Crown Land - where can shoot airguns?

[bigHUN]

I have been renting a share at SGC but that bill is hard to swallow now as I got retired recently. Looking for a more affordable options.
Anybody shooting airguns (or any guns) on public land? In York region or around or South of Lake Simcoe?
Share your experience.

(a side note: around my place L4G7X4 a lot of farmlands but all large scale commercial setups for production, lead poisoning is in question wherever I asked for permission)

[Atlas_cn]

I'd rather join a range--if it is about 20-30km or say within 30min drive from your home.

The reason is, you can access it any time and they usually setup lots of targets in various ranges. However, if you go to any King's Land(Not queens at the moment...) you need to find a suitable spot in there, as well as setup your targets and benches, etc, and much more bugs during the season now...

In your region maybe you can ask some private farms, and use alloy pellets and let them know/see it

MOST OF THE LANDS only allowing HUNTING BUT NOT TARGET PRACTICE--you need to check the local regulations see if it allows recreational shooting first. The closet to GTA allow target shooting is the Beverly Swamp in Hamilton--it maybe little bit faraway to York Region

[bigHUN]

My gun club is really a convenient distance, but the price is steep for a retire budget.
The Membership cost $550/year but requires owning a share (about $20K) or renting a share (about $800/year). Still when calculating the gas plus the time sitting in a car let say ones or two times a week - during summer season ... not sure what is more $$, driving long or paying premium.
I need to admit I feel it sorry why we didn't buy a land property back in good old times.

[ineedpal]

MOST OF THE LANDS only allowing HUNTING BUT NOT TARGET PRACTICE--you need to check the local regulations see if it allows recreational shooting first. The closet to GTA allow target shooting is the Beverly Swamp in Hamilton--it maybe little bit faraway to York Region

Yup I found that out too. Easy solution is to get small game permit. If ranger shows up you can always say that you are sighting in. However shooting air pistols might be a bit harder to justify...

[bigHUN]

Small Game Permit ??
Sound interesting, I never had a Hunting License, or it is a separate thing ? Where would be a best to ask for that permit?

[PL00]

Its a license.
You have to take a hunter safety training course, pass a test. Get an outdoors card, then a license.

[Daryl]

Got mine in South Western Ontario in 1965. Allowed me to hunt legally.

[Hobbyman2007]

Sound advice. A small game hunting license and you can shoot until your heart is content. There are many species with open hunting year round is allowed. Not to mention the hunting course is very informative for hunters and non hunters alike.

[Atlas_cn]

Sound advice. A small game hunting license and you can shoot until your heart is content. There are many species with open hunting year round is allowed. Not to mention the hunting course is very informative for hunters and non hunters alike.

Yes, you can take the course online and then have a exam--it is not expensive, then go to service Ontario to get a small game tag for $25 per year, as well as you need OFAH membership $35/year(insurance included) for hunt in most of the crown lands.

But REMEMBER you have to do that during HUNTING SEASON and many place you have to buy an extra permit.
I got grand river permit last year, cost about $120, from 2ed week of Sept to end of Feb, and we actually not able to visit most of the lands--they have a lot and some are very faraway. It is fun even just walking in the snow tacking the foot prints but not find anything--we do saw deer, and some other big animals however both air rifle and small game license not able to shoot at those. Also it is very hard to see squirrel and rabbits in wood--it is much darker than outside and your visible range/shot path always get blocked by something there--we used to find a ruffled grouse but the shoot path is blocked by trees and it took away very soon after noticed us there.

[Daryl]

My gun club is really a convenient distance, but the price is steep for a retire budget.
The Membership cost $550/year but requires owning a share (about $20K) or renting a share (about $800/year). Still when calculating the gas plus the time sitting in a car let say ones or two times a week - during summer season ... not sure what is more $$, driving long or paying premium.
I need to admit I feel it sorry why we didn't buy a land property back in good old times.

That pricing is out of this world. My membership costs $60.00 per year for senior and provides access to the short 200metre range in town(on the border), but the 1,400meter range out of town as well.
Steel on all ranges.
In town, 100 meter small bore & silhouette range, .22 LR only.
200 meter long, 100 meter, 2 pistol bays, cowboy action, trap, black powder trails, both rifle/smoothbore and pistil with 10 to 110yard targets, steel and others.
The out of own range has steel at 10, 150, 200, 300, 400, 500, 600 and 1,000 and 1,100metres. It also has IPSC bays and a black powder range.
Membership also includes 3 million insurance for any shooting, hunting or fishing activities.
Membership for under 65 participants is $135.00 iirc.
I forgot, indoor range for shooting air rifles and handguns during the winter time, bullseye as well as silhouette.

[Daryl]

Forgot to note, it is a 15 minute drive, out to the in-town range, and 40 minutes to the one WAY out of town.

[bigHUN]

Forgot to note, it is a 15 minute drive...

Sounds like a real paradise
I decided to drop this $1350/y membership renewal and go from there.

[WoodWelder]

Wow Daryl, you got some good rates there.

Here in my home town they skin ya and then won't allow shooting at anything but paper and cans. There is a cowboy revolver club that skins ya some more and you have to be part of the clicky group that only allows shooting on days they say so. Not a come and go.
We have an indoor range that is another high priced joke that lacks proper ventilation and all you get to shoot is paper. 2 to 3 hundred rounds later and oxygen becomes top priority.

Good to have friends that have land!

[Daryl]

Our indoor range is air rifle and air pistol only, but all ranges are included in the membership.
Indoors is paper as well as silhouette on their days, Sunday, Wednesday and Friday.
On the small bore/silhouette .22 range, air rifles up to and including .25 are allowed. Small bore rifles
are also allowed on the main rifle ranges, town and the out of town range.
I was wrong on the membership. Seniors has gone up - to $65.00. Might have to get a loan.

https://pgrgclub.wildapricot.org/join-us

[megiddo65]

Finding places to shoot in the province of Ontario is quickly becoming a daunting task. I just emailed a few Ranges/Clubs within 1-1.5 hrs drive from my place and many don't allow the shooting of air guns. Add to that the high cost of membership in the first year; that includes the range safety course and insurance.