HARD TARGET PAINTBALL: PROVIDING FIVE ACRES OF GUN TOTIN' FUN

Christopher Moore, left, ducks as Jeff Mungle opens fire.

(Clockwise from the front)Sean Adams and Valerie Jansen take up more strategic positions as Jeff Mungle covers them from behind.

Looking for a place to work through some aggressions? Or are you just looking for a place to have some fun shooting your friends? Then Hard Target Paintball located on Cree Lane off Route W in Fruitland may be the place for you.

Mark Mungle decided to open up a private paintball course for his two boys and their friends. But as the weekends went by and the number of paintball enthusiasts kept growing, the idea of opening a business came into focus.

Five weeks ago, Mungle's new business opened to the public. In the beginning the course was open on the weekends, but since Daylight Savings Time is now providing extra hours of sun in the evening, Mungle said he will also allow some games to go on throughout the week.

Mungle's goal is to keep the rates down low enough to allow kids in the area to come out and play.

Mungle's five-acre course is APL safety certified and is full of barriers to get behind when the air around you fills with paintballs.

There are a number of different games that can be played on the course, such as, capture the flag, scenario games, speedball and elimination. And there's even a small village with huts and small wooden barriers for the added excitement of village warfare.

In addition to the village there is a field adjacent to the village that is set up with rows of small barriers where teams can be placed on opposite ends and a flag can be placed in the middle for an intense capture the flag game. The field is also used for extreme elimination games as well.

All areas of the field are clearly marked for safety and fair play and two referees police the course at all times during a game. The guns are all calibrated so that they all fire at the same speed. Mungle will slow the speed of the guns for groups with younger kids.

He also advises people to wear hiking boots, loose fitting clothing, a neck wrap and a hat of some kind. Mungle will provide the gun, paint and face mask.

"We take our safety seriously, but we're doing this for fun," Mungle said.

There is also areas for wooded adventures as well. Mungle said he plans to dig trenches and fox holes in a couple of months and open up more space for the games.

Last weekend, he had a group of 27 come out and play all day. Mungle will supply the guns and safety equipment for an all day adventure.

He plans to have a sign up next week at the junction of Route W and Highway 177 in Fruitland and he will also have a sign posted on Cree Lane to direct fun seekers to the paintball field.

Paintball players who need a gun to play will need to call in advance to reserve one. The number to Hard Target Paintball is 243-4327.