need your point of view

So to start off i am not anti gun at all. Do i have them no. Do i want some yes. Is money tight and not really wanting to go down the rabbit hole of gun ownership with buying a safe and "doing it right." not yet in life. Now that this is over and hopefully you all know that i support your gun ownership i now want to pose my questions.

Last Friday afternoon i took my boys and dogs out in the woods to play like we always do in a place we go a lot. Normal time like always but this time my little boy asked to drive up the forest service road a bit farther to explore. Of course it was a yes and we started up. After the first switch back i heard gun shots. now once again i am not anti gun but since i was not used to gunfire in this location, not sure what they were shooting at, knowing i was above them i got worried and honked my horn a few times to let the person know i was there. To many news stories and random shit happens now a days that you never know if it a responsible gun owner or some idiot. So whats your thoughts on honking my horn? I also felt bad because when i drove back down he had a perfect back drop and it was all good but i probably made him have a bad time also. Now that i have two little boys with me in the truck i am a lot more nervous in the woods for the irresponsible gun owners and not knowing what they shoot at. I live in a populated area in the Colorado Rockies with lots of forest services roads and trails that intertwine that you never know what is on the other side of the ridge or what not. What do i do in this situation? I want to support and respect the gun owners with out feeling like they cant do what they want where and how they want, but also need to feel safe with my boys and wife. I don't know who is shooting. Everybody i know that has guns i fully trust but i don't know who is out there shooting.

Now i am not going to really responds to this. not trying to rile anybody up. I just honestly want to know what another point of view is that is not my own. It was a horrible week at work. with a horrible Friday and my little trip out with the dogs and boys to relax was not relax full at all and honestly the first time gun fire really got to me the way that it did. we bombed down the dirt road so fast and just went home and my night out was effected negatively but not on purpose.

 

Always proceed cautiously when hearing gun shots.

 

If they are making noise with gun shots then you are justified making noise with your horn to let them know people are in the vicinity. Is shooting allowed in that area? Probably not in a national forest but allowed on some BLM land. If not I would notify the authorities. There might be a dedicated shooting range up there. If so that typically means they have a berm they are shooting into and I would deem it as safe while on a trail or road.

 

I would find out if hunting/shooting is allowed in that area. Any time you hear gun shots(especially if you cant see the origin of said shot)proceed cautiously like the above said. Now, even if hunting is legal there, IMO youre fine to honk your horn to let them know there are people nearby, because if they didn't drop their target in the first shot, they have no chance for another anyways.
I am 100% PRO 2A. I respect your question and your wanting to respect gun owners rights. Especially with guns, the more questions, the better. I am also pro safety and they go hand in hand.

 

Dunno about Colorado.

Here in PA, it's perfectly legal for people to target shoot on state forest land.
Or if it isn't explicitly allowed, lots of people do it.
Including me, from time to time until I joined a gun club.
Nobody thinks anything of it.
But most of PA is rural, with a long tradition of hunting and gun ownership.

I get the impression you didn't grow up in such a tradition.
Being in a city of any size makes me more uptight, definitely.

 

Feel bad that he heard your horn or feel bad you didnt honk and you lost one of your boys

 

Better to be cautious and let them know you are there. I don't see how you did anything wrong. I would want to know you were there if I was the them.

 

I highly doubt it "is perfectly legal" to target shoot on state forest land in Pa. or any other state.....Doesn't mean it doesn't happen, but doubt it is legal. No approved backstop. Pa. Game Commission has very highly regulated shooting ranges - maximum of 3 rounds in a gun when shooting, safe back stops, hours of use, etc.

State forests are open to the public - year round - and you never know who might be in your line of fire unexpectedly.

 

Quick response to everybody. it was national forest so legal to shoot. I grew up in AZ and in scouts. I have shot lots of guns and been around them without worry and that is what triggered me to post this. i never used to worry but something inside me was different last Friday.

 

Always go with your gut feeling.

 

Just to add:

It's most definitely illegal here to shoot across a public roadway.
And that's almost certainly true throughout the country.
So, yeah, so-called "slob hunters" exist, also poachers.
Pretty small minority, in my experience.

I served on the Board of Directors of my club (Waynesboro Fish & Game Protective Association) for 12 years.
I got to know all the Game Commission and PA Department of Environmental Protection guys.
They'd come to monthly meetings to discuss matters of interest to hunters.
And in the audience were a few likely poachers (we knew who they were).

As to your experience, I dunno. I wasn't there.
I wasn't there to judge where the gunfire was coming from or its direction.
It can be deceptive, especially at a distance.

Personally, it wouldn't bother me, though I would pay attention.

 

I dont know the numbers but great majority are going to be safe, sure there are afew idiots that make the rest of us look bad. Theres really not a good answer to say what is safe other than if its that much of a concern dont go to those parts. If its legal and they arent doing anything wrong, not much you can do. If its hunting season and and its legal area and someone shoots at a game animal and you honk the horn, you might get into issues, i understand what you are saying about safety. If its off limits to shooting call the cops.

 

thanks for all the response. not gonna rat anybody out. as like i stated before never used to bug me and might not again but not a good gut feeling on Friday

 

Ive had those moments and im pro gun...i heard a guy screaming out in the woods. At first i thought he was in trouble or hurt. But he wasnt screaming help. Just sounded crazy. So i got on my atv and left quickly!

 

Doubt all you want.
Or look up the PA Game and Wildlife Code.


PA state forests are open to hunting year round.
That's year-round.
Some animals are open season with no limits at all. Coyotes and groundhogs come to mind.
Crows are limited only by federal migratory bird regulations. Which is mildly ridiculous.

How does one distinguish a few shots of someone target shooting or sighting in his rifle from legal hunting?

I looked it up and target shooting IS explicitly allowed on state forest land.
In authorized areas.

https://www.dcnr.pa.gov/StateForests/RulesAndRegulations/Pages/default.aspx

But the rangers don't bother policing "unauthorized" areas.
They have better things to do.

In all my years at my club, I never once heard a DCNR ranger or Game Commission officer warn people against target shooting in unauthorized areas.
Not once.
And they came to our club monthly.

 

If I was out shooting, I would appreciate being alerted that you were in the area. That being said, the world is full of dumbasses and shitheads who might read into your actions another way.

 

Not going to argue with you Gritto. Your quote: Target shooting is permitted in "authorized areas", not necessarily throughout the forest. Whomever is shooting knows whether they are truly hunting or not......others may not. Just because people do it doesn't make it legal, right??

 

I grew up in Colorado; now in Arizona. Target shooting is legal in national forests except in some places specifically posted, usually due to crowded camping or picnicking. Legal hunting is less restricted.

I think you did the right thing with the horn. You had no idea whether the shooter was safe.

I would suggest you take your kids into a hunter safety program. All of you would certainly learn a few things and possibly enjoy the shooting sports.

 

great idea. i have my hunter safety already and they will when they get bigger currently 3 and 5. i even might get a cc soon but all this does not help as i am worried about the other person and what they are doing. If it was my friends or family and i knew who was shooting then i would never think twice as i trust them. it is the random idiots im worried about

 

I find this ironic and funny AF!.... that you come on here and ask random idiots