Potentially Dangerous Shooting Range

[Foggy47]

I got a problem. Went by my neighbors place today. They have been doing ALLOT of shooting at their range. New range is set up that they have a shooting bench and steel targets at various ranges out to what looks to be 200 yards or so on quite level ground. The issue is.....they are shooting directly at my property. The shooting bench may be 1/3 to 1/2 mile from my land......but they are shooting high powered rifles....and no berm exists between their targets and my land.

I do some food plots and have trails directly down range of these targets. Not sure what to do.......but this needs to end....and now. These guys are not idiots....and do allot of Prairie Dog shooting and I think they know their way around guns and ballistics......but this is D. U. M. B. I do not think they have considered ME.

I have not spoke to them yet....but I plan to very soon. Suggestions? If they do not promise some remedy....then I think I need to take it to the next level. Sheriff? Or ???

What would you do? What say you?

 

[swat1018]

I would take some aerial images, like OnX, and have a meeting. Suggest that they change the layout to have a safe backstop. You will find out pretty quick if they are going to agree or not, I would think. If not I'd say contact the Sheriff. Most jurisdictions can't do anything until a reckless act occurs, unfortunately.

 

[Jerry-B-WI]

I was a member of a now defunct sportsmen's club that had a 150yd shooting range. The range had individual berms behind each target at 25,50,100, and 150yds. Then we had a large berm behind all of that. We were on one side of the river and someone on the other side of the river complained about slugs landing in their yard.

I was contacted by DNR LEO about the problem and had a hard time believing it was happening. LEO wouldn't tell me the complainants name so I had no ideal where they were in relation to our range, just across the river. Wrote letters to all the members about range safety and to be careful. Problem went away for awhile.

Fast forward about 20 years and the range is still there but the club is defunct. I'm at a town board meeting and the same complaint resurfaces, this time the people are at the meeting, and I know them personally. I give some input to the past and find out what's happening.

Fools at the range are shooting at objects that are placed on top of the individual target berms and ricochets are going across the river and landing in someone's yard, they actually had the slugs with them. Now the range is only open in the fall for sighting in and you can't shoot unless the volunteer babysitter is there to make sure the shooters use the range properly.

I think you're in a shitty situation. Hopefully your neighbors will recognize their mistake and take steps to make it safe after yo talk to them and before you need to escalate the situation. Good Luck.

 

[Westwind]

I like the idea of the aerial images. Google Earth is very good and you can measure distances in feet and yards to show them. Bet its not as far as they think.

I would try to help them understand how they would feel if they were in your position. “Hey if it was me shooting from my land in your direction, would you feel safe? Would you be able to enjoy your land if I was shooting this direction? Because even if you think it’s perfectly safe, I’m not sure I feel the same way and I wouldn’t want you to have to worry just like I don’t want to worry. This just isn’t safe.”

 

[b116757]

Just have them call you before using the range so they don’t kill anyone on your property since they don’t have a berm. When you ask like that they may come to their senses of their own accord.

 

[Foggy47]

I like the idea of the aerial images. Google Earth is very good and you can measure distances in feet and yards to show them. Bet its not as far as they think.

I would try to help them understand how they would feel if they were in your position. “Hey if it was me shooting from my land in your direction, would you feel safe? Would you be able to enjoy your land if I was shooting this direction? Because even if you think it’s perfectly safe, I’m not sure I feel the same way and I wouldn’t want you to have to worry just like I don’t want to worry. This just isn’t safe.”

So considered....and a thought I plan to offer to them. ;).

 

[Turkey Creek]

It sucks! Been there got multiple F'n t-shirts. Around my MIL's place is 3 or 4 idiots that think that since they live in the "country" they have a right to shoot guns. Actually, law states that if you have 10 acres it is legal to shoot on your property. It is basically a glorified subdivision, yes they all have 10 acres. Lost track of the number of ricochets one Summer when we were working. You could hear them flying over head. Pulled a slug out of one building and found a hole punched through 2 steel buildings from the same round. Looked to be 50 caliber or better. Have called the Sheriffs department more than once. They have "handled it" for us, but in all honesty until someone gets hurt or killed there probably won't be much if any change to the law. I have offered to help one guy increase his "berm", he has never taken me up on the offer.

The fact that we have ZERO public, outdoor rifle ranges within an hours drive of the 2nd largest city in KS is pathetic and probably part of the problem. Though not an excuse for reckless behavior.

 

[Telemark]

My uncle had some yahoos shooting their 45s in the road near his house. Some degenerates who came out to "the country" to hunt deer on a 7 acre corner parcel. They had set up a target in the road and were standing in the road shooting at it as if the road were their own personal shooting range. He reamed them pretty good, and they quit doing it. Some people are just ridiculous.