Rifle River Recreation Area is a wilderness located within the AuSable State Forest and provides a variety of recreational opportunities. Great park for wildlife watching, hiking, fishing and hunting. Rifle River Recreation Area is a wilderness located within the AuSable State Forest and provides a variety of recreational opportunities. This area was formerly a private hunting and fishing retreat owned by the late H.M. Jewett, a pioneer auto manufacturer. In 1945 the tract, then called Grousehaven, was purchased by the Department of Conservation from Mrs. Jewett. The Department of Conservation renamed it the Rifle River Area and used it as a field laboratory for fish and game research. In 1963, the Parks Division acquired the area and it is now known as the Rifle River Recreation Area.