AR State Police encounter - scared an anti..

[lwsimon]

I was out shooting on a friend's land this morning, and I think I scared an anti. My new range is out in a field of oats, with a nice tall berm on one side to hold back to creek if it floods. I was using it as my backstop, having a great time with a little .22 lever and my CZ-52, when I noticed a black SUV pulling down the driveway 600-700 yards behind me. I notice they are there, and am extra careful not to point a muzzle in their direction. Anyhow, they got out of their car to open a gate, and I was shooting at pop cans while moving, just playing really, when I hear their car door slam. I look back and they raced up their driveway backwards, leaving a nice long black mark. I didn't think too much of that, thought I either scared them, or maybe they forgot something important.

About 10 minutes later, a patrol car comes easing down the county road, so I put down my rifle on my truck's bed cover and waved. He parked and walked out into the field where I was parked and asked if I had permission, etc. Everything was cool, and he ended up shooting my CZ52 some before heading up to the neighbor's house to calm them down.

Just thought I'd share my little experience today, I was slightly amused by it, but also a bit scared. I was on private property, safely plinking, and was met by the police. My encounter turned out fine, and I made a new friend in the state police, but it might not have been that way. I mean, who calls the cops because someone is shooting responsibly?

 

[UberPhLuBB]

I mean, who calls the cops because someone is shooting responsibly?

SUV? On a paved road? Full throttle in reverse? Do you have to ask?

 

[RevDisk]

I recommend doing continuing shooting there on a routine basis. Eventually they might notice that nothing bad is happening. I doubt the cops will respond to the same folks again as quickly for crying wolf.

 

[musher]

Had a similar experience at my place years ago. Apparently a neighbor (new renter from outside) called 911 and said they heard 'gunshots!' The trooper who came to visit looked at my berm, admired my pistol, and stayed to chat about guns for almost an hour.

As he was leaving, he said he'd have a note put into the system so that if folks called again, they'd know not to worry about it. Never did find out who called, but I haven't had another visit from the troopers since.

I expect you'll not see your local law enforcement again either--unless they get wind that you might have a new fun toy that just HAS to be inspected

Also, I've had pretty good luck soothing neighbors who actually have the guts to come over and ask what's going on. I give them a little tour of where I shoot, show them the backstop, explain my safety procedures, and so on. So far, everyone I've talked to has left feeling ok about my occasional plinking. I've also done the same thing in reverse. If I hear a new neighbor shooting, I'll wander over and make sure they're being safe. Doesn't hurt and who knows, you might make a new friend.

I'd suggest heading over to the SUV owner's house sometime and just talk with them about it. Say you noticed they seemed worried about the shooting (e.g. they called the police), and explain how you handle the safety issues. Lots of times (especially with folks from non-gun localities) folks are just nervous because they've never been exposed to firearms. Letting them know you're not some wild-eyed freak who might shoot up the neighborhood might be enough to make them happy... Of course, I am assuming that you aren't a wild-eyed freak. If you are, it's probably best not to socialize with them

 

[only1asterisk]

It could just be a concerned neighbor that drove by and saw an unfamiliar truck and a guy with a gun that he didn't know.

David

 

[pete f]

we have land in northern Minnesota that we have hunted on for a couple of generations, a few years ago the farm to the south of us was bought by people from the cities who were going to use it for a horse farm. we nodded at them as we drove up the hill and then we opened the cabin and got a fire going, set up the clay pigeon thrower and started shooting some clays. about ten minutes later we here a truck busting hump up our road and we set the shotgun down and my son said "DNR" as the game wardens truck skidded to stop inches from me. The warden sees my wife walking out of the cabin and sorta yells at her to stay where she is. He climbs out of the car doing the one hand out of sight thing and asks us if we are the only ones here, I said no my daughter was out on the minibike and would be back soon. The DNR ranger tells us to walk away from the truck and I said sure, no problem, and asked what was going on. As he got closer he noticed the shotgun, the clay targets on the ground and a couple of empty boxes of hulls laying there too, and he takes a big sigh and smiles. Says he got a report someone was shooting at the horses down below us, said the lady was half sobbing half screaming that we were slaughtering her horses. I said huh? he said she probably has never heard gunfire. We both sorta smiled and my wife starts to snicker, and then says she will just sh%$ her pants on Deer opener. Ranger starts to laugh too and says he will stop and tell her it is standard practice to paint your horses blaze orange to keep hunters from killing horses instead of deer. They only lasted one year. Turned out she was unaware that being only 30 miles away from Tower, Minnesota. it was likely to get chilly in january, and it was not even a bad winter, only got down to -50 once or twice not even really cold.

 

[50 Freak]

Damn city folk. Must of traded in their common sense for SUVs. :banghead:

Actually I'm a city folk, born and raised. I often go to more rural areas where I see trucks with gun racks (a sure way to get pulled over in the bay area, rack loaded or not). I also talk to guys who say they have a shooting range or pond on their property.

Gosh, gives me something to work for, cause that's how I plan to retire.

 

[Norton]

Well, the irony of things is going to be that this city boy (actually I'm going to identify myself as geographically misassigned) is going to be the one doing all of the shooting on my newly purchased mountain land in WV.

When I lived over in the Shenandoah Valley, we would get these people from up in the DC area who would move down for the lower taxes, buy a big piece of land in the country and then complain to the county about the farm smells and the noise from the tractors. :banghead:

 

[30 cal slob]

That's why I love suppressors.

 

[MikeIsaj]

If I saw a atranger on my neighbors land, I may have done the same thing, without leaving the black streak on the drive. I probably would have called the neighbor first and then the Cops. I don't know who you are or if you should even be there. This is my neighborhood, and you are a stranger with a gun, who appears to be there legitimately but I'm not satisfied with an assumption.

My brother in law just retired from the farming business. It is amazing how many people think if there isn't a house nearby or a fence around it, it must be theirs to use for shooting, camping, storage, dumping, ATV's, etc.

Of course afterward I would probably go out and say hi. Then I may even show you my range, if I had that much land.

 

[Zach S]

I agree with Mike. I woulndt have left a black mark, but I probably would have made the call, assuming I knew who the land belonged to, and it wasnt you.

Does your friend know these folks? You cold invite them to join you. Afterall, taking an anti shooting generally has good results from what I've read here and heard elsewhere.

 

[jwhisler]

Norton, is it in Northern or Southern Wva?

 

[TimRB]

"Says he got a report someone was shooting at the horses down below us, said the lady was half sobbing half screaming that we were slaughtering her horses."

Sometimes you have to wonder where people like that come from. Once when I was a kid a bunch of us were setting off firecrackers in my back yard (illegal in California, naturally). After a while we became aware of a commotion a few doors down, and looked over the fence to see a woman yelling hysterically and pointing to us. Everyone scattered except me, since I lived there and had no place to go. A few minutes later the woman shows up at our door and asks if someone there was shooting. She was convinced that someone was shooting at her dog, and that at least one round had hit the doghouse. "Uh, no ma'am. We're not doing any shooting here."

Tim

 

[GhostRider-Nine]

City folk...ya can't live with 'em, and ya can't....how does the rest of that go? Some of my personal favorites....We had some city folks visiting our home when I was a kid. This was back when firearms were kept in cabinets for display, and nobody ever heard of putting them in a safe. Ours were kept in the pantry. I was showing one of the city folks a new round my dad had got for his 30-06. It was a big bad long looking thing for bear. I took a round out of the box and tried to hand it to the fellow. He just about turned white, and said "DON'T POINT THAT AT ME!" Yup city folks never cease to amaze me. Then of course there was the relative who just did not understand why we NEEDED so many guns. I was a little older then and told him that my our life was not based on NEEDS, and I hoped it never was.

 

[Aguila Blanca]

When I lived over in the Shenandoah Valley, we would get these people from up in the DC area who would move down for the lower taxes, buy a big piece of land in the country and then complain to the county about the farm smells and the noise from the tractors.

Oh, you know my wife, then?

Wife keeps waxing idyllic about how she wants to live "in the country," with lots of animals (like ducks, geese, goats, sheep, etc). So we go to central PA to look at land where that might be possible, and she immediately closes the car windows and shuts off the ventilation so she doesn't have to smell the manure.

Wait 'til she tries walking around a mini-farm that has ducks and geese and sees how hard it will be not to walk in, ummmm, "excrement," and then we'll see how much she really wants to have "animals." Needless to say, my wife is a city gal who just remembers visiting a farm when she was about 8 years old and animals were "cute." I already told her she can have animals, but if she gets 'em she takes care of them because I have more important things to do, like restore old Jeeps and shoot guns.

 

[jefnvk]

my son said "DNR"

I see you got your son trained to spot the game wardens

It is amazing how many people think if there isn't a house nearby or a fence around it, it must be theirs to use for shooting, camping, storage, dumping, ATV's, etc.

I went shooting with a friend from Detroit and Minneapolis up here. The normal state land where we shoot was a ways down a snow covered road, that we couldn't get down. SO they decide we'll just pick some empty spot to shoot on.

Didn't seem to bother them that it may be someone's property, there may be people out skiing, there may be a house a hundred yards down we couldn't see, etc. Told them I wasn't going to shoot, luckily, they didn't find a spot. They also couldn't grasp the idea that you don't shoot straight down roads, no matter if they are dirt and in the middle of nowhere

Couple of guys whose only firearms experience was deer camp got educated that day.

 

[jnojr]

Sometimes you have to wonder where people like that come from. Once when I was a kid a bunch of us were setting off firecrackers in my back yard (illegal in California, naturally). After a while we became aware of a commotion a few doors down, and looked over the fence to see a woman yelling hysterically and pointing to us. Everyone scattered except me, since I lived there and had no place to go. A few minutes later the woman shows up at our door and asks if someone there was shooting. She was convinced that someone was shooting at her dog, and that at least one round had hit the doghouse. "Uh, no ma'am. We're not doing any shooting here."

Back when my brother and I were about 11 or 12 or so, the people across the street had a kid who was maybe 6,7,8 or so. There were four houses on this road, so this kid was about the only one around for us to play with. Anyway, the kid was holding a cork-ball rifle (a lever action cocks it, and it shot cork balls) and we were lighting little firecrackers. His mom heard the noise, came out, saw her son holding a "rifle"... oh, boy, did she ever flip out!

 

[lwsimon]

While at work today, I got some background info on the nosey neigbors. Turns out they are from California, moved to NW Arkansas to retire. They bought 20 wooded acres, had it cleared, and had a house built on top of the hill. Like others that have been mentioned here, they decided they didn't like the smell of chicken houses. They have since taken to repeatedly calling Tyson and the company that buys the landowner's milk from their dairy 10 miles away, and reporting them for "unsanitary conditions". Tyson stopped coming by, but the dairy company's policy is to follow up on all calls, so the inspector makes weekly visits to the dairy.

In other words, these people are not on good terms with my friends.

 

[Standing Wolf]

...who calls the cops because someone is shooting responsibly?

As far as leftist extremists are concerned, "shooting responsibly" is an oxymoron.

 

[Otherguy Overby]

Chicken Ranches

While at work today, I got some background info on the nosey neigbors. Turns out they are from California, moved to NW Arkansas to retire. They bought 20 wooded acres, had it cleared, and had a house built on top of the hill. Like others that have been mentioned here, they decided they didn't like the smell of chicken houses. They have since taken to repeatedly calling Tyson and the company that buys the landowner's milk from their dairy 10 miles away, and reporting them for "unsanitary conditions". Tyson stopped coming by, but the dairy company's policy is to follow up on all calls, so the inspector makes weekly visits to the dairy.

Yeah chicken farms can smell quite nasty, but one can learn to live with it. Of course, that's not possible for someone with a 'tude. And I moved from CA, too, but I don't want sidewalks, street lights and neighbors. Gravel roads are nice, too, they tend to keep the progressives away.

My problem, there is a local who owned 90 acres in behind my land and he'd been trying for years to sell it for way more than it was worth. Well, I didn't hear soon enough (was outta town) that he'd finally gotten more serious about selling. So, he sold it too a guy from Florida who wants to subdivide it and sell off lots.

Now this particular property was one where, if you asked a Realtor, you'd be given a map and told "the property's back in here and you'll need a good 4 wheel drive, too." Anyway he sold it at about 50% more than it's value and even got a contract to cut a road in. Now I'll have neighbors who will complain about my gunfire and prolly try to steal stuff when I'm gone. I'm gonna have to move further out, damn.

In northern Arkansas' Ozarks, most people just use the tanglewoods for a backstop. IOW, you know how the land lays and which way is safe to shoot. It does kinda spooks any noobies, though. BTW, AR is an NFA state.