Where to sight in-public ranges? Promiscuous shooting?

[Dr Ignominious Death]

Please forgive the ignorance if this has been posted before. I'm looking to sight-in for the season and perhaps take my better half plinking occasionally. A week ago I took a few of my guns, targets, rest, etc out to a WMA and saw a sign that read "No promiscuous shooting". I was really confused that a place that would allow hunting, does not allowing target shooting.  Coming from out west, we could drive out to most any rural place and shoot as much as we wanted. So I packed my crap back into my car and drove home without firing a single shot. So now my dilemma is finding a place where I can legally target shoot.

I've looked online for public shooting ranges and most seem to be private, requiring attending as a guest of a member, etc. I'm looking for a public range somewhere around Rochester, where I can buy time to shoot (50 to 300 yards or anything in between). I would appreciate any input or suggestions anyone has.

 

I moved here a year ago and have asked a lot of my colleagues if they own any land large enough to allow me to shoot and unfortunately, most are yuppy liberals who believe guns are "satan's tools" or are "city" dwellers like myself (not by choice). Unfortunately, I work 70-80 hrs a week and most weekends and really have not had the motivation to go door to door asking for shooting rights in the little time I have free, let alone hunting rights on private land. I'm not requesting permission from anyone on the site, just stating I have considered that option. However, if someone WAS willing to allow me to shoot (target, not hunt) on their land, I would be just as happy to pay you or most any other form of compensation.

Thanks for the help. Have a good season.

 

Derek

[shawnhu]

Where do you live? You should be able to shoot at targets on DEC owned property, such as State Forests and such. I always go to a public range when I need to practice and sight-in, its just easier that way to keep my tools and things in one place and not lose them. I do a lot of tuning when I'm at the range, so I don't eat to be dropping Allen keys in the dirt and losing them.

[Doc]

I hear it all the time on state land. There's lots of "promiscuous" shooting going on ..... lol. It may be just one of those unenforced regulations. I'm sure what they are trying to avoid is messy areas with disposed targets and shot up cans laying all over the place. I would guess that no one would bother you if you were to keep your shooting area picked up and returned to a natural state. Also, choosing a well back-stopped area would give fewer reasons to be harassed. Having said that, I personally prefer regulated, and specially designed shooting facilities that are designed for safety, and where shooting is regulated and "expected". Nothing could be worse than being out squirrel hunting and innocently walking into the back side of a target shooting session. That could get real exciting real quick. Membership in a Rod & Gun club might be your best bet.

[Doc]

Try typing in "rod and gun clubs in Rochester New York area" into your browser address area and hit return. Most of the clubs local to the Rochester area have web sites.

[Jeremy K]

How far away would the shooting range at the Alabama swamps area be to rochester? Ive never been there but its gotta be rather close.

[MACHINIST]

Pathfinder Fish and Game,Fulton NY

 

http://pathfinderfishandgame.com/wordpress/

 

 

 

Camillus Rod and Gun club Camillus NY

 

http://www.camillussportsmensclub.com/news.php

[Fantail]

Try http://wheretoshoot.org if your in the Rochester area there's got to be a range close by.

 

For example at pathfinder membership is 35$ and range fee is 2$ a day or 20$ year. Similar to the Archery or Pistol bays. Then theres the clays, but the point is you might want access to more than one type of range, covered bays with benches, or at least 200 yards on rifle, indoor archery etc. Some clubs allow a guest but they have to be with a current member.

Edited August 22, 2013 by Fantail

[sits in trees]

What I think they mean about Promiscuous shooting is chicks in bikinis shooting firearms on state land. Actually I would really like to know the definition of what Promiscuous shooting really is. I did in fact call the DEC many years ago and no one could really give me an actual definition however one officer took the phone and said as long as you keep it low key and don't go shooting off 30 round mags with an AK your fine. I did ask him about sighting in a rifle on a trail and he said no problem to that...

[Early]

There are two or three places within the Capital District WMA where hunters have shot for years...one, an old gravel pit, is perhaps as safe a place to shoot as you could find. Around a year ago, signs went up around all three areas..."No Target Shooting". Can't figure out why this happened. There was always trash left in/around the gravel pit. However, one week after the signs went up, a truckload of trash: old furniture, tires, etc. showed up. It is obvious that the trash was NOT from shooters, but we are the ones to suffer. Ain't NY great??

[Dr Ignominious Death]

I appreciate all the input. I prefer to shoot legally as opposed to "unenforced" regulation as it only takes one warden having a bad day to turn my day bad as well. Someone mentioned the Alabama swamps, is it legal to shoot there?  I'm okay with driving an hour or so to shoot. I'll look into some of these clubs as well but if anyone knows the true law behind "promiscuous shooting" that would be golden. FYI, every time I go camping or hiking, I take a garbage bag with me and pick up trash on thew way out, something my dad taught his sons on all our camping/fishing trips growing up.

[jesse.james]

I know it's gonna cost you bur it up a rod and gun club.

[apoallo]

I have 2 indoor ranges open to the public by me on is 30 yards for pistol only and the other is 100 yards However its about a 2 1/2 hour drive south of Binghamton Im about an hour from NYC

[Dinsdale]

The use of promiscuous is there to encompass what some folks would call stump shooting.....just picking out a random target to practice on a walk.....as well as target shooting in the traditional sense at a set station and distance.

WMA definitions for those types of lands have always excluded any form of target shooting (along with no motor vehicles etc,specific to them).

[Doc]

Interesting choice of words. I looked the word "promiscuous" up in the dictionary, and was surprised by the non-sexual meanings of the word.

 

Indiscriminant

Casual

irregular

without particular plan or reason

 

What I take from all that is that they don't want someone just randomly shooting through the woods. I don't really think it has anything to do with target shooting or sighting in guns. Since they chose to use that particular word to describe prohibited shooting, I guess I wouldn't hesitate to set up targets in a well-backstopped area and do all the shooting I wanted to do.