shooting in colorado?

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memphisjim

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Im going to be around the denver area at some point in the near future.
My question is, if you are out in the mountains away from the city, can you legally shoot fire arms?
 
There are lots of private property out in the mountains. You will need to get permission. The rest of the land will be public property, from local to federal. It will depend on their regulations. There is not a square inch of unclaimed Colorado land - always seek permission first.
 
Depends. You can't just pull over to a roadside campground and start popping away, no. And yes, a lot of mountain land is private land, and people live out there. You'd really need to get deep into some public land, or go to a spot that is 'used' as a shooting range. You might not be able to find the right type of spot without knowing specifically where one is.

It's not too dissimilar than most other states. If I were to be visiting Memphis, could I drive outside the city, find some open land and shoot my guns? Well, I'm sure it depends because a lot of that land is private land and people live out there too.
 
You can shoot many places in the National Forests. There are some stipulations, so you want to check with the local ranger district.
 
Im going to be around the denver area
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Can you be a little more specific? Generically, "Denver area" really encompasses about 5,000 square miles, from Morrison to Limon, Larkspur to Loveland. Which end of that you're on will help us point you in the right direction.
 
What has been said about National Forests is valid. What I used to do in a neighboring state that had millions of acres of National Forest, was get a non resident small game/ varmint license, and then I was able to walk around the woods shooting to my hearts content. Did it for years and never been bothered. Still do......:D
 
never been bothered

A couple years ago, my dad and I woke up and hit the road at about 3am. We got to our trailhead just before sunrise and hiked in for almost four hours. We were isolated in the backcountry and the daily hikers had probably just begun to start their day-hikes. Several miles in, we set up some makeshift targets and start going at it with the .22 rifle.

During one reload, we happen to spot a couple horsemen moving up to us, so we sat there and waited to greet them. We cheerfully gave them a 'HOWDY!', that's when the lead guy then proceeded to royally tear us a new one. He was about as furious as anyone I've seen, and he told us exactly what he thought about our plinking activity.

:confused:We were quite bewildered by the whole encounter.
 
Some people have no concept of what is legal and safe in the NF. They think that you are spoiling THEIR pristine wilderness... I have had people tell my father in law and I that our horses were doing horrible damage to the fragile ecosystem, we were on a well marked trail, and that if we wanted to be responsible members of the world we need to dismount and start using Lamas or Alpacas. Those are much less damaging to the environment. We roared with laughter and rode away. Hippies make it so hard to like them sometimes...
 
Coromo The horsemen may have had there horses spooked by your shooting. I do a lot of riding and know what its like to have a horse want to take you through trees because it freaked out. It is your right to shoot and the guy shouldnt have chewed you out instead he shouldve asked you to shoot after he left. I wont ride a horse that spooks near guns if theres possiblity of guns being around, just as i wouldnt take a horse who spooks with cars on the shoulder of a highway.
If your in denver and want a nice trip you can head south and go look at the little town of westcliffe we are pretty fun tourist trap town. then you can prolly call the wildlife office and ask where you can shoot on some public land, there is a NRA range here as well.
 
I would recommend calling the local state park/troopers to get specifics. I have done this in other cities and it has made planning a trip a lot easier. I like to map my specifics in advance and talking to someone before going is a good idea. Have a nice trip!
 
that's when the lead guy then proceeded to royally tear us a new one. He was about as furious as anyone I've seen, and he told us exactly what he thought about our plinking activity.
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I've encountered that type.

Some jerks (hippies, esp.) think they own the whole ****ing mountain. I personally don't understand displaying such hostility toward obviously armed individuals in remote wilderness areas. Guess they were standing behind the door when God handed out common sense.

I always hope it's these folks who are the ones we read about in stories of kitty encounters turned deadly. Not that I wish death on anyone, but these fools love nature, yet have no respect for it.
 
I missed the part about them being on horses, but I can understand as I too have been drug through the timber because a horse spooked. In my case it was a log the horse thought was a bear, but still, it is no fun. I would have handled it differently, but I guess he was already having a bad day maybe?

Westcliffe, though in a beautiful part of the state, is a good 90 miles or so from Denver. How far are you looking to drive?
 
bad day

Maybe. It was an outfitter, heading up to their spot to get set up for the coming hunting seasons.

memphisjim, is an organized range ($$) out of the question, or you only looking to shoot at a free spot?
Here's a map of Zak's, to the Pawnee Grasslands. Not close, but wide open and free.
 
Shooting Ranges with an hour or 2 of Lakewood/Denver

I moved to Lakewood, CO from South Florida a month ago. I am looking for an outdoor location where I can shoot my newly acquired Mosin Nagant. It was delivered today. My 1st surplus rifle! I enjoyed the cosmoline removal process, lol. Anyways, I am looking for a place where i can shoot the Mosin, a 12g, and assorted other rifles and handguns. I know of a few indoor ranges that are pistol only, and I was wondering if anyone knew of any places where I could shoot my Mosin? Some of the surplus ammunition I have purchased is mild steel core, which most ranges do not allow. I would appreciate any information, and would be happy to shoot with a local if anyone is interested! Thanks in advance. I am loving this mountain state after spending my life in Florida.
 
The closest outdoor public shooting range would be Cherry Creek State Park or the indoor Green Mountain Family Shooting Center.

Info from the Colorado Division of Wildlife can be found here:

Denver Area Shooting Ranges

Shooting Ranges

For info about shooting on Public Lands it is best to call the National Forest offices.

Shooting On Public Land

A firearm may not be discharged in the following National Forest areas:

1) Within 150 yards of a residence, building, campsite, developed recreation site, or occupied area; or
2) Across or on a Forest Development road or an adjacent body of water, or in any manner or place whereby any person or property is exposed to injury or damage as a result of such discharge; or
3) Into or within any cave. [36 CFR 261.10 (d)]

Some National Forest Districts have additional restrictions on discharging a firearm. Pike National Forest rules are listed in this PDF:

http://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/stelprdb5188883.pdf

Do not post targets on trees, pick up and properly dispose of your casings, targets, and any other litter.

Here is a recent Colorado Springs Gazette news articles about people literally mow down large areas of trees in the Monument Colorado area. :fire:

Illegal shooters leave the forest a battlefield of splintered trees
 
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You have to be careful where you go. Lots of anti 2A folks around the Republic of Boulder and Ft. Collins. Also there are a lot of California ex-pats in CO. too
 
The local forest rangers tend to have an attitude towards recreational shooting. The exception is some of the guys at Idaho Springs. South Platte on US285 is a bunch of left over hippies, and have tried to restrict rec shooting in the past. Boulder ranger district is even worse. CSSA and NRA have had to interceed several times to protect our access to PUBLIC lands. Let me know, and I can give you specific info on public land areas that are fairly close to the west side of town. Maybe even join you.

Jim
 
KsThumper,

Thanks for the link to the hit piece on "illegeal shooting". I know those areas well, have shot there numerous times in the past. The only illegeal thing being done is shooting the trees. I agree that's a bad deal. But, the shooters I have seen over the last half-dozen years or so have been safe and courteous. I'm usually in this area 2-3 times a month, usually on the weekends. I have camped along Mt Herman road numerous times. Never had any problems.
The range along Rampart Range road was shut down after an accident. A guy was killed. I want to know when the USFS is going to revoke the licenses of every single rafting operation, using public lands. We average 10-15 deaths a YEAR in rafting accidents. The Rampart Range accident was the ONLY fatality that I could find in Colorado. EVER. BTW, the only time I have heard full-automatic fire in the Mt Herman area, was noise coming up from the USAF Academy. I guess we wouldn't want those kids to use such dangerous equipment.
On another point, I attended several of the Pike National Forest "Rules and Use" hearings several years ago. In one small group, a lady who was a horse back rider complained that she had heard bullets whizzing by her several times. The funny part was she kept asking us to speak up because she was hard of hearing. Most other use groups do a good job of banding together, such as the 4x4, mountain bike, horse riders, sierra club, colorado mountain club, etc. They had strong contingents at each of those meetings. The shooting community, however, had no organized group. The only way we are going to be able to keep access to many of these places is to have a strong showing, educate other shooters, and clean up after ourselves and others.
OK, I'll fall down off of my soap box now......
 
good info to know. im moving to the long mont area August 1st. i have a few cabin rentals in mind just gotta lock em down. if i can shoot out there ill repost here after i moved. i dont know anyone so itll be nice to make some new ARMED friends :)
 
I found the rangers at Pike National Forest to be very friendly and accommodating. They do have a place they like you to go, which is an old area they call the gravel pit. To get there, go west on 285 to Deckers Road (Co 126), go south through Buffalo Creek, cross the creek, and start climbing. On your right, there will be some dirt road turns. One of them will be the gravel pit, and it will be obvious because of the casings, targets, and holes all over the place. It will be a fairly short drive back to it, perhaps 100 yards at most, but you can't see the pit from the paved road. Here's the phone number for the South Platte Ranger district: 303 275 5610. It's about an hour to an hour and a half from Denver.

Make sure you bring your camera...Buffalo Creek is a BEAUTIFUL town.
 
There are several areas south of Buffalo Creek, the one you mentioned among them. It is short, maybe 40-50 yards max. It gets real busy on the weekends. Another short range is a couple of hundred yards south, on the right side of the road, and back about 100 yards. Not enough room for too many to shoot at the same time, though.
A favorite place to go in that area is over by Harris Park. Last I heard, though, it was still closed for fuel woods mitigation. Correction, the land is open, if you want to carry your gear about a mile back to the range that people have been using for 30+ years. The ranger I talked with didn't have any idea when the area would reopen to motorized vehicles. It's a nice area, with hills on the north and south sides. I have seen as many as 12 or 15 groups there shooting at the same time. Lots of room. Up to about 500 yards if you're there by yourself. Every year, for the last 6 or so that I have following it, there seems to be at least 1 area that has been used for some time is lost through USFS closure, usually without notice. When Slaughterhouse Gulch was closed, it was an "Emergency" closure, signed by a judge in Pueblo. I have heard he is one of the USFS's favorites for anti-gun issues. I also know Roy Romer's daughter's family owns a bunch of land in that area. Care to guess the connection?
Slaughterhouse Gulch, Slot Canyon, the dump by Bailey, Allenspark, Rampart range road range, were all popular areas that have been closed in the last 5 years. Harris Park and Lefthand Canyon are both "temporary" closures, but for how long, no seems to want to give an answer. Maybe we should follow the heard, and head to Cherry Creek. moooo
 
I've always just taken a main road into the mountains and taken off on state land. As long as I've been out of hearing range there hasn't been a problem.
 
I would just go down to Cherry Creek State Park to the shooting range. Its easier than looking for some place to shoot in one of the NFs, and the drive time is considerably reduced.
 
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