How Close is to close?

[White Tornado]

So here is a question for all you waterfowl hunters. When your out hunting public land, how much distance do you maintain to nearby residences? My wife and I live on the edge of a tidal marsh near the Stilly. There are a lot of homes along the beach and tide marsh starts right off of our beach. Though I love waterfowl hunting I never hunt closer than several hundred yards to someones house both for safety reasons and respect for the home owners. This morning my wife was jolted by the sound of shotgun fire right outside. When she looked out there was a duck boat with a couple of "Hunters" shooting and ducks and geese right in front of our place maybe 40 yards of the beach!!!!  Total distance to our house and all the neighbors was maybe 80 yards. My grandkids play on that beach. The neighbors take walks down that beach. There are homes all up and down that area!! When she yelled at them about being stupid and what in the hell are they thinking they yelled back that it is public land!!  So just wondering what everyones opinion is on this. I have not been able to find a regulation that defines a safe distance.
    The end of this story goes like this. When my wife called me and told me what was happening I told her to call the sheriff. Within 20 minutes a couple of game wardens in a boat showed up and pulled up to our beach. After getting a statement from her they proceeded to go find these bozos. A little bit later the wardens were motoring away towing the duck boat behind them!!   If the "hunters" in question are members on this site then I have a message for you!! Its hunters like you that give the rest of us a bad name!!! I hope they pull your license!!! 

[Odell]

I try to avoid houses if I can, but it is tough when people keep building houses right next to hunting areas. I'd be willing to bet your house is built on what used to be someone's favorite duck spot.

While I can understand the emotion behind "my grandkids play on that beach" if they aren't playing on the beach while the hunting is happening that isn't really a fair point. Lots of peoples kids play in the summer where I hunt in the winter.

If they are on public land and shooting in a safe direction I have no problem with it and would suggest that any hunter should be willing to tolerate the noise as long as it is safe.

Regardless, noise is not considered a legal issue regarding hunting. You cannot stop hunting because you don't like the early wakeup call by the firearms.

If the warden did ticket them, then likely that has already been defined as a no shooting zone and while public, it is not legal to hunt there. However, before you celebrate your 'victory' you should know that people just like you are in the process of shutting down almost all hunting from shore in ALL of Thurston county using your exact reasoning.  We are losing the right to hunt because people like you are moving into hunting areas and demanding we don't hunt there anymore.

[pianoman9701]

The regs don't address this, but the section on page 42 from the WA Waterfowl Association addresses how close you should be to other groups/people as being no less than 200 yards. I would think this would apply to houses, as well. In addition, because we should be focused on ethics and our actions in the public eye, shooting right outside someone home would be foolish if the land owner weren't notified by the hunter beforehand.

[NWWABOWHNTR]

SO what is the "law" regarding a distance from houses?  Common sense?  There is a place up here on Whidbey that is a great waterfowl spot, at least 300 yards from houses, yet the people that live there call the police everytime someone is huntinng there.  I don't hunt there anymore as it just got to be a big hassle, tired of explaining to the sheriff that it was a legal hunting spot, tired of walking back to my truck and finding nasty notes on the windshield etc.  We are losing hunting because of encroachment on our hunting areas, but common sense has to come into play also... 80 yards is just way too close IMO.  Not all "hunters" can see that you have to use common sense also.

[D-Rock425]

I guess it would be a respect thing for me I wouldn't like it if it happened that close to my house so I wouldn't do it that close to others.  Unless I had permission of some sort.

[upwind]

BOZOS SHOULD NOT BUILD NEAR TIDAL MARSHES  .

[pianoman9701]

BOZOS SHOULD NOT BUILD NEAR TIDAL MARSHES  .

So, this is the landowner's fault? Were you one of the people in this boat then?

[pianoman9701]

At Shillapoo in Vancouver, the sign is 10 yards from the road and people often line up at the fence to pass-shoot geese within 20 yards of that.

[upwind]

PARTLY and the states fault to let him build there and NO i was NOT in the boat.I Would not shoot around peoples homes .It must have been you in the boat. 

[BurleyDog]

Thank you for contributing to the loss of public hunting land for our generation and the generations yet to come.

 

[pianoman9701]

PARTLY and the states fault to let him build there and NO i was NOT in the boat.I Would not shoot around peoples homes .It must have been you in the boat.

When a hunter chooses to shoot outside someones home and you blame it on the homeowner or the state, you've got some serious ethics issues. Not only does this reflect badly on our sport, but on all of us who would never consider this poor choice of a hunting spot. These hunters were dead wrong.

[Whitenuckles]

The regs don't address this, but the section on page 42 from the WA Waterfowl Association addresses how close you should be to other groups/people as being no less than 200 yards. I would think this would apply to houses, as well. In addition, because we should be focused on ethics and our actions in the public eye, shooting right outside someone home would be foolish if the land owner weren't notified by the hunter beforehand.

[Whitenuckles]

 Sorry to hear those idiots scared your wife. Next time she should shoot a few holes in the lower part of thier boat. That would give them something to think about when there swimming to shore!!

[Mr56Jeep]

If safety was truly the issue, you shoud have invited them to set up on your property and allow them to shoot in the other direction.

I don't know if there was a safety issue or not but.... I would be willing to guess the issue was more of a "Not in my back yard" feeling and the easy defence is to gravitate to the "Safety".

People buy water front property because it is soothing and they are typicaly wealthy.  Over time, they feel like they own the entire body water.  They often have the political pull to make it so.

It is a sad situation... and it is happening more and more.

[Special T]

I know a little old lady that has BB holes in her window because a "Hunter" peepered her house..  I mainly think it was becasue they chose a poor way to set up their boat... I think Upwind did a piss poor job of explaining himself, so i will tell you what i think, and mabe what he was trying to say.... People build nice houses near gunclubs, airports, and hunting areas without thinking or realizing  what they are doing... I would not set up that close to a house, however If they were shooting in a safe direction (twards the bay) I might be a little surprised and miffed but would not call the cops... If however they were shooting at ducks between the boat at 80 yrds and the house then that is something completely different.  If i was in a boat that was being harrassed i would not engage the person, especially if it was a woman yelling at me. I think there is some yardage statement in the regs, however i doubt they aply if you are shooting away from the houses, unless its some Sno-Ho law. 

I know why my wife has gotten fired up about ____ Its all emotion and not mush logicla facts driving her rants.