No Shooting In National Forest ???

I know that there must be more to this story that I am not being told, but here is how it was told to me. A friend of mine called me last night and told me that some friends of his were camping over in the Taylor park area this past week-end, and they were doing some shooting. They said that park rangers and 2 ATF agents (????) showed up in theie camp and issued them tickets. They said the tickets were for shooting a gun that is larger than a .22 caliber in a national forest. ????????????????????? WHAT !!?? I have never heard of such a thing, and I have been shooting here all my life. Like I said, there must be more to this story, but has anyone ever heard of this ? What would ATF agents be doing in Taylor Park anyway ? Sounds kinda funny to me, But he said they recieved a 400 dollar fine. I am now calling the forest service to see what they have to say. I'll post back later.

interesting to see what comes of this.... all this time, i thought it was OK....

i thought forest was ok to shoot and parks were a no-no......

Last time I was shooting at Taylor Park, the forest-ranger came over to visit.

Actually, he seems to come over to visit every time I've been shooting there.

Anyway, he had his ticket-book in hand. He said they have a new policy to issue tickets to people shooting, for tracking purposes. He said if they find shot-up trees or litter or general-damage, then they can track down who did it.

As I said, I've talked to this particular guy several times now. Although I didn't catch his name, we recognize each other and he didn't even bother to take any of my info.

He had his ticket-book out, but put it away after we started talking.

Mike

There are multiple areas posted in the National Forest that clearly state..."No Shooting, June, July and August" There is one such sign, just south of the South Shooting Site. I believe they do this because of the high volume of people using the National Forest during these peak times. I know of people who have recieved tickets while shooting near, but not next to Eleven Mile and Ramparet Reservoirs.

Those signs are posted anywhere there is high traffic in the summer. Areas such as campgrounds, lakes, heavily used hiking trails and such. The ones you refer to, are for the Manitou Lake area. There are many hiking trails all around there. Karl.

Damn, looks like we got lucky. We were shooting at Taylor Park this past weekend as well. .22LR, .223, and 9mm. Never saw a single soul.

The sign just south of the south shoot site was changed from "No Shooting June, July, or August" to something to the effect of "No Shooting Allowed", a couple of years ago. But this is for the Manitou Recreational Area only, not the surrounding Pike National Forest.

The regulation was changed because people were shooting on the east side of Manitou Lake towards the Manitou Lake picnic area and the National Forest Campground just south of Manitou Lake.

I live just east of Manitou Lake, so I have kept a close eye on the U.S. Forest Service's policy re: shooting. In the Pikes Peak District, as long as there isn't a road downrange, you are useing a good backstop, and you are at least 1 mile away from any houses, you were OK when I asked 2 years ago.

My suggestion is that if you want to shoot in the National Forest, call the Forest Service 1st and ask them what the policy is at that location. I'd keep my notes and the name and phone # of the person I spoke to with me when I went shooting just in case.

The U.S. Forest Service typically has a period of time where they ask for feedback from the public before they can change regulations. When they were getting feedback on the Manitou Recreational Area, they got a large volume of calls from people concerned that the shooting ban would include the surrounding Pike National Forest.

I was told 2 years ago the the Forest Service had considered banning shooting, but felt as long as enforcement of safe shooting practices wasn't too much for them to handle, that they weren't likely to do it.

I would sure hate to lose those areas.

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Originally Posted by redneckerson

The sign just south of the south shoot site was changed from "No Shooting June, July, or August" to something to the effect of "No Shooting Allowed", a couple of years ago. But this is for the Manitou Recreational Area only, not the surrounding Pike National Forest.

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Actually the area I was refering to was just about 1-1.5 miles South of Manitou Recreation Area and West of US Highway 67. It is on a road that is now closed off and access is restricted. It was closer to Woodland and before the curve and the drop, before you get to the camp ground on the west side.

Another area that has been "Closed" is across from Manitou area just north-west on the road that was the access drive to the lumber yard. You used to be able to drive in on that road going north but has been signed as closed for about 9 years. I was hiking in there and was told not only could I not shoot there but they didn't even want hikers in that area. It seems to be a place where the fire department likes to train for wildland fires.

Where the "Fire departments train" is just that. It's an area they have been trying to burn off for quite a few years and they train crews for "Red Card" certification. That, like you said, is an area they don't want anyone. Also, near that lumber yard, is all private property up that "driveway". You can get around and behind it on the forest service road where we hold our monthly shoots. However a big section of it is now closed due to the Hayman fire. That's also why many areas there are closed to certain activities. Karl.

I finally got in contact with a forest service law enforcement officer. He said that he has no idea why they would be issueing tickets for shooting, provided all the common sense safety practices are followed. Safe backstop, no shooting across a road,safe distance from structures, campsites, etc. . He said other than an actual "no shooting" sign being posted, there is absolutely no reason why you can't shoot. As for the ticket saying no caliber larger than a .22 in a national forest, he said it sounds like someone was making that up . ????? So, shoot away !! and no worries. I sure thought it sounded like there has to be more to the story that I am not being told.