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Lawful Target Shooting in NYS Owned Forests

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  • Lawful Target Shooting in NYS Owned Forests

    The issue of target shooting in New York State owned forests (NOT STATE PARKS) came up in one of my threads. I think it is a subject which deserves a thread of its own.

    The law regarding target shooting in NYS owned forests can be found in Title 6 (Department of Environmental Conservation) of the NYS Codes, Rules, and Regulations.

    The law doesn’t explicitly state what you are allowed to do. Rather, it states what you are not allowed to do.

    6 CRR-NY 190.8NY-CRR provides as follows:

    (ab) No person shall possess breakable targets, including but not limited to clay pigeons, on State lands and no person shall target shoot at breakable targets, including but not limited to clay pigeons and glass containers, on State lands.

    Unless legally engaged in the act of hunting, no person shall discharge firearms on State lands posted or designated as closed to target shooting.



    Therefore, unless it is posted, or otherwise designated as closed to target shooting, you are allowed to do so.

    Of course, you must also follow other laws and regulations.

    For example, Article 11, Section 0931, of the Environmental Conservation Law provides:

    4. a. No person shall:

    (1) discharge a firearm or long bow in such a way as will result in the load or arrow thereof passing over a public highway or any part thereof;
    (2) discharge a firearm or long bow within five hundred feet from a dwelling house, farm building or farm structure actually occupied or used, school building, school playground, or occupied factory or church;



    The Environmental Conservation Law applies whether you are hunting or not.

    Also, New York State Penal Law Section 265.35 provides:

    3. Any person who, otherwise than in self defense or in the discharge of official duty, (a) wilfully discharges any species of firearms . . . , either in a public place, or in any place where there is any person to be endangered thereby, or, in Putnam county, within one-quarter mile of any occupied school building other than under supervised instruction by properly authorized instructors although no injury to any person ensues; (b) intentionally, without malice, points or aims any firearm . . . , at or toward any other person; (c) discharges, without injury to any other person, firearms . . . , while intentionally without malice, aimed at or toward any person; or (d) maims or injures any other person by the discharge of any firearm . . . , pointed or aimed intentionally, but without malice, at any such person, is guilty of a class A misdemeanor.

    New York state laws includes New York consolidated laws on banking, business corporations, criminal procedure, domestic relations, estates, crimes, taxes and workers' compensation.


    General information about NYS owned forests can be found at this Department of Environmental Conservation link:

    state forests,state land management,unique areas,reforestation areas,multiple use areas,state nature and historic preserves


    A list of many of the NYS owned forests can be found at this Department of Environmental Conservation link:



    A word of caution. Just because it may be legal to target shoot in a particular part of a NYS owned forest, does not mean it is a good idea to do so. You should use your common sense.

    To state the obvious, it would be a bad idea to shoot near a populated area of the forest, or in an area where you do not have a safe backstop. Otherwise, you may invite the scrutiny of a DEC Officer who may cite you for non-shooting violations.

    The DEC has nine regional offices listed below. Inquiries should be made at the appropriate regional office before target shooting.

    Region 1: (Long Island) Nassau and Suffolk counties

    Region 2: (New York City) Brooklyn (Kings County), Bronx (Bronx County), Manhattan (New York County), Queens (Queens County) and Staten Island (Richmond County)

    Region 3: (Lower Hudson Valley) Dutchess, Orange, Putnam, Rockland, Sullivan, Ulster and Westchester counties

    Region 4: (Capital Region/Northern Catskills) Albany, Columbia, Delaware, Greene, Montgomery, Otsego, Rensselaer, Schenectady and Schoharie counties

    Region 5: (Eastern Adirondacks/Lake Champlain) Clinton, Essex, Franklin, Fulton, Hamilton, Saratoga, Warren and Washington counties

    Region 6: (Western Adirondacks/Eastern Lake Ontario) Herkimer, Jefferson, Lewis, Oneida and St. Lawrence counties

    Region 7: (Central New York) Broome, Cayuga, Chenango, Cortland, Madison, Onondaga, Oswego, Tioga and Tompkins counties

    Region 8: (Western Finger Lakes) Chemung, Genesee, Livingston, Monroe, Ontario, Orleans, Schuyler, Seneca, Steuben, Wayne and Yates counties

    Region 9: (Western New York) Allegany, Chautauqua, Cattaraugus, Erie, Niagara and Wyoming counties

    http://www.dec.ny.gov/about/50230.html


  • #2
    That's some great information, give me something to look into. Thanks for outlining all that.

    Comment


    • #3
      Come on this is NY, The rule of thumb is,

      1) is it Fun- It is illegal
      2) will it bring you Joy?- It is illegal
      3) is it anything other than making money and paying taxes?- You can bet there are some type of restrictions against it


      Besides, The DEC is out of control in this state, Too much power with their hands in everything from fishing to camping to construction, Did you know that the DEC is the only agency in the State that is self funded? self funded by the summons that they issue. Now there is an incentive to write a ticket if i ever heard of one

      Comment


      • #4
        Just like I posted in your other thread, have been shooting on State land for 30 years now. Never a problem.
        "No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms."
        - Thomas Jefferson

        "Americans have the right and advantage of being armed, unlike the people of other countries, whose leaders are afraid to trust them with arms."
        - James Madison

        Comment


        • #5
          God....

          I remember growing up in Medford in the 70's. Grabbing my .22 or .410. Walking through the neighborhood. To woods I didn't know who owned nor did I care. Killing beer bottles and whatever else I found around long extinguished campfires....

          Paul

          Comment


          • #6
            I've brought my Block Archery target upstate and signed in in DEC parking areas in the stars forest. Once a ranger rolled up, and questioned me.. Explained I needed to set my 30 yard pin, I could only shoot 20 yards in my backyard on LI, he laughed and drive away.
            Hunter, NRA Life Member, NYS Deplorable

            🚄TrumpTrain2016🇺🇸.🇺🇸.🇺🇸

            Pro Political Term Limits
            Anti High Capacity Mag Limits
            Fuck Andrew Cuomo's Suck my Ass Act

            Comment


            • #7
              Originally posted by Bobbytaz
              Just like I posted in your other thread, have been shooting on State land for 30 years now. Never a problem.
              I am the type of person who would normally share my favorite location. However, since this is the internet, I don't want it to become commonly known. As it is, some people do not respect the area, and potentially ruin things for those who do.


              Comment

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