Colorado Front Range dumb question

[LuckyR]

This is my first year hunting in Colorado Just moved here about 6 months ago and I was going to a spot I wanted to hunt in a national forest, unfortunately the road was closed from the storms this past weekend and it being to wet. So I couldn't drive to where I wanted to go, decided I would walk in it was about 5 miles in a straight line but only made it a short way when I came up on this sign for a pay area for campsites, my dumb question is it says NO DISCHARGING OF FIREARMS, I am assuming that means no shooting in the campsite but I really didn't want to walk around for miles with a shotgun on my shoulder and not being 100% sure I was legal. I tried researching everywhere all I can confidently find is that it is legal to hunt during season in the national forest. I found another sign in a different spot that said no shooting except during pursuit of mammals and game birds. I try to be above board all the time so I elected to try another area where I was confident I could shoot but can anybody point me in the right direction whether or not I would haver been legal to hunt or not? I can provide more info of my exact location if needed but being vague on purpose not because I have any knowledge of spots or birds but just in case this is someone else spot.

 

[yak]

You can have a firearm, but can't discharge on the campgrounds property. NF is fair game for shooting once your out of the vicinity of the campground, for safety purposes. Most of those areas are to prevent folks from target practice within a 1/4 mile. For example, there is no dispersed camping or target practice within a 1/4 mile of the poudre river. Its a high traffic area and would only create problems because many target shooters dump fridges and other trash and blow it to bits creating a big mess.

You can always visit or call the NF ranger office for that area for their official statement, but I have used many of these areas to access NF lands for hunting with no issue.

 

[LuckyR]

You can have a firearm, but can't discharge on the campgrounds property. NF is fair game for shooting once your out of the vicinity of the campground, for safety purposes. Most of those areas are to prevent folks from target practice within a 1/4 mile. For example, there is no dispersed camping or target practice within a 1/4 mile of the poudre river. Its a high traffic area and would only create problems because many target shooters dump fridges and other trash and blow it to bits creating a big mess.

You can always visit or call the NF ranger office for that area for their official statement, but I have used many of these areas to access NF lands for hunting with no issue.

Thank you so much! I assumed that was the case, I've tried contacting the ranger office but nobody answered just yet. but its always good to ask everyone I can just to be sure. thank you again for the response I really appreciate it.

 

[Mtnmilsurp]

There are a lot of areas between the Springs and Denver in the Pike National Forest that are closed to target shooting but open to hunting. Here's a list from their web site:
Areas closed to target shooting on the Pike National Forest include:

The area in Manitou Park along highway 67 from the Experimental Forest south to the forest boundary (Pikes Peak Ranger District),
The Rampart Range Road and Rampart Reservoir area north of Highway 24 from Waldo Canyon north to Woodland Park (Pikes Peak Ranger District),
The South Platte River in Elevenmile Canyon (South Park Ranger District),
The Jefferson Lake Recreation Area (South Park Ranger District)
The area west and southwest of Colorado Springs along the Old Stage Road and Gold Camp Road (Pikes Peak Ranger District),
All of Rampart Range area on South Platte Ranger District,
The area of the Monument Fire Center east of summit of Mt. Herman to the forest boundary, (Pikes Peak Ranger District),
The South Platte River from Deckers downstream to Chatfield State Park (South Platte Ranger District),
The North Fork of the South Platte River from Buffalo Creek downstream to Chatfield State Park (South Platte Ranger District),
The Sugar Creek road from Sprucewood to the South Platte River (South Platte Ranger District),
The AG Ranch in Shawnee, both sides of Highway 285 (South Platte Ranger District).
Slaughterhouse Gulch on South Platte Ranger District
FSR 108 aka Harris Park with the exception of 108.B the designated shooting area.

Web site is here: https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/psicc/?cid=STELPRDB5162485

 

[SonnyDay]

Pretty much covered above... but once you are away from campgrounds, dispersed camping, and sometimes roads/trailheads, you should be good to go on NFS land. But yeah, the Front Range has some closures in mountain "neighborhoods" as well.