Firearms

The use of firearms for hunting and target practice on public land has been a long standing right and tradition. Over the last eight years, however, we have seen an increase in wildland fire starts due to careless target shooting practices. While tracer, incendiary, and exploding targets are not allowed on public lands due to its fire starting potential, the majority of fires have been attributed to steel core ammunition. It is legal to shoot ammunition made with steel; however, bullets made with a steel component may spark a fire when they strike another metal object or rock.

Between the years of 2000-2008, 5% of the human caused fires on the Boise District BLM alone have been attributed to shooting. Tracer and incendiary ammunition has accounted for 8 fire starts while steel core or bimetal ammunition has been attributed to 20 wildland fires within that time period. There was only one reported ignition caused by black powder muzzle loader.

In order to avoid costly fines and citations, make sure you know your target, what type of ammunition you are shooting, and where you are shooting. It is also important to know that some areas may be posted closed to shooting to protect wildlife habitat. There may be other restrictions posted in different justifications. Check for restrictions in the area you may be shooting by contacting your local Forest Service, BLM, or IDL Office.

Firearms Use Guidelines

  1. Have a shovel, water, and fire extinguisher ready when shooting in our wildlands:
  2. Avoid shooting at rocks, metal, dry vegetation or exploding targets during fire season
  3. Never shoot tracer or incendiary ammunition
  4. Do not shoot steel-core or bimetal bullets during fire season. If you are not sure your bullets are steel, test them by holding a magnet over the bullets; if a bullet is attracted to the magnet it has a steel component.
  5. Avoid shooting on hot, dry and/or windy days
  6. Clean up your targets and casings when finished shooting

Who is responsible?

It is important to remember that the deliberate misuse of firearms can lead to fines and citations. Play it safe and abide by the guidelines above or you may be held liable for a wildfire that starts from you shooting.