Ohioans For Concealed Carry Discussion Forums

Was out for our annual camping trip in the Allegheny National Forest. As usual we had an array of targets setup at close distances, and out to around 100 yds, and were doing some informal practical shooting competition with rifle, pistol, and shotgun. National Forest Service Ranger pulls into our camp to see what all the shooting is about. Looks at the range we have setup, the array of AR15's on the table, and various pistols on our hips, and says nice job on the range setup for safe backstop, shooting direction and no targets on live trees. Tells us to enjoy our camping and have a nice day. Oh and don't ride the unlicensed motorbikes on the forest roads. He declined our offer to join us in shooting the course, said if he got started he would be there all day .

Not really sure how that could have gone any better.


And to top it off none of the other guys reload, so I ended up with just a bit over 30 lbs of brass when we were done.

Did not know you could just set up a shooting range in a National Park and have fun - wasn't even concealed carry in National Parks an issue until a few years back?

The German wrote:Did not know you could just set up a shooting range in a National Park and have fun - wasn't even concealed carry in National Parks an issue until a few years back?

This was a National Forest, not a National Park. If you fire a gun in a National Park, you better have a darned good excuse or you will be charged (you might be charged anyway - if you aren't bleeding profusely, it's hard to prove that bear was attacking).

Thirty pounds of brass is impressive!

Brian D. wrote:Thirty pounds of brass is impressive!

so yeah, all that brass. I don't think the ranger just happened to hear us shooting, we were not in a heavy touristy area of the ANF. Considering how large the ANF is with the Bradford Ranger station 45 Mins away and Marionville Ranger station 40 mins away.... I think he got a call about some sustained gunfire So probably the typical he has to check it out because of the call, but we weren't breaking the rules, so all is well.

The job of a Ranger having to approach people who are far more heavily armed than you are, not to mention poachers, or maybe even growers in the back woods, etc.. seems like it could have a high pucker factor at times.

It's great that Allegheny National Forest allows target shooting like that.

However, that apparently varies from one National Forest to another. Wayne National Forest (Ohio) does NOT allow target shooting except at designated ranges:

[quote]
Target Shooting with Firearms Prohibited.
Target shooting is prohibited on the Wayne National Forest through Ohio law. The Ohio law prohibits target shooting on public lands, including the Wayne National Forest. According to state regulations, use of a rifle, pistol, revolver, shotgun or other firearm at any time except while lawfully trapping, or hunting wild animals, or lawfully target practicing on a designated division of wildlife target range is prohibited on state public hunting area or on any area under control of the division of wildlife by virtue of a lease, or agreement.

The Wayne National Forest is under an agreement with the Ohio Department of Natural Resources and thus Wayne National Forest lands fall into the category of public lands under agreement where it is prohibited to target shoot outside of a designated range./quote] (from the
Wayne NF website)

Also, as Mike pointed out, do not confuse National Parks, National Forests, National Recreation Areas with each other! They are different (as are state parks and state forests, state wildlife areas, etc.) And then, there are federal (Army) Corps of Engineer lands which have heir own regulations (firearms prohibited the last I knew.)

Ken