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Crown Land shooting becoming a 'Wild West type stuff'

“I would say five years ago we started to see a lot of fires started with them. There were four fires in one year because of shooting at incendiary targets. In one, people were shooting right on a gas line. It is so dangerous and it did start a fairly significant wild fire.”
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Shooting on Crown land in the MD of Bighorn appears to be getting worse, with exploding targets presenting a further danger.

MD OF BIGHORN – In the northern part of the Municipal District of Bighorn, Ward 4 specifically, shooting on Crown land is not only apparently becoming rampant but also dangerous due to the use of exploding targets.

Several parts of the northern MD land have been cited as problem areas including along Waiparous Creek, at Mockingbird Lookout and near the Rocky Mountain Cadet Training Centre.

Ward 4 Coun. Rick Tuza said the problem is getting out of hand.

“This is really Wild West type stuff. This is not once in a while.”

Tuza says that on walks in the area he has seen shell casings covering the ground, and hikes are often filled with the sound of non-stop gunfire.

“All that shooting, you have to ask where the bullets are going,” he said. “I have been hiking with friends up there, all you can hear is gunshots and you are hoping they can see you.”

Tuza has also seen people shooting from one bank of the river to the other, believing they are safe.

“Being a resident, I don’t go in the backcountry as much as I used to and I am cognizant of where I go because the hazard is there,” Tuza said. “It is not pleasurable taking your family up to Mockingbird Lookout to listen to non-stop gunfire.”

Shooting on Crown land is not illegal if it is in a safe manner.

“As long as the shooting is safe, it's not against the law,” Tuza said. “As soon as someone is hurt, then it wasn’t safe and there has to be an investigation by law enforcement.”

While the shooting presents a danger, the use of exploding targets has had consequences already and the target’s popularity could make matters worse.

“I have responded up there as a member of the Ghost River fire department because someone started a grass fire with an exploding target,” Tuza said. “When we responded, there were people still in that immediate area shooting. That is unnerving.”

The targets are typically made of Tannerite and can be bought at many outdoor adventure shops. In 2013, one man shot 18 pounds of Tannerite that caused an explosion that was heard five kilometres away. In 2017, a gender reveal party used a Tannerite target that ignited a 46,000-acre fire, causing $9 million in damages.

In the MD, the use of exploding targets has continued to grow, presenting a significant danger.

“I would say five years ago we started to see a lot of fires started with them,” MD fire chief Rick Lyster said. “There were four fires in one year because of shooting at incendiary targets. In one, people were shooting right on a gas line. It is so dangerous and it did start a fairly significant wildfire.”

While shooting on Crown land is allowed, the use of exploding targets is illegal.

“You can shoot them on private land, but Crown land, no.”

The targets work like fireworks, creating intense heat in an instant. YouTube has many videos of individuals stuffing appliances with the targets, which blow 30 feet in the air when shot.

“If there is debris, and it's hot, and lands in the right kind of material to start burning, it will,” Lyster said. “That is what happened in that larger fire.”

For Paul Ryan, president of the Kananaskis Archery and Gun Club, he wants to see gun owners practice safe shooting.

“I would prefer people practiced safe shooting at all times,” Ryan said. “The shooting range is much more controlled. It is unfortunate that people go camping and demonstrate unsafe shooting practices.”

The gun club, which is located south of the highway in Dead Man’s Flats, has existed for over 50 years and does not allow exploding targets at the range.

Ryan urges people who are shooting on Crown land to be aware of their targets and what is beyond the target.

“Once the bullet leaves the muzzle, you have no control over it,” Ryan said. “At our shooting range, it is a very controlled environment. We are very aware of what is beyond our targets. When people go out in the bush and target shoot on a Saturday afternoon, if they can’t be safe, they should reconsider.”

Tuza would like to see some control over shooting on Crown land but suspects it probably won’t happen.

“I suspect the province is reluctant to tell people where to shoot because then they are opening themselves up for liability,” Tuza said. “I see it as a joint effort [between the MD and Province] but really it falls on the Alberta government because they have direct control over it.”

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