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Where to shoot outdoors?

KJ_duc

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Joined
Oct 13, 2008
Messages
21
Location
Seattle, Washington, USA
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I want to head to the mountains or somewhere tomorrow to shoot with a few buddies. Does anyone know a good, safe location where we can head to? TIA
 

shad0wfax

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Oct 11, 2008
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Location
Spokane, Washington, USA
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KJ_duc wrote:
I want to head to the mountains or somewhere tomorrow to shoot with a few buddies. Does anyone know a good, safe location where we can head to? TIA

Any National Forest (NOT PARK) is a good place to start. Just make sure you're not in your vehicle and you're off of the roadway with a safe backdrop. (Try not to shoot at living trees too.)

Check the hunting regulations and make sure there's no late season going on in your area. (There shouldn't be.)
 

KJ_duc

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Oct 13, 2008
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Seattle, Washington, USA
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shad0wfax wrote:
KJ_duc wrote:
I want to head to the mountains or somewhere tomorrow to shoot with a few buddies. Does anyone know a good, safe location where we can head to? TIA

Any National Forest (NOT PARK) is a good place to start. Just make sure you're not in your vehicle and you're off of the roadway with a safe backdrop. (Try not to shoot at living trees too.)

Check the hunting regulations and make sure there's no late season going on in your area. (There shouldn't be.)
Cool. I have been to Sultan basin a while back but I believe that area is now 'no shooting'. Someone told me that down near Wilkinson might be another good idea.
 

shad0wfax

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Spokane, Washington, USA
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KJ_duc wrote:

Cool. I have been to Sultan basin a while back but I believe that area is now 'no shooting'. Someone told me that down near Wilkinson might be another good idea.


Sultan Basin is DNR land, which is managed by the state. They very well may haveclosed it forshootingand the most likely reasons wereprobablylitter and dumping. That being said, (and I doubt I have to tell anyone here this) if you go shoot on public land make sure anything you bring to shoot at is packed out with you and pick up your brass, even if you don't reload. The forest cops get pretty upset by all of the junk shooters leave laying around. (I try to pack out more than I brought in when I shoot on public land.)

I know there are quite a few borrow pits off of FS road exits on I-90 in the Snoqualmie pass area you can safely shoot at, but getting to them this time of year may be impossible.



See this thread for more information about where the no-shooting areas are: http://opencarry.mywowbb.com/forum55/2407-2.html
 

diesel556

Lone Star Veteran
Joined
Nov 27, 2008
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714
Location
Seattle-ish, Washington, USA
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KJ_duc wrote:
I want to head to the mountains or somewhere tomorrow to shoot with a few buddies. Does anyone know a good, safe location where we can head to? TIA
There is a shooting pit off of Tinkham Road (exit 39 I think) on I-90 when heading east from Seattle. It's a little tricky to get to the first time, but there are plenty of small areas off of that exit and the one before that are fine to shoot at if you can't find it.

If you feel adventurous you can try following these directions I gave to another member (take the exit , and turn right to get started):

"Sorry if these directions are tough to follow, they're from memory after all:

If you take the Tinkham exit and drive down the dirt road through the campground, pass both dips, and continue going until you hit a major fork you're halfway there. Turn right and head up the fork. You should immediately (within a few hundred feet) hit another fork (this time two roads (yours and one other) converging into one road going up the mountain).

I believe this second fork is right across the power lines. You'll know you are on the right road if farther up you pass underneath a railroad bridge. Keep going straight for awhile (don't take any forks), and eventually you'll see a small opening leveled out on your left. It's not suitable for long range rifle, but it's good enough for short range, or pistol shooting."
 

Morris

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Nov 25, 2007
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173
Location
North of Seattlle, South of Canada, Washington, US
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The Sultan Basin was closed due to problems with excessive littering as well as neighbor complaints as houses started encroaching in the area.

Sadly, there are few places to shoot in the outdoors anymore because a small segment of our population decides it's cool and fun to drag televisions, bottles, junk, old furniture, etc. to these areas and leave them behind.

At one point, the state and Snohomish county were removing TONS of debris, shotgun shells, brass, etc. out of the area.
 

KJ_duc

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Oct 13, 2008
Messages
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Location
Seattle, Washington, USA
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Morris wrote:
The Sultan Basin was closed due to problems with excessive littering as well as neighbor complaints as houses started encroaching in the area.

Sadly, there are few places to shoot in the outdoors anymore because a small segment of our population decides it's cool and fun to drag televisions, bottles, junk, old furniture, etc. to these areas and leave them behind.

At one point, the state and Snohomish county were removing TONS of debris, shotgun shells, brass, etc. out of the area.
I can see that. It was disgusting the things I saw out there. I respect the fact that they closed it for those reasons. Those 'shooting pits' were like county dumps.
 

cynicist

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Aug 16, 2008
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Yakima County, ,
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When I lived in North Bend I had friends that would go into the woods (unspecified where) and shoot. There's plenty of great outdoors there, don't think it's nat'l park. If you like hiking, bring a GPS and that orienteering knowledge you picked up in boy scouts, and you should be alright.
 

PolskiG

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Joined
Apr 25, 2008
Messages
239
Location
Bellevue, Washington, USA
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KJ_duc wrote:
I want to head to the mountains or somewhere tomorrow to shoot with a few buddies. Does anyone know a good, safe location where we can head to? TIA
Exit 38, I-90 outside of North Bend, you need a artic cat to get up there now, my G-wagon even has a hard time, or you can pop off a few rounds into the ground inBellevue.
 

Morris

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Nov 25, 2007
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North of Seattlle, South of Canada, Washington, US
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Years ago, I used to pop over to some Weyhauser owned woodland north of North Bend before I'd go to work. Good place until some yahoos tried to cap some ATV riders by a pit and folks left large amounts of garbage, stripped stolen cars, etc. Weyhauser shut it all down then.
 

Helter

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Apr 9, 2007
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Location
Seattle, Washington, USA
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For what it's worth, I went out to the Sultan pit last week with a couple friends. PUD employees passed by a few times, but nobody complained to my knowledge. As I understand it, there was only really one neighbor in particular who had objections to the shooting going on there, but he's sold his property and is moving soon.

One of the PUD employees even passed by as we were leaving and thanked us for packing out our trash (we were parked outside the gate, which I recommend, as they do lock it without notice).

It may technically be a no-no to shoot there, but aside from that one fussy neighbor, I don't think anyone really minds too much as long as you pick up after yourself and leave the area clean.

Your mileage may vary, of course.
 

Right Wing Wacko

Campaign Veteran
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Aug 11, 2007
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645
Location
Marysville, Washington, USA
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I listen to SNOPAC occasionally, and from time to time hear reports of"Man with a gun, shots fired" in Sultan. It's almost alway at the pit, and the person is almost always gone by the time the police arrive. Often they send a sheriff's deputy from miles away.
 

hillyard

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Nov 8, 2007
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Lake Stevens, ,
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It would be a nice project to start listing the GPS cord. for areas to shoot outdoors. I want to take my son to shoot 22 and bb gun. When I lived down south in Federal Way, I would go up to green water on highway 410 (FR72 I think)
 

snowninja

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Jan 14, 2009
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, ,
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a few years ago, ipurchasedproperty in unincorporated snohomish county and shortly after moving in, i contacted the sheriffs dept regarding shooting and was told by an officer they considermypropertya "white zone" andican shoot untilmy arm falls off.i later found out one of my neighborshad a dozer dig out a backstop pit on his property andhe put up a small shooting shack. iwould like to do something similarbut my wife keepssaying "just go over to bob's pit and shoot with him". she fears for her horses lives. haha..

anyway,before they put the no-shooting signs upitried out sultan basin but it was a bit unnerving with all the people up there. if anyone knows of other areas off highway 2 that are safe, i'm interested..

cheers,
snowninja
 

VLR4

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Joined
Nov 18, 2008
Messages
74
Location
Oak Harbor, Washington, USA
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snowninja wrote:
a few years ago, ipurchasedproperty in unincorporated snohomish county and shortly after moving in, i contacted the sheriffs dept regarding shooting and was told by an officer they considermypropertya "white zone" andican shoot untilmy arm falls off.i later found out one of my neighborshad a dozer dig out a backstop pit on his property andhe put up a small shooting shack. iwould like to do something similarbut my wife keepssaying "just go over to bob's pit and shoot with him". she fears for her horses lives. haha..

anyway,before they put the no-shooting signs upitried out sultan basin but it was a bit unnerving with all the people up there. if anyone knows of other areas off highway 2 that are safe, i'm interested..

cheers,
snowninja

So when are we going to have a shoot meet at your place.:lol:
 

KJ_duc

Regular Member
Joined
Oct 13, 2008
Messages
21
Location
Seattle, Washington, USA
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hillyard wrote:
It would be a nice project to start listing the GPS cord. for areas to shoot outdoors. I want to take my son to shoot 22 and bb gun. When I lived down south in Federal Way, I would go up to green water on highway 410 (FR72 I think)

This sounds like a fantastic idea.

So we went to Wilkinson (sp?) and instead of continuing on to Carbanado we went left up Railroad ave towards and eventually past the quarry and up the forest service road until BAM! clear cut with about 4-6 cars and people shooting. Thankfully all in the same direction. It was beautiful. 55° and sunny this past weekend.
 

LongRider

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Joined
Apr 10, 2008
Messages
143
Location
Skok Rez, Washington, USA
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KJ_duc wrote:
I want to head to the mountains or somewhere tomorrow to shoot with a few buddies. Does anyone know a good, safe location where we can head to? TIA
I do most of my out door shooting in my back yard. Across the street is the Olympic National forest suppose I could go there too. I love living in a civilized portion of the state
:celebrate
 
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