Stump shooting hassles

[Broken Arrows]

Elkken has it right I haven't been stopped but I do have a hunting License and being in eastern Washington it is a lot easer to get away and be by yourself.

[Whitetail Addict]

Pete, you may be right about that.

The only problem like this I've ever had, was with a State Trooper. I was crossing the road from one field to another while woodchuck hunting some private property.

The Trooper came by just as I'd crossed the road, stopped, and asked what I was doing.

I told him, and showed him my small game and bow license.

He acted really sceptical about the whole thing, but said I wasn't breaking any laws that he knew of, told me to be careful not to shoot from the road. I thanked him and he left.

We have a problem with poaching here, and I've always wondered if maybe he thought I was trying to kill a deer.

I told him I wished he'd drive by some day when one of these guys was shooting a deer out of their vehicle during the summer.

Bob

[Whitetail Addict]

galadriel, that's crazy!        Sorry to hear about your ordeal.

It seems to me that they went a little overboard in your case.

I never gave any of this a thought, other than to make sure I had my license on me while I'm out stumping.

I know these folks have a job to do, and their life is on the line every time they stop someone, but that just isn't right.

I suppose with the way the world is today, we shouldn't be surprised by much of anything anymore.

It makes me wonder what my grandsons are going to be up against, by the time they're old enough to be out on their own with their bows. Scarry.

Bob

[JamesV]

In Mississippi target shooting on public land is illegal, there must be a hunting season open for that area.

James

[The Whittler]

From past readings of people shooting in their yards and where their arrows end up, I can see why laws and ordinances are pasted.

It's too bad that because of a few many have to suffer.

[finkm1]

I also stump shoot on state land in Michigan. I always carry a small game license and would never tell a officer I was "stump shooting". Seems like common sense went out the window.

[Bladepeek]

Whittler, that was exactly the case which caused our city ordinance against the shooting of bows within the city limits.

It's most unfortunate that instead of punishing the guilty for reckless discharge of a weapon, we have to enact ordinances punishing society as a whole. Too bad, but that seems to be the easiest way for those in a position of authority to appear as if they are doing something constructive.

Just a fact of life, I'm afraid. There are, however, usually ways to work within the system to change things. At least we still do that instead of taking to the streets in a riot.

I prefer to work with the local authorities to get an exception to the ordinance in the form of an approved shooting facility on my property instead of following the many suggestions I received for how to get even. That would indeed make me feel better, but would not solve my problem.

Thank goodness we are still a society of law and order.

A few years back a little kid with toy bow put an arrow dent in a garage that had wood rot so bad that part of the roof had caved in, they called the cops.  The longbow shooting cop came very close to arresting the complainers for lewd conduct and language to a minor.  The city manager and compound shooting chief of police decided that they could make a decree that I could no longer shoot in my yard, even though I use my garage as a back stop stay, in close. What prompted this was a couple days earlier the city manager's son and his friends, high on hormones because of an all girl birthday party next door, shot one of the girls in eye with an air soft bb gun when they raided the party and thinking it was funny to shoot the girls with paint ball guns and air soft bb guns.  I put an end to them causing trouble and called the police on him and his friends.  The chief of police had lost a number of arrows in his neighbor's yard, but the decree was only meant for me.  By eight a.m. the next morning I had a law suit in action, the city attorney and and the longbow shooting cop explained to them how many laws they had broken and how the suit was going to go through if they didn't fix it quick.  I was told the city manager almost passed out from a panic attack.  I ended up with written permission to shoot my bow and a written apology and a visit from my longbow shooting cop friend, who was feeling very bad that he got the city to rescind their decree on me before the court house opened.  The lawyer told him that such 'official' outside of the law actions would have stuck, made me a lot of money and have cost the chief of police and city manager their jobs.

[Hoyt]

The only hassle I've had stump shooting is whittling my broadhead out of it after missing the deer...specially those big Tree Sharks.