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Hey, I was wondering what the laws in Colorado were about shooting in the National Forests. Is plinking allowed? Do I need to notify Park Rangers before I enter? Does anybody know good places to go? (Within driving distance of Centennial, Littleton, Castle Rock etc...?) I am new to the world of rifles, I just bought a Bushmaster XM15-E2S (M4A3 I think...) and any help or advice I could get about my rifle would be great...
Thanks,
Dave
First, don't confuse Forests and Parks. Shooting is allowed in both state and national forests. It is not allowed in parks. You do not have to notify anyone, just obey their rules. They are mostly the same from area to area, but there can be specific rules according to where you go. It is best to call the forest ranger district office for the area you want to use to confirm any area specific rules first. Big ones are....
No shooting within 150 yards of any buildings, other people that were there first, camping areas, hiking (and other) trails, waterways or bodies of water, no shooting towards roads (I think 50-100 feet away from road), must know your backstop, no shooting trees (standing or fallen, alive or dead, NOT ANY PART OF A TREE), no shooting in areas posted no shooting (DUH), no tracer, incendiary, or explosive ammo, no explosive targets, take out anything you bring in, if you use it as a target IT IS YOURS NOW... take it out with you (this includes any target that others may have left behind) if you don't want to haul it off, DO NOT SHOOT AT IT!
Do not shoot at items such as appliances and such. In most areas they require your targets to be "Approved Targets for shooting". By that they mean printed paper targets, clays, steel, bowling pins, etc. Things that are commonly used in shooting sports etc. They aren't too tough on that, but they WILL ticket you for shooting items such as appliances, furniture, etc. Good luck and have fun. Karl.
PS. We had a thread here for shooting locations with directions and such, look here...
http://www.co-ar15.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=115