Legal Light, Anyone? - Page 2

slough shark · #31 10-04-2010, 11:03 PM

yeah this is one of those things where there is a several minute grey zone as the sunrise sunset chart shows various towns not exactly where you are and is only every 5 days. Even online shows you a town which can often be an hours drive away which can affect the time by several minutes. Now what you are describing is for sure sounding a little excessive and I wish I could nab people for various infractions, this one is one that I personally may view as a little more minor as more than likely safety isn't as much an issue. I would rather have people arrested for pointing loaded guns at me when they use their scopes as binos or shooting from vehicles quickly without taking a ton of time to properly identify the animal, or trespassing on private land where they have no business being and so on but I digress. Yes this is sounding like it is wrong but I would rather trouble the co's for something a little more safety/hunter image related.

xring_assassin · #32 10-05-2010, 10:43 AM

I suffer from optic nerve trauma caused by MS - I can hardly see much past sunset/before sunrise - but my kids can spot stuff and identify like nobody's business in that light still. For me - if I can't see it I can't shoot it. Time charts are there, I have GPS with sunset/sunrise, half hour before and half hour after I can't see SH*T personally, but that's me :P Too dark to your eyes might be very sufficient light for someone with better eyes.

Still - legal is legal. If a CO was sitting there behind the hunters he'd FOR SURE know what time is legal and I'm pretty sure he'd inform them.

Pikebreath · #33 10-05-2010, 11:46 AM

I can't believe some of the posts here. You guys are cherry pickin' the laws you consider important and disregrading the ones you think are not that important. The law as stated earlier is clear, no hunting 1/2 hour before sunrise and 1/2 hour after sunset. It's there for number of reasons,,,, safety,,,,, correct species identification,,,,, retrievel of downed game,,,, I don't care what anyone thinks, if you are shooting after legal light retrieval of game is definately an issue particularily if you are shooting ducks / geese in wetland environments. Leaving game behind becuz you haven't got enough light or time to properly look for it is "poaching" as much as jacklighting, or hunting out of season.

It's also damn poor optics when it comes to hunter / non hunter relations as well.

Accubond · #34 10-05-2010, 12:55 PM

I have met COs hunting that lake. I came up to the truck and they were waiting there at sunset. It was 10 min before the end of legal light and he waited for a few minutes after legal shooting closed and started keeping track of guys still booming away. Saw a group get busted when they came in (maybe 30 min past legal), but I think the open beer cans in the dingy got more attention than the time of night.

sjemac · #35 10-05-2010, 02:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pikebreath

I can't believe some of the posts here. You guys are cherry pickin' the laws you consider important and disregrading the ones you think are not that important. The law as stated earlier is clear, no hunting 1/2 hour before sunrise and 1/2 hour after sunset. It's there for number of reasons,,,, safety,,,,, correct species identification,,,,, retrievel of downed game,,,, I don't care what anyone thinks, if you are shooting after legal light retrieval of game is definately an issue particularily if you are shooting ducks / geese in wetland environments. Leaving game behind becuz you haven't got enough light or time to properly look for it is "poaching" as much as jacklighting, or hunting out of season.

It's also damn poor optics when it comes to hunter / non hunter relations as well.

The police and game wardens cherry pick all the time. How many people do you see getting hauled over for doing 120 on the QE2?

When was the last time you saw a kid under 18 get the Federal $100 ticket for smoking?

Or a game warden enforce the gun registry by demanding proof of registration?

All of the above may happen but extremely rarely as the LEO's pick and choose what is worth their effort.

ishootbambi · #36 10-06-2010, 12:44 AM

the timetables are a guideline. if you really want to know, a gps is the only sure way to tell the exact time for sunrise/sunset at the exact location you are at.

Pikebreath · #37 10-06-2010, 09:34 AM

So all you "whats the big deal about shooting past legal light" guys, can you tell me that you are certain you will be able retrieve what you shoot when the light is fading fast. Ducks in tall marsh grass don't leave much of a blood trail and I doubt Rover will be able to "mark" the fallen birds any better than you can in the dark!

Legality aside, is it ethical to continue shooting when retreival is iffy at best?

sjemac · #38 10-06-2010, 11:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pikebreath

So all you "whats the big deal about shooting past legal light" guys, can you tell me that you are certain you will be able retrieve what you shoot when the light is fading fast. Ducks in tall marsh grass don't leave much of a blood trail and I doubt Rover will be able to "mark" the fallen birds any better than you can in the dark!

Legality aside, is it ethical to continue shooting when retreival is iffy at best?

Absolutely not. Whether that be at 12 noon or 7:36 pm. But there are many times where I have stopped shooting at legal and sat and watched birds for another 10-15 minutes all of which were easily identified and would have been easily retrieved if they'd been shot. Personally, I hate picking up dekes and loading the truck in the dark so I usually quit well before legal light is up.

Just saying that a guy shooting for 5 minutes after legal at birds he can see and retrieve is not the most egregious game violation in the world and I personally wouldn't be on the phone to CO's about it. Now if the fella is shooting birds and not retrieving them or making the attempt to do so, I will call since I see the waste issue as a serious breach.

whitetail Junkie · #39 10-06-2010, 11:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sjemac

Absolutely not. Whether that be at 12 noon or 7:36 pm. But there are many times where I have stopped shooting at legal and sat and watched birds for another 10-15 minutes all of which were easily identified and would have been easily retrieved if they'd been shot. Personally, I hate picking up dekes and loading the truck in the dark so I usually quit well before legal light is up.

Just saying that a guy shooting for 5 minutes after legal at birds he can see and retrieve is not the most egregious game violation in the world and I personally wouldn't be on the phone to CO's about it. Now if the fella is shooting birds and not retrieving them or making the attempt to do so, I will call since I see the waste issue as a serious breach.

x2 I always pack up the decoys an hour before dark,plus almost all the ducks always fly during the last minuits of legal light,so they decoys are'nt needed at that time.

bruceba · #40 10-06-2010, 01:04 PM

Oh legal light is determined by sunrise/ sunset and to think I thought it was 1,000,000 candle power.

DairyMan7 · #41 10-10-2010, 01:53 PM

Forgot I posted something on this one.

As I stated before, the law is not what those sunrise/sunset tables.

Second like that other fella said, a clear night blah blah blah and you can shoot past those tables, but again I've been duck hunting and i knew what those tables said and called it 10 minutes after sunset because it was so dark.

Now here is the best thing to do in my legal opinion, if it is bothering you so much, get their licence plates and call it in, tell the CO the licence plate and he can do his investigation.

Now what I said before about the poaching thing, they aren't poaching!!!! if it is after dark yes it is illegal. But sixteen minutes afterwards on a nice clear day. I wouldn't say its illegal. I enforce these laws too.

Hey if you can PM me their licence plate, i'll call them myself