The Day I Almost Was Shot (Multiple Times) While Beekeeping

[Double Naught Spy]

I can't say that I ever really expected to come under fire from off property why working in the bee yard, but it happened back in 2021. I had just finished mowing when I heard the first shot, but as I had on my hearing protection, I could tell the shot was louder than what I hear in the area, but I didn't realize how close it was. When I heard more shots, I realized they were close by and went to investigate, removing my hearing protection in the process. Folks on the next property were standing around an old UTV that they were using for a table for their gear and it looked like they were shooting off to the west (away from my property) at some unseen backstop, until I saw a guy raise a right and point it in my direction and I knew I was screwed.

No telling how many shots were fired before I stopped mowing as I could not hear anything other than the lawnmower while mowing. In total, I heard over 100 rounds fired into my property, many whizzing by me as I hid behind my truck engine, on the phone with 911. Shots that didn't pass close enough to be heard whizzing could be heard coming through the foliage around me in many cases.

Turns out, the shooters had a new rifle, were guests of the landowner, figured nobody was on my property and set up targets on the fence line and were intentionally shooting into my property and as a result, shooting toward me. All of the shooters were adults. One had been arrested previously for aggravated robbery, but was awaiting trial at the time of the incident. The other two had never been in legal trouble, previously. All three got probation for deadly conduct as "first time offenders" including the first guy who got to serve his probation concurrently with his aggravated robbery conviction because each of the infractions was committed before he had gone to trial on either of them.

I have some video from the incident. There is some profanity as I try to run to cover as quickly as I could in my bee suit. I was never a sprinter and the bee suit assured I wound not be improving on my times.

The video is done for my hunting channel on YouTube. You can skip a lot of the background stuff and start the video at 2:38 if you just want to see/hear the shooting.

 

[NIGHTLORD40K]

Yikes!
Can't rightfully "like" that one, but thank goodness you came through unscathed.

 

[Roverguy]

Never, ever want to hear that whizzing-by sound again. Sorry to hear of this.

The irresponsibility of some people make me sometimes question the freedoms they enjoy.

 

[dh1633pm]

Crazy to say the least. Glad you were all right.

 

[JCooperfan1911]

It’s quite the shame we have to share the world with such subhuman filth. Unfathomable stupidity.

Glad you were okay in the end.

 

[jmr40]

Something similar happened to my wife several years ago. On a Sunday afternoon she was in her flower garden tending her plants when she heard a sound moving through the trees and striking the ground about 5' from her. Shortly after there were several more in various spots in the yard. She never heard gunshots but came in the house to tell me.

We never found bullets, but I strongly suspect someone fired into the air from a distance. We never reported it. It wasn't until the next day when talking to a neighbor that we were 100% sure. They found a bullet hole in the roof of their metal storage building and did file a police report. Appeared to be .40 caliber to me.

 

[starnbar]

Very fortunate you were not hit and a I'm sorry won't fix it. I saw quite a few of similar incidents myself but we always got there after it was over sad to say.

 

[lightman]

Stupid has no limits! Glad you were not hurt.

 

[Walkalong]

Idiots abound.

 

[Double Naught Spy]

Stupid has no limits!

And it has friends!

 

[Spats McGee]

Pretty scary. Glad you're ok.

 

[drband]

Found a .45acp FMJ on the bottom of my pool once after July 4th. No damage. Glad I was not in the pool at the time.

 

[bassjam]

People are dumb. A few years ago I was fishing on my parents property down in the river with my wife and kids, and suddenly we heard shots and bullets buzzing a few feet overhead. I had my wife and kids huddle by the bank where they'd be protected (it was about 5ft deep so they were crouched down) while my brother and I hugged the bank walking downstream several hundred yards until we could safely approach these neighbors from behind (yelling "HELLO!" as I came out of the bank) and once I was close explained how their bullets were going right over our heads. They told me that was impossible because of how safe their backstop was (no joke, it was a pile of dirt about 16 inches tall and maybe 24 inches wide with a very shallow slope) which they had propped a 2x8 up against and were shooting handguns at. I told them my wife and kids were pinned up against the river bank because of the shots whizzing over their heads. Then they told me I couldn't make them stop because the sheriff had already checked out their "range" and said it was safe. I had been polite and neighborly up until that point, and I still didn't lose my temper but flatly told them it wasn't safe, one day they're going to kill someone because past the river where the bullets were going is a house 300 yards away, and told them I was going to continue to fish until dark and if I heard more shots I'd talk to the sheriff myself. Then we walked downrange and back to my family while they just awkwardly stood there murmuring to each other. They did stop though. Later that evening my mom told me they often heard bullets buzzing about 400 yards off to the side of their house, I told her next time that happens to call the sheriff and explained which house which house was doing the shooting.

 

[Mk-211]

I'm sure others here have been in the "pits" working targets. Even at 1000 yards, you still need eyes and ears.

Hearing and seeing the bullets hit the paper and backstop, while also hearing the sonic crack, is amazing.

When I was a yute, me, my brother and some cousins were shot at. We were down in Rosarita Beach in Mexico. Some how the security guard thought we were criminals, because we were hanging out on the beach at night!

The other time was in the military, on a live fire range. Imagine a squad getting turned around doing a flanking move at night. Then Imagine the rest of your platoon trying to dig a hole in the ground while hugging dirt!

 

[lemaymiami]

My brother who passed away last year lived in Alaska the last forty five years of his life, and really made a place for himself there - about 30 miles from the nearest town (Palmer..). He related an incident to me that occurred after his neighbor sold out and new owners moved in adjacent to him... On his property one day he had a few rounds coming his way (small caliber, probably .22). In his world you never called law enforcement unless there was something really serious (and the response would be the state's highway patrol and usually a long long time coming...). He made a point of very carefully stalking at an angle from the gunfire to find that his new neighbors had bought a few rabbits, then let them loose for a bit of target practice.... and the rabbits had promptly run towards his property.... Once he was certain of the circumstances he surprised them at close range and pointed out that if they continued he'd be forced to act...

His usual weapon in the field? A 375 H&H... I didn't inquire just how he convinced them since some things are better left unsaid but when a few months later I asked how his new neighbors were behaving he said "no problems at all".. Wish he were still around...

 

[bubbaturbo]

Several years ago a police officer in Noble, OK shot at a snake in bird house and ended up hitting a 5 year old boy in the back of the head. Nobody went to jail.

 

[Armybrat]

As a summer school student (1 August, 1966) I heard a few rounds whizz by when Charles Whitman was atop the University of Texas Tower.

Last year my son found a lead bullet (maybe .38) lodged in his metal roof in Austin. Probably an idiot firing his pistol in the air to celebrate July 4th.

 

[aaaaa]

I would think the neighbor, by allowing these people to use his land, could also be charged. Though maybe you want to salvage some remaining neighbor relations. Enought to deal with his guests. Hopefully the neighbor learned a lesson.

 

[Caplock]

I had to show my wife this video so she could hear the sound of the bullets flying by.
Same sounds I was hearing at a public shooting range on National Forest property with my 8 year old.
People were not on the actual range with a backstop. They were on top of a hill with no backstop shooting over our heads.
Won't go into detail on how I responded. It wasn't very high road.
I've had bad experiences shooting on public land in the last year.

 

[DustyGmt]

I had a similar situation minus the apiary angle, but only in the sense that I could tell that bullets were whizzing by me and were going in my direction. I was hunting and was making my way up a powerline. I never did get a look at who was doing the shooting as I was trying to make it for cover. I always had a suspicion it was a guy down the road from me who likes to think of himself as the town constable but isn't and was trying to send me a message since I'd been up the powerline a few times that season and I assume he thinks I was cutting up the powerline to get onto his property (which I wasnt). I never did see anybody walk out but it definitely wasn't another hunter because whoever it was was shooting a semi auto, I'm guessing an AR or Mini14 with a 10+ magazine.

I never had an issue with the guy, but I knew he had one with me. I never was able to determine who it was for sure, but my instincts tell me it was that beauty of a sort of neighbor.

Eta: Glad you were able to make it to you pickup and get local LE to give a damn enough to come out and issue citations. I'm sure your video was instrumental in seeing these idiots get cited. It sounds like they got off easy though

 

[old lady new shooter]

Found a .45acp FMJ on the bottom of my pool once after July 4th. No damage. Glad I was not in the pool at the time.

Two nights a year I don't step foot out of my house: July 4th and Dec 31st.

 

[troy fairweather]

Glad you weren't hurt or worse, talk about the wrong type of buzzing to hear by your hives.

 

[old lady new shooter]

Several years ago a police officer in Noble, OK shot at a snake in bird house and ended up hitting a 5 year old boy in the back of the head. Nobody went to jail.

I'm kind of afraid to ask this, but did the boy survive?

 

[bubbaturbo]

I'm kind of afraid to ask this, but did the boy survive?

Unfortunately not. He was fishing with his grandfather. Police officers got deferred sentencing for manslaughter charges. No jail time. 5 or 6 years later, the record of the shooter was expunged.

 

[Double Naught Spy]

I would think the neighbor, by allowing these people to use his land, could also be charged. Though maybe you want to salvage some remaining neighbor relations. Enought to deal with his guests. Hopefully the neighbor learned a lesson.

I don't know if the neighbor could or not. There might be some civil action I could take, but in the grand scheme, I wasn't hurt and I don't suffer from the event.

Several years ago a police officer in Noble, OK shot at a snake in bird house and ended up hitting a 5 year old boy in the back of the head. Nobody went to jail.

No, but he was convicted of manslaughter, then later got his record expunged. That is what will happen here. If these yahoos get through probation, nothing will be on their record, not even for the multi-crime first time officer guy.

I'm kind of afraid to ask this, but did the boy survive?

Oh no. Killed.