Shining can also lead to blindness if you point the light in the wrong direction, but that doesn't make it illegal. There's going to be idiots who poach, it sucks for us legal hunters but that's life.
Lights are legal for coon hunters... what if you happen to see a deer while doing something legal? Now if you are coon hunting with a 30.06... that would be some serious overkill. Of course I hear coons get as big as Pit-bulls in Texas.
I'm not a landowner, but if I was I would be pissed if someone was shinning my land. Go harass deer somewhere else.
Shinning is illegal here, yet it's still the number one method of poaching. And most still get by with it due to law enforcement being spread way to thin. When you get right down to it, I say it's the guns fault, not the spotlights. J/k, lol
I really have not dog in this fight. Shinning is illegal here, if its legal where your at...shin on. When I see a few people condemn millions of good law abiding people due to a few bad apples...well...it makes me think Obama has started posting on here.
Well using that "logic" then a gun is a tool that can lead to poaching and trespassing. Your vehicle is a tool that can lead to poaching and trespassing. Inanimate objects don't lead people to anything, a persons greed and disregard for the law might though Should probably ban trail cams with a flash in all states where shining is illegal because technically it's casting a light, wait IR lights are lights too aren't they? Better ban those too. Great scouing tool.
Then why make waterfowlers put a plug in their shotgun.? We should be able to just trust that everyone would only put 3 shells in their gun based on your logic. Or, they should be able to go ahead and put in 5 shells because we can trust them to only take 3 shots at a time. Why is it illegal to own lock picks? Shouldn't we be able to trust that people would only use them on their own locks? Why are brass knuckles illegal? What if I only want to use them to crack my eggs in the morning? Maybe its because these things simply make it far too easy to commit a crime.
This conversation is exactly what the gun control argument is, with the exception of changing a few words. People that are gonna do something are gonna do it regardless if its legal or not, there's states that allow you to ride around in vehicles with loaded guns, so does that mean everyone that does that is a poacher because its easier to be able to do it. We have people drive around here all day amd night during the fall looking for deer, so should I report everybody I see that I don't know.
Has no one here ever heard of night vision goggles? If I REALLY wanted to do some poaching, I can think of better ways than spotlighting. Not that I would actually try this. I'm in California, the LAST thing you want to do is go running around in the dark this close to the border. If you're lucky, Border Patrol catches you. If you're UNlucky, the coyotes do... Sent from my HTCEVOV4G using Tapatalk 2
The point is not that spotlights make everyone poachers. Its the fact that it makes law enforcement very difficult for a technique of poaching that is extremely effective and extremely common. It basically ties the hands of law enforcement because they cant waste time chasing down every jacklighter.
Something funny to add though that fits right in here. We just did a job for a guy that wanted more privacy from the road because people kept driving by and spooking deer. The field is right off a gravel road and is nothing more than a food plot basically. So we went in with track hoe, dozer, and scraper and peeled off enough dirt in field to make a 10-15 foot tall burm along the road.
Making it illegal isn't gonna change how spread out law enforcement is. And if your area is anything like around here most of the time people just shine headlights in fields or are cruising around on 4 wheelers. So what do ya do, make it illegal to drive around at night on back roads or where deer population is heavy. Poaching is a never ending battle that unless they do a huge push and hire a lot more officers they'll never stop completly. Changing laws aren't gonna stop people, otherwise we wouldn't be having this conversation.
The average poacher in the midwest is usually 5 beers into a spur of the moment dumb decision. Dropping big coin on nightvision which probably costs more then his truck isn't happening. Shining is illegal in Cal. not that it matters as most of the poaching is either Bear gall bladders, abalone,lobster or big mulies in Yosemite none of which is spotlite friendly.
That's what's kinda funny though, this guy didn't do anything really to be able to plant bushes or even mow it. Seriouly all he wanted was dirt pushed up in a pile, not smoothed or shaped up nice just a pile. Eventually it may settle and break up to be able to do that but you would think if he was gonna spend the money to have it done he'd want it to look decent.
Shining with headlites is very difficult. Buffalo county had the forethought and stones to ban it 20 years ago overriding state law.. They are the #1 book county on the planet and second place isn't close. Sweep a torch across a field where it's banned and the pucker factor is huge.
Just curious what You guys charged per foot for the berm. I priced it out for another 3/4 mile stretch and it was a choker.
I shine a lot on private land adjacent to the public and private land I hunt. This helps me pinpoint where certain bucks are bedding during certain times of the year. I do it legally with no weapons in the car. Shining can also be a good way to get kids interested in deer and hunting. I am really surprised to see many of you gun-nuts giving the excuse that shining leads to poaching. Sounds similar to the arguments made by your gun rights opposition.
I actually had no idea it was illegal here. We never did it back in TN and MS when I was growing up, just because we never really scouted or anything. I couldn't even tell you if it's legal or not there. On a related note, your knowledge of game laws and poaching in so many areas is pretty friggin impressive, and I don't mean that in a sarcastic way. Sent from my HTCEVOV4G using Tapatalk 2
