1501:31-9-03. Regulations on the use of firearms on division owned or controlled areas

(A) On any state public hunting area, or on any area under control of the division of wildlife by virtue of a lease, or agreement, it shall be unlawful for any person:

(1) To hunt within an area posted with "Safety Zone" signs on a cooperative or a controlled hunting area, without the prior permission of the landowner or tenant in control of such safety zone.

(2) To shoot a fully automatic firearm on a division owned, administered or controlled area including target ranges. Provided further, it shall be unlawful to use any trigger assisting devices to alter a firearm to shoot like a fully automatic firearm.

(3) To hunt within an area posted with division of wildlife "No Hunting Zone" signs.

(4) To use a rifle, pistol, revolver, shotgun or other firearm at any time except while lawfully trapping, or hunting wild animals, or lawfully target practicing on a designated division of wildlife target range.

(B) On any designated division of wildlife target range, it shall be unlawful for any person:

(1) To target practice at any time other than from sunrise to sunset daily or outside of the posted hours of operation.

(2) To shoot in any direction other than from the firing line down range to the target on any division of wildlife target range.

(3) To use any type of target, other than a single sheet of paper on a division of wildlife target range, or a stationary reactive or self healing polymer target, except that clay targets may be used on division of wildlife target ranges equipped for trap and skeet only.

(4) To use a shotgun or rifle loaded with any projectile other than shot on a designated class C range. To use any shotgun or rifle loaded with any projectile other than single projectiles on designated class A or B ranges, except that the patterning of shotguns using shot is permitted on designated class A or B ranges.

(5) To fail to leave a division of wildlife shooting range when so ordered by a division of wildlife employee.

(6) To violate any range rule established and posted at any division of wildlife target range.

(7) To use any explosive target that when shot will cause another explosion to occur.

(8) To enter a division of wildlife class "A" range before he or she signs in on a form provided by the range attendant.

(9) To fire any weapon in a repeated manner that causes the person firing the weapon to fail to completely control the muzzle of the weapon.

(C) Areas having limited or no firearm use:

(1) It is unlawful for any person to use a rifle, pistol, or revolver at any time on the Lake park, Aquilla, state public hunting areas.

(2) It is unlawful for any person to use a rifle, pistol, or revolver at any time on the Greenfield dam, Auburn marsh and Grant lake state public hunting areas. Shotguns may be used only to take migratory birds, rabbits, pheasants, squirrel, and quail during the open season prescribed for such species or on designated target range areas.

(D) Supervised rifle and pistol ranges shall be designated class A target ranges. Class A ranges are located at the following wildlife areas: Spring Valley, Deer Creek, Grand river, Delaware and Woodbury. It shall be unlawful for persons age eighteen or older to use class A ranges except when the person has made application and received from the chief of the division of wildlife a "Range Permit." Persons seventeen and under must be accompanied by an adult holding a valid "Range Permit."

(E) Unsupervised rifle and pistol target ranges shall be designated class B target ranges.

It shall be unlawful for persons age eighteen or older to use class B ranges except when the person has made application and received from the chief of the division of wildlife a "Range Permit." Persons seventeen and under must be accompanied by an adult holding a valid "Range Permit."

(F) Unsupervised shotgun ranges where clay targets are used shall be designated class C target ranges. It shall be unlawful for persons age eighteen or older to use class C ranges except when the person has made application and received from the chief of the division of wildlife a "Range Permit." Persons seventeen and under must be accompanied by an adult holding a valid "Range Permit."

(G) Unsupervised archery target ranges shall be designated as class D archery target ranges.

(H) It shall be unlawful to use a class A range unless the shooter first registers with the range attendant.

(I) It shall be unlawful to use, place, or shoot at any target on a class A or class B range except in the designated target area, or to shoot from any place except the firing line.

(J) It shall be unlawful to leave target materials, other than clay pigeons on any range owned or controlled by the division.

(K) It shall be unlawful for any person to shoot a cannon on any division range.

(L) It shall be unlawful for any person to use tracer ammunition on any division of wildlife owned, controlled, or administered property.

(M) It shall be unlawful for any person to use a division of wildlife target range when designated closed.

(N) It shall be unlawful to use any shot size larger than number 6 lead or number 4 steel on a class C range.

(O) It shall be unlawful to use any firearm for target practice on a class D range.

(P) It shall be unlawful to use arrows tipped with a broadhead on any division of wildlife archery ranges, except that arrows tipped with broadheads may be used in designated target areas specially provided for their use.

(Q) All definitions set forth in rule 1501:31-1-02 of the Administrative Code shall apply to this rule.

Effective: 10/27/2019
Five Year Review (FYR) Dates: 8/12/2019 and 10/27/2024
Promulgated Under: 119.03
Statutory Authority: 1531.08, 1531.06, 1531.10
Rule Amplifies: 1531.06, 1531.08, 1531.10
Prior Effective Dates: 08/25/1975, 05/01/1976, 08/30/1978, 07/11/1980, 11/12/1982, 04/20/1987, 07/07/1992, 10/01/1993, 05/16/1996, 06/01/1997, 11/12/1999, 07/05/2000, 07/22/2001, 03/01/2002, 07/19/2002, 11/13/2002, 07/28/2003, 05/28/2004, 06/01/2006, 07/01/2009, 07/01/2012, 01/01/2013, 07/11/2013, 07/01/2014, 07/07/2018, 07/01/2019