Any Complaints?

[pigpen]

OK, long story. My sister has a 30acre or so horse farm that boaders a swampy creek. In the back part by the swamp is a place I use for a 25yd range, using the woods & swamp as my impact area. No houses. Well, last weekend my bro & I was a shootin & this dude drives back to where we were, like he owned the place, and said he had a cabin "right on the other side of the branch". He said he can't get his woman to stay there with him because almost every saturday someone is shooting & she is scared. We were polite, mainly cause it is my sisters place & don't want to piss her neighbors off, & stopped shooting for the day. Now, after this incident I checked with my bro-in-law to make sure there are no houses in the impact area & he said no & sugjested I shoot the old fart next time he comes back there when I'm shooting.(out of my sisters 4 husbands I like the current one the best:icon_biggrin:). I went to google earth, got the image of the area in question & there are no houses visable. Gonna personally recon the area this weekend my self to make sure.

Now my question. Anyone here ever have a similar situation & if so how did you handle it.

PS

I don't like being an asshole but I can & from what I have heard I am pretty good at it. But I would like to refrain from that approach cause like I said I don't want to piss my sisters neighbors off. I'm not violating any local laws or ordanances.
Whacha think?

[weasel_master]

I had a complaint where I used to shoot. I talked with the sheriff and he said I wasn't breaking any ordinances. Talked with other neighbors and they had no complaints. It was just someone that walked a trail that followed the property line. The last time I saw the lady I just said I couldn't hear her as I had hearing protection on. Had she approached me with a little more respect I would have chosen a new spot to shoot.

[pigpen]

The dude was not rude but just the fact that he came all the way to the back of my sisters place driving a Caddicac Escalade pissed me off. My sister lives in Darlington & there is some "old money" & other people who think they are the cats ass. Here is a pic to give you an idea. Sorry it is kinda crappy & does not show more of the area(I had to crop the hell out of it)

[Rampager]

Maybe he is just someone that doesn't want to hear shooting. As long you are within safe distance and aren't breaking any laws or ordinances and shoothing during "normal" hours I'd just ignore him.

I'm lucky in that respect. I live right near an Army Reserve base...lots of shooting going on in my area on weekends so folks are used to it here when I go out back blasting too.

[k98k792]

A friend and I were shooting on some pretty isolated private land (his) near the Mark Twain National Forest and some tard drove up in a SUV and started complaining about the noise. My friend said " That's the sound of freedom! What is it you don't like about freedom?" The guy looked like he was gut shot! He cranked up his window and drove off. I was rolling.

[walt-oxie1]

Check with the local Cheif Law Enforcement Officer and have him clarify the legallity. If he says you are good to go don't worry about the other guy. When he shows up next time and complains tell him politely what you were told, ask him if they would like to join you and go about your business. If he calls the law tell them what you were told concerning legallity. Whatever you do be cool.

[tump]

if your sister doen't mind get a couple loads of sand for a small berm. you should always have a back stop. if someone is walking back there (why they would be i have no idea) and they get nicked with a stray its gonna be your a$$. i can't tell were the property lines are but if nothing is leaving your sisters property you should be fine.

[pigpen]

After doing a recon of the area I have decided to err on the safe side & make a back stop.

I'm think'n about using horse turds as burm material, there is plenty of that stuff around. I know it is not as dense as sand but I can't afford to haul any sand in. It'll suck scooping up them turds but I guess it is better than nuthin.

[MicroPilot]

Does your sister have a tractor? If so the use it to mound up some dirt for a backstop. With 30 acres theres got to be someplace you can move some dir from. If the tractor doesn't have a loader, you can buy a dirt scoop for less than $300 to attach to the 3 point in the rear. Maybe your sister or her hubby would split the cost. It'll save you a lot of work.

[pigpen]

My sis & bro-in-law have a tractor but only have a bush hog, box blade & other similiar attachments. No earth moving scoops or such. I'm too broke to buy anything. I guess I should talk to my Bro-in-law & see if he has anything that I don't know about or knows someone who does.

[MicroPilot]

If there are any other farmers nearby I bet you could borrow or rent a dirt scoop. Heck, If I lived nearby and you told me what you wanted I'd probably do the work for free if ya let me shoot your guns!!!:thumbup:

[okie shooter]

On building a backstop, that sounds like a good idea, use some material that will work though and will stay in place.

On the gent, you might, if you see him try to put a positive image of shooters, rather than to be angry. I understand property rights and such, but showing him where you shoot, and the efforts you are making to ensure his and his lady friends safety(or have him bring her and show her the extents of how you are looking out for their safety) will leave a better impression on this guy of shooters out there.

[Alaskagrown]

you guys are rude. anyone shooting where neighbors can hear and don't use suppressors are just rude.:icon_biggrin:

[Geilt]

My sis & bro-in-law have a tractor but only have a bush hog, box blade & other similiar attachments. No earth moving scoops or such. I'm too broke to buy anything. I guess I should talk to my Bro-in-law & see if he has anything that I don't know about or knows someone who does.

The NRA offers information on building a shooting range. It includes a lot of good information. They call it the Range Source Book and costs $60 for the printed and bound (3-ring binder) version or $20 for the CD-Rom with the same information.

http://www.nrahq.org/shootingrange/sourcebook.asp

[pigpen]

On building a backstop, that sounds like a good idea, use some material that will work though and will stay in place.

On the gent, you might, if you see him try to put a positive image of shooters, rather than to be angry. I understand property rights and such, but showing him where you shoot, and the efforts you are making to ensure his and his lady friends safety(or have him bring her and show her the extents of how you are looking out for their safety) will leave a better impression on this guy of shooters out there.

I didn't say too much too the dude, let my bro do the talking. He is more of a politician than I. Horse turds are pretty much just chewed up grass & oats so I know it will decompose after a while. Since my sis has 6-7 horses there will be plenty of poop to keep the pile high. ith

[Norton]

Where I live we get that sort of thing all the time. A yankee( or city) transplant hears shooting from somewhere and calls the law. The deputy arrives and says ''sorry but someone complained please could you stop for now?'' My buddies say ''hey this is my land and we have lived here for years or ''Our family has lived here for generations in some cases. The peson who did the complaining lives in the opposite direction or nowhere near where we are shooting.. But worry about their dogs or horses.
The law says "I know I know I don't like it either but you how it is with these people'' But we keep shooting as we are not breaking any law. But we no longer do any rapid fire, as that relly gets them upset.
So I would say to you Pigpen look for that cabin he said he own's and if you are not shooting his way and have a good backstop you should keep shooting until there is a house down in that swamp.(There will be) Or maybe there is no cabin or house and he just dosn't like shooting.
I don't know about him, but I think you are in the right from the photo you posted.

[drine]

I won't last too long but if you can put a piece up, put your fill dirt behind it and repeat with a few layers you will have something to take the ZING off those rounds and stop them. FMJs are a pain to stop. Any 2x4s etc.. will hold them up and add to the barrier. Check some construction sites and sometimes they'll let you have the scrap. Make sure of course there are no nails to ricochette off of. When it gets too old to stop the rounds, burn it and start again! You could do this for little or no money out of your pocket.
I had been shooting at the in-laws for two years at a pine stump about four feet high. It never occurred to me how rotten it was until a small tree fell over about 30yds behind the stump. It was in a small draw though so no rounds got away. I've since started going to the public range 30 mins. away.:icon_neutral:

[pigpen]

My idea was to put 2 post in the ground about 6 or so feet apart, nail 2x6,s up & down, shovle shit until it is about 3-4 feet high & forget about it.

[okie shooter]

Pigpen, remember you will be shooting the sh*t, thus you will be breathing the dust and fumes. I imagine breathing horse sh*t aint going to do you or your nose any good. Sand, or earth would make a far better berm. The fecial matter will just decompose, and wont even pile after rains as it starts breaking down, and you will not enjoy the smell I imagine either.

Brings images from some weird comedy movie to mind, exploding piles of horse sh*t, to something like the 1812 overature. :)

[Grasshopper]

Hold on! If this guy drives an Escalade he has money. Be carefull going on his land if he has any in the vicinity. Rich people have money, remember this when dealing with this guy. He doesn't care about you. He cares mainly about himself, thus the Escalade. If he is reconing this property to build condos you have to ramp up the shooting. Have Mike send you some of his stuff :2pistol:
Now, on being neighborly? Whow's about moving into an area and trying to tell the neighbors what to do, what a turd!:eek: If you recon his property you have to go full gilly sute and paint yourself up. If he sees you he'll tell you that you are tresspassing, thus the first step in his diabolical plan to train his "neighbors" to "accept" the "inevitable" of his wishes!:nonono:
Now. go to the town and look up who owns this land in question. Find out to see if this guy is just a land prospecter, looking for someplace to build condos. If he is a builder, you can have an "Impact Study", (like they do) to see how the land will be effected by condos as well as the "enviromental impact" of that nice wetlands area abutting your sisters land.:nurse: What will the lime from the concrete do to the nice birdies??:icon_mad:
................................Ok, I'll stop! :icon_biggrin:

[Woodman in MO]

Wow, I would either moon him, or tell him to start dating Deaf chicks. But I guess what these other guys said is probably better.

[Grasshopper]

:thumbup:

[pigpen]

Pigpen, remember you will be shooting the sh*t, thus you will be breathing the dust and fumes. I imagine breathing horse sh*t aint going to do you or your nose any good. Sand, or earth would make a far better berm. The fecial matter will just decompose, and wont even pile after rains as it starts breaking down, and you will not enjoy the smell I imagine either.

Okie,
When I was growing up we'd have horse turd fights. We wouldn't use fresh turds, we'd use the ones that had been laying around for a few days. They are preformed bombs that are not too heavy so they don't hurt that bad when hit by one. Also, both my kids help my sister scoop the poop from the stalls & I help out from time to time so I have gotton immune to the smell. The piss is what really stinks. My sis already has a 2-3 foot pile of turds but it is not located in a good spot(too close to the stables). I was just gonna load up some in the bed of my truck & dump it where I want the backstop to go. I figure I can throw a little poop, a little dirt, a little more poop on top until I get it to the desired height. Once it settles or decays I'll dump more poop & dirt.(wasen't there a huy on this forum who went by morepoopfyou or somthing like that)


Hold on! If this guy drives an Escalade he has money. Be carefull going on his land if he has any in the vicinity. Rich people have money, remember this when dealing with this guy. He doesn't care about you. He cares mainly about himself, thus the Escalade. If he is reconing this property to build condos you have to ramp up the shooting. Have Mike send you some of his stuff

My bro-in-law knows who the dude is. On top of driving an Escalade he has one of those unreadable pretentious personalized license plates.


Now, on being neighborly? Whow's about moving into an area and trying to tell the neighbors what to do, what a turd! If you recon his property you have to go full gilly sute and paint yourself up. If he sees you he'll tell you that you are tresspassing, thus the first step in his diabolical plan to train his "neighbors" to "accept" the "inevitable" of his wishes!

My gilly suit is not ready yet but I did recon the area. Didn't use any camo paint either. I did wear my genuine GI issue LBV I adapted into my hunting pack. I was very tactical & my mission was not compromised. However I did almost "compromise" my shorts when this big snake slithered from under a log I was about to step on. Couldn't tell what kind it was cuz it hit the water fast and all I could see was his wake as he swam away.
The dudes cabin is no where near the impact area & from what my bro-in-law says & is a local so I doubt he is scouting to build condos. I think he just got tired of hearing me out there shooting every weekend. Plus every now & then we would do some rapid fire so I'm sure that didn't help

[Grasshopper]

"I think he just got tired of hearing me out there shooting every weekend. Plus every now & then we would do some rapid fire so I'm sure that didn't help" (quote pigpen)

I love rapid fire.
No seriously though. He might have been having a bad day or something. I hope everybody gets what they want in this little situation.:catcorn:
Invite him shooting if you see him some time, he might become your new buddy. It helps when your friends buy ammo for your guns.

[RandyCOG3]

I think that if I were in your situation, I'd paint a LARGE "NO TRESPASSING" sign, and place it along whatever route he drove the Escalade in on, and then I'd shoot the sign full of holes, preferably with a 12-guage amongst whatever else you had, so that some big chunks were missing, i.e. shoot the sign from the back for that "exit wound" effect.
Don't know about "there", but "here", in unincorporated areas, if the bullet doesn't leave your land, you're pretty much OK.
Isn't horse-flop, buffalo-chips, etc., flammable when dried? Pretty sure I've read somewhere about settlers burning buffalo crap out on the treeless prairies, back in the day...so the first time two steel-cores clink together, or a tracer or API round slip thru, yer gonna have an unusual, aromatic problem to deal with.
If the soil isn't too hard, I'd bet an afternoon with any tractor and any blade would at least give you enough dirt to shovel/wheelbarrow into a pile.
Surprising, to me, when my brother, outside of Houston, needs fill dirt, he hand-paints a sign that says "Fill Dirt Wanted", and the stuff just shows up w/o any interaction between him and the mystery-truck(s). If somebody digs a swimming pool, clears out a ditch, etc., they gotta pay to take the dirt *somewhere*. Don't know if that'd work in your locale, but, for the cost of some old paint and plywood... it might be worth a try. You might need to direct them with additional signs to the dump site...
Anybody building swimming pools thereabouts? Maybe a call to a builder would get you a nice pile of dirt..

RandyCOG3

[nalioth]

Isn't horse-flop, buffalo-chips, etc., flammable when dried? Pretty sure I've read somewhere about settlers burning buffalo crap out on the treeless prairies, back in the day. Horses have different digestive processes than cattle/buffalo/oxen. That is why horseapples don't stink like . . :bull: This also makes them pretty useless for fuel, after they're dried.

Cows and their ilk, eat and re-eat all their food, plus the different digestive process makes pretty good fuel, after the patties dry in the sun a few months...

[drine]

As oppossed to "you don't know $h*t".The wealth of knowledge here never ceases to amaze me. I did not know the difference between the two fecal matters in question. I am serious here...err somewhat! LMAO
Back on the subject. I don't think I'd like be railroaded on my land(or relatives land). Take the middle road and build a decent back stop, shoot during the correct hours, and talk to the guy as others have said. If my neighbor was having guests or a party or something, I would be nice and do something else that day. If he persists in being a "B"hole, get some bigger calibers!!!
The "fill dirt wanted" sign may help. I agree with the other fellas, I don't think I'd try using dung either way.

[pigpen]

Well, I can't put up no tressassing signs cause my sister has horse shows, barrel races, ect. so that would keep people away from the shows. Plus she boards horses every now & then. The white rectangle to the right of the bench in the arena, the little rectangle right above the letter "c" in the word bench is the consession stand/announcer tower, the little bity rectangles on each side of the consession stand are the bleachers.


Nanolith, your knowledge of fecal matter is astounding!!

[RandyCOG3]

Well, I can't put up no tressassing signs cause my sister has horse shows, barrel races, ect. so that would keep people away from the shows

Well, then, how about a "Caution: Horse Sh1t In Road" sign near the bench? NOBODY in an Escalade will drive down THAT road...

Or maybe you could stage a horse race, where the object of the game is to deposit 3 sandbags at the designated spot...the entrants bring their own loaded sandbags...?

RandyCOG3

[MicroPilot]

I have horses and so am familiar with the material being discussed. I don't believe this has enough mass to be effective as a back stop. Even after the manure has decomposed it still very light compared to earth. Makes a great addition your garden soild or as a mulch, but I wouldn'tuse it as a backstop.

I think you would need a mound of packed dirt 5' to 8' tall and at least 3' deep at the top to contain the bullets.

You could use the boxblade to move the dirt and make a mound, it just wouldn't be as efficient as a dirt scoop or loader. You essentially would have to make a ramp and keep pushing the dirt up. Also with the box blade you would end up removing material from a larger area, as it will only scrape about 2 to 4 inches off the top of the dig site at a time.

Here's a pond scoop at Northern Tool for $199.00

http://www2.northerntool.com/product-1/200315611.htm

[okie shooter]

One other thing about the horse manure, is will it decompose, when piled, and catch other organic materials on fire, if enough heat builds up. Just a thought, of fighting a field fire, and having to mess again with a pile of horse manure smoldering and burning. Not a plesant thought there either. Just my two cents again.

[pigpen]

I have horses and so am familiar with the material being discussed. I don't believe this has enough mass to be effective as a back stop. Even after the manure has decomposed it still very light compared to earth. Makes a great addition your garden soild or as a mulch, but I wouldn'tuse it as a backstop.

I think you would need a mound of packed dirt 5' to 8' tall and at least 3' deep at the top to contain the bullets.

You could use the boxblade to move the dirt and make a mound, it just wouldn't be as efficient as a dirt scoop or loader. You essentially would have to make a ramp and keep pushing the dirt up. Also with the box blade you would end up removing material from a larger area, as it will only scrape about 2 to 4 inches off the top of the dig site at a time.

Here's a pond scoop at Northern Tool for $199.00

http://www2.northerntool.com/product-1/200315611.htm

Micro
I thought about the density issues of equine turds & decided I'll have to do a test this weekend after I build the frame of the backstop. Even if it works so-so I have plenty of turds & can make the pile as tick as needed. My brother-in-law is a real cool dude & I am almost sure he will let me use the box blade to scrape up some dirt if need be. He has been complaining about drainage issues anyway so maybe I can help him out with that while I'm @ it. If I do use the box blade I plan to use old fashion back muscels to move the dirt into the frame. I found a spot in the tree line where I will construct the stop so it won't be too visible. I got this comming mon,tues & wed off so I should have time to at least make something or get it started. Since it is the 4th of july next week I wanted to get a few strings of the 100 firecrackers & set'em off to see if he comes to complain. If he does come to complain I'll offer him some water melon.:America:

[Cavalryman]

My sis & bro-in-law have a tractor but only have a bush hog, box blade & other similiar attachments. No earth moving scoops or such. I'm too broke to buy anything. I guess I should talk to my Bro-in-law & see if he has anything that I don't know about or knows someone who does.

You can easily build a berm with a box blade if you know how to use it. Perhaps you should get a little instruction and do some practicing.

[MicroPilot]

PigPen - Did you ever get this complete? How did it turn out? Got any pics?

[Enigma Nostra]

Pigpen, toss me where abouts you are, if your somewhere in the southern states I might be able to help out, or have some friends help.

-E

[ctdemolay0405]

this sounds like an ok idea, my idea for a berm was to get some 6x6s and build a back and side walls then fill in dirt in the front, then have some 2x4s across the front with plywood or something to hold up targets, but the box build would, theoretically, hold sand or dirt. i figured that should hold everything in without letting bullets leave my hard

[SteelCore]

make sure you've got at least 3 foot of depth for safety. Most 30 cal (270win, 762nato 762x54r, 762x39, 30-06) stop in the first 10-16 inches of dirt, depending on how wet it is. Dirt and sand can suck up such an unbelieveable amount of kinetic energy (as evidenced by earthworks and sandbags used for warfare in the last 200+ years of the firearms age).

The berm we use on my buddys land is about 2 tri-axles worth of dirt, amounting to a mound that is 6 ft high, 20ft wide, and 30 inches deep in the top and near 8 feet deep in the bottom. most of our shots impact in dirt about 1-2 foot up the berm, where the dirt is 6-8ft thick. (It may be extreme, but it is his property and he doesn't want any kind of accident.)

It is also super-important not to overshoot yer berm. You'll prolly wanty 300+ yds of uninhabited space behind the berm, with a clear field of view, and a rise is nice too. A bullet that tops the berm will need some space to drop, and usually 300yds allows a drop of 3-7ft depending on the round.
If your berm is small, make sure to be within 25-50 yds of it, that greatly improves the berm's chance of doing its work.

When we sight in rifles with a newly mounted scope or unsighted irons, we always aim waaaya low to make sure the berm will catch the bullet. The spotter notes the impact, and the shooter can adjust accordingly.

[ctdemolay0405]

how much does a dumptruck full of dirt cost... lowest price you know of

[k98k792]

20$ a cubic yard for topsoil.