Boggy Head range reopens on Friday

Nestled in the Francis Marion National Forest, down a dirt road, Boggy Head Rifle Range will again crackle with the sound of shooters sharpening their aim.

The range closed in February after vandalism and trash dumping left the site in shambles. Glass and appliances were shot up and set aflame.

More than a dozen volunteers from Charleston, Berkeley and Georgetown counties worked to build a shelter for the range. Other improvements include new picnic tables, bulletin boards and fenced-in trash bins.

The range will open at 8 a.m. Friday for visitors to tour the site. Refreshments will be served. The range will open for use at noon.

"This is the talk of the town for Berkeley County," said Willie Irving Jr., a recreation technician with the U.S. National Forest Service.

Volunteer James McNeely of Goose Creek used the site often and helped with the improvements. "The range is used a lot more than people realize," he said. The semi-retired sheet-metal worker said that being down one of the two ranges in the Francis Marion National Forest meant wait times of up to an hour.

Boggy Head is off S.C. Highway 41, and Twin Ponds, the second range, is off Willow Hall Road.

Three years ago, vandals struck Twin Ponds in Awendaw, shooting up garbage cans, signs and trees. That site, too, was renovated.

Both ranges have shooting tables and a 100-yard backstop. Pistols, shotguns or rifles may be used, but skeet and trap shooting is prohibited.

Irving said a watchful stewardship among regular users is necessary to prevent future damage. After the Fourth of July week, a bullet hole was found in the roof of a new shelter at Boggy Head.

"We repaired it," Irving said. "We are going to keep it going."

Reach Jill Coley at 937-5719 or jcoley@postandcourier.com.