Two Towers field summer weekend games?

I recently discovered Two Towers field through the BoulderAirsoft website and that's now my goto place for testing out new gear/convincing friends to try airsoft. We've been up there the past couple Saturdays and would love to meet up with some other folks looking to play a pickup game. Some guys are out of town this weekend, so we may not be up then, but if you want to join us for some pickup games, drop a line here.

Currently we are not hosting any public games, those who run the Boulder Airsoft public events are also members of the Boulder Brigade, a milsim oriented team.  The team is currently concentrating on training and preparing for upcoming national events.  

If you are interested in the team you can see more information at: http://apply.boulderairsoft.com

Applicants will participate in team training activities during an evaluation period and then if accepted to the team will enter a probationary period in which they complete the introductory training course. 

If you are interested in the team and have questions please feel free to contact me. 

--Chris

Hey Chris, thanks for the info.

I hope I'm not out of line here, discussing unofficial pickup games on your forums. Boulder Airsoft has been a great source for local laws and playing field info, and I'm hoping to help further build the Boulder community outside of official teams and events.

Two Towers is the only "field" listed on your site that I've been to so far... I'm curious if you've got personal recommendations on other areas to check out that might provide a different playing environment?

Cheers

The team does a lot at that location.  There are many regulations to follow when using the US Forest Service land, but the other fields we have listed are also great places.  

There are other fields in the area which host paid public games.  Tactical Airsoft in Boulder (although the facility is very small), American Paintball Coliseum, and Kiowa Creek.

If you're wanting to host local games, make sure you familiarize yourself thoroughly with the USFS regulations if you are going to do it on public land.  There are times you need permits, insurance, etc.  We have established Boulder Airsoft as an LLC to help assist with certain liability aspects and other reasons, but this only covers those acting under the direction of the LLC and not just anyone who is hosting or advertising an event through us.

Again, thanks for the good info. I had a nice chat with Boulder PD the other day and learned a lot of the necessary guidelines to follow. They, too, recommended that I talk to the forest service office though, since most of the places we'll be playing on fall under their jurisdiction. I guess a phone call to the forest service is due...

Paul Krisanits is the Ranger for the Boulder District, him or Mary-Beth Pecotte are the two you're most likely to encounter, it's best to chat with them and get good and familiar with what they require. The officer number is (303) 541-2500

Good stuff, thanks. On a related note, have you guys had any experience playing in the Pike National Forest? I have some friends in Littleton and Parker who would prefer not to drive up past Boulder - in addition, it's nice hitting up Fox Airsoft before heading out. 

Do I understand correctly that as long as one obeys forest service guidelines, playing on any public forest service land (away from populated areas, and outside incorporated cities) is acceptable? Do your listed fields, e.g. Two Towers, Bootlicker, and Ruby Gulch, have certain features that make them more suitable places to legally play? I'm guessing this may widely vary depending on whether its four friends looking for a place to test new guns versus an officially organized event.

Anyhow, thanks again for all the info.

Some forest land is closed to recreation, there are numerous private parcels which run through forest land.  Some areas have closures for wildlife habitation, specifically when endangered animals like Bald Eagles may be nesting, some have recreational shooting popularity, some have terrain hazards.  It is VERY important to familiarize yourself with all of these things before selecting an area. 

We use the listed fields as we have done extensive scouting on the fields to familiarize ourselves with hazards, boundaries, etc.  We map these carefully to educate the people associated with our group to minimize the potential of any problem.  Before going up to any location, our schedule, anticipated numbers and contact person for the event are all relayed to the Forest Service Ranger, as well as the local law enforcement dispatch center.  If they know what is going on, there is a lesser chance there will be a panicked response if someone calls in on guys with machine guns running through the forest.  

Ruby Gulch occasionally has issues with bears, and we only occasionally use this, mostly in the late summer or fall due to terrain and runoff issues as well.  

Windtaker is a good field, but there are also concerns with private property, as well as campgrounds in the area. 

School Yard is a favorite of many due to the terrain, but there are places to be careful with, mostly with large sudden drop offs, but generally you have to do some hefty climbing to get to those locations.  There is a portion that is private property, but it is fairly well marked at this location.  Not the case at many others.  
I do not have abundant experience with Pike National Forest, so I wouldn't feel comfortable commenting on locations suitable for use in that region.

I'll have to hike out to School Yard and do some scouting - the mention of good terrain is intriguing.

When my buddy and I hiked up Two Towers the other weekend, we noticed a ton of used casings and even barely damaged fired .223 bullets littering the ground just past where the gate closes the road off. With the amount of casings and shot up trees there, it seems like some folks might by using it as a very irresponsible range. Do you ever have issues with actual shooters interfering with your games? Do you usually put up notice at the trailhead that you're out there, or carry airhorns, etc.. to sound off if you hear real gunfire?

You are correct, the shooting up at 8500 Magnolia is all very recent, and the USFS is aware of the issues.  

Very rarely do we have issues with live-fire during games, but it's happened.  We encountered a close call back in 2011 with a couple rounds which riccocheted and whizzed by where we were.  We approached the shooters, informed them, and they changed locations.  

We can not legally post signs unless a permit is acquired.  The USFS will find you for posting signs on their property or to their trees without permit.  The only time we have posted signs is when we have obtained land occupancy permits for events of 75+ people.  The permits are an entirely different hassle to deal with.  Pray that you don't have to go down that road.  It's a frustration I sure don't want to deal with again.  

I don't carry an airhorn, I do have a whistle on me, but I don't think I've ever used it in the field.  More carried for emergency use to locate by sound as it's compact and the sound carries further than I can yell.