Dump Shooting

[nuparadigm]

As a kid (admittedly, a long time ago), the guy who ran the local dump let us shoot there. Needless to say, it was a target-rich environment. Cans, jugs of all sorts ... and the creepy crawlies (rats, etc.). Backstops were seldom a problem and the only equipment a shooter needs besides a weapon of some sort is a pair of sturdy boots.

My point in bringing this up is this: are there any other Dump Shooters out there? If so, where are the dumps that will permit you to shoot there? (after dumping hours, of course).

This is a serious inquiry and I'd be willing to travel a moderate distance to re-engage myself in this great sport.

[jimlongley]

Not lately, but for many years the town dump in the town I lived in was the defacto range - even though it was a pretty long bike ride, about ten miles, I made the trip regularly until I got old enough to drive, and then I drove. While I was away in the Navy the town cut off shooting there.

I had other places available to shoot that were closer, but, after all, it was a target rich environment.

I have shot at other dumps and landfills since, and still enjoy it.

[longtooth]

When I was a kid in the West Texas town of Lubbock (yes flint I grew up there but left as soon as I got out of High School) you could not shoot at the dump but every farmer that had a clechie pit would let anyone that wanted to shoot for the asking. By the time I was an older teen they started putting an "Honest box" out & asked for $2.00 - $5.00 to shoot. Probably could not beg or buy into one out there any more.

[nuparadigm]

You guys are probably right. Dump Shooting is probably a thing of the past. Still, though, everytime I pass one the idea crosses my mind to just stop and ask. Maybe next time, I'll stop.

There's this dump I'm curious about; it's on a back road between Angleton and Clute. Probably owened by a corporate conglogerate and subject to all sorts of regulations.

[ElGato]

The Texas City dump used to be our range, the bull dozers kept a 100 yd range cleared off for us to use. Shooting rats at night was lots of fun.

When they moved the dump and started to land fill, they built our present municipal range on the site.

[KBCraig]

When I was a kid in Arkansas, we shot at a shale pit. The dump was too close to houses. There was also a large timbered lot a quarter mile from my house, and I spent countless hours there plinking. The shale pit was about a 3 mile bike ride, and I did it many times with a .22 rifle bungeed across the handlebars.

The shale pit is closed now (it's a county refuse transfer station), but we're talking Western Arkansas... you're in the middle of 1.3 million acres of National Forest, so a place to shoot is always just a short drive away.

Our Bowie County landfill (owned by Western Waste) is off limits. It's gated off after hours, and employees are constantly operating heavy equipment during business hours. And besides, "Mount Trashmore" sits right beside I-30. I think it's the highest point in the county.

Kevin

[flintknapper]

You guys are probably right. Dump Shooting is probably a thing of the past. Still, though, everytime I pass one the idea crosses my mind to just stop and ask. Maybe next time, I'll stop.

There's this dump I'm curious about; it's on a back road between Angleton and Clute. Probably owened by a corporate conglogerate and subject to all sorts of regulations.

I remember well.. the days when my older brother and I would walk down to the river with our .22's to shoot at floating sticks, water snakes...and the occasional turtle. We would then venture on to the city dump to plink at cans and bottles.

No one thought anything of a 10 & 12 year old walking down the road with their rifles in hand. Heck, you could buy .22 long rifle ammo at the gas station.

My Mother and Father never expected us home before dark in the summertime, and didn't worry a bit (no reason to). Well, maybe a little.

Sadly, those innocent days are long past and have been replaced by a largely "litigious" society.

When I was growing up, if you shot yourself....it was your own darn fault, not someone else's. I think they called it accountability (back then). Oh well.......don't get me started.

Yes, dump shooting is a thing of the past, or I'd happily go with you.

[Diode]

I was raised in the Back woods of Southern Indiana, the dump was the 55 gallon burn can in the back yard. Dad would take me down by the creek and let me shoot my Single shot 20g Ah! the good old days. Yes we also went Squirrel hunting too.

[Skipper5]

I was raised in the Back woods of Southern Indiana, the dump was the 55 gallon burn can in the back yard. Dad would take me down by the creek and let me shoot my Single shot 20g Ah! the good old days. Yes we also went Squirrel hunting too.

Ha...ditto as to great times.....our dump was an ole barrel cactus just a few yards out the back of the house...in the early 50's there wasn't much of Scottsdale,,,Paradise Valley cept desert n cactus. Also the irrigation banks were allowed as backdrops for us...the Maricopa Sheriffs would even come bye every so often and practice with us (they with .45s...we 22s) or watch us sometimes...

[OverEasy]

My dad used to take me to the dump to shoot rats at night. You just had to call the owner first to get permission.

I remember one time my mother saw some glamorous movie star in a magazine. She took the magazine to the hairdresser and had her hair done just like the picture.

She pestered my dad all day to take her out somewhere, since she had a new hairdoo.

You guessed it............, he took her out to the dump to shoot rats!

(note: They managed to stay married almost 30 years, she went to girly stuff with her girlfriends, he bowled, golfed, hunted and fished with the guys.)

I always had fun at the dump. That was where I shot a centerfire revolver for the 1st time. Dad let me shoot his S&W K frame with a 4-1/2" barrel. That's one of the days you never forget!

I miss the dump too!

Regards, OE

[cyphur]

When I was growing up, if you shot yourself....it was your own darn fault, not someone else's. I think they called it accountability (back then). Oh well.......don't get me started.

Yes, dump shooting is a thing of the past, or I'd happily go with you.

Accountability, is that one of those fancy counting classes up at the community college?

[PWK]

I really have enjoyed this thread. Thank y'all for sharing your memories.

[kw5kw]

When I was a kid in the West Texas town of Lubbock (yes flint I grew up there but left as soon as I got out of High School) you could not shoot at the dump but every farmer that had a clechie pit would let anyone that wanted to shoot for the asking. By the time I was an older teen they started putting an "Honest box" out & asked for $2.00 - $5.00 to shoot. Probably could not beg or buy into one out there any more.

I grew up in the Texas Panhandle town of Dimmitt in Castro County.

We went to the dump and shot, a regular plethora of targets; cans, tires, cars, bottles--you name it it was there. We'd shoot our handguns there... mainly .22's and .38's.

Other times we'd take our .22 rifles out to the clechie pit 6 mi. east and 6 mi. north. Nobody ever, ever out there. We'd go out on a Sunday afternoon and spend two, three hours just plinking at rocks, bottles, cans.

I'd love to do that again.

That was in the '60's.

Fast fwd to the '80's and we built our own backstop at our farm out of 3/8" steel that was 8 foot wide and 6 foot tall. We welded legs at the top of the sheet so that it would lean at about a 45 degree angle and the bullets would then be forced into the dirt.

It worked great, as long as you could hit the side of a barn!

Then we moved to Ft. Worth.

Those days were gone.

But now, my daughter loves guns and she and her husband now own a ranch between McKinney and Greenville that has some very natural backstops--and they both love to shoot.

Happy days are back again, as we can now--once again go out and plink!

Russ

[WNallG30]

Dump shooting is great. We used to go to a few pits west of town here in Odessa that people have dumped in. Then the SO started running people off. I don't know if it was land owners or not, but you can't go anymore. So some friends bought some land with a celiche pit on it. We've built a range ourselves with shooting benches and sheds, heck, we even have a fire pit and BBQ grill now. We keep trash out of it, and prosecute dumpers if we can catch them though. So we have to bring our own targets. Man, I know what I'm doing after work now!