (although still not foolproof should someone decide to ride through the area). As I was setting up my equipment, this same genius hick continues to inform me that my 19rd Glock mags are illegal unless I am LEO (all this while I am wearing my California Highway Patrol T-shirt with the CHP badge on the breast..only available to CHP personnel for OBVIOUS reasons!). At this point, another group shows up, and starts shooting. I look over at them a while later, and they are DRINKING BEER while shooting a AK-47s.

The final straw was when a third group shows up, and 3 men all start shooting at once with pistols, rapid fire, at cans that they threw out on the (all rock) ground approx 15-20 feet in front of them.

I said "screw it, I'm outta here". I left and vowed to never go back to that god-forsaken place. I can't believe that when I support the 2A, I am supporting these guy's right to be downright retarded with their guns. No wonder "accidents" happen so often. I am disgusted.

Does anybody else know of a place where I can go to shoot for free? Sometimes I just don't want to pay $10 to go to the range, and sometimes I want to shoot my large caliber long guns. Any help would be appreciated!

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Major suckage man, I'm sorry you had a bad experience.
I still run into idiots who don't understand the AW ban is gone. Such is life.

The rest... REALLY BAD stuff. I've been to the pit once, and never had any issues. I'd try it again on a Monday. Less people.

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ooo..... wheelers vs shooters vs it's okay down a beer or two and shoot... hmmm, not sure where i stand (honestly) with that. I've been the wheeler with bullets flying by (heck there was a .22 wound in my truck from an illegally silenced rifle), or the dude that says "they've dranken too much" (i'll drink and shoot, but inside reason by a long shot [punage]).

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The "pit" near Olympia needs to be shut down

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Uh, how 'bout we let people do what they want unless they are causing someone direct physical harm? If they do, then prosecute them.

You did call the police when you saw someone drinking and shooting right?

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Not against the law. Kind of like OC.

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no @#$% dude, get off your @#$%ing high horse.

go back to kalifornia

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johnnyb wrote:

no @#$% dude, get off your @#$%ing high horse.

go back to kalifornia

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Jeez man.

I saw enough in his post to make me a little leary of going to the pit when it's crowded. Folks I know locally all tell me similar stories.

Mebbe you don't mind being around people with loaded guns and alcohol, or people shooting into rocks at 15 feet...

I've shot at the pit, but in a safe and responsible manner. The people described weren't. (Although I did nearly send M1Gunr's hat flying with the muzzle blast from a Mosin Nagant by standing near him while shooting )

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I wasn't that enamored with the pit for much of the same reasons you posted.....a lot of people, not a lot of room, and the ATV/dirt bikers riding in the shooting area just ruined any sort of fun for me.....I'd much rather go out into the hills and go shooting, where I know it's just me and the people I'm with.

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Are there any documented incidents of people being injured at the pit?

Quit complaining, there are too few places to shoot as it is.

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I agree, I have never been to this pit. But we have one just like it up here. Sometimes you can go during week and have it all to yourself or one or two others.

Other times it is a zoo. And would make anyone a little nervous. Weekends are the worse. But we have a lot of NF ground here and thats where I head when I want some quiet time shooting. Having said that, I would not be trying to get any shooting place shut down. The anti gunners are working hard enough at that. People have to take responsibility for their own actions. We cannot police the world, it starts with the individual.

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johnnyb wrote:

no @#$% dude, get off your @#$%ing high horse.

go back to kalifornia

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Take a chill pill. I did nothing to you. You are rude and inconsiderate. If you don't like what I have to say then you are free to exercise your back button. I personally don't think that I am on a "high horse" by not wanting to get shot by some drunk retard with an AK, or hit by a ricochet from some idiot popping of shots at rocks. I DO , however, think that you are WAY out of line with your comments.

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Correct.

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I was just there on Wednesday with Jarhead and my kids. The trash situation is getting out of hand again but like someone posted, I think DNR allows it to keep folks from shooting all over the place. I did a look up once on the pit and found that they spend near $5k to $7k a year in cleanup.

I hate driving the distance to find the place crowded. I went with my disabled uncle who has to sit the whole time. Some guy came in and set up next to and slightly behind us and started shooting his .270. Luckly he only shot 5 rounds, packed up and left. There have been days where just as posted folks were shooting 20 feet in from of them a targets on the ground with no worries about a ricochet when people are off to the side.

With smaller groups I have found that everyone works together. People signal when they want to go downrange or cross firing lines. With the large groups it is chaos. I saw it posted somewhere once that shooters have the right of way and if shooters are in the pit that the wheeled traffic can be fined even for passing thru. I'll do some research. Problem is, there is never a cop when you need one.