Who shoots and/or hunts?

[Robpocalypse]

Yup. Can't complain about my personal 300yd range in my back yard

Are you trying to make me green with envy???

We have one range in the state with a distance of 300 yards.. it has a 4 year waitlist, 650 first year fee and 300 annual renewal (on top of mandary work hours logged).

What I would not give to be able to walk out my door and shoot for free!

[goodbye_farewell]

We have one range in the state with a distance of 300 yards.. it has a 4 year waitlist, 650 first year fee and 300 annual renewal (on top of mandary work hours logged).

Wow. That sounds terrible. Sorry man. I live out in the Tennessee boonies. I hear folks shooting pretty much everyday of the week. It always makes me smile...

[virtualmonkey]

Are you trying to make me green with envy???

We have one range in the state with a distance of 300 yards.. it has a 4 year waitlist, 650 first year fee and 300 annual renewal (on top of mandary work hours logged).

What I would not give to be able to walk out my door and shoot for free!

 

$650 for a year?! Do you have to pay each time after that or is it all included? I think a membership at Knob Creek is only $100 yearly or you can pay like $10 a day.

[El Exorcisto]

Holy shit... The priciest local club around here is $35 a year plus a $10 key fee for a 300 yd rifle range, pistol/rimfire range, and access to the trap and skeet fields... and that's still too expensive for me to consider it. I had a membership at a $15/year club until I moved into the new house. Now I don't have to bother with that business.

[Oramac]

it has a 4 year waitlist, 650 first year fee and 300 annual renewal (on top of mandary work hours logged).

 

Good Lord!  We have one range here with a similar setup.  Waiting list and mandatory work hours, but it's only like $100/year.  And it's a really nice range.  Like a country club of shooting ranges.  

[Robpocalypse]

$650 for a year?! Do you have to pay each time after that or is it all included? I think a membership at Knob Creek is only $100 yearly or you can pay like $10 a day.

650 includes the initation fee and the first year dues, 300 annually after the first year. Most of the clubs are more reasonable but also have less features. Alot of the local rod and gun clubs run 400ish first year and 200 annually, but very limited features.. one has a max pistol/rifle range of 65 yards, one has a pistol range with 3 ports et .

[Robpocalypse]

Unfortunately we don't have a lot of open space or federally owned land and state statutes make it illegally to carry in state land or parks.

Many of the rod and gun clubs we have were established years ago, some have since closed up shop, some have been attacked through litigation by people who moved into town and decided it was bad for property values.

We have a number of indoor ranges and there have been more luck opening those in recent years. Cost is still pretty pricey, averages about 30 bucks per hour, per port, so it's easy to lay out a hundred dollars for a couple hours shooting when you factor in ammo. We did have a range open last year that rents class 4 goodies so that's something.

Luckily firearm ownership had been exploding in our state so there is hope we can get some ordinances turned around.

[KAllen]

You could always move.  The South welcomes all newcomers, even yankees (provided they learn to drive first). 

 

I guess I'm lucky...I live on 80 acres of land so I have plenty of shooting places.  Plus my deer stand is only 220 yards from my frond door.  

[Robpocalypse]

You could always move. The South welcomes all newcomers, even yankees (provided they learn to drive first).

I guess I'm lucky...I live on 80 acres of land so I have plenty of shooting places. Plus my deer stand is only 220 yards from my frond door.

I have thought about it a lot, know a number of people who have gone down to NC and love it.

Also considered Vermont and Maine someday as alternatives. CT cost of living and general economic situation is troubling.

[Oramac]

I have thought about it a lot, know a number of people who have gone down to NC and love it.

Also considered Vermont and Maine someday as alternatives. CT cost of living and general economic situation is troubling.

 

I'm actually going to be visiting a friend in CT in a couple weeks.  I started looking at the firearms laws for the trip, and I gotta say, they suck!  

 

You're more than welcome in Missouri too!  We just passed some pretty great firearms laws as well.  And we have unsupervised conservation ranges that are actually really nice.  

[Robpocalypse]

I'm actually going to be visiting a friend in CT in a couple weeks. I started looking at the firearms laws for the trip, and I gotta say, they suck!

You're more than welcome in Missouri too! We just passed some pretty great firearms laws as well. And we have unsupervised conservation ranges that are actually really nice.

Yep, and they got worse last year.

If you bring anything with you, you get some protection from FOPA but CT has no reciprocity on other states permits. Got to be cased, unloaded and locked in the trunk. Also magazines > 10 rounds transported in the same manner.

[Oramac]

Yep, and they got worse last year.

If you bring anything with you, you get some protection from FOPA but CT has no reciprocity on other states permits. Got to be cased, unloaded and locked in the trunk. Also magazines > 10 rounds transported in the same manner.

 

So I'm stuck with car keys and a pen.  Lol.  

[Robpocalypse]

So I'm stuck with car keys and a pen. Lol.

Better get one of those tactical pens

[Oramac]

Better get one of those tactical pens

 

Haha.  Nah I'll just go all Jason Bourne with a Bic.  lol.  

[Kevin Mack]

Anybody else think it's weird that CT has such tough gun control, yet has more gun manufacturing than just about any other state? 

[Oramac]

Anybody else think it's weird that CT has such tough gun control, yet has more gun manufacturing than just about any other state? 

 

I find it amazing that those manufacturers haven't followed in the footsteps of companies like Magpul and Remington who moved to states that actually support them.  

[Robpocalypse]

CT manufacturers came out in droves to protest at the public hearings when the push for gun laws was going on. Colt closed for the day and bussed every single one of their employees down to the state capital. The owner of Stag also put in a lot of effort to fight against the new laws.

A couple of moved (PTR and a magazine manufacturer) and a couple have cancelled expansions in the state and announced intentions to open expansions in other states (Stag and Mossberg).

I think they were riding high in exploding gun sales in 2012 and 2013 but now that sales have tanked, I would not be suprised to see more leaving for greener pastures in an attempt to cut expenses.

[Oramac]

CT manufacturers came out in droves to protest at the public hearings when the push for gun laws was going on. Colt closed for the day and bussed every single one of their employees down to the state capital. The owner of Stag also put in a lot of effort to fight against the new laws.

A couple of moved (PTR and a magazine manufacturer) and a couple have cancelled expansions in the state and announced intentions to open expansions in other states (Stag and Mossberg).

I think they were riding high in exploding gun sales in 2012 and 2013 but now that sales have tanked, I would not be suprised to see more leaving for greener pastures in an attempt to cut expenses.

 

That's an awful lot of jobs potentially leaving the state.  Sheesh.  In any case, hopefully you can find a good place to punch holes in paper soon!  

[boxcarkid]

My weapon of choice - recurve bow. Right now I'm shooting about 20 yards with decent grouping and reliable accuracy. I want to hunt but have no idea where to start and frankly am a little concerned that my recurve bow isn't going to be helpful, but I don't exactly want to pay for a compound bow at the moment. Any bow hunters out there? Tips for getting started? Is a compound bow worth it or can I make my recurve work?

[Oramac]

My weapon of choice - recurve bow. Right now I'm shooting about 20 yards with decent grouping and reliable accuracy. I want to hunt but have no idea where to start and frankly am a little concerned that my recurve bow isn't going to be helpful, but I don't exactly want to pay for a compound bow at the moment. Any bow hunters out there? Tips for getting started? Is a compound bow worth it or can I make my recurve work?

 

I don't bow hunt myself, but I have seen a fair bit of literature about recurve vs. compound.  From an outsiders perspective and in regards to hunting specifically, the compound appears superior in every way to the recurve, unfortunately.  One quick article I remember reading is here.

[virtualmonkey]

I've hunted both. Compound is easier by far, almost silent shot, small compact form, mobility, all kinds of gadgets to make it easier. Basically there is a reason the majority of bow hunters use compound. Now that's not to say you can't hunt with a recurve, I haven't done it since I was in my teens and it was the only bow I had. It is a more complicated task to shoot a recurve in a tree stand. The size alone is the biggest reason I won't take it to the woods anymore. But as long as you are a good shot, got some good arrows and broad heads, and know how to kill a deer you can do it. If you can move silently then hunting from the ground would probably be better for a recurve than sitting in a boxed in tree stand. The recurve just takes more skill IMO.

 

Is it worth it? Well that depends on if you hunt for sport or food. I hunt for food so I keep my tools up to date, no different that a butcher needing a better knife. If you just want to hunt for the sport or to be out hunting then you can get by with your recurve. 

 

Tips, I would give you the same for any type of hunting. Know your equipment, how to keep it working, clean, and efficient. Know the animals you hunt, how to kill them, how to skin\field dress them, and if you choose to cut the meat yourself then how to butcher them. Know the area you are hunting, in my area $200 and a farmer will let you hunt his land all season as long as you don't damage anything or kill his animals. Some of them will even tell you where they see them the most. I hate public land hunting, but if you do that make sure you know the laws inside and out and keep your paperwork with you all the time. Maybe try a guided hunt? I see this as simply paying for the experience my grandfather passed on to me over the 5 years I youth hunted with him. A lot of the gun ranges around here have hunter education classes, take one. Like anything else knowledge is your friend. Shoot a lot, as often as you can arrows are reusable. Muscle memory is the only reason I killed a buck this year.

[KAllen]

CT manufacturers came out in droves to protest at the public hearings when the push for gun laws was going on. Colt closed for the day and bussed every single one of their employees down to the state capital. The owner of Stag also put in a lot of effort to fight against the new laws.

A couple of moved (PTR and a magazine manufacturer) and a couple have cancelled expansions in the state and announced intentions to open expansions in other states (Stag and Mossberg).

I think they were riding high in exploding gun sales in 2012 and 2013 but now that sales have tanked, I would not be suprised to see more leaving for greener pastures in an attempt to cut expenses.

Tell them to come to Louisiana...we love guns!!!  Guns are like tater chips...you just can't have only 1. 

[twbranch]

I shoot but I do not hunt. Would love to learn to duck hunt but I am 40+yo and probably a little late to start. I just like to shoot at the range or skeet. 

[El Exorcisto]

I shoot but I do not hunt. Would love to learn to duck hunt but I am 40+yo and probably a little late to start. I just like to shoot at the range or skeet. 

 

How could it be too late to learn how to put food on your table? Find a duck hunter and see if you can tag along. If you are decent at trap you'll be decent at ducks.

[Roldanis]

I shoot but I do not hunt. Would love to learn to duck hunt but I am 40+yo and probably a little late to start. I just like to shoot at the range or skeet. 

 

I got a late start as well in the sport at the ripe old age of 30.  Doesn't make it any less fun when I break that clay or hear the "ping" of steel after breaking that shot.