Shooting during deer season.

I doubt you would have had a problem.

People shoot at gravel pits all the time, common, especially before or during hunting season while sighting in a firearm.

I hunt near a gravel pit that the local parks department decided should have a "discovery walking trail" running behind it. Since they had to wade through a pile of empty shotgun shells and steel empties to hang the small sign near the entrance of the gravel pit that said..."please be cautious, hikers nearby"...I have to assume they knew what the gravel pits most frequent use was.

I guess better safe than sorry.

Click to expand...

Was your concern over the noise or safety?

There should never be a safety issue as long as you are shooting into an acceptable backstop, and I'm not certain that deer leave the county just because they hear a few gunshots.

Hunters should thank you for acclimating deer to the repeated sound of firearms in their area. It makes them less jumpy.

Deer won't be bothered at all. I have to stop shooting all the time so deer and turkey will get off the firing line at the range I use.

I have heard of folks having a hard time of things when found in the woods with a rifle during deer season without a permit in hand. Conventional wisdom has always been to check local seasons and game regs before shooting in places not clearly designated as a public/private shooting range.

Rifle season is only two weeks here in PA. All public ranges are closed. They are on state game lands. And most private ranges close as well to allow members to hunt the property. If the season was longer I can see things being different.

But as said above. Getting stopped in the woods w/ a firearm and no hunting license could be a problem. Personally I wouldn't risk it.


Brought to you by TapaTalk.

In California, if you are on land that can be hunted for deer, you must have a hunting license and deer tag if you are in possession of a rifle capable of (and legal for) the taking of deer.

Dan

I have several ranges close to me but what really scares me is going this time of year. We have just a few weeks until rifle season and right now the ranges are flooded with once a year shooters that have no clue about range safety. I try to stay away from the ranges this time of year.

My neighbor asked me if I wouldn't mind not shooting late in the evening around dusk because it was frightening away the deer on his property. I obliged.

[QUOTE/]In California, if you are on land that can be hunted for deer, you must have a hunting license and deer tag if you are in possession of a rifle capable of (and legal for) the taking of deer.

Dan[/QUOTE]
I was unaware of this. I guess I should be careful. The only medium/big game I have hunted in years has been 4x8 pieces of plywood with a cannon.

jmr40 said:

Deer won't be bothered at all. I have to stop shooting all the time so deer and turkey will get off the firing line at the range I use.

Click to expand...

Right on. We see deer on the rifle range all of the time. Drove up several times to see deer at the 100 yard berm while the shotgunners blast clay bird 100 yards away.

I do understand that some states close the public gun ranges (often on State or Federal lands) or the permission to shoot on public lands during hunting season. I suspect it is both a safety concern as well as law enforcement issue during that time. Essentially it eliminates some of the "noise" for fish & game people. If you are out shooting, then you should be hunting.... no license, fine.

bergmen said:

In California, if you are on land that can be hunted for deer, you must have a hunting license and deer tag if you are in possession of a rifle capable of (and legal for) the taking of deer.

Click to expand...

I was unaware of this as well. Oh well. I wasn't planning on going to the range for a few more weeks anyway .

ETA: This would not apply to .22 lr (as in Ruger 10/22 or Marlin 60) ?

OP - you are in Montana - there is plenty of open BLM land to go shooting on, plus NF land- what's the issue?

talldragon said:

I was unaware of this as well. Oh well. I wasn't planning on going to the range for a few more weeks anyway .

ETA: This would not apply to .22 lr (as in Ruger 10/22 or Marlin 60) ?

Click to expand...

The intent here is when your are afield with a rifle, during hunting season, you are in fact "hunting". You need to have a license and tags or you could be snagged for hunting without a license (in California).

Back when I was in high school a buddy of mine came across a bear while deer hunting. Nabbed it and went to town to get a bear tag to make it legit. That is what the game warden wants to prevent.

Same thing as "fishing" without a fishing license, if you are along a stream or river with gear, you must have a valid fishing license in full view (pinned on the front of your vest or shirt).

Dan

Same thing as "fishing" without a fishing license, if you are along a stream or river with gear, you must have a valid fishing license in full view (pinned on the front of your vest or shirt).

Click to expand...

The pinned part is only true in a couple states now. It is kind of a stupid rule.

Check the hunting regs in the state (Montana?) you plan on hunting in. If you have any doubts, call fish& game and ask. Like most things, it is often a situational call by fish& game folks in terms of enforcement. You certainly wouldn't be fined for shooting in your back yard or in the area of your house during hunting season, but you could be hunting all the same. We used to start small game (rabbit) hunting from out back yard and go from there.

I am not a hunter, though that doesn't excuse my ignorance .
I shoot regularly at public ranges on land managed by DFG.
Never had any trouble.
I'll check their website before I go back out.

In California, if you are on land that can be hunted for deer, you must have a hunting license and deer tag if you are in possession of a rifle capable of (and legal for) the taking of deer.

Click to expand...

Essentially the same here in Utah, unless you have a concealed carry permit.

Call the DNR, and tell them your interested in shooting in the pits during hunting season for target practice only. They will get your name, car tag number, and maybe your DL# and you should be set for blasting.

Well,

Out at one of the gravel pits here, a shooter was nearly fined for reckless behavior for shooting at a gravel pit on opening day....so I guess your thoughts aren't without merit.

Bergmen twice referred to this problem:

In California, if you are on land that can be hunted for deer, you must have a hunting license and deer tag if you are in possession of a rifle capable of (and legal for) the taking of deer.

Dan

Click to expand...

Here in Colorado I got tagged for hunting without a license quite a number of years ago for just that, but the alleged game was prairie dogs. No, I wasn't hunting, just out stand-up plinking at cow pies with my .22 rifle, and none in my possession or lying around dead. I did not have my small-game license with me.

But there were prairie dogs about, which I won't even "try for" with a .22, and I thought you had to be in possession or there be evidence of a kill.

Wrong.

So that was the allegation. I was "engaged in the act of hunting" by just wandering around with a .22.

Prairie dog "season" at the time was 01 Jan to 31 Dec.

Lesson learned at the cost of a fine and 4 points for that year.

Terry, 230RN