Part of Lefthand Canyon closed

[scratchy]

Lefthand Canyon closed to shooting

By Howard Pankratz
The Denver Post

Article Last Updated: 03/28/2008 02:28:42 PM MDT


Part of Lefthand Canyon near Boulder has been closed to recreational shooting because of the irresponsible discharge of firearms that have endangered people using an off-highway road nearby, U.S. Forest officials said.
The 30-acre site is known as the "Slot Canyon Area," and is adjacent to Lefthand Canyon Drive at mile post 4.5, according to District Ranger Christine Walsh.
She said people using the area have been subject to "near misses" and that vandalism and other forms of boisterous behavior have resulted in the closing to recreational shooters.
"This is a last resort," said Walsh. "If we don't do something immediately, someone will get hurt. We are closing the smallest area possible to prevent an injury and provide for public safety."
She said people with firearms have shot over a natural backstop causing bullets to cross the heavily used off-highway road above the shooting area. In addition, Forest Service signs in the area have been used for target practice.
Walsh said this has all occurred despite increased patrols of the canyon.
Kent Ingram, past president of the Colorado Wildlife Federation and a member of the Front Range Shooting Partners, said that although recreational shooting is a legitimate use of public lands, the closure of the area is "necessary and regrettable."
Ingram said it is necessary because of the safety issues and regrettable "because the public has essentially zero shooting facilities along the Colorado Front Range on public lands.
"This action reinforces the need for us to work hard to provide safe and sustainable recreational shooting areas along the Front Range," Ingram added.
The closure is immediate, taking affect today.
Howard Pankratz: 303-954-1939 or hpankratz@denverpost.com

[Obiwan]

http://www.fs.fed.us/r2/arnf/news/20...gclosure.shtml

[Driftwood]

So why has Lefthand always been such a draw for all the azzhats out there? I'm so sick of a few bad seeds giving the rest of us a bad name.

Also....does this mean since Lefthand is closed all the azzhats will now start looking at alternate venues to screw up (ie - the North Shoot site)?

[Marlin]

Hard to say, There might be a few that would. I'd say alot of them most likely wouldn't have the attention span to go that far.

[al_g]

Hard to say, There might be a few that would. I'd say alot of them most likely wouldn't have the attention span to go that far.

I'm really hoping the north site is too far for the worst the idiots.

I saw a quick ad for the news tonight and of course it showed a whole mess of fired shotgun cases. I'll never understand why people can't pick up after themselves. Especially shotgun cases since they are pretty much the biggest bit of trash to pick up and it isn't like picking up .22lr cases.

[Marlin]

Couple of years ago, Brandon and I went up there on one of thier clean-up days, just about nothing but shotgun shells, about 200 yrds long 6 yrds wide and up to my ankles. Just the two of us, took most of the day but, it was clean. about 6 cars pulled up, found out they couldn't shoot then left. there was one guy that stayed and helped.

[scratchy]

Yep, avoiding idiots and azzhats is a full time job. Never ceases to amaze me how many folks refuse to clean up. One has to wonder about using their bathrooms. I guess shooting into a berm or backstop is too much to ask too.......

[sniper7]

Does this close off all of left hand? It sounds like not everything is closed if it is only 30 acres.

I thought you could go pretty deep back in and shoot there.

Anyone know?

[kidicarus13]

The government is tired of fighting the big gun lobbies in an effort to ban guns so their going to ban all of the places to shoot guns instead.

[B2crawler]

Back when I used to go fourwheeling all the time we made one trip to Left Hand Canyon. Never went back and there was a place along the road where you drove past a shooting site and then the switch back took you right over the top of where they were shooting. Not the smartest place to shoot anyways, and if that is the place they closed it needed to be closed.
In my opinion only an idiot would have shot there in the first place.