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14-15 Hunting Regulations changes

5K views 35 replies 12 participants last post by  Skye Bustin' 
#1 ·
• On all wildlife management areas, the
discharge of firearms for purposes
other than hunting is restricted to the
specific target or shooting ranges
provided for public use.
Looks like target shooting is now illegal on all WMAs now. So I guess if you want to ethically kill your quarry or introduce someone to shooting, you have to practice on private land or pay a ridiculous amount to get a membership at a range. Which means if you don't know someone with enough land and only shoot a few times a year (which doesn't justify getting a membership), you are out of luck.
It specifically says "wildlife management areas" though, not PHAs....not sure if that was a misprint and they meant all state areas.

Either way, great job ODWC. This will result in more crippled game and make it a lot more difficult to find a place to teach someone how to shoot.

I have a feeling someone is going to try to argue and maybe say that it already was illegal, but if you carefully read it in previous years it said "on WMAs where shooting range is provided, discharge of firearms for non hunting purposes is limited to the range provided".
I will acknowledge that people leaving their trash behind was an issue (the main point of reasoning I can see for changing this rule), however is it not an issue on WDUs with duck "hunters" as it already is, not to mention all the other ways littering/dumping occurs on public land?
The negatives outweigh the positives on this regulation change.
 
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#6 ·
shoveler_shooter said:
LTMFH said:
My local WMA has a Shooting range.
The closest one from me is about 45 miles away and a couple years ago someone was shot and all their guns stolen. And I've read on other forums where shady people will watch you and wait until all your guns are unloaded to try to make a move.
No thanks
Wow, that is crazy. I have gotten that feeling deep in Lexington before. A lot if freaky people hang out there for some reason.
 
#9 ·
I have been on the tail end of somebody "target practicing" more times than I can count on a WMA. I fully support this rule change. More than once I have crested a hill to people sighting their rifles straight down the side of a WMA road. I would have a different take on this if I actually encountered people using their brains on a WMA more than not concerning this issue.
 
#10 ·
fishfurlife said:
I have been on the tail end of somebody "target practicing" more times than I can count on a WMA. I fully support this rule change. More than once I have crested a hill to people sighting their rifles straight down the side of a WMA road. I would have a different take on this if I actually encountered people using their brains on a WMA more than not concerning this issue.
What are people supposed to do that don't have private access? I'm not paying $200 for a membership at a shooting range to shoot maybe 6 times a year.
And in your case, sounds like a Hunter Education issue; that is a firearm safety rule that was gone over at the hunter ed course they took. If they chose to ignore it while target shooting, they are going to ignore it when not target shooting. Banning target shooting for everyone isn't going to fix the problem.
Also they could at least allow shotguns with pellets only for target shooting, like they do for hunting in restricted/close proximity areas.
It would also help if they would actually create more shooting ranges within reasonable driving distance of where most people in OK live.....but, that encourages more crime, as I was explaining about the Wagoner one.
 
#11 ·
Every range I know of will allow you to shoot and charge a daily rate. We have a county range that is free. Open a few days a week. Was once a tax payer funded police only range. It's since been changed to a public range.

In the sense of safety and what people are and are not taught, it's the persons fault for not applying what they were supposed to have learned.

Like I said, the first time you are on the down range side of a high powered rifle being discharged on public land by a couple of morons not using their head is all that it will take to change your mind about target shooting away from a shooting range.

I understand your sentiment but will never change my stance based on safety alone.
 
#21 ·
LiquidA45 said:
You guys keep bringing up hunter ed but it is a joke. You can do it online in 20 minutes.
I was trying to say that it is a fundamental problem, not exclusive to target shooting. If there is a lack of safety practiced while target shooting, it is going to carry over to every other activity that involves firearms; therefore the new rule does not get to the root of the problem.
 
#22 ·
Specklebelly said:
LiquidA45 said:
You guys keep bringing up hunter ed but it is a joke. You can do it online in 20 minutes.
I had to sit through a two evening class with my son. The sad news is not all there passed. I told my boy that he better pass after sitting through that long of a class and he did.
That's the way it was for me in '96. Sad how some people can't use common sense when handling firearms.

Sent from my SCH-R970 using Tapatalk
 
#23 ·
Which state allows Hunter Ed in 20 minutes?? OK requires an 8 hour class (used to be 10), and their online takes 12-16 hours to complete....

But you are right... Most people don't take hunter ed seriously. My house gets peppered by duck hunters every year, especially if there's a north wind! And if someone is hunting, I don't DARE walk into my livestock pasture (The animals are on their own!!!)
 
#24 ·
Gruberguy said:
Which state allows Hunter Ed in 20 minutes?? OK requires an 8 hour class (used to be 10), and their online takes 12-16 hours to complete....

But you are right... Most people don't take hunter ed seriously. My house gets peppered by duck hunters every year, especially if there's a north wind! And if someone is hunting, I don't DARE walk into my livestock pasture (The animals are on their own!!!)
More like 12-16 minutes. Got a friend into hunting last year and he did it in 18 minutes. Only took that long because he read spent extra time on the turkey section. Another friend did it the year before in about 30 minutes as well.
 
#26 ·
How long did everyone spend in some sort of drivers ed??? How often do you break traffic laws, text and drive, tailgate, etc?

You spend a hell of a lot more time learning how to drive a deadly weapon then still break the law..... Do we all really think that a few more days spent in hunters ed would fix stupid?
 
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