Recreational Activities: Shooting

Although no designated shooting areas exist on the forest, plinking and target shooting are allowed on National Forest land provided that certain guidelines are followed.

WHEELED MOTOR VEHICLE RESTRICTIONS

IMPORTANT NOTICE

The Forest Service is complying with a court order to keep all wheeled motorized travel in the Eldorado National Forest on system roads and trails. Beginning August 25, 2005, wheeled motor vehicles are allowed to operate only on the 2,200 miles of system roads and motorized trails shown as open on the new Motorized Vehicle Restrictions Map, available free-of-charge. The National Forest Transporation System of roads includes paved, graveled and dirt roads. Paved roads are legal assuming the vehicle is licensed to operate on a highway. All other routes have been closed by court order and interim Forest Order. Links to the Forest Order #03-08-02 and the Recreation Opportunity Guide for using Motorized Vehicles on the Eldorado National Forest are available below:

Forest Order #03-08-02 (PDF, 13kb)
Using Motorized Vehicles - Recreation Opportunity Guide (PDF, 739kb): Review this document to find out how the Wheeled Motor Vehicle Restrictions may affect your visit to the Eldorado National Forest.
Press Release - August 18, 2005 (PDF, 94kb)

The Motor Vehicle Restrictions Map is now available free-of-charge at all
Eldorado National Forest offices.

Both sides of the map are available for download from our maps webpage.

These are large PDF files which will require long downloads and Adobe Reader to view.

SAFETY IS YOUR NUMBER ONE PRIORITY!

Safe Location - Know where your bullets are going at all times. Choose a remote road or area. Are there people around, trails, roads? Is there a safe backdrop for your targets and bullets. Shorelines with rocks are unsafe locations due to bullet ricochets.

Targets - Bring your own targets and clean them up afterwards. Trees, critters, buildings, and signs are not appropriate targets. Pick up your brass, shotgun shells, etc. when you are finished.

Water - Water surfaces will act like concrete and ricochet bullets. There is no reason to be shooting into the water and is considered unsafe. Keep this in mind when choosing a location. You could injure people on the other side of a cove or lake. It has happened.

Wilderness - Firearms are not prohibited in the wilderness but do not lend themselves well to the remote, quiet wilderness experience. Please respect others and keep your target shooting outside of the boundaries when possible.

REGULATIONS

Firearms
You may NOT discharge a firearm or any other implement capable of taking human life, causing injury, or damaging property:

In or within 150 yards of a residence, building, campsite, developed recreation site, or occupied area,

Across or on a Forest Development road or a body of water adjacent thereto,

In any manner or place whereby any person or property is exposed to injury or damage as a result of such discharge. (36CFR 261.10d*).

Fireworks and Other Devices
You may NOT possess or discharge any firecracker, rocket or other firework or explosive (36CFR 261.14d and 52f*).

Destruction or Removal of Property
You may NOT damage or remove any natural feature or other property of the United States (36CFR 261.9a and 9b*).

Fish and Wildlife
The following is prohibited to the extent Federal or State law is violated:
Hunting, trapping, fishing, catching, molesting, killing, or having in possession any kind of wild animal, bird, or fish, or taking the eggs of any such bird (36CFR 261.8a*).

See the Department of Fish and Game web page for details on what can be legally hunted at www.dfg.ca.gov .

Garbage
Failing to dispose of all garbage, including any paper, can, bottle, sewage, waste water or material in a proper manner (36CFR 261.11d*).

*CFR stands for Code of Federal Regulations