Shotgun practice off the fantail in the bay?

[BurtonRW]

Well, not the fantail exactly, but the back of the boat...

Boss was told by a second person he should consider a shotgun for HD, so now he's convinced.

Anyway, he asked about the legality of target practice from his boat in the bay. The best I could tell him off hand is that it would be a jurisdictional issue based on the county whose waters he was in, DNR regs notwithstanding.

I keep the shotty in my car unloaded so as not to run afoul of DNR hunting from a vehicle regs (like there's a lot of wildlife on the beltway - but I digress). Would the same apply to boats?

What about legitimate target practice? Assume that his direction and choice of ammo is safe (I'm thinking #9 birdshot would be safe as long as you were visually clear and shooting at the water at any angle). Tie an old mop on a line and have at it. What restrictions may apply? What response from the gunshots?

Sure, I could paste together an answer based on the law, but I figure it's actually come up at some point and I don't really feel like reinventing the wheel if DNR, etc. has an actual policy or interpretation in place.

Thanks.

-Rob

 

[boule]

Not entirely sure, but the bay itself is considered US territory and public water. You would have to take a look where the state lines go and then refer to the state's laws concerning shooting on public posessions, shooting on or near waterways, posession of a loaded firearm in a boat etc.

To have no rules applying to you, you would need to go outside territorial waters.

 

[krucam]

Isn't the MD law written as 150 yards from another dwelling? I've toyed with taking out my handgun on my and friends sail boats, and popping off a few, so am curious to this one as well...


Mark C.

 

[poorboy]

just book a seaduck hunt and have at it.

 

[krucam]

just book a seaduck hunt and have at it.

Don't you mean 'Sea Bats' ???



Gawd I miss being at sea sometimes...

Mark C.

 

[BlackBart]

Best not, I asked a DNR guy several years ago about shooting rays. He said BIG no no, use a bow and arrow. Call em, see what they say.

 

[BurtonRW]

To reiterate... not talking about hunting, but about target practice.

(Although with the proper load..._)

 

[Numidian]

Probably want to use steel shot while you're at it

 

[ChannelCat]

We saw the Maryland gubenatorial yacht (I believe the governor was Mandell at the time) on the bay when I was a kid in the late 1970's, and they were literally trap shooting off the fantail. Its my understanding the yacht is in mothballs.

I'm not sure, but I would imaging that you could shoot off of your boat as long as it was safe. Shotguns would probably be ok, but they would probably frown on handguns and rifles for safety reasons.

 

[Streetgang]

Target practice at what?
Shooting across water is a dangerous proposition. Even shottie BB's will skip all over the place. Been there done that thousands of times. BE CAREFUL and be sure of what is well beyond your target in a fan of at least 90 degrees either side of the target.
I'd guess MSP USCG and DNR would have something to say about it.

 

[one-star]

Probably want to use steel shot while you're at it

yeah, I dont know if the lead shot ban is a MD one or a Fed one, but no lead shot in the Chesapeake/MD rivers

 

[mixman]

I too believe that lead shot is a no-no for the Chesapeake. To my knowledge, it isn't illegal to keep a loaded shotgun on a boat that has a living compartment, a head, and a galley, as that qualifies as a home (despite what the lame animated required MD gun safety course attempts to claim when speaking about smaller vessels and showing a graphic of a cabin cruiser).

As for the OP's question about shooting on the Bay, I wonder if the same rules as shooting on public property would apply? Natural Resources Police would be the agency to ask. USCG only enforces federal laws to my knowledge. Here's NRP's number. They're usually really nice to talk to and the people who answer will have an officer call you back in a short amount of time: (410) 260-8888

Let us know what you find out.

 

[BurtonRW]

They're usually really nice to talk to and the people who answer will have an officer call you back in a short amount of time: (410) 260-8888

Let us know what you find out.

Just spoke w/ the woman answering the phone (and waiting for an officer to call). She was polite, but didn't have the first clue as to what I was talking about or what she was talking about.

Started by telling me that if I was anchored, I couldn't shoot waterfowl.



Insisted that I needed to tell her what county I was launching from (okay, I'll make something up). Asked, "what are you target shooting... waterfowl?" No, not hunting, target shooting. "What are you shooting at?" Does it matter? "Yes, it does, sir." Okay, how about if I take a cotton mop head and tie it to a 30 foot line and shoot at that?

[silence]

"Wow.... you need to talk to an officer."

At which point she took my name and number. She identified it as a "hunting" question and someone will get back to me.

 

[boule]

She identified it as a "hunting" question and someone will get back to me.

Honestly, make it a hunting question. Tell the officer that you guys want to shoot waterfowl next season but you are a) not accustomed to shooting from a boat and b) the light reflections make it harder for you to aim. Therefore you intend to be a responsible hunter and PRACTICE on a non-living target somewhere out there in winter when you do not endanger anyone.

Let's see what they will tell you! At least it sounds better than "I wanna shoot the hell out of an old mop" and will be easier to understand.

 

[Jim Sr]

Best not, I asked a DNR guy several years ago about shooting rays. He said BIG no no, use a bow and arrow. Call em, see what they say.

BlackBart:
You may recognize this, Tonkin Gulf in the background!

View attachment 13390

 

[BenL]

My guess is that, at the very least, you would be violating at least a few DNR rules. (no lead, guns in a hunting area out of season/no license/loaded transport, etc...)

 

[WeaponsCollector]

Every time I take my guns out on a boat there is a horrible accident and they end up falling overboard so be careful out there!

 

[Rough_Rider]

"Insisted that I needed to tell her what county I was launching from (okay, I'll make something up)."

The proper answer is "Frederick County, Ma'am". Let's see just how sharp she is

Sea Duck hunting is legal with the right permit and stamps, etc. Maybe the solution is to get all legal for "hunting" and while you are out on your boat who is to say what you actually shoot at. Those ducks can be pretty hard to hit.

 

[ezliving]

We saw the Maryland gubenatorial yacht (I believe the governor was Mandell at the time) on the bay when I was a kid in the late 1970's, and they were literally trap shooting off the fantail. Its my understanding the yacht is in mothballs.

Gov. Ehrlich sold the Maryland Independence on ebay for $275,100.

http://nlgroup.com/Maryland%20Independence.pdf

 

[BlackBart]

To reiterate... not talking about hunting, but about target practice.

(Although with the proper load..._)

Nobody "hunts" rays that I know of, he was adamant about shooting off of a boat. Suit yourself.