I was wondering id anyone from MD knew of any public ranges that I could use to sight in my muzzleloader for the season. All the places listed on the DNR sight are clubs that are not accepting anymore new members. The only othe place I can do it is in the woods that I hunt but I dont want to do that. I live in Hagerstown so something close to there would be ideal. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Lefty,
How far are you from Frederick? There is a public range (Cresap Rifles) open on the weekends and the IWLA Frederick Chapter #1 has a range that is open most weekends as well.

Lefty,
Just re-read your post and see that you are in Hagerstown. Are you interested in a 300 yard range? I belong to the Thurmont Conservation and Sportsman' s Club in Thurmont. They are accepting new members at this time. They have a rifle range out to three hundred yards, pistol range, trap, cowboy action shooting, archery range, olympic size pool, camping and a private boat ramp on Hunting Creek and the Monocacy River. The IWLA that I mentioned in my other post is also accepting new members.
HTH
Steve

the IWLA is the Izak Walton league of America. Fantastic organization. Belong to the arlongton/fairfax chapter just down the road a peice from Thurmont. Look out for conservation issues, and sportsmen' t rights as well.

Lefty,
Although I no longer live in Washington County, I grew up in Clear Spring and I know that there is an Izaak Walton club between Clear Spring and Hagerstown right along the Conococheague Creek (along Route 40). I went there a few times when I was younger and they have a nice setup. A good friend of mine is also a member there.
Go to the main website: http://www.iwla.org/ to find contact information and give them a call.
Have fun,
Jim

Thanks for the input guys, I will definately check into those places you mentioned. Good luck to everyone with the smoke poles on Thursday.

Hi Folks,

I see a lot of posts mentioning the IWLA. I'm considering applying to the Rockville chapter. How do people generally feel about that association?

IWLA does good work on conservation issues on the National level. In my chapter there is quite a bit of grumbling about the amount of members' dues that has to be sent to the National to fund their salaries, nice offices, and lobbying efforts. Some chapters are better than others when it comes to their local conservation efforts. In my chapter everyone used to get together a couple of times each year to pick up trash around streams, etc., but now it is getting hard to get the new (younger) members to show up on work days.