The four safety rules while on private property

[Sandcut]

In all my years in the woods, I've never known a snake that posed such a threat that it needed to be shot.

Just grab a damn broken branch and shoo it off the trail...even if it is venomous.

As for the rest, I know a LOT of people that behave that way. It was the way that I was brought up even. I find it worrysome, because I'm usually the mook back in the woods going off trail.

[firebird.77]

IMO there is no excuse for being reckless with firearms, regardless of how much land there is, or what the chances that someone could be *back there* where you cannot see. I don*t think the *well they were trespassing so I don*t feel bad if they get shot* applies when you accidentally kill a kid- even if they are your neighbors shithead trespassing and poaching kid. I personally wouldn*t want to live with that.

That being said, I adjust what I consider safe vs reckless depending on my surroundings. I don*t shoot at squirrels, in trees. with a rifle, while hunting small pieces of public land surrounded by houses, hikers and other hunters. I choose to use a shotgun to mitigate the risks. When I am on 300 acres of private land I am *less* concerned than when I*m on 40 acres of public land. Risk of accidents go down, but do not disappear.

Knowing that everyone in MY party is not *in the woods* would never make me feel comfortable to shoot indiscriminately into the woods, ever. The key point in this scenario is know your target and what*s behind it. If people are following that and other basic rules you should be OK.

[JoshIronshaft]

Shooting randomly into the woods is my right.

[icp4life162005]

I'm currently on an extended stay at my best military bud's place in rural NC. He owns about 40 acres of pinelands in the relatively remote sand hills area northwest of Ft Bragg. He has a shooting gallery in the cleared part of his back yard backed by berms, one for about 25 yards for pistol and a longer one for rifle. Beyond the range is at least 16 acres of dense pines so really no issue, right?

Well, there's really no coordination about firing weapons toward the woods. The default expectation is that beyond the target area there is no issue...just woods. Problem is, I, or his kids or his dog or who or what ever could happen to be on a trail back through there or even blazing a new path through the woods when someone decides to pop off a few rounds in that direction. There's also a sort of an "indiscriminate" plinking that happens with .22's outside of the range area which happens whenever and wherever people feel like it around the property and other calibers are used if a snake or something is spotted. It's all sort of casual. I mean, I like the freedom of it and all, but not sure if appropriate safety protocols are sufficiently present. Again, this is the rural south where people tend to live and let live with minimal rules so I don't want to be a debbie downer. Still seems slightly sketch, safety-wise. Maybe I'm just too northern suburban.

My buddy is ex-spec ops and very familiar with weapons safety but maybe he's become too comfortable and complacent with safety rules on his own land. What do you all think about this?

Sounds like my childhood.

[qmcorps]

Is he expecting Alec Baldwin over at any time?