• Watch Out for Scammers!

    We've now added a color code for all accounts. Orange accounts are new members, Blue are full members, and Green are Supporters. If you get a message about a sale from an orange account, make sure you pay attention before sending any money!

Best Places to Shoot 1,000+ in Western Washington?

H

hatter665

Private
Minuteman
Apr 7, 2011
2
0
40
I'm active duty Army stationed in northwestern Washington (Not Ft. Lewis). I'm looking to do some ELR shooting on State DNR or Federal National Forrest land. From my searches on the inter webs thus far it seems whenever someone asks about ELR shooting in the PNW, everyone wants to talk about their local 50, 100-500m ranges, gun clubs, or just contribute nothing by saying "not int the west!" I'm not looking for a gun club or an actual range; as of last year I am a member of the Wildlife Committee of WA.

I'm looking for DNR or national forest land that isn't completely covered by trees where one could ensure safe shoots 1,000m or further. I am figuring there are other snipers, long range marksmen, or hunters on here that have lived in this area that could help me. Hiking in and out a couple miles, and elevation aren't issues for me. If you have been on any trips/hikes/hunts and have seen spots where one could shoot safely into adjacent mountains/hills, or across open fields, that will work for me. For those also looking in this specific area, I saw someone post this place http://www.wta.org/go-hiking/trip-reports/trip_report.2012-04-22.7193883199 on another forum, but I'm trying to see if there is anywhere closer. I don't mind the drive, but I want to spend time with family and not make an entire day/weekend out of it. I do a lot of load testing and I want to gather dope throughout the year on multiple weapon systems, but not go broke filling up my tank. Thanks in advance for those who post something helpful!
 

Attachments

  • DSC010401.jpg
    DSC010401.jpg
    178.9 KB · Views: 293
Most of these kinds of spots can be found with a bit of time searching Google maps satellite view for clear cuts and roads and areas that would present an opportunity to shoot. I'm not in your part of the state but I know there are shooters who are part of the PRS competition scene who are up that way and shoot pretty regularly and probably know the spots. Trouble is getting people to tell you where their honey-hole is. :)

If you come to some of the local matches it's pretty easy to make friends and get an "in" with the right people who know all the spots. There are a couple matches coming up soon in Wenatchee which probably isn't too far for you.
 
  • Like
Reactions: woodlandshooter
There’s a good bit of opportunity.
You just need to look at BLM land on google maps then get eyes on potential candidates.
It took my a couple years to develop my spots in Washington and Oregon.
 
West WA? The answer is very simple, NO. You need to go East WA to get 1000 yards. Most place in West WA is either too populated or too wooded.
 
cageli said:
West WA? The answer is very simple, NO. You need to go East WA to get 1000 yards. Most place in West WA is either too populated or too wooded.
Click to expand...

Generally true, but can be found if you hit the logging roads and look for clear cuts. Shooting over a road then usually becomes a problem though...

Spots are out there on the west side, but you gotta look for them. Active Army but not at Ft. Lewis, whereabouts are you then?
 
  • Like
Reactions: 308pirate
There are several places where I can shoot out to a mile or near a mile. Biggest problem is that nearly every time I've revealed one of these places it gets over run & closed down so it takes some work for me to trust people enough.
Second problem is about 1/2 of those spots are well above snow line & won't be accessible for some time.
Also depends on where your AO is & how far you're willing to travel.
I've been shooting around here for about 20 years but I've been burned too many times.
If you're serious about it PM me & we'll start getting to know each other. Then maybe we'll meet up & shoot.
 
cageli said:
West WA? The answer is very simple, NO. You need to go East WA to get 1000 yards. Most place in West WA is either too populated or too wooded.
Click to expand...
aaronk said:
Generally true, but can be found if you hit the logging roads and look for clear cuts. Shooting over a road then usually becomes a problem though...

Spots are out there on the west side, but you gotta look for them. Active Army but not at Ft. Lewis, whereabouts are you then?
Click to expand...
This.
There’s some decent places where you can get a decent shooting line clear of rivers and roads.
 
I am in the same AO as op and it can be tough to find good spots. There are spots but you have to deal with other people, intermittent access due to weather, road closures, fire danger, etc.
I would suggest trying to gain access to private property. I have had good luck with farmers and ranchers.
Even if it costs some time and $ initially, it can save lots of time and travel cost in the long run.
 
  • Like
Reactions: cageli
I live in Cali and have a good process for finding long range spots. With that said, unless you have BLM land nearby, which tends to be open, it's very difficult to find spots on public land that are:

a) Open enough to get decent sight lines out to range
b) Have both shooting position and target access via vehicle
c) Don't have roads or water you're shooting across
d) Don't have people around

I would imagine that most, if not all, of the above are true in Washington and Oregon. I'm considering a move to either NW Oregon or SW Washington, and have done the same type of searches across the Western parts of both states. I found some candidates that, were I to live there, I'd scout out in my Jeep. However, I also found some amazing candidates on the western slopes of the Sierras near where I live now, and in all cases there were too many people around.

I've pretty much given up on it. Luckily, during the winter months, the BLM land a couple hours south is open, and I've also got access to a private range that goes out to 1500. In the summer months, I make a day of my shooting trips and drive 3-4 hours to the eastern slopes where trees are thinner, and people just aren't around. It's worth the drive just to be able to relax knowing no one is going to screw with me.
 
Rocketmandb said:
I live in Cali and have a good process for finding long range spots. With that said, unless you have BLM land nearby, which tends to be open, it's very difficult to find spots on public land that are:

a) Open enough to get decent sight lines out to range
b) Have both shooting position and target access via vehicle
c) Don't have roads or water you're shooting across
d) Don't have people around

I would imagine that most, if not all, of the above are true in Washington and Oregon. I'm considering a move to either NW Oregon or SW Washington, and have done the same type of searches across the Western parts of both states. I found some candidates that, were I to live there, I'd scout out in my Jeep. However, I also found some amazing candidates on the western slopes of the Sierras near where I live now, and in all cases there were too many people around.

I've pretty much given up on it. Luckily, during the winter months, the BLM land a couple hours south is open, and I've also got access to a private range that goes out to 1500. In the summer months, I make a day of my shooting trips and drive 3-4 hours to the eastern slopes where trees are thinner, and people just aren't around. It's worth the drive just to be able to relax knowing no one is going to screw with me.
Click to expand...
There’s some fantastic places to shoot in NW Oregon and SW Washington.
Eastern Washington and Oregon also have excellent opportunities.
 
Steel head said:
There’s some fantastic places to shoot in NW Oregon and SW Washington.
Eastern Washington and Oregon also have excellent opportunities.
Click to expand...

Eastern and Central don't seem to be a problem. I've spent a lot of time in Central Oregon over the years (family there) and know there's a ton of open land with not a lot of people nearby.

If/when I move up there I might be asking for help on the western stuff :)
 
Rocketmandb said:
Eastern and Central don't seem to be a problem. I've spent a lot of time in Central Oregon over the years (family there) and know there's a ton of open land with not a lot of people nearby.

If/when I move up there I might be asking for help on the western stuff :)
Click to expand...
Oregon as a whole is pretty blessed as far as shooting areas for LR.
 
Steel head said:
Oregon as a whole is pretty blessed as far as shooting areas for LR.
Click to expand...

Honestly, Oregon is pretty blessed as far as almost anything goes outdoors. My grandparents and an aunt/uncle moved there in 1976, and two more sets of aunt/uncles followed - along with associated cousins. I've been going there pretty much every year since. If my/my wife's job would have allowed me to move sooner, I would have. By far my favorite state.
 
Rocketmandb said:
Honestly, Oregon is pretty blessed as far as almost anything goes outdoors. My grandparents and an aunt/uncle moved there in 1976, and two more sets of aunt/uncles followed - along with associated cousins. I've been going there pretty much every year since. If my/my wife's job would have allowed me to move sooner, I would have. By far my favorite state.
Click to expand...
Tainted unfortunately by the kooks in Portland:(

But yea, good hunting, fishing, hiking, skiing, food and beer.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Bigrederic
Its a pain, a buddy of mine’s son has a 100 acres and we shoot across a shallow canyon (for Western Washington) and up a hill in about a 10 year old impossible clear cut. Even painted bright colors, targets are fricking tough to find. Hoping to set some more out when the swamp becomes crossible. There’s a place in selah near Yakima that’s risky but there. Got another buddy in Moses lake that I plan to do some plinking with. Most of the ranges near me only go out to 200 but close the range for 600 matches. Eatonville and pe ell have close to 600. Pe ell is only 30$ a year.
 
I am in whatcom county (lynden) and we have steel targets set up in mountains upto 1 mile (diff distances). Anyone interested, can PM me and I can share more details. Thanks
 
  • Like
Reactions: Nosteponsnek
What's the deal with shooting over a river? It's not like boats go by every few minutes.
 
I’ve spent a fair amount of times trying to get past 1000 yards in Western WA on public land. Haven’t found anything that was safe. We go to the Ellensburg area and get out to 2000.
 
I’ve been thinking about joining rock lake shooting range over by Spokane. Does anyone have any experience from there?
 
nealm66 said:
I’ve been thinking about joining rock lake shooting range over by Spokane. Does anyone have any experience from there?
Click to expand...
Yes, Rock Lake is an absolute pleasure to shoot. the range is flat, but given the plains you get good amount of wind, which is great to hone up your wind skills. You will need to take membership beforehand and talk to owner to get gate access code. Here is another place in western washington where we have steel upto 1500 yards in western washinton https://goo.gl/maps/jMijxcJDSunN9Wdv7
 
Nice! Bit too far north for me. Probably 5 hours to rock lake but I have a friend in Moses lake I can crash a couple nights to make the drive worth while. I’ve heard of a place in selah? But fire danger has it closed
 
A couple of us used to get away a couple of times a year to WA Dept. of Wildlife land (Lt. Murray area) but with the new regulations recently put in place regarding target shooting you are just about required to build a berm behind every target in order to be legal and in full compliance. Unfortunately, if you do this, it puts you in direct conflict with the ‘do not disturb the land’ edict.

No longer is shooting in a slightly downward angle with an open rising slope for hundreds of yards behind the target acceptable. Seems more like they just would rather you not use the land for target shooting at all!

We would love to find some new places near Ellensburg we could either make a day trip to or camp a few days and shoot.

Anyone willing to share? :):cool:
 
steve podleski said:
The problem with sharing shooting spots is that once it become more well known, you will have yahoos shooting fridges, TV and other garbage which is left as a junk yard and eventually the authorities will shut the site down.
Click to expand...

This 1000%
Our local range could get confused with a landfill.
I start seeing people leaving tables, broken bottles all over, ovens, fridges, and washing machines out in the middle of the woods.

However not all are bad. Last time out driving the logging roads I passed a group of guys with garbage bags cleaning up after some else made a mess. Didn't have much with me but gave them a couple boxes of 9mm ammo and asked then to keep up the good work.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Buckley
jbuck88 said:
This 1000%
Our local range could get confused with a landfill.
I start seeing people leaving tables, broken bottles all over, ovens, fridges, and washing machines out in the middle of the woods.

However not all are bad. Last time out driving the logging roads I passed a group of guys with garbage bags cleaning up after some else made a mess. Didn't have much with me but gave them a couple boxes of 9mm ammo and asked then to keep up the good work.
Click to expand...
A few of my spots unfortunately get the TV shooting types.
I always try to leave a spot cleaner than when I arrived.
 
  • Like
Reactions: GONE BAD and Buckley
I now have to go across the river to access state land to stretch out to long distance as Oregon has closed all state land on the wetside. While NF land and BLM land is basically open you have to cross private or state property to access these areas and they are gated!
Oh, and of course most spots look like downtown portland 🙄! Garbage everywhere! I used to pick up after the slobs but now I would need a 20 yard Dropbox so now I pick up after myself. I pay $35 a year to access WS forest land .

I'm sure if the state set dropboxes at entry points a lot of this would stop but who knows 🤷 🤔?
 
jbuck88 said:
This 1000%
Our local range could get confused with a landfill.
I start seeing people leaving tables, broken bottles all over, ovens, fridges, and washing machines out in the middle of the woods.

However not all are bad. Last time out driving the logging roads I passed a group of guys with garbage bags cleaning up after some else made a mess. Didn't have much with me but gave them a couple boxes of 9mm ammo and asked then to keep up the good work.
Click to expand...
70 road greenwater? Lol
 
GONE BAD said:
I now have to go across the river to access state land to stretch out to long distance as Oregon has closed all state land on the wetside. While NF land and BLM land is basically open you have to cross private or state property to access these areas and they are gated!
Oh, and of course most spots look like downtown portland 🙄! Garbage everywhere! I used to pick up after the slobs but now I would need a 20 yard Dropbox so now I pick up after myself. I pay $35 a year to access WS forest land .

I'm sure if the state set dropboxes at entry points a lot of this would stop but who knows 🤷 🤔?
Click to expand...
Interesting
I’m going this weekend to one of my Oregon spots
I’m interested if it’s blocked.
 
Here is my little honey hole. 1040 meters the furthest target. DNR land. And like what someone had mentioned above places like this are above the snow levels. This spot where im at was just over 5k elevation.

v4sOzEj.mp4
 
I’ve got a spot I’m keeping under wraps. Locals know of it but I’ve been the one to hang most targets and half the time I go up and the targets are damaged. A buddy hung a steel plate off a cliff and we can shoot that one at 1550, 1870 and 2340 yards so that’s nice. Got targets from 600-1200yds otherwise. Find a good spot on DNR land and put in the work yourself and don’t tell others about it.
 
  • Like
Reactions: camocorvette and nealm66
Had a free day to scout for deer so looked around at Google earth and went for a drive. Found 3 new places to shoot 1,000 to 1,700 yards in the couple of places I checked. There are lots of opportunities, just need to do a lite legwork and keep the trash out so it doesn't get shutdown.
 
  • Like
Reactions: harry_x1
Steel head said:
Interesting
I’m going this weekend to one of my Oregon spots
I’m interested if it’s blocked.
Click to expand...

Just seen this. Lol.
They did open state land the 1st of October.
Anyway, were you able to get access to the Oregon spot? Sorry I didn't keep up with this thread.

I haven't shot in Oregon for almost 2 years.

Washington state land is way closer to me (1hr) and I can shoot out 1800 yds.

Still have to be extremely careful and setting steel up is really difficult so I basically just shoot rocks. Anything over a grand I paint 😎.

Talked to a tember crewser (?) one day and he said he was mapping road access for logging in that area and asked me not to shoot there that day.

We had a pretty good conversation.
He said nothing would happen for at least 2 maybe 3 years.
Keeping my fingers crossed 🤞
 
  • Like
Reactions: DIBBS
GONE BAD said:
Just seen this. Lol.
They did open state land the 1st of October.
Anyway, were you able to get access to the Oregon spot? Sorry I didn't keep up with this thread.

I haven't shot in Oregon for almost 2 years.

Washington state land is way closer to me (1hr) and I can shoot out 1800 yds.

Still have to be extremely careful and setting steel up is really difficult so I basically just shoot rocks. Anything over a grand I paint 😎.

Talked to a tember crewser (?) one day and he said he was mapping road access for logging in that area and asked me not to shoot there that day.

We had a pretty good conversation.
He said nothing would happen for at least 2 maybe 3 years.
Keeping my fingers crossed 🤞
Click to expand...
Yes I was.
As a bonus they cut a new road that significantly improved my 3000+ opportunities.
 
  • Like
Reactions: GONE BAD
GONE BAD said:
Just seen this. Lol.
They did open state land the 1st of October.
Anyway, were you able to get access to the Oregon spot? Sorry I didn't keep up with this thread.

I haven't shot in Oregon for almost 2 years.

Washington state land is way closer to me (1hr) and I can shoot out 1800 yds.

Still have to be extremely careful and setting steel up is really difficult so I basically just shoot rocks. Anything over a grand I paint 😎.

Talked to a tember crewser (?) one day and he said he was mapping road access for logging in that area and asked me not to shoot there that day.

We had a pretty good conversation.
He said nothing would happen for at least 2 maybe 3 years.
Keeping my fingers crossed 🤞
Click to expand...
Timber cruiser = estimates volume and grades quality for a sale ( I was a timber faller)
 
nealm66 said:
Timber cruiser = estimates volume and grades quality for a sale ( I was a timber faller)
Click to expand...

Around here we call the guy that rides around drinking beer all day while chasing people out of where they should be a timber cruiser. AKA drunk security officer.

Also. He isn't always drunk, just sometimes on the weekends.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

702lineman
Place to shoot near Moab UT
Replies
2
Views
338
Jefe's Dope
Jefe's Dope
M
Barrel for ELR with an AIAXMC
Replies
10
Views
487
bunny too
bunny too
T
Best switch barrel action/bolt?
Replies
54
Views
2K
rustyinbend
rustyinbend
DeathBeforeDismount
SOLD WTS Terminus Kratos 300 Norma, 30" Bartlein, MPA, Lots More
Replies
13
Views
1K
DeathBeforeDismount
DeathBeforeDismount
RackSqueezeBang
Trouble Shoot Sudden POI Drop
Replies
10
Views
219
Slides
Slides
Top Bottom
Back