# redlands shooting range



## hh1271 (Mar 5, 2007)

yesterday i was going to ck a 22 rifle with my son.as i approached the shooting range at redlands i noticed that there were 12 cars parked there already.as we stopped and observed from the safety of our vehicle there were people shooting in all directions.one guy was shooting skeet while another man was shooting at a can 3feet in front of himself.then a group of men were shooting fully automatic ar15s at 30shot bursts.another man was at his truck drinking a budweiser.this is not the first time i have been to this range when all of the nuts were there.however this time i felt that because of the lack of supervision and lack of the dnr area manager (aka carl delatorre) that it was probably an unsafe situation for my self and son.dnr needs an officer at this range on weekends before somebody gets hurt.


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## Dash (Mar 5, 2007)

That's why I only go to the local public range on Friday, or early in the morning during the weekend, and *NEVER* on a gunshow weekend.  Too may idiots that know nothing of firearms safety or range etiquette.


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## hunt4bone (Mar 5, 2007)

No matter how many times they clean it up the idots turn it into a dump.Idots with firearms..


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## PHIL M (Mar 6, 2007)

That shooting range is a nut house!!!! I had a young kid flashing me with a fully aoutomatic tommy gun there one day. Haven't been back since!!


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## gadeerwoman (Mar 6, 2007)

That range has always been like that. I quit going over there years ago due to the same type problems. And the nuts don't just shoot at the range itself but all up and down the road. It is a wonder someone hasn't been killed or seriously hurt over there. And I never saw any type law enforcement or WMA management around there. I think they stay away for the same reasons we do.


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## GeorgiaHunter4333 (Mar 6, 2007)

Never been to that range, but  you do have to be extra cautious at these WMA ranges.

Not complaining here - love the free ranges.

One time this guy walked past the firing line to look through the casings on the ground while we were shooting. Another time while we were down range placing our targets up this guy picks up his pistol and starts aiming down range. There are a bunch of stuff I have seen at these ranges.

I have seen rangers approach folks about unsafe practices though, but most of the time there is not a ranger around.

Enough venting through -I am very appreciative for the ranges, so I just try to go at low traffic times.


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## frankpell (Mar 6, 2007)

you should have went to carl house. ive had the same problem before. i used to turkey hunt behind the range until bullets started flyin thru woods


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## FerrisBueller (Mar 7, 2007)

*Ranges*

I have a good one.... last summer down at Clybel we (the whole rangle line) are plinking away at the 100 yard line when suddenly as I am looking through my .308s scope on the left side  I see a white shirted guy walking out toward the targets. And the line was hot!!!!!!!   Man. what an idiot!!!!!!!!  Of course we all stopped at that point .....guy said he wasnt gonna wait for us to stop.....


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## hh1271 (Mar 7, 2007)

well clybel wma is dnrs show boat wma.everytime i have hunted it or went to there shooting range it is over run with dnr personnel after all they built that hotel and conference center there so the big wig dnr officials can shack up there with there secretaries.why dont they build something like that at cedar creek or redlands wma afterall they are both about 10 times the size of clybel in land area.clybels range is well organized and you can not shoot before 10am and you can not shoot on sunday.but at the redlands range i have heard shots at that range after dark.i think this is because clybel is mostly in newton county where the economic and social conditions are better than greene co. where redlands is located.perhaps dnr needs to asign some of there "overworked personnel" to where all the poor people live in greene county.


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## Walkie Takie (Mar 8, 2007)

*Redlands*

rifle range  is a dump and unsafe place to be   
  all kinds of unsafe people  there ,     most don't care or don't know about guns or shooting   
  the state needs to close that place  before someone get hurt or killed     
 we have a club across the road  ,on the right side going in 
 and you can set on a stand and hear the auto's firing off
 and hear the lead  hitting the tree top and limbs   going pass your stands     
  can't stand to hunt on that side of the property  ,  some time's it's ok  during the week and the morning hunt , but after lunch  no way     
  be safe and good luck if you have to go there //////
  w/t


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## GeorgiaHunter4333 (Mar 8, 2007)

Wow, I feel for you if your club is backed up to one. Not much you can do I guess.

There is no doubt that you need to be cautious about using these facilities. I always try to be upfront with someone that is not being safe when I am there. Ninety percent of the time they just did not know and are overly apologetic when I approach them about it. The great thing about it is, now this person knows better and that is hopefully one less person making that mistake out there.

The other 10 percent just don't care, but honestly I have not run into anyone that was not appreciative of a little guidance.

We have to be proactive about safety on these ranges, because I am not one that wants to lose one more place to shoot - I already have to drive an hour to visit an outdoor range.

I wished there were more rangers out there to help enforce safety, but with the apparent budget cuts and exodus of DNR staff (see release) they just can't be everywhere.

Be safe out there and good luck.

Cal


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## Walkie Takie (Mar 9, 2007)

*Range*

G/H  I agree w/ you about the long drive and  not wanting to lose any  range  or place to shoot.
 but it's hard to believe the unsafe and      thing's they do over at the range  ( some  not all )  10 %  ????
 shooting behind the  table's     
 shooting wrong direction's      
 high shot's  ( how do you miss that 40 ft bank ) ???     
 carrying trash  (can's, glass bottles , old monitors and tv  to shoot )         
 some are drinking and shooting   ???      
 and then some will turn into our land  , stop or walk around gate  and shoot in to our property  , across the cut over  (about 50 @)   with no backstop   or target ??????
      and they think they are at the rifle range ???  
  have been there and ask others  to be careful and be safe
  one ask me  who left me in charge ????   ( young kid ) 
  told him ,we did'nt want to be killed or hurt  and they needed to leave and  clean up there mess ///////
  he was mad  but did leave  ( just never know )      
  state  should close the place down  and / or clean it up and  have set time's  to shoot and have a payed person working there and in charge  like the (old Dekalb co range )
 would'nt mind paying for a safe place to shoot /////
  be safe  and good luck    w/t


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## GeorgiaHunter4333 (Mar 9, 2007)

Walkie Takie I could not agree with you more about the unbelievably unsafe things people do - I guess that kid must be part of the 10 percent. He will understand you were right when he hurts or kills himself or someone else because of his practices. I found most people just do not know how to properly handle a weapon in a public range.

A ticket from a ranger would help some of these people remember the right thing to do for a long time to come or at least read the rules.

It would be great if we could get several people who cared deeply about the importance of having these places available to the public to volunteer as range managers during high traffic periods (weekends, holidays.) I know that may be wishful thinking, but I just hate to see one more place to shoot go away - Anyone living in Atlanta will tell you they are hard to find already.

Thanks for doing what you can out there.

Cal


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## Thanatos (Mar 9, 2007)

I have been there shooting my 30-06 and all the guys there were aware of fire arm safety. But, i did go at 7am on weekdays. Last turkey season, I saw a bunch of scratching and herd a lot of birds at the beginning of the season right there at the bridge over the drain.


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## hh1271 (Mar 11, 2007)

It never seems to amaze me how people are.Yesterday on 3/10 i made another attempt to go to the redlands range.I got there at 8am and nobody was there so i was able to shoot and accomplish what i had tried to do on the previous sunday.At about 9am and i was still shooting but was ready to go, a guy and his kid showed up.I showed common range courtisey to this man and his son as he was trying to set an impression on this young man.After shooting some more i had said to the man and his boy"is it ok to go down range to retrieve my target", the man said sure so i yelled range clear.As iwalked down to retrieve my target i noticed that the mans son was aiming a gun down range at me.I immediately got to the shooting bench and said the range was not clear.The man then said "its only a bbgun it wont hurt you", i then said famous last words.Once again at this range there is no supervision and no range officer or dnr ranger.There was all sorts of things that people had been shooting at all week long, anything from propain tanks to computer monitors.But what had disturbed me the most was this mans lack of firearms safety and the impression that he had imposed on his son.I hope this man and his son dont hunt on public land or redlands wma they could have the attitude that if it is brown or orange  it is down.


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## yellowhammer (Mar 14, 2007)

I asked a DNR ranger about the possibility of building a range on a certain WMA.He said,that due to the abuse,drunks,etc.,that DNR would build no more,and may shut down the existing ones.I saw the same stuff happening at Big Lazar.There`s always at least one that thinks the rules do not apply to him.I have visited the one at Cohutta and had a good time.Everyone there, at that particular time,was well-behaved.A national forest employee checked by more than once in an hour or so.


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## SWbowhunter (Mar 14, 2007)

hh1271 said:


> yesterday i was going to ck a 22 rifle with my son.as i approached the shooting range at redlands i noticed that there were 12 cars parked there already.as we stopped and observed from the safety of our vehicle there were people shooting in all directions.one guy was shooting skeet while another man was shooting at a can 3feet in front of himself.then a group of men were shooting fully automatic ar15s at 30shot bursts.another man was at his truck drinking a budweiser.this is not the first time i have been to this range when all of the nuts were there.however this time i felt that because of the lack of supervision and lack of the dnr area manager (aka carl delatorre) that it was probably an unsafe situation for my self and son.dnr needs an officer at this range on weekends before somebody gets hurt.



Is this the range @ Trembling Bridge? This is not a DNR range, it is a USFS Range. Look at Page 15 in the popular guide. All DNR Ranges are listed. If that is the range I am thinking of, the USFS is in the process of trying to improve that range including the possiblity of a full time range attendant.


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## hh1271 (Mar 15, 2007)

you are wrong swbowhunter,all of the oconee nfl land north of i-20 is redlands wma.the usfs leases the land to the state of georgia to manage.they should disban redlands wma and return it to the usfs.the only reason it is a wma is so the state of ga. can get the federal $dollars from the usfs to manage it.i bet the state of ga. takes that money and puts it into general funds so we can pay for some illegal aliens kids to have peachcare,because they aint spending that money on improving that wma.call up and ask dnr how many deer per square mile they have there.they cant tell you.that is the most mismanaged wma i have ever seen,the rifle range is only one example.there are to many doe days there there aint never a ranger around.they should just give it back to the feds to manage.


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## PHIL M (Mar 16, 2007)

hh1271 said:


> you are wrong swbowhunter,all of the oconee nfl land north of i-20 is redlands wma.the usfs leases the land to the state of georgia to manage.they should disban redlands wma and return it to the usfs.the only reason it is a wma is so the state of ga. can get the federal $dollars from the usfs to manage it.i bet the state of ga. takes that money and puts it into general funds so we can pay for some illegal aliens kids to have peachcare,because they aint spending that money on improving that wma.call up and ask dnr how many deer per square mile they have there.they cant tell you.that is the most mismanaged wma i have ever seen,the rifle range is only one example.there are to many doe days there there aint never a ranger around.they should just give it back to the feds to manage.



I agree! I used to hunt it when it was NF. It was better hunting back then, than it is now.


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## SWbowhunter (Mar 16, 2007)

Find the range on page 15. I don't see it. 
What money does the state get from the USFS? Tell me all about it, I would love to know.


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## FerrisBueller (Mar 17, 2007)

*Reply*

The state gets the money from making it a requirement that you must purchase a WMA Stamp in order to hunt the WMA Land. North of I-20 you need one, south of I-20 on the NFL you dont. 

HH is right. Hunters are getting ripped off on Redlands. The state is collecting the $ from the stamps. Just look at all the trash dumps on it. The deer hunting stinks on it and its being managed for the red cocaded (?) woodpecker. 

It s ironic that when you go into the USFS Office on 441 they have a framed potrait of that wood pecker right behind the receptionists desk. Like he's some kind of hero.  Heck  I ve seen RCW's in my backyard here in Gwinnett. Duh.  and they are managing all 105,000 acres for that wood pecker. Ripping us all off!!!


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## FerrisBueller (Mar 17, 2007)

One last comment...........if they close public ranges people will start shooting up road signs again......


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## SWbowhunter (Mar 18, 2007)

FerrisBueller said:


> The state gets the money from making it a requirement that you must purchase a WMA Stamp in order to hunt the WMA Land. North of I-20 you need one, south of I-20 on the NFL you dont.
> 
> HH is right. Hunters are getting ripped off on Redlands. The state is collecting the $ from the stamps. Just look at all the trash dumps on it. The deer hunting stinks on it and its being managed for the red cocaded (?) woodpecker.
> 
> It s ironic that when you go into the USFS Office on 441 they have a framed potrait of that wood pecker right behind the receptionists desk. Like he's some kind of hero.  Heck  I ve seen RCW's in my backyard here in Gwinnett. Duh.  and they are managing all 105,000 acres for that wood pecker. Ripping us all off!!!


No doubt the state gets money from the sale of WMA stamps, but they do not get any money from the USFS for managing WMA's on Forest Service Land. 

The Forest has changed a lot since it was open forest service land and to say the only reason hunting is subpar is due to DNR management is narrow sighted. Habitat has matured significantly and good early successional habitat is not created as often as it was in the 80's when the timber operations were of a larger scale. The woodpecker is not the kiss of death. They require thinned mature pines with open mindstory and a frequent burn interval. This  creates great early successional habitat. Deer and other wildlife benefit greatly from that management as it provides a lot of forbs and grasses to eat, especially when  near appropriate cover. 

My final comment on shooting ranges or mismanagment of forest service lands is "What are YOU doing to make it better?" It is easy to set back and complain, but are you involved in an effort to change the status quo? Why not? Most everything that happens on USFS land requires a public comment period. Do you comment? I assure you they hear from extreme environmental groups, bird watchers and mountain bike riders, but little do they hear from hunters. Call the forest office and get on the list for scoping letters. Respond with your opinions when asked. Also, when the forest plan is revisited get involved in the planning process.  Adopt WMA's and have work days to help clean up litter or plant food plots. Hunters can do more than complain.


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## hh1271 (Mar 18, 2007)

swbohunter obviously you havent used your bow in the southeast lately.why is the usfs managing the nf land for woodywoodpecker?Its not like you can hunt them.Us hunters pay for all of these pork barrel programs through licensing fees.Why does the dnr mismanage there funds and build a hotel and conference center at clybel wma.Then they wont give there rangers a raise,How do i as ahunter benefit from a hotel and conference center?I dont.Why should i have to volunteer and clean up a wma.What do i buy a $60sportsmans license for every year.Other groups that use the nf land and wmas do not buy a hunting license or wma stamp.When you drive out to a nf land or a wma in your wifes volvo with your mountain bike strapped to the roof are you a paying customer?I bet not.You  birdwatchers and mountain bike groups are setting policy for the sportsman that pays for your weekend out of body nature experience.Buy the way, when i go to the redlands range why do i walk past a wma sign even though it is not on page 15?I will tell you why,because the dnr does not think enough of the place to mention it.


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## HuntinJake_23 (Oct 17, 2007)

i hunt fairly close to the redlands wma gun range far enough that it is safe but can still hear it just fine, there have been many of mornings that some idiot would unload a fully automatic gun ten times or more and it is annoying and takes away from the peacefulness of the deer woods.


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## k_g_b (Oct 19, 2007)

The range is closed now. Another board that I'm a member on has get togethers there a couple times a year. They are some of the ones that are shooting full auto down there. They also get together and clean up the range a couple of times a year.


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## FerrisBueller (Dec 9, 2007)

Would you believe that even with the range being closed and red and white signs posted on the trees saying so ...people are still setting up boxes and shooting on it. No wonder they closed it. Stupid people.


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## clent586 (Jan 1, 2008)

PHIL M said:


> I agree! I used to hunt it when it was NF. It was better hunting back then, than it is now.



I just could not help posting to this. This range is in control of the Forestry, not the WMA. I confirmed this not 2 weeks ago. And if you know where to hunt on this WMA, you can still kill decent deer. We killed these over the last 6 years, all within 1/2 mile of each other. I think it is better, if you know where to hunt. We tell no-one where we hunt because we don't want the junkies that are at the range on us. Besides most people that hunt there will not walk in the 1.5 miles that we walk to kill these deer.


























For the Redlands, I think they are pretty good.


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## Model 11 (Jan 2, 2008)

Keep posting your pictures about Redlands. It looks like you need some company.


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