Hunting Washington Forum
Other Hunting => Waterfowl => Topic started by: White Tornado on October 28, 2011, 10:08:18 AM
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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!! :bash: 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!! :chuckle: 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!!! :)
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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BOZOS SHOULD NOT BUILD NEAR TIDAL MARSHES :bash: :bash: :bash:.
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BOZOS SHOULD NOT BUILD NEAR TIDAL MARSHES :bash: :bash: :bash:.
So, this is the landowner's fault? Were you one of the people in this boat then?
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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.
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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.
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Thank you for contributing to the loss of public hunting land for our generation and the generations yet to come.
:bash:
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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.
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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.
:yeah:
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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!! :tup:
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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.
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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. :twocents:
I know why my wife has gotten fired up about ____ Its all emotion and not mush logicla facts driving her rants. :twocents:
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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...
Ya, so if they were on the property, shooting in the other direction.... problem solved :tup:
Not that it would ever happen like that :bash:
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Ok I can see I opened a topic with a variety of responces so let me answer a few of the comments.
This is not a new house that is encroaching on someones hunting spot. There are 100 homes along here and they have been here for 60+ years.
Neither I nor the neighbors mind the noise of gunshots. Its part of the deal when you move to a location like this. My wife and I both enjoy sitting on the deck and watching the other hunters with their decoy spreads out on the flats. Its one of the reasons I wanted to live here.
Like I said in my original post, I enjoy hunting out here as well but I use common sense and stay at least a few hundred yards from the nearest home.
The ONLY issue I have is when someone sets up so close they can rain pellets on my deck or possibly worse. There are thousands of acres of huntable land out here. Its not like there is limited hunting area. To me this seems like a total common sense issue but from some of the comments I can see there are one or two who think I should just keep quite or invite these guys to come build a blind next to my grandkids tire swing!!! :bash:
One last comment, we didn't call the sheriff until the "Hunters" basically told my wife to @%#@ off because they were on public land!!
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That is about what i expected... WT... Because areas to hunt have become so concentreated i think the "Combat hunting" metality has grown... I have often set up in my ideal location early only to have some jack wagon set up in my back pocket 30min before shooting... I have also set up in a less that ideal location because i didn't want to set up too close to 2 other sets of hunters...
If i were in the boat i wouldn't have responded to your wife, escilating the confrentation... Being an A$$hole isn't illegal and i think calling the cops because one is, is a bad judgement call. That said i would bet that the reason the boat was towed off had more to do with the boaters doing something illegal like drinking or something. :twocents:
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I would reccomend going forward that you video record any incidents you or the wife encounter with guys like that.
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I did not say i condone what these hunters did, I'm also tired of loosing more hunting spots to people who want to build on every good spot to duck hunt and think they own the whole beach or its OK if they hunt their but call fish and game when some one else does.And yes i still think the home owner and the state is just as much to blame as the idiots shooting to close to this guys house .Their should be a buffer zone to how close people can build or live next to tidal zones rivers and lakes.
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Their should be a buffer zone to how close people can build or live next to tidal zones rivers and lakes.
:yeah:
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I think more leagal rules are a stupid idea... How about not be a jack wagon even if some home owner oversteps thier bounds/athority... Most of the time when you don't respond to someone they just tire themselves out and you can go about your business. :bash:
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I did not say i condone what these hunters did, I'm also tired of loosing more hunting spots to people who want to build on every good spot to duck hunt and think they own the whole beach or its OK if they hunt their but call fish and game when some one else does.And yes i still think the home owner and the state is just as much to blame as the idiots shooting to close to this guys house .Their should be a buffer zone to how close people can build or live next to tidal zones rivers and lakes.
Sorry Upwind, if someone owns land and wants to build on it, it's their land. They can do what they want with it. If you don't like that, tough. Buy the land yourself and turn it into a preserve. The only fault here lies with the hunter shooting out in front of someone's home. Considering that hunters only represent 7% of our population here in WA, I would suggest that we all need to carefully consider our hunting spots and how they affect the surrounding landowners. If we don't, we'll end up losing all of our hunting privileges when the other 93% of our population votes against us on hunting issues.
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Their should be a buffer zone to how close people can build or live next to tidal zones rivers and lakes.
:yeah:
So, what you're agreeing with is that an American citizen who buys land with his/her hard-earned money shouldn't be able to build a house on it because it takes away your hunting spot? There should be no shore front, lake front, or river front properties anywhere? Does this not sound at all idiotic to you? Sorry, but this is the land of the free, not the land of you can tell me what to do with my property. There are already enough laws protecting essential habitat and wetlands. We don't need more restrictions on our liberties, thank you very much.
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I have no problem with building a house wherever you want. Just don't expect that the public can't use public land in a safe and legal way right on your property line.
The house has been there 60 years? What would you like to bet that people have been hunting that area MUCH longer? I avoid houses as much as possible but at the rate things are going, there won't be any land left that isn't right next door to a house.
If they are shooting toward the bay from public property there should be no issue.
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I see both sides of this. I think its important to try and be as conscience of others and ethical as possible. Also willing to give and take alittle so both parties are happy. We're never going to live in a perfect world so we have to do the best we can with what we've got. :twocents:
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I have no problem with building a house wherever you want. Just don't expect that the public can't use public land in a safe and legal way right on your property line.
The house has been there 60 years? What would you like to bet that people have been hunting that area MUCH longer? I avoid houses as much as possible but at the rate things are going, there won't be any land left that isn't right next door to a house.
If they are shooting toward the bay from public property there should be no issue.
Since the gamies hauled the boat away, I'm thinking there was an issue.
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You are right it is a free Country for EVERYONE to use And its not just duck hunting spots I live on widbey island and their are allot of places you cant even walk on the beaches .Are boat broke down crabbing so was pulling it along the beach and some guy yelled out that we were trespass en and he was calling the police, told him the motor broke he didn't care.Sorry i dont feel its right for any state to sell land on are nations waterways But i guess they should of thought about that along time ago. .
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I have no problem with building a house wherever you want. Just don't expect that the public can't use public land in a safe and legal way right on your property line.
The house has been there 60 years? What would you like to bet that people have been hunting that area MUCH longer? I avoid houses as much as possible but at the rate things are going, there won't be any land left that isn't right next door to a house.
If they are shooting toward the bay from public property there should be no issue.
Since the gamies hauled the boat away, I'm thinking there was an issue.
Yeah, but it could be anything. The OP said hunting there was legal, just not respectful. There is no law about how close you can be to a building but there are defined no shooting zones.
I know some people who shoot safely and legally off their back porch. I know a guy who shot a limit from his hot tub on the back deck.
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Why call the sheriff if the law wasnt being broken, and you know it? Has to be more to the story than is being represented.
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Why call the sheriff if the law wasnt being broken, and you know it? Has to be more to the story than is being represented.
If it was your wife alone in the house while a couple morons were shooting in the direction of your house and she was scared and then they told her to F off when she confronted them, wouldnt you tell her you wife to call the cops? Were talking about possible property damage, injury, loss of life, etc... There are plenty of spots to hunt where your not endangering others and at the end of the day its friggin duck we are talking about here so its not like these guys were out just trying to make sure they had food on the table so their families didnt go hungry.
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Why call the sheriff if the law wasnt being broken, and you know it? Has to be more to the story than is being represented.
If it was your wife alone in the house while a couple morons were shooting in the direction of your house and she was scared and then they told her to F off when she confronted them, wouldnt you tell her you wife to call the cops? Were talking about possible property damage, injury, loss of life, etc... There are plenty of spots to hunt where your not endangering others and at the end of the day its friggin duck we are talking about here so its not like these guys were out just trying to make sure they had food on the table so their families didnt go hungry.
:yeah:
I would have told my wife to call the sheriff also.
They were being unsafe and that is the bottom line :bdid:
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If it was your wife alone in the house while a couple morons were shooting in the direction of your house and she was scared and then they told her to F off when she confronted them, wouldnt you tell her you wife to call the cops? Were talking about possible property damage, injury, loss of life, etc... There are plenty of spots to hunt where your not endangering others and at the end of the day its friggin duck we are talking about here so its not like these guys were out just trying to make sure they had food on the table so their families didnt go hungry.
I'm pretty sure he didn't say they we're shooting towards his house. Your stupid for just assuming all those things you said.
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I read nothing in the post that says the people hunting were being unsafe. You guys sure draw a lot of conclusions.
reminds me of Walter.
"first of all Dude, you dont have an ex. Second, this is a *censored*ing show dog with *censored*ing papers. You cant board it, it gets upset. It hair falls out. *censored*ing dog has *censored*ing papers. OVER THE LINE!"
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You are right it is a free Country for EVERYONE to use And its not just duck hunting spots I live on widbey island and their are allot of places you cant even walk on the beaches .Are boat broke down crabbing so was pulling it along the beach and some guy yelled out that we were trespass en and he was calling the police, told him the motor broke he didn't care.Sorry i don't feel its right for any state to sell land on are nations waterways But i guess they should of thought about that along time ago. .
High water mark to low is public domain from what I was taught as a kid. If someone wants to call the cops let them. I'll plead my case and if I get a ticket then I do. If you were having problems with a boat and it was my house I'd of looked into helping you.
I did not say i condone what these hunters did, I'm also tired of loosing more hunting spots to people who want to build on every good spot to duck hunt and think they own the whole beach or its OK if they hunt their but call fish and game when some one else does.And yes i still think the home owner and the state is just as much to blame as the idiots shooting to close to this guys house .Their should be a buffer zone to how close people can build or live next to tidal zones rivers and lakes.
Great Idea, but I doubt the real estate boys and girls would back something like this.
The buffer zone would be beneficial for the ecology of the water way also not to mention better for those folks trying to enjoy a water way from their water craft.
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Why call the sheriff if the law wasnt being broken, and you know it? Has to be more to the story than is being represented.
She felt her property and life was being threatened? or noise disturbance maybe?
Fools like that are the ones that give all hunters a black check. It's that 10% that will ruin it for all. Regardless if they had a legal right to be 40 yards from a housing community, they should know better and realize the conflict that would result.
It's all about common sense and respect which they lacked big time. Probably why they got their boat hauled off, drunk and major outlaws, they're out there and we as ethical hunters should help LE any way we can so they're weeded out.
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If it was your wife alone in the house while a couple morons were shooting in the direction of your house and she was scared and then they told her to F off when she confronted them, wouldnt you tell her you wife to call the cops? Were talking about possible property damage, injury, loss of life, etc... There are plenty of spots to hunt where your not endangering others and at the end of the day its friggin duck we are talking about here so its not like these guys were out just trying to make sure they had food on the table so their families didnt go hungry.
I'm pretty sure he didn't say they we're shooting towards his house. Your stupid for just assuming all those things you said.
Your a damn dummy if you think there is anything safe about shooting within 40 yards of somebodys house with a shotgun. He already said he didnt mind hunters and enjoyed watching them but these guys were just too close. Kick rocks :crap: bag
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And let me know where I said it was safe. It aint very respectful but if its public land and legal to shoot and as long as their shooting in a safe direction then there is nothing wrong with it.
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And let me know where I said it was safe. It aint very respectful but if its public land and legal to shoot and as long as their shooting in a safe direction then there is nothing wrong with it.
Its obvious your part of the percentile that just doesnt get it..
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Looks like rules for WDFW land only limit discharge of firearms within 500 feet of some designated campgrounds. With that said, what are the county rules? It's possible the county has rules in regard to distance from a residence that a person may discharge a firearm, don't know.
NEVERMIND, had in my mind it was WDFW land, not just public waterway.
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I thought there was a restriction limiting the distance to a dwelling for firing a gun without the owners' permission but I cannot seem to find it referenced anywhere.
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It is all about safe. Thats the rub. You and your buddy are in a blind, less than 2 feet apart but you feel safe. On the other hand, wife is in the kitchen and hears a gun shot. She becomes an alarmist and stares to sweat. Kids, dogs, cats and the flower garden, oh my! No idea of the sorce or direction of the shot. Better freak out and call the cops.
Just a thought.... Maybe I'm wrong? But think about it.
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Unfortunately there are many homes located in prime waterfowl areas. We keep loosing shooting locations due to new homes as well. Most are intollerant to the noise and hunters in general. I have lost many great locations due to homes or new zoning laws. Its unfortunate, but it the path of the future. Take pictures of what you have now because my grandchildren may not have the opportunity to hunt.
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Why call the sheriff if the law wasnt being broken, and you know it? Has to be more to the story than is being represented.
If it was your wife alone in the house while a couple morons were shooting in the direction of your house and she was scared and then they told her to F off when she confronted them, wouldnt you tell her you wife to call the cops? Were talking about possible property damage, injury, loss of life, etc... There are plenty of spots to hunt where your not endangering others and at the end of the day its friggin duck we are talking about here so its not like these guys were out just trying to make sure they had food on the table so their families didnt go hungry.
Gotta love it when a guy like this, who obviously doesnt read, can have such a harsh opinion :bdid: on this website bud! Also to add to the made up statment of the "morons shooting in the direction of the house" he said there are plenty of spots to hunt! :bash: Wow please tell us where my man! Obviously this guy is also one of the reasons we dont have too many places to hunt anymore. Maybe this guy lives on 10,000 acres and is a lawyer who buys other peoples property so him and his rich buddys can shoot their limits everyday.
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~ ~One of my favorite clothing patterns is camouflage. Because when you're in the woods it makes you blend in. But when you're not it does just the opposite. It's like "hey, there's an *censored*."”
Be come one with Nature......... Then Marinade it.
One moment you're flying south for the winter, then - BANG - gravy.
DIRTY24D-
Hey guys this is Dirty24d comments on the bottom of each post. Looks like hes a smart guy. So hes saying he thinks people who wear camo when they arent hunting are *censored*s? Probably loves Mr. Pres. too
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Can I ask just one question ? Where are you lot boundaries ? I wouldn't like it either ,yet in Renton for example the gun range is less than 100 yards from lot of regular residences ,that is place where people fire rifles ,not shot guns every day of the year .In my opinion you had do act because someone told your wife to *&()@__ (&( - I can see your point ,but you knew that can happen one day when you bought that house .I think the OP could have more manners ,however since there is no distance law -you have to bite the bullet and hope this will not happen more often,sorry ....there are some people that don't care about you or what you think is right .I see them more than often .
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"One last comment, we didn't call the sheriff until the "Hunters" basically told my wife to @%#@ off because they were on public land!!" White Tornado
I think you guys keep forgetting what WT said. His wife was upset because they were upset how close they were. His wife yelled at the hunters and the hunter told her to @%#@. Being an @sshole isn't against the law, so i would be really curious why thier boat got towed home.... My guess is that they were prevented from driving it back because they were intoxicated/incapacitated in some way. :twocents:
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Just because it is legal... Doesn't always make it right. This type of crap is what is getting places shut down.
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I'm also tired of loosing more hunting spots to people who want to build on every good spot to duck hunt and think they own the whole beach or its OK if they hunt their but call fish and game when some one else does.And yes i still think the home owner and the state is just as much to blame as the idiots shooting to close to this guys house .Their should be a buffer zone to how close people can build or live next to tidal zones rivers and lakes.
Did you not read the part where he said the house has been there for 60 years? This isn't someone who just built on the edge of your personal hunting area. Why do you keep going there? We're supposed to be trying to work with private landowners to give us more opportunities, not compete with or antagonize them. Your attitude is one that will not long support hunting with landowners and non-hunters.
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Perhaps I'm the minority, but I don't think people should be restricted from hunting on public property. This situation is only slightly different from the recent attempts to outlaw hunting on the saltwater down here in Thurston County. The efforts are entirely driven by landowners who don't want hunters around. Naturally they declare hunting unsafe (after moving to hunting areas and building homes), but there is not a single incident of someone or someone's property being damaged (as verified by the county sheriff's records).
These particular individuals were definitely a-holes. I personally wouldn't hunt where it sounds like they did, but I don't think they should be restricted from doing so either.
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I agree with you and think that how we hunters conduct ourselves and deal with the landowners will dictate the level of their support when it comes time to vote on these issues. How these hunters acted is not in the best interest of our sport's future.
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~ ~One of my favorite clothing patterns is camouflage. Because when you're in the woods it makes you blend in. But when you're not it does just the opposite. It's like "hey, there's an *censored*."”
Be come one with Nature......... Then Marinade it.
One moment you're flying south for the winter, then - BANG - gravy.
DIRTY24D-
Hey guys this is Dirty24d comments on the bottom of each post. Looks like hes a smart guy. So hes saying he thinks people who wear camo when they arent hunting are *censored*s? Probably loves Mr. Pres. too
You sir are pretty ignorant if thats how you translate that quote.. :hello: