What is the public land situation like near the Manhattan area? I may be moving to the area sometime next year, and am wondering if there are any good places to shoot on public land. I am used to driving 30 min west from where I am now, and can hit national forest land where I can shoot. Is there anything like that anywhere near Manhattan?

No public land in the immediate area that you can shoot on that I'm aware of, but there is an outdoor range, an indoor range and a trap park within 15-30 minutes of Manhattan. There is a decent amount of walk in hunting in the area, but I don't know the rules about shooting on that outside of hunting. Feel free to PM me if you have any other questions about the area, Manhattan is a great place.

Kansas public hunting/shooting

There are some public shooting areas. Use the above link to map out any that might be available to you at your preferred area.

Riley county public shooting range

Recreational or target shooting is not allowed in walk in hunting areas, state land such as the public hunting area only allow target shooting in specified areas and none in the immediate area offer it.