Harassed while shooting.

hardworker said:
If it's bow season you probably made a mess of someone's hunt. Not saying they were right to mess with your car, but they were understandably angry.
Click to expand...

On public land? It's pretty wrongheaded to be angry that someone else is using land that they have as much right to use as you do. It might be frustrating, but if the shooting is legal they've got every bit as much right to be using the land as the bow hunters.
 
On public land? It's pretty wrongheaded to be angry that someone else is using land that they have as much right to use as you do. It might be frustrating, but if the shooting is legal they've got every bit as much right to be using the land as the bow hunters.
Click to expand...

I am not saying that you are wrong in any way, let me get that out there first. Its common around my parts though, that when deer season starts you dont shoot on public land. You shoot on private land where no one is hunting or you use a private or public range.

Its a two fold thing really. First, it sucks to only be able to hit the woods one a week to hunt and have someone burning up ammo. No that they arent within their rights, but it sucks. Second, it could be a matter of safety. In a lot of places where people shoot on public land there arent formal backstops. In these areas there could be people hunting in the same woods/area. It can be dangerous.

None of those things justifies vandalizing anothers property.
 
The idea with the trail cam is a great one. Im 51 and if anyone wants to call me a kid--- Man they will be my new best friend:D. Any how-Try the trail cam thing.
 
Part of the reason that I like my local rifle club, is that people aren't allowed to just go and do mag dumps. However, I wouldn't want to infringe on anyone's right to do that, on public land, providing that it isn't a safety risk.

Some people believe that firearms are meant to be used for certain things:

-hunting
-law enforcement / military
-marksmanship / sport shooting
-self / family defense
-investment
-heating up a barrel and making noise

Usually, a little bit of "keeping the peace" - being aware of the laws and your surroundings, and being respectful of others - goes a long way
 
Last year a buddy and I found a nice little spot on some public land with a perfect hill and miles from any houses according to google maps. Only about a fifty yard field but fine to mess around in and fairly close to home. We shot there for an afternoon, didn't see a soul. Came back two weeks later and found the DNR had posted a "no target shooting" sign in the interim, guess someone saw us and decides they didn't like it, and I guess the local DNR was sympathetic despite the fact that it was perfectly legal shooting.

I've had some frustrating experiences on public land here in Michigan... And being 25 myself i always get rolling eyes and condescending looks at the local clubs from the old hats...So I hear you brother.
 
Use lacquer thinner ONLY if the vehicle paint is Basecoat/ Clearcoat. A single stage auto paint (as on older cars) both lacquer and enamel will be damaged.
Click to expand...

Permanent markers are alcohol based. Use rubbing alcohol or even something like Vodka or Gin to wipe it off.

What did the police have to say when they were there about the obvious vandalism?
 
My experience has been interesting. Several years ago I went by the local BLM office to inquire about shooting on BLM land near where I live. I wanted to be sure htere were no restrictions of any kind on the area where I wanted to shoot.

I spoke to one of the enforcement rangers, and she very courteously told me that that was "my" land, and I could do whatever I wanted, as long as I was safe and didn't endanger anyone else. She even took time to pull down a map and show me several good places where others shoot, and said to have fun.

Fast forward a couple of years. I was out with my wife and another couple shooting, and another enforcement ranger pulled up to where we were shooting to see what we were doing. He looked at our guns and commented on them, compared my Beretta to his pistol, and said have a nice day. He also gave us several trash bags and asked us to pick up our trash when we left. We already had one of our own bags filled up and showed that to him, and he thanked us for the clean-up detail.

That's the way encounters with LEOs should go. Very professional and courteous.
 
I've had some frustrating experiences on public land here in Michigan... And being 25 myself i always get rolling eyes and condescending looks at the local clubs from the old hats...So I hear you brother.
Click to expand...

I feel your pain on both accounts. I am only 26 and I feel very out of place in the couple of shooting clubs I have checked out; maybe in another 10 or 15 years I will fit right in with the other OFWG's but till then.

In regards to shooting, count yourselves lucky that MI is a bit more gun friendly than over in the Northern IL/Southern WI area.
I get harassed even when shooting on private land, my family has some property up in Wisconsin. Too many Urban transplants around who cannot wrap their heads around lawful shooting. So about every other time or so when I shoot the cops show up. Its a pretty small police force so they don't even come bug me anymore. I usually just see the cops talking to whoever called.
 
Try going to a gun club when you REALLY do not have any experience. I went to a couple before I found one where a few people were willing to help me instead of rolling their eyes.
 
I shoot on public land all the time. I also have a "leave no trace" policy for myself and whomever I'm shooting with.

Brass, soda cans, shot-up targets, perforated living trees - all of that stuff can have as much of an effect on policy change as the gunfire itself.

I did have an encounter once when I was getting out of my 4x4 at the same time the county search & rescue team was getting ready to launch a training exercise. One of the team members tried to tell me that we couldn't shoot in the area (he was non-LEO). I said "you want to bet?". His jaw dropped. Pretty funny. Then I asked the team leader which way they were going and I said we'd go in the other direction. Problem solved.
 
It seems to me that if you were unwittingly disturbing someone's hunt, it would have been far more productive for them to simply ask you politely if you would mind moving your shooting to another area rather than call the police for no good reason and vandalize your vehicle.
 
City people generally think that game flees to the next county every time they hear a gun shot. If that were the case they'd never stop running.

Some people need to spend more time in the woods................................ on second thought, nevermind.
 
Last edited:
Ok, it's going to be perfectly clear after this question that I am a city boy now (grew up on the farm, but never went back).

What do you mean "public land where you can shoot?" I understand shooting parks and whatnot, but where can you go shoot that is not private land? How can you find non-public property?

I know that sounds like a ridiculous question, but I can't understand what you are talking about "public land." I can't imagine a place where you can shoot that is not private land. At least not without being arrested.
 
Stupid laws

Suppressor, moderator, silencer call them what you will. Imagine if our legislators were enlightened enough to recognize these devices are all about being polite.

I don't know that any of us enjoy the noise our firearms make. One can buy a suppressor over the counter in some European countries.

It's time to make these devices as easy to buy as the guns we install them on.
 
Vandyatc, I see you are in Louisville so the closest public land to you is probably Daniel Boone National Forest. They actually have four designated ranges that are open to the public year round. Some state and federal land just allows you to shoot wherever you wish, particularly in the West (Daniel Boone may also allow this, I see no rule prohibiting it, and you can hunt there).
 
I have had a similar event happen with a local nutjob. We were shooting on private property with full permission, after about a half hour of blasting a guy shows up honking his horn and swearing at us. As we got closer to him he sprayed our cars with gravel as he tore off with his truck and then turned around and tried to hit us with his truck. When the authorities asked what he was flipping out about he said that he was afraid that we'd scare his horses... yet the truck he was hotrodding was louder than our gunfire.


I don't know what goes through these people's minds when they confront people they don't know that have guns. What if you were some crazy with a gun and you walked out of the woods to see some hippie writing on your car with a marker? Do these people have no common sense?

I'd do the gamecam thing and go shoot to your hearts content and if it happens again let the judge settle it. I'm sure after paying for your new paintjob they'd think twice before vandalising someones car again.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top