I used to work in forestry, both for the Wa DNR and private industry and you wouldn't believe how much good public access was lost because of A-Holes like the guy in the jeep. Garbage dumping, drug labs, stealing wood, vandalism and generaly just tearing sh$t up. Ruining things for the rest of us that want to drive around in the woods and shoot guns,

Never underestimate the power of human stupity!

We never got much help from law enforcement either, unless it was something that would get the drug task force out there and make big news. Their general opinion was that things that happen in the woods weren't their problem.

Shoot holes in the Jeep, and YOU are probably the one going to talk to the judge, folks.

Not saying that's right, wrong or indifferent, but it's a fact.

Childish behaviour in response to childish behaviour doesn't get one anywhere.

Now, having the thing towed....that has promise

MTV

2 wrongs don't make a right, but it does make ya even
Gary

Shoot holes in the Jeep, and YOU are probably the one going to talk to the judge, folks.

Not saying that's right, wrong or indifferent, but it's a fact.

Childish behaviour in response to childish behaviour doesn't get one anywhere.

I agree with MTV and would not damage someones vehicle, and did not in this situation too. When I was a young man I twisted a drive-line on my 1974 K-5 Blazer, my pride and joy that I earned myself. Anyway I had to leave it in the sticks south of Lewiston and it was vandalized. When I got back to my blazer, every piece of glass was broken including the mirrors.

In hindsight maybe just letting the air out of one of the tires and the spare would have immobilized the jeep until the sheriff arrived. Or maybe this is a good way to get shot in the back? Its just getting harder and harder to get away from the knotheads!

James

Removing a few valve stems and sparkplug wires does no damage, effectively immobilizes.

And, as James says, could well get you shot. You think maybe those guys out hiding in the weeds might have guns? And, apparently they've been consuming a few adult beverages. Suppose they might be under the influence of something more powerful as well?

Great setup. I think deflating a couple tires might work, but I'd be watching my back REALLY close while doing so.

Talking tough about this stuff on the internet is one thing. Being out there in the woods with some of the folks who live in northern Idaho that I can think of is just plain scary, folks.

MTV

James, personally I would follow the Boy Scouts of America camping credo "Leave no trace".

Stol wrote:

hotrod150 wrote:

bcdpilot wrote:Should have shot the jeep I say. My model 500 smith and wesson would have done a nice job

Escalation of hostilities can be a bad idea, unless you're ready to take it to an EXTREME level. Don't start a fight unless you're prepared to win- no matter what it takes. When both parties are packing guns it could very easily get out of hand, with tragic results. Best to just call the cops, & maybe immobilize the offending vehicles by parking your own in front & rear of them until the cops come. But don't be surprised if your vehicles are damaged in their escape attempt.

I respectfully disagree........

A few shots through the radiator and one in each tire would have done the trick... These scumbags were hiding in the woods while the poster was targetshooting and probably shitting in their pants.. Calling the cops got the poster absolutely nowhere,......

In this day and age, street justice in paramount. Just my humble opinion

Ben

I totally agree with you Ben.

The dirt bags most likely were broke and went for help. I don't think they would do that damage and then stick around, but you never know. I think I would have started my plane taxied buy, emptied my 45 into the Jeep and took off. But then again I don't have a good job to get fired from.

I suppose the Jeep in the picture might not have been the offender.

JB you did the right thing I guess.

Good day

Stol wrote:...........
A few shots through the radiator and one in each tire would have done the trick... These scumbags were hiding in the woods while the poster was targetshooting and probably shitting in their pants.. Calling the cops got the poster absolutely nowhere,......
In this day and age, street justice in paramount. Just my humble opinion Ben

And the scumbags hiding in the woods (or just out hiking around) see ya doing that & whip out their own firearms & shoot you. Could very easily happen, and no doubt has. What would you do if you were innocently (in your mind anyway) parked out in the boonies somewhere & saw somebody shooting up your rig? "Street justice" works both ways.
To play the devil's advocate, maybe they didn't know it's an airstrip-- maybe they're just your average mudbog-bustin' 4-wheeler types who got a little carried away. You wanna start a gunflight over that?
And as for shooting up their rig and then taking off.... it takes about 2 mintes to look up a tail number on the internet & get the owner's name & address. So maybe a week later these guys do a drive-by at your house, endangering not only your life but the lives of your family & neighbors.
Like I said, escalation of hostilities can be a bad idea. if you insist on it, why not just wait for the guys & shoot 'em dead right off the bat, then fly away. Dead men tell no tales ya know.

There is something deep inside every country cretin and redneck who operates a motor vehicle that emerges when presented with an unpopulated, unmonitored wide open space: The urge to do donuts. You can't blame them for this any more than you can blame them for being attracted to whiskey or chrome. I too feel this urge when I see a wide open parking lot after a fresh snow.

Perhaps in their tiny minds, they don't see their donuts as damage to the airstrip, not understanding that a 6.00x6 tire at 60mph feels those ruts pretty hard.

Being friendly and letting them know somehow that as a pilot, you'd appreciate them not beating up this runway, is the way to go. We assume they're assholes because they're ignorant, but there's a chance that they just don't know any better, having no perspective or exposure to airplanes.

There's also a chance that they're just bad people and will beat you silly as a reward for your suggestion.

Haha! Do you have percentages for these chances?
50/50 or could it even only be a 1 in 2 chance to get beaten silly?
I mean if it's 51 for getting a beating and 49 not being beaten silly the best option is to empty the 45 into whoever walks across the field and leave the damn Jeep alone.
If it's 75/45 then you know that the Democrats did the calculations and it's time to shoot and kill anyways!



Edit: Did I just type that?

Zane,

So, what's your beef with whiskey and chrome???

MTV

Somebody must know somebody that knows somebody that can run the plates.....and call the guy and talk about it.

If you'd pay the older guy 10 bucks for rent to use the place for target practice.....well now your a renter and start to have some rights

mtv wrote:Zane,

So, what's your beef with whiskey and chrome???

MTV

Haha...I have at times shown a marked attraction to both, so I am not saying these are bad things, simply known attractants to a certain demographic.

Dayum, I think I are one of them demographic things....well, actually I prefer rum to whiskey....maybe it's the sailor in me

MTV

u are right james, the nuts seem to be everywhere. out county luckily has a few "back-country" patrol officers, who are all aces in my book. very level-headed and quite mobile, definitely not scared of a few idiots...

last summer we had livestock getting shot up a lot by idiots with .22's. couldnt seem to catch any of them either, as east of my home is a big area between here and jackson hole, wy. seems once the word got out we were filming any out of place rig up there, it stopped immediately! we only shot with our cameras, but were prepared otherewise and glad that the nonsense stopped...the local cowboys seemed to really appreciate it. a few of us donate our a/c when they need help, and it has helped us to have a lot of new places to play up there! this is a good group of people in our little town, and i hate for anyone to shoot up their inventory! most of these cowboy types are extremely well armed, and it would not be pretty to have them pissed off! long-barrel desert eagle's speak quite loud, and when the wolves showed up, they quickly moved on or ended up otherwise...!

jomac wrote: seems once the word got out we were filming any out of place rig up there, it stopped immediately!

The comment above reminds me of what I've been doing for the last couple of years. While driving my big rig up and down and all across the U.S., I always keep my camera handy for any idiots driving around me (Jacking with me ). You'd be surprised some of the stupid things people will do around an 80K pound vehicle. I've got lot's of story's , but won't get to involved telling here (need another forum/thread for that ). But, I noticed as soon as I point that camera in plan site in the window, the idiot driver takes off never to be seen again.


Ok......I can't hold back. Just one short story.
Driving west in AZ on I-10. My cruise set at 75mph and traveling in the right lane. I start to pass a pick up truck that has been traveling in the left lane at a slower speed than me. As I get passed the pick up truck and coming up on slower traffic in the right lane. The pick up truck get's on it right as I'm just about to move over to the left lane to pass the slower traffic in the right lane. I think ok, no big deal (maybe the driver of the pick up truck woke up and going to get going about it's way, oh no!!). The pick truck then stays in the left lane blocking me from moving over and now traveling the same speed as the slower traffic in the right lane in front of me. Ok, now it's clear this guy is jacking with me. This went on for about 4-5 miles (and yes, I'm a very patient drivers. For one, I have a huge billboard with my company's name plastered all over and don't want any troubles).

So now that I for sure believe this guy is jacking with me, I whipped out the camera and pointed it right out the window and even took some pictures. The driver and passenger noticed I was taking pictures and the driver of the pick up truck took off like a bat out of hell. I never saw him down the road again.

I don't know what it is Some of you know what company I drive for. So I'm thinking it might have to do with the ole American versus Japan (foreign) thing (and another forum/thread, so let's not go there on this thread). I don't know

So any way, it's always good to have your camera ready what ever your driving or flying! You never know what you'll come across.

To the OP...I think you did fine calling it in and letting the authorities know. Unless you are the authorities, or are prepared to deal with a potentially hostile confrontation with no backup, that's where trained professionals (of which I am NOT one...) would likely leave it.

As to the motivations...unless these guys know somebody that flies into places like that, I think it is safe to bet they had no idea that what they were doing represented damage. That's one of the challenges of off-road vehicle use in general...it does lots of damage even when people don't try to play around, and a whole lot more when they start spinning brodies for fun...but unless they fly around and look they may not believe it...

Troy Hamon wrote:...

As to the motivations...unless these guys know somebody that flies into places like that, I think it is safe to bet they had no idea that what they were doing represented damage. That's one of the challenges of off-road vehicle use in general...it does lots of damage even when people don't try to play around, and a whole lot more when they start spinning brodies for fun...but unless they fly around and look they may not believe it...

In general, I think you'd be correct in that many of them don't know and are just out to have fun, but in this case, they almost certainly were hiding and waiting for James to leave then proceeded to add more brodies to the place. They knew they were screwing the place up.

Would be nice if the sherrif would drop by and give the owner a good talking to. Some are pretty good about it. It doesn't repair the damage but it puts a little fear into the knuckleheads knowing Johnny Law has their eye on them.

Alternately, It would be nice to be able to give the guy a few anonymous, non-threatening, calls letting him know he's not anonymous. Heck, maybe sober, he'd turn out to be a pretty reasonable person and go repair the ditches.

wish you guys would refer to them as shit heads, dirt bags , Dumb F'''''ks... or some other term of endearment.....