Road Hunters

[nycoyotehounds..BUB]

I see nothing wrong with spotlighting and if you were to follow me around and take my plate number I would notify the law for harassment!!!!!

[First-light]

I see nothing wrong with spotlighting and if you were to follow me around and take my plate number I would notify the law for harassment!!!!!

How does this work for you?

Me: Hey I would appreciate if you didn't spotlight my fields.

You: Hey I'm doing nothing wrong.

Me: You know we have had alot of deer jacked lately and they all use spotlights so It makes me wonder when I see someone spotting my fields. I hope you can understand

that? (By that time I have you tag number and I'm not following you around, people get shot doing that!)

You:Sure I can understand that, have a good night.

Me: You too.

No harm done, no harassment.

[Localqdm]

Yes its legal, but when you manage the land its easy to take offense.  My uncle says, "If you want to screw up your hunting, do it on your own land."

I know we shouldn't get suspicious of everyone and always assume the worst, but spotlighting is the poachers best tool.  I guess it shows a little respect to do it on public land or land you have permission.

It would help things if the law required permission to spotlight.

[nycoyotehounds..BUB]

But its not trespassing if you are spotlighting.

[Localqdm]

Not trespassing in a LEGAL sense, no.

[WNYBuckHunter]

Its not trespassing in ANY sense. I dont set foot (or tire for that matter) on anyone's property that I dont have permission to. My shining a spotlight onto your land does not screw up your management anymore than driving by does.

[WNYBuckHunter]

Thats like saying walking into the bank goes hand in hand with robberies. If you came out and wrote down my tag number while I was spotting, and later in the year some poacher came by and shot a deer in that field, you giving the police my tag number would do nothing. The police probably wouldnt even give me a call. I have been spotlighting for a long time, my dad used to do it when I was a kid. To us, its just fun to see whats out there and some of the largest racked bucks Ive ever seen in person were while I was spotting. I would never poach a deer or jacklight, and I would say that most people that spotlight wouldnt either, just like most people with aftermarket exhausts wouldnt poach deer from the road either.

Never said you would poach a deer. If a person spotlights on my property I will ask them to move along and I will take down their tag number. It would give the police a good place to start! Your analogies don't work for me, unless you have night vision you need a spotlight to kill a deer after dark. This is how "I" would handle it and I know many others that would do it the same way.

I wasnt trying to say that you thought or said I would. My analogies work fine, you have to walk into a bank to rob it, no? How about this one, its like saying a Corvette owner breaks the speed limit consistently.

As far as how polite you would be to me, well Id be polite right back to you and probably tell you that Ill let you know if I were to see anyone poaching deer on your land. I would then go about my business of viewing deer. 

[Culvercreek hunt club]

WNY...that is the neat thing about a public raodway...key word...public. The DEC even recognizes it as a legitimate activity so much they outline how to do it legally....and illegally

[WNYBuckHunter]

Right!

Also, I think that some people tend to forget that deer are a public resource and that just because the deer spend time on their land, they are still not their deer.

[SplitG2]

The problem I have with people spot lighting deer is they don't know the complete law.  Most think because they don't have a gun with them that its legal however, spot lighting within 500 feet of a building is illegal unless you have permission.  I get guys all the time spot lighting in my fields and its illegal because its within 500 feet from my house and my neighbors.  Also, ticks me off when where in the house and flood lights come through the windows.

[Culvercreek hunt club]

That would burn me too G2. I think DEC covers that in the book

[Doc]

The problem I have with people spot lighting deer is they don't know the complete law.  Most think because they don't have a gun with them that its legal however, spot lighting within 500 feet of a building is illegal unless you have permission.  I get guys all the time spot lighting in my fields and its illegal because its within 500 feet from my house and my neighbors.  Also, ticks me off when where in the house and flood lights come through the windows.

Lol ..... I've heard of that problem too. Spotlights sweeping across the bedroom walls  : . Not exactly something a homeowner should have to put up with eh?

[Localqdm]

You've got a right, I understand that.  Just saying it isn't always appreciated by everyone and sometimes demanding our rights to do whatever we want that's legal isn't the best way to go about things. 

And yeah, deer are a 'public' resource.  Just because someone isn't walking across the property doesn't mean they can't mess someone's  hunting, even if they are in their "rights"

[Localqdm]

Kind of like setting up on my neighbors border looking on his side, because I'm can, I'm legal.  Or like hunting public land and walking up and sitting down next to someone 20 yds away.  Legal yes, appreciated, no.

[Culvercreek hunt club]

Kind of like setting up on my neighbors border looking on his side, because I'm can, I'm legal.  Or like hunting public land and walking up and sitting down next to someone 20 yds away.  Legal yes, appreciated, no.

I agree...and like so much of what we do during hunting and scouting and really any persuit....apply a little courtesy and common sense and it usually works out fine. I try to put my self in the mind set of......what if someone did this to me. If I conclude it would bother me.....probably shouldn't be doing it to others

[First-light]

Thats like saying walking into the bank goes hand in hand with robberies. If you came out and wrote down my tag number while I was spotting, and later in the year some poacher came by and shot a deer in that field, you giving the police my tag number would do nothing. The police probably wouldnt even give me a call. I have been spotlighting for a long time, my dad used to do it when I was a kid. To us, its just fun to see whats out there and some of the largest racked bucks Ive ever seen in person were while I was spotting. I would never poach a deer or jacklight, and I would say that most people that spotlight wouldnt either, just like most people with aftermarket exhausts wouldnt poach deer from the road either.

Never said you would poach a deer. If a person spotlights on my property I will ask them to move along and I will take down their tag number. It would give the police a good place to start! Your analogies don't work for me, unless you have night vision you need a spotlight to kill a deer after dark. This is how "I" would handle it and I know many others that would do it the same way.

I wasnt trying to say that you thought or said I would. My analogies work fine, you have to walk into a bank to rob it, no? How about this one, its like saying a Corvette owner breaks the speed limit consistently.

As far as how polite you would be to me, well Id be polite right back to you and probably tell you that Ill let you know if I were to see anyone poaching deer on your land. I would then go about my business of viewing deer. 

Your first analogy doesn't work for me. The second is better. If you walked into a bank with a gun (spotlight) that would be a different story. You need the third piece to the

action which is the spotlight or as in your second example corvette.

I'm sure "you" would go about your business and keep on looking but I bet most people would move on.

Again, it is legal just apply a little courtesy and common sense and it will go a long way.

[First-light]

Kind of like setting up on my neighbors border looking on his side, because I'm can, I'm legal.  Or like hunting public land and walking up and sitting down next to someone 20 yds away.  Legal yes, appreciated, no.

I agree...and like so much of what we do during hunting and scouting and really any persuit....apply a little courtesy and common sense and it usually works out fine. I try to put my self in the mind set of......what if someone did this to me. If I conclude it would bother me.....probably shouldn't be doing it to others

Excellent point!

[Localqdm]

WNY I understand where you're coming from.  You just want to see some big deer, and I know they're not my deer.  I guess some of us (especially us who take great care to make our properties a 'safe' place for deer and have passed up some specific deer on that property for a couple of yrs) tend to get a little paranoid when we see the beam of light sweeping across our field.  We need to remember where you're coming from.  I hope those of you who spotlight will understand where we're coming from and try not to be a stranger if you're going to be shining a light in the field.

[Culvercreek hunt club]

Hurry WNY...sounds like he's inviting u for a beer...lol

[BAR]

No didn't mean just spotting. I like to spot light too. Seen alot of nice bucks over the years. This fellow was a jacker. he was a local guy. Talked to a trooper about it later on. Nothing was ever done. I think the Dec officers were afraid of these guys.Used to be a big problem around here. I don't think quite as much anymore.

[arrow nocker]

My kids LOVE to spot light.Especially when snow is on the ground.We just went for a trip around the huge block.We respect the land owners by not spotting within 500 ft of the houses.It's funny how people act like you are doing something wrong though.LOL.They slow down and look at you crazy like i am going to jack a deer at 7:00 at night with 3 kids in the van.LOL.

[WNYBuckHunter]

The problem I have with people spot lighting deer is they don't know the complete law.  Most think because they don't have a gun with them that its legal however, spot lighting within 500 feet of a building is illegal unless you have permission.  I get guys all the time spot lighting in my fields and its illegal because its within 500 feet from my house and my neighbors.  Also, ticks me off when where in the house and flood lights come through the windows.

Right, thats not legal, and the guys that do that are usually the same ones that dont follow the hunting rules either because they dont know them or just ignore them.

[WNYBuckHunter]

WNY I understand where you're coming from.  You just want to see some big deer, and I know they're not my deer.  I guess some of us (especially us who take great care to make our properties a 'safe' place for deer and have passed up some specific deer on that property for a couple of yrs) tend to get a little paranoid when we see the beam of light sweeping across our field.  We need to remember where you're coming from.  I hope those of you who spotlight will understand where we're coming from and try not to be a stranger if you're going to be shining a light in the field.

I gottcha, and I too, watch guys that spot the fields near my house or where I hunt. As long as they arent doing anything illegal, I dont bother them. I too pass smaller bucks in the hopes that I see them again in a year or two. I have had issues with a couple of road hunters jumping out of their trucks to try and take a crack at deer in my areas while I was sitting in my stand. Had it happen a few years back while I had my crosshairs on a deer waiting for it to clear a bush. Slobs can be a real pain, but I try to give people the benefit of the doubt until they give me a reason to think differently.

[20ftupatree]

I should probably leave this one alone but I can't. I do consider myself a hunter and not a slob BUT, I do however always have a gun in my truck. I live in a very rural part of NY (5g, 5T). There are numerous farms and fields and back road woods that i drive along every day to and from work. Now, I have permission to hunt many of these farms and fields. If I am driving along and happen to see deer standing in any of these places where i have permission to hunt I will get out of my truck step off the side of the road and put the binos on them, If there is a shooter standing there i will and have taken a shot. To me I don't see the problem if I have permission to hunt that particular field. I still use safety by making sure there is no one sitting on the fields edge, most of the time I would know everyone and anyone who would or should be there anyways, (my towns population is only 2500 or so). Point being if I have permission to hunt an area and drive by in my truck and see shootable deer I will pull over, maybe try to walk along a hedge row or fence line to get a bit closer but I will and do shoot and I don't see much wrong with that. Maybe I just blackened my own eye here on this site but I don't think I'm a slob or jacker for doing so. Now do I use that as my primary form of "hunting" NO I do not! I spend a lot of time in the woods, I scout set up stands and spend every minute I can in those stands, Is this my favorite form of "hunting" NO it is not! I love the woods, I love listening to the woods wake up in the morning, The adventure, the challenge, the thrill of a deer coming into range and making a clean shot, BUT I also love to eat deer meat. This season is one of the first in many years I did not shoot one deer all season. I have been completely skunked this year so in cases like this.......YES if I see deer in a field I have permission to hunt while driving by in my truck YES i am getting out and putting the crosshairs on it and pulling the trigger. I think there are more guys on this site that would do the same just not ballsy enough to say so.

[Culvercreek hunt club]

20....I see no issue with thei scenario you posted. There is no difference between that and any number of shows I see on TV. Look at any program showing a pronghorn or muley hunt. A lot of those guys drive .....see and animal.....make a stalk and shoot it. no difference...specifically since you have permission to hunt there.

You do have to understand though, that there are lots of guys who will do the same on property they don't have permission to hunt, are not familiar with the terrain or who might be hunting it and may actually take that shot right out the window. I think those are the "slobs" being addressed here