Hello everyone. New to the forum. Just got my first rifle, and looking for a nice outdoor place to shoot. Not looking for any gun clubs as this is pure enjoyment shooting once every now and then.
I've spent some quality time doing my research and hasn't found any results.
As far as I can tell there was a place called Homestead Shooting Centre in Kananaskis that was shut down in 2015 due to stupid people being what they are and making a huge dump out of that place. Based on description this is just what I am looking for. Free outdoors place to shoot my rifle within an hour drive from Calgary. Any help? Anything would do. Even a well known crown land that I could go to knowing I wont get in to trouble for discharging firearm that has adequate back stop.
Willing to do everything to keep the place clean and tidy, collecting targets and shells after I'm done. Thanks!
You should really consider a range membership there not expensive and save on gas and time. If it's not possible at all go out to ghost with the all they guys that got McLean and homestead shut down. If you go often you'll save money just bucking up for a membership. The ranges are safer cleaner and closer than the crown land gong show.
Try west of Cremona on the Burnt Timber Road. About 10km past the Shell Gas Plant you'll find pipeline trails and logging roads to set up on. Lots of others out there.
You can also try the area west of Indian graves campground.
I was in your shoes a couple of months ago. I have followed the discussion about the Homestead range and I knew it is closed. However as I understood from the discussions at that time, it was only about the gunrange, so I assumed the shotgun range would be still open. WRONG!
I drove there to pattern test some 12ga loads and found the road to the range gated and secured.
You should really consider a range membership there not expensive and save on gas and time. If it's not possible at all go out to ghost with the all they guys that got McLean and homestead shut down. If you go often you'll save money just bucking up for a membership. The ranges are safer cleaner and closer than the crown land gong show.
This. The forestry areas within 1.5 hours of Calgary used to be nice, peaceful places to shoot. In the last year or two it has become such a gong show out there, that the last time I was in the ghost, I feared for my life because of other stupid shooters around me. That's the first time I've ever felt like that while shooting.
I have gotten to know some farmers realy well and they let me shoot when ever i like and cant be bothered. i dont ever have to worry about finding a spot on crown or buying into a range .
so maybe try to find a farmer like that . But will tell you it took me close to 2 years to earn trust like that and lots of helping out
Saw someone actually had a range set up beside the Ya Ha Tinda road. It's a friggin wildlife corridor, not even supposed to have a gun except cased or taken down .
Grizz
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"Indeed, no human being has yet lived under conditions which, considering the prevailing climates of the past, can be regarded as normal."
John E. Pfeiffer The Emergence of Man
written in 1969
Crown Land for shooting near Calgary
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