plinking/shooting in White Mountain National Forest

[JoeS4]

This is sort of a combined legal and where to shoot question, so I decided the General Discussion forum was most appropriate.


from the White Mountain National Forest website:

"Hunting is allowed on all White Mountain National Forest Lands including Wilderness areas pursuant to state regulations. State hunting licenses are required to hunt on National Forest land. Hunting on private land within the National Forest is prohibited without permission of the landowner. In addition, the following acts are prohibited on the National Forest:

•Discharging a firearm or any other implement capable of taking human life, causing injury, or damaging property as follows:
◦In or within 150 yards of a residence, building, campsite, developed recreation site, or occupied area, or
◦Across or on a Forest System Road or body of water adjacent thereto, or in any manner or place whereby any person or property is exposed to injury or damage as result of such discharge. 36-CFR 261.10 (d)"
http://www.fs.fed.us/r9/forests/white_mountain/recreation/hunting/index.php



When I was visting a friend who lives in Colorado, we went to a National Forest, walked in to a spot he knew (that did meet the above requirements and had a good natural backstop - a canyon wall, basically), and shot quite a bit. I really enjoyed shooting outdoors, in a less structured environment than the range - but still safely.

My questions:
1) The above quotation states that Hunting is allowed, but does not specify that plinking/target shooting is. Assuming the requirements listed are met, is plinking OK?
2) Does anyone know of a place in the National Forest (preferably somewhere moderately close to North Conway) that is suitable for plinking?

 

[Marlin]

Target Shooting In White Mountain National Forest...

TITLE XVIII
FISH AND GAME
CHAPTER 207
GENERAL PROVISIONS AS TO FISH AND GAME
Injuring Property or Person
Section 207:37-a
207:37-a Negligent Discharge of Firearms, Bow and Arrow or Crossbow and Bolt. – Any person who shall negligently discharge any firearm, bow and arrow, or crossbow and bolt while on a hunting trip, in the field, or while target practicing, in such a manner that the life of any person is endangered or so as to cause damage to the property of another person, shall be guilty of a misdemeanor, and at the discretion of the executive director, the hunting license of such a person may be revoked for a period not to exceed 10 years.
Source. 1967, 173:1. 1973, 528:115. 1987, 95:1. 1991, 37:1. 1993, 235:5, eff. Aug. 14, 1993.

 

[Tiktock]

Now i'm curious, as well...since even that Title XVIII only seems to prohibit shooting if it endangers anoyone or their property....

 

[red87930]

Now i'm curious, as well...since even that Title XVIII only seems to prohibit shooting if it endangers anoyone or their property....

My guess from the small bits of the regulations presented here is you could target shoot/plink as long as you held a valid hunting license for the public forests or you could gain permission from the landowner, which you need to do anyway and just plink away.

I probably would not choose to go out and just set up some targets in the national forests and start blasting away in prime hunting grounds however. I am not a hunter but I don't imagine continous vollys of any caliber would be to good for anyone elses hunting experience.

 

[Jose]

Guys, as long as you do not violate the safety restrictions set forth in the USFS regs, you are good to go to blast at your heart's content.

Only Louisiana lives under the Napoleonic code.