What is a reasonable time to begin shooting on your land?

[2cool9031]

If you want to stay on your neighbors good side ask them what would be a fair time.

 

[VUPDblue]

If you want to stay on your neighbors good side ask them what would be a fair time.

QFT

 

[melensdad]

If you want to stay on your neighbors good side ask them what would be a fair time.

Well he spoke with my wife.

I was down in the back shooting.

When I came up to the house she told me the whole story. In all honesty I don't think there will be any 'fair' time to being shooting, at least not for him. I think he simply does not like it. My wife thinks the same thing. So that said I'm looking for something that seems to be universally believed to be 'reasonable' as a start time. Obviously some here think 9 is too early. 10 seems to be a time to which nobody has objected. So I think the next session will begin no earlier than 10am.

 

[downzero]

I don't think I'll be able to find any threaded barrels for my Detonics Combat Masters.

You'd have to have them professionally fitted regardless. I'm sure someone can retrofit something.

If you want, I can come by at 7 am with some bolt action rifles and begin the agony.

 

[semperfi211]

I think 10 is a reasonable time to start shooting. Maybe giving him a call and ask him if he wants to come over and fire a couple rounds could make him feel better.

 

[sj kahr k40]

I think 9am is fine but Mrs. G's suggestion is a good idea.

 

[stilllearning09]

8:00am start time?

That works for me! I'll bring the bacon!

 

[MoparMan]

I'd say as early as you want, it's your property. If he's mowing at 9:00 a.m. he shouldnt care if your shooting around that time unless he's just a. Shoot for as long and when you want. Enjoy your freedom.

 

[Colt556]

8:00am start time?

And make sure to invite a certain MONKEY to bring a few thousand rounds of AR and AK ammo!!

I think 10am would be a reasonable time to start. Plus it will show him that you are trying to be considerate and work with him. What time do they start shooting at the game preserve?

 

[lovemywoods]

I have a range on my property.

When I read your question, my first thought was 9:00 am. I think the 10:00 am guideline is a good way to go.

I must have wonderful neighbors. During the annual NFA day, we light off 15,000+ rounds of full auto and assorted other fire!

I've never had an officer visit or a complaint from a neighbor.

I really don't get the comment about how long you shoot! He sounds like a bit of a controlling personality. Good luck!

 

[42769vette]

i live on a farm and have a few neibors within ear shot. 2 are fairly close (within 600 yds) i pratice my low light shooting at day break and never get complaints. but all my neibors are farmers so they are probably already up so my situation is probably diffrent than yours. imo you can shoot as early as the first person mows.

that said im extreamly lucky in the neibor department. i have one neibor that comes over about 1/2 the times im shooting but not to complain. he jsut ccomes over to see what i have out that day

 

[Bounty Hunter]

Kind of sounds like he is not going to be happy no matter what you do. Maybe you should invite him over to shoot and feel him out on it. If he does not like it surely he could come up with a compromise.
If that does not work the he is an a**!!!
No offense against your wife, but he should have came and spoke with you about it if he had issues.
Good Luck-That sucks.

 

[Eddie]

I go as early 6:30 or 7am when its hot and I haven't had a complaint yet, but I am pretty far away from the nearest houses.

 

[melensdad]

Kind of sounds like he is not going to be happy no matter what you do. Maybe you should invite him over to shoot and feel him out on it. If he does not like it surely he could come up with a compromise.
If that does not work the he is an a**!!!
No offense against your wife, but he should have came and spoke with you about it if he had issues.
Good Luck-That sucks.

I agree he should have come to talk to me but he is sort of an odd guy. Friendly enough most of the time but a bit odd. My wife has spoken to him a grand total of 3 or 4 times. Neither of us have spoken to his wife, I never see her other then when she drives in/out.

As for inviting him over to shoot, he's been my neighbor for better than a half dozen years and never indicated any interest in shooting sports. Really never indicated any interest in any much beyond controlling the weeds in his lawn and maintain his home (which is done very nicely, probably best yard in the area). Our conversations typically occur outside at the fenceline, always friendly. Not always in agreement. His driveway extends about 6" over my property line, I told him I'd charge him a penny rent per year for that.

Honestly the neighbor on the far side of him has probably spoken to me more in the past year than my neighbor has in 6+ years and they just moved in a year ago.

This is sort of an odd neighborhood, lot sizes and shapes vary. Some houses are 100' apart on flat 2 acre lots, some lots have steep drops and lots of trees and houses remain unseen with lots up to 8+ acres. I've got 2 lots side by side, a 60' elevation drop front to back, and a 60' elevation drop side to side. My house is visible from the south but not from any other side, the guy to my south is my closest neighbor, our houses are roughly 300' apart with a modest amount of trees separating us, but we are both up on the high parts of our property. The shooting is down in 'valley' area well below (40'?) and well behind (450'?) the homes. He told my wife that my bullets are shooting OVER and THROUGH his trees.

As for shooting through his trees, I've decided that building a berm in front of the natural hillside is a wise choice for me. It eliminates ONE complaint that he COULD have. So to be a good neighbor I'm going to do that. Got a good start on it yesterday with my front loader and hauled over enough clay to build a berm 5' deep, 5' tall and 15' long. I'll make it a few feet taller and much longer today. I don't believe him when he said my bullets are flying over his trees so I'll ignore that. But I suppose that it MIGHT MAYBE be possible that a few of my bullets crossed the property line onto his side of the slope (slope drops down from the houses toward the creek, its about 10 to 12 elevation). The property line runs across the slope. NOBODY REALLY KNOWS exactly where the property line falls, there is a post out back in the farm field and one in the front, neither are visible from this area due to trees and slope. So just in case the property line cuts the slope where I am shooting the new berm eliminates that. Mind you this area of woods where the slope is located is covered in POISON IVY, multiflora rose brambles, wild raspberry brambles, native Hawthorn and native thorny locust trees. Its totally unused and impassible. The only path through the woods down the slope is my tractor path 150+ feet away and that took me the better part of a summer to cut through and included a trip to the emergency room!

As for too early, I like to start before the day gets too hot, but if 9am is too early then I'll start at 10am. But if he objects to 10 am there is really not much more I can do for him. I'm not saying all my shooting is morning shooting but when I shoot on Saturday its typically morning or LATE afternoon. Sometimes both. Still, I'll move it to 10 as the earliest to form some sort of compromise.

As for shooting too long, that I don't understand at all. Some of my shooting sessions involve as few as a couple boxes of bullets, slow fired from a high powered rifle. May take 30 to 45 minutes to fire of 20 rounds as I sight in a scope, shoot for accuracy, adjust whatever, find my brass, etc. Some of my shooting may last 2 hours and involve hundreds of rounds of ammo. Most of my shooting is alone or with 1 other person (mostly my daughter but lately with one friend). Some of my shooting may involve up to a half dozen shooters, although that is typically very rare.

Been shooting on this land for the 20 years that I've owned it, been living here for roughly 16 years. Never had one complaint prior to this one from any neighbor. Don't know of any shooting related complaints levied against any other neighbors either as several neighbors here are pretty active shooters.

 

[Sailor]

The sound of freedom should be welcome day or night. The longer the better. If I needed to sleep I would buy ear plugs.

 

[chipdog4]

How about shooting at night until the sun goes down. See how pissed he gets about that.

 

[MrsGungho]

melensdad it sounds like you are going way out of your way to be accommodating to this gentleman. (wish I had you for a neighbor)
I know you've gone a lot further than a lot of folks would have. If this doesn't make him happy, you never will make him happy. Let us know if he says anything in an hour and a half.

 

[booey50]

screw him, it's your property and you are not doing anything unsafe...so let him complain all he wants...there is nothing he can do to you...

you are to nice to the guy...

 

[buzzard pickins]

Solutions for after oral discussion.
#1 hang a group of ear muffs or industral earplugs (in neon colors) on your mailbox.
With a sign saying free usage.

#2 If neighbor is still unhappy attach a small box full of real estate agents cards.

 

[Houdinih]

9:30-10am, if your not out of bed by then you should be, unless you work nights. Sleeping in is nice to do after a long week of hard work.