Hunting in Tacoma? Bow laws within Tacoma?

[SmallGameHunter]

I got cottontails everywhere over here, I want to grab my bow and go get some but I can't find any city laws regarding the use of a bow and hunting within city limits. Called all over the city and police department and they were eager to turn me away. Does anyone here have the info I need?

[Curly]

You might try searching the Tacoma Municipal Code to see if it says anything about archery equipment being used in the city limits.
https://www.cityoftacoma.org/government/city_departments/CityAttorney/CityClerk/TMC/

[SmallGameHunter]

You might try searching the Tacoma Municipal Code to see if it says anything about archery equipment being used in the city limits.
https://www.cityoftacoma.org/government/city_departments/CityAttorney/CityClerk/TMC/

I am struggling to find anything on there. I went threw "weapons" knives/guns/air guns/slingshots, nothing at all about bows. Can't seem to find anything about hunting either

[Bob33]

Cities should not regulate hunting; only WDFW (should) has the authority to do that. Cities can restrict activities that impact public safety such as discharge of a firearm.

If you can't find anything in the municipal code that restricts the use of certain weapons, hunting should be legal. Odd that you could use a firearm but not a slingshot.

[SmallGameHunter]

If you can't find anything in the municipal code that restricts the use of certain weapons, hunting should be legal. Odd that you could use a firearm but not a slingshot.

You cannot discharge a firearm within the city. They did cover just about ever weapon except a bow, so I may be good. Now I just have to brush up on my WA bow laws. Like a distance from roads or residences and also maybe Pierce county laws as well.

[Bob33]

If you can't find anything in the municipal code that restricts the use of certain weapons, hunting should be legal. Odd that you could use a firearm but not a slingshot.

You cannot discharge a firearm within the city. They did cover just about ever weapon except a bow, so I may be good. Now I just have to brush up on my WA bow laws. Like a distance from roads or residences and also maybe Pierce county laws as well.

WDFW does not have any distance laws pertaining to roads and residences; a county may. It is not legal to "discharge a bow from a vehicle or from, across, or along the maintained portion of a public highway."

http://apps.leg.wa.gov/wac/default.aspx?cite=220-414-070

[Fl0und3rz]

Check Section 8, Public Safety, which speaks about archery in terms of parks, and exempts certain uses of dangerous weapons by licensed hunters.

http://cms.cityoftacoma.org/cityclerk/Files/MunicipalCode/Title08-PublicSafety.PDF

Also be aware of County Code restrictions, as well as game limitations by WDFW. 


Hunting and pest control within a populated area is a nightmare patchwork of ordinances and restrictions.

[ljsommer]

Cities should not regulate hunting; only WDFW (should) has the authority to do that. Cities can restrict activities that impact public safety such as discharge of a firearm.

If you can't find anything in the municipal code that restricts the use of certain weapons, hunting should be legal. Odd that you could use a firearm but not a slingshot.

As to the legality of this ordinance I cannot comment, but cities do definitely issue ordinances to this effect.

http://ccr.cityofup.com/Lists/Ordinances/DispForm.aspx?ID=930

[Tinmaniac]

Define everywhere.In your yard?I have had a target in my yard for 25 years and have never had an issue with it.I am mindful of when I shoot.I don't make a public display of my bow or draw unwanted attention to myself.I don't think there are any places in the city where you could walk around with your bow and hunt.

[Bob33]

Cities should not regulate hunting; only WDFW (should) has the authority to do that. Cities can restrict activities that impact public safety such as discharge of a firearm.

If you can't find anything in the municipal code that restricts the use of certain weapons, hunting should be legal. Odd that you could use a firearm but not a slingshot.

As to the legality of this ordinance I cannot comment, but cities do definitely issue ordinances to this effect.

http://ccr.cityofup.com/Lists/Ordinances/DispForm.aspx?ID=930

Yes some do, and WDFW would dispute that they have the authority to regulate hunting. Can cities change bag limits, hunt hours, make all deer legal, etc? What a mess that would create.

[ljsommer]

Define everywhere.In your yard?I have had a target in my yard for 25 years and have never had an issue with it.I am mindful of when I shoot.I don't make a public display of my bow or draw unwanted attention to myself.I don't think there are any places in the city where you could walk around with your bow and hunt.

The key word here is "limits". "City" implies heavy development. I am within the city limits of University place but I am surrounded by forest. I have a good size family of deer, raccoons, multiple coyotes that all live behind my house. I also happen to be directly across the street from town hall, the police and fire departments. Weird little setup, but there ya go.

[Tinmaniac]

Surrounded by forest in UP?The small patches of trees that are left are by no means forest.I live right next to PT.Defiance Park but I don't call it a forest.The reason the animals are there is that they can't be hunted.

[SmallGameHunter]

Define everywhere.In your yard?I have had a target in my yard for 25 years and have never had an issue with it.I am mindful of when I shoot.I don't make a public display of my bow or draw unwanted attention to myself.I don't think there are any places in the city where you could walk around with your bow and hunt.

Northend neighborhoods. I live in an apartment so no rabbits here. I looked through the "public safety" portion of Tacoma code. Nowhere is a bow mentioned, nor is hunting so legally I am in the clear as far as I can tell. Realistically I doubt anyone, especially the police who will inevitably come, will know that or will listen to me explain that.

[WapitiTalk1]

About the time a screaming rabbit, with an arrow in it's arse, drags himself onto a local hiking trail or road, in plain view of the local people population, .... you'll probably find out if the laws lean your way or not    I'm not sure about shooting critters within city limits, good question though and I hope your research ends up saying its legal.  Good luck.   

[Fl0und3rz]

Rabbits practically fall over dead if you give them the stink eye.  I might use small game tips and just suggest you were practicing with blunts if hassled, assuming all else is legal. 

[SmallGameHunter]

The key word here is "limits". "City" implies heavy development. I am within the city limits of University place but I am surrounded by forest. I have a good size family of deer, raccoons, multiple coyotes that all live behind my house. I also happen to be directly across the street from town hall, the police and fire departments. Weird little setup, but there ya go.

Ha, I'm doing the wood framing on that new apartment building just across the street.

[Bob33]

About the time a screaming rabbit, with an arrow in it's arse, drags himself onto a local hiking trail or road, in plain view of the local people population, .... you'll probably find out if the laws lean your way or not    I'm not sure about shooting critters within city limits, good question though and I hope your research ends up saying its legal.  Good luck.   

That would be my primary concern. I live in King County and have had monster blacktails in my backyard I can legally shoot with archery gear. I've been tempted but the thought of one dying in front of the school bus has deterred me...so far.

[ljsommer]

Any reason that you wouldn't want to use an air-rifle? There are some really well made and high powered air rifles that are quiet enough to shoot without disturbing anyone. I shoot mine at targets at my house all the time, quieter than a hammer strike.

[Bob33]

Any reason that you wouldn't want to use an air-rifle? There are some really well made and high powered air rifles that are quiet enough to shoot without disturbing anyone. I shoot mine at targets at my house all the time, quieter than a hammer strike.

Tacoma explicitly bans their use.

[ljsommer]

Any reason that you wouldn't want to use an air-rifle? There are some really well made and high powered air rifles that are quiet enough to shoot without disturbing anyone. I shoot mine at targets at my house all the time, quieter than a hammer strike.

Tacoma explicitly bans their use.

I'd check for amended ordinances. UP initially didn't make an allowance for target practice with bows and air-guns, and the local PD encouraged them to reconsider how restrictive their original wording was. Here's the amended ordinance:
http://ccr.cityofup.com/Lists/Ordinances/DispForm.aspx?ID=1064

"Section 1 of this ordinance does not apply to:

(other stuff)

Any person engaged in the use of an airgun or bow and arrow while target practicing, providing that the target is stationary and is in front of a safe backstop.  The person firing the weapon must be positioned close enough to the target and backstop to be considered safe and to ensure that no projectiles miss or go beyond the backstop.   "

[huntingfool7]

Northend neighborhoods. I live in an apartment so no rabbits here. I looked through the "public safety" portion of Tacoma code. Nowhere is a bow mentioned, nor is hunting so legally I am in the clear as far as I can tell. Realistically I doubt anyone, especially the police who will inevitably come, will know that or will listen to me explain that.

Living in an apartment, I doubt that you have access to land to hunt on.  Everything around here is owned by somebody.  Just because it looks like a field or a patch of trees doesn't mean that you can hunt it.  Goes double for Municipality properties.


This is a real sign in the city of Tacoma.

[Bob33]

Any reason that you wouldn't want to use an air-rifle? There are some really well made and high powered air rifles that are quiet enough to shoot without disturbing anyone. I shoot mine at targets at my house all the time, quieter than a hammer strike.

Tacoma explicitly bans their use.

I'd check for amended ordinances. UP initially didn't make an allowance for target practice with bows and air-guns, and the local PD encouraged them to reconsider how restrictive their original wording was. Here's the amended ordinance:
http://ccr.cityofup.com/Lists/Ordinances/DispForm.aspx?ID=1064

"Section 1 of this ordinance does not apply to:

(other stuff)

Any person engaged in the use of an airgun or bow and arrow while target practicing, providing that the target is stationary and is in front of a safe backstop.  The person firing the weapon must be positioned close enough to the target and backstop to be considered safe and to ensure that no projectiles miss or go beyond the backstop.   "

[grade-creek-rd]

No hunting in Tacoma...no firearm discharging, no air guns, and no archery (archery can be done on private property with proper target & backstop...i.e. your backyard) but there is no "public" property where you can discharge any weapons. There was a guy who took his bow and target to a park, practiced until the cops showed up, and tried to say how there is no city code against archery...until the officers pointed out "reckless endangerment" which is the catch-all...if you miss the target that arrow is going somewhere, and even if you hit a rabbit that arrow is going somewhere! I know of two guys who had permission to hunt deer with their bows on a parcel of 5 acres down by the waterfront...deer crossed over to the neighbors property and they put their bows away and retrieved the deer...but then were contacted for "trespassing while hunting" as game retrieval is part of hunting...There are much better places to hunt and it really gives us all a bad name when people push the envelope like this. Please don't hunt inside Tacoma, I can guarantee nothing good will come out of it.

Grade

[SmallGameHunter]

What I have learned from speaking with a woman form the WDFW is:

Tacoma PD considers bows to be "dangerous weapons" so they may not be used anywhere in public.

The rabbit population will continue to grow, unmolested, unchallenged, unopposed until they ravish the landscape and destroy their own environment, enventually depleting their own food source and turning to domestic animals and other small rodents and birds. When that food source dries up... They'll be coming for you and I. By then, it will be too late for me to say "... I told you so."

[Bob33]

What I have learned from speaking with a woman form the WDFW is:

Tacoma PD considers bows to be "dangerous weapons" so they may not be used anywhere in public.

The rabbit population will continue to grow, unmolested, unchallenged, unopposed until they ravish the landscape and destroy their own environment, enventually depleting their own food source and turning to domestic animals and other small rodents and birds. When that food source dries up... They'll be coming for you and I. By then, it will be too late for me to say "... I told you so."

[Bofire]

I know a guy who got a ticket in Lakewood for shooting a bow at targets in his back yard, with a huge back stop. I bet many cities have banned bows, BB guns lots of things.
Carl

[Fl0und3rz]

What I have learned from speaking with a woman form the WDFW is:

Tacoma PD considers bows to be "dangerous weapons" so they may not be used anywhere in public.

The rabbit population will continue to grow, unmolested, unchallenged, unopposed until they ravish the landscape and destroy their own environment, enventually depleting their own food source and turning to domestic animals and other small rodents and birds. When that food source dries up... They'll be coming for you and I. By then, it will be too late for me to say "... I told you so."

Run away! 

[AWS]

Box traps in your yard can be very effective.  My dad had a whole string of rabbit box traps on peoples property in Milwaukee WI  when I was growing up.  Dad kept us in groceries the whole winter.

[Bullkllr]

Slightly off-topic, but ironic that my earliest hunting memories were from my dad and older brothers bird hunting in the Tacoma city limits. It was a regular deal, and we weren't the only ones doing it. Ducks on the "flats", logbooms, and ponds; pheasants around "Hy-grade" and other brushy areas; bandtails up on "Hylebos Hill". This was in the 70's and to my knowledge it was never questioned.

[WapitiTalk1]

What I have learned from speaking with a woman form the WDFW is:

Tacoma PD considers bows to be "dangerous weapons" so they may not be used anywhere in public.

The rabbit population will continue to grow, unmolested, unchallenged, unopposed until they ravish the landscape and destroy their own environment, enventually depleting their own food source and turning to domestic animals and other small rodents and birds. When that food source dries up... They'll be coming for you and I. By then, it will be too late for me to say "... I told you so."

Awesome post. All is lost