Oconto County officials closed the Machickanee Forest Shooting Range on Friday, the morning after neighbors again reported rapid fire at the range and bullets landing in their yards.
The closure came just days after a public meeting in which those living near the range said they were fearful to go outdoors or host outdoor events.
“I’ve been hanging clothes in my yard and have heard bullets go by,” said Marianne Brown, who lives less than a mile east of the shooting range. She said she’s afraid to have her grandchildren come over, after a bullet hit the family’s gazebo.
“We can’t live like this. If they want to shoot, fine — but they have to make it safer. They can’t be putting bullets in our yards,” she said.
Donne Hansen, a hunter safety instructor from Abrams, said he shoots at the range every day. He recommended the county cite those not following the rules and provide supervision at the range, even if it means shortening the hours.
“But to take the range away from all the responsible people who like shooting up there, in my opinion, is irresponsible in itself,” he said.
Tom Molitor, who said his wife heard bullets fly by while walking on Burdosh Road, also recommended the county provide supervision at the range.
“I’m not against anybody shooting. I don’t have any problems with that at all. It seems to me that the problem is that this is an unsupervised and unsafe project,” he said.
Robert Skalitzky, director of the Oconto County Forestry, Parks and Recreation Department, said the county is aware of the neighbors’ concerns.
“We’ve looked at trying to do things to correct those issues,” he said.
After hearing the comments at the April 29 public meeting, Skalitzky arranged for weekend supervision at the range. Thursday’s reports of rapid gunfire at about 6 p.m. led to the closure of the range instead.
Skalitzky said the range will reopen after the county investigates the incident and addresses safety issues at the range. In addition, county officials might delay the opening until a short-distance range for pistol use is completed. The county is scheduled to start work this month on the short-distance range and a 50-yard range proposed for shotgun use.
Located in the Machickanee Forest on Garrity Road, the shooting range has 19 stations, mostly of 100 yards, with two 25-yard stations. It was built in 2003 to confine the target practice occurring in the forest to one area, Skalitzky said.
The shooting range was designed near a hill, which acts as a natural obstruction. Earthen berms help deaden the sound of firing and reduce the number of bullets ricocheting onto nearby properties.
The Forest, Parks and Recreation Committee that oversees the range will meet Thursday to review comments from the public meeting and discuss possible changes, including the hours of operation. The range is open from dawn to dusk 365 days of the year, with neighbors complaining the racket begins as early as 5 a.m.
Skalitzky said the county received a $17,500 Department of Natural Resources grant to build the range, with the understanding it be open for the extended hours. Restricting those hours might require the county to pay back part of the grant, Skalitzky told the audience at the public meeting.
Afterward, he learned from the DNR that wasn’t the case. He also received DNR feedback regarding how to make the range safer.
Since 2006, the Oconto County Sheriff’s Department recorded more than 30 official reports regarding the range, and neighbor Paula Reshke said that’s too many.
“We have to stop this. One incident should have been enough, to have a bullet hit someone’s house,” she said.
She handed committee members petitions with 150-plus signatures requesting the range be moved.
“If you know there’s a safety issue and you don’t take steps to mitigate that somewhat, you’re placing the county at great peril,” Molitor said.
According to Skalitzky, the 2011 enactment of Wisconsin’s concealed carry law caused use of the shooting range to skyrocket. The county earned $14,000 in usage fees in 2010, $27,000 in 2012 when pistol use shot up, and $23,000 in 2013.
Recreation officer Troy Sherman, who visits the range regularly, said the county added security cameras to address problems.
“There’s always that 1 percent that ruin it for everybody,” he said.
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