Simple Ethics Question - Shooting During Archery Season

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Jun 5, 2017
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Portland, OR
I live pretty close to public forest lands and prefer to do my shooting there. I've already sighted in but my hunt isn't until November, so I'd like to get out at least once more in the next couple weeks (month of Sept). There will be archery elk hunting going on and I've always felt a little guilty shooting during their season. Though, I'd be shooting closer to mid-day and not far off the road system (obviously adhering to all safety ideals).

For those archery elk hunters, do you mind hearing rifle shots during the season? Especially knowing where it's most likely coming from and why....
 
I live pretty close to public forest lands and prefer to do my shooting there. I've already sighted in but my hunt isn't until November, so I'd like to get out at least once more in the next couple weeks (month of Sept). There will be archery elk hunting going on and I've always felt a little guilty shooting during their season. Though, I'd be shooting closer to mid-day and not far off the road system (obviously adhering to all safety ideals).

For those archery elk hunters, do you mind hearing rifle shots during the season? Especially knowing where it's most likely coming from and why....
If you are shooting a rifle near spots I know there are elk, you passed 15 other spots where people regularly shoot. In that particular instance, I would be angry and confused. Not at you in particular though. It’s public land. Do what you want, everyone else does. I do the same thing (shoot rifles) and I archery hunt. I just go to the first “shooting spot” not way up top in the middle of no where, where the elk live. If I am archery elk hunting in your shooting spot, I’m sorry (not sorry).
 
Its public land. If you held off for every season that you weren't hunting, you would be out of the woods for most the year.

I wouldnt feel guilty at all. If they dont want to deal with the public. Then they need to go find some private land
 
Public is public. If we dont treat it as such, the argument could be made we no longer need public land due to not everyone is able to use it.

Shooting next to the road I could care less, hiking into some canyon and shooting I can see how that could upset people
Great points! I think like anything it’s a matter of safety, legality and respect for others.
 
OP, you could ask a similar question across the West, with upland bird hunting interfering with someone's big-game hunt - chukar, quail, sage hen, etc, all run through various big-game seasons, in the exact same geography. Same even with waterfowl hunting over remote watering holes, especially here in NV.

The bottom line, I think, is simply neighborly consideration. If I see a guy putting a stalk on something, of course I'm going to hold back on what I'm doing, out of the same consideration I'd like someone else to extend to me, were the roles reversed. Neither of us have "claim" to that land though. I'm not going to hold back on a covey of birds if I see a rifle hunter just walking around a mile away, when I would if the guy was obviously stalking something. Nor would I expect a bird hunter to, if I were the one with a rifle tag. In fact, I'd try to read what he was doing, and position myself in a good spot for any deer he might push out.

So, there's context, and being considerate, and being flexible. And that also extends in both directions.

Don't worry about shooting during archery elk season. But do try to do it in a place where that might be more normal, where human activity is more normal in general.
 
Do y’all not have dedicated public rifle ranges? Ileaugal on the national forest and public lands in the Midwest and east coast.

Not one piece of federal ground can you shoot for practice unless it’s a dedicated shooting range.
 
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