It's actually not Federal land. It IS however, a federal cleanup of what was during WWII, an army base. This is one of those Superfund sites where the government is cleaning up old drums of fuel, etc. that were left to decay after the base shut down 50 years ago.
I'm sure you're right about some stupid regulation forbidding the use of a firearm. This isn't a particularly dangerous area for bears (on the edge of town) but poking around the thickets of a salmon stream anywhere on this island is not a good idea.
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Keith
The Bears and Bear Maulings Page:
members.xoom.com/keithrogan