They are kind of dicks lol, but since it is a shared space with other people there, they really need to be like that to keep people in check. They busted my ass when I was trying to clear a jam. I turned the firearm slightly away from down range when clearing. They immediately jumped down my shit. But he did give me helpful advice afterward about turning my body rather than the gun. I'd give me them another chance.

As far as public land, I know you can hunt there, but not so sure about shooting targets. The biggest problem would be someone wandering into your firing line. But I guess the same could be said if you were hunting out there. Have you looked into joining any type of gun club? There is one in my county. I think you have to apply, but once in, you can use the firing range whenever. There are no range safety officers watching you. You could try asking on https://www.ar15.com/forums/Hometown/Kentucky/27/, they have lots of information in the hometown forum.