Possible spotlighter in residential neighborhood

The #1 community for Gun Owners of the Northeast

Member Benefits:

  • No ad networks!
  • Discuss all aspects of firearm ownership
  • Discuss anti-gun legislation
  • Buy, sell, and trade in the classified section
  • Chat with Local gun shops, ranges, trainers & other businesses
  • Discover free outdoor shooting areas
  • View up to date on firearm-related events
  • Share photos & video with other members
  • ...and so much more!
  • GutPile

    Ultimate Member
    Jul 4, 2016
    3,218
    Nothing illegal done yet other than seeing a spotlight a few times coming from the truck- into people's front yards and large tracts adjacent to houses. The guy seems to be targeting across the street from my friend 'The Lorax' towards a creek bottom where another neighbor has had a deer blind/feeder setup in the past. I see the same truck every evening while walking my dog doing a slow roll in a loop back and forth. Have seen lights a few times. Last weekend the guy had a stainless butcher table in the truck bed around 8PM on a Sunday evening (balco so no legal hunting). DNR hasn't even returned my phone calls. Got the tag numbers and video. Nobody slow rolls like that in loops at night unless they are up to no good. Truck does not belong to anyone in or connected to the neighborhood and others have noticed this guy too.
     

    Clark W. Griswold

    Active Member
    Oct 5, 2009
    929
    Not sure what number you called but the dispatch number is the only way to talk to someone without having to leave a message. 410-260-8888
     

    Sundazes

    My brain hurts
    MDS Supporter
    Nov 13, 2006
    21,308
    Arkham
    When I got my 14000 lumen light with a 800 meter throw, I drove around and looked for places to shine at distance. I did not hit peoples yards though.
     

    GutPile

    Ultimate Member
    Jul 4, 2016
    3,218
    Its a whole diff game when someone starts shining in your yard like that. Hasn't hit mine yet. Has the potential to piss off enough people to make it a lot harder to retain permission on neighboring properties. Calling in to nrp in am. Left vm and emailed mwc.dnr@maryland.gov Neighbor a block down had a truck stolen out of their driveway so we are def a target lately for non bambi crimes too .
     

    -Z/28-

    I wanna go fast
    Dec 6, 2011
    10,649
    Harford Co
    If you can't get NRP out, then try the county police. Shining a spot light onto people's properties and circling the area is suspicious enough behavior to warrant a response.
     

    lazarus

    Ultimate Member
    Jun 23, 2015
    13,680
    If you can't get NRP out, then try the county police. Shining a spot light onto people's properties and circling the area is suspicious enough behavior to warrant a response.

    Yup.

    1) A person or 2 or more persons together may not hunt or attempt to hunt at nighttime any species of wild bird or wild quadruped with a light, including the headlights of any vehicle, and a person may not cast the rays of any artificial light when the rays emanate from a vehicle on any woods, fields, orchards, livestock, wild animals or birds, dwellings, or buildings. The provisions of this paragraph do not apply to the normal use of headlights of a vehicle travelling on any public or private road in a normal manner, to any police, emergency or utility company vehicle using spotlights in the performance of their duties, or to any farmer or landowner on the farmer's or landowner's own or leased land using artificial lights to check on the farmer's or landowner's land, crops, livestock, or poultry. However, raccoons, fox, or opossum may be hunted on foot at nighttime during open season with the use of a dog or light, or both.

    (2) (i) In Baltimore City and Montgomery and Prince George's counties only, a person may cast the rays of an artificial light from a vehicle on woods, fields, orchards, livestock, wild animals, or wild birds for the sole purpose of observing or photographing wildlife until 9:00 p.m.

    (ii) If a person casts the rays of any artificial light under this paragraph, the person has the burden of establishing that the person was doing so for the purposes of observing or photographing wildlife.

    (iii) If a person casting artificial light under this paragraph or anyone with the person casting artificial light has a firearm or bow in the person's possession, the person shall be presumed to be in violation of paragraph (1) of this subsection.

    It’s sufficient probable cause for a search and if they’ve got a firearm or bow on them, then they be in trouble
     

    Rab1515

    Ultimate Member
    Patriot Picket
    Apr 29, 2014
    2,081
    Calvert
    Yup.

    1) A person or 2 or more persons together may not hunt or attempt to hunt at nighttime any species of wild bird or wild quadruped with a light, including the headlights of any vehicle, and a person may not cast the rays of any artificial light when the rays emanate from a vehicle on any woods, fields, orchards, livestock, wild animals or birds, dwellings, or buildings. The provisions of this paragraph do not apply to the normal use of headlights of a vehicle travelling on any public or private road in a normal manner, to any police, emergency or utility company vehicle using spotlights in the performance of their duties, or to any farmer or landowner on the farmer's or landowner's own or leased land using artificial lights to check on the farmer's or landowner's land, crops, livestock, or poultry. However, raccoons, fox, or opossum may be hunted on foot at nighttime during open season with the use of a dog or light, or both.

    (2) (i) In Baltimore City and Montgomery and Prince George's counties only, a person may cast the rays of an artificial light from a vehicle on woods, fields, orchards, livestock, wild animals, or wild birds for the sole purpose of observing or photographing wildlife until 9:00 p.m.

    (ii) If a person casts the rays of any artificial light under this paragraph, the person has the burden of establishing that the person was doing so for the purposes of observing or photographing wildlife.

    (iii) If a person casting artificial light under this paragraph or anyone with the person casting artificial light has a firearm or bow in the person's possession, the person shall be presumed to be in violation of paragraph (1) of this subsection.

    It’s sufficient probable cause for a search and if they’ve got a firearm or bow on them, then they be in trouble

    I love how a lot the hunting regulations flip the burden of proof of guilt onto the defendant, as well as essentially make it illegal to walk your property armed at night.

    On another note i saw some one spot lighting my property while camping on it, turned out it was the cops as someone called in an "abandoned vehicle" that was mine parked on the road.
     

    lazarus

    Ultimate Member
    Jun 23, 2015
    13,680
    I love how a lot the hunting regulations flip the burden of proof of guilt onto the defendant, as well as essentially make it illegal to walk your property armed at night.

    On another note i saw some one spot lighting my property while camping on it, turned out it was the cops as someone called in an "abandoned vehicle" that was mine parked on the road.

    Normally I agree. But considering the wide ranging exceptions, the burden should be that high.

    And if you are on your property, you are basically good to go. If you aren’t on your property, Maryland already doesn’t believe you should ever be armed unless you ARE hunting.

    So I think as far as Maryland is concerned, “why ARE you waking around with a gun, at night, casting rays hither and yon?”

    Many affirmative defense laws are BS, but this one sorta makes sense. It means you can be burdened with an officer demanding to know why you are acting like a poacher and you are required to tell them under the law. How often are police stopping someone under this law who aren’t acting really suspicious? I don’t honestly know. But I’ve never once in my life heard first hand, second hand or third hand of a single instance OTHER than a situation where cops actually stopped someone who was actually poaching/attempting to poach.

    I am sure there have been times totally innocent guys guilty of nothing more than seeming guilty in the eyes of an officer have gotten hemmed up by this and then had to explain to the satisfaction of the officer they weren’t up to no good. But that seems real rare. And how many guys not actually violating the spirit of the law have actually gotten charged?
     

    Rab1515

    Ultimate Member
    Patriot Picket
    Apr 29, 2014
    2,081
    Calvert
    Normally I agree. But considering the wide ranging exceptions, the burden should be that high.

    And if you are on your property, you are basically good to go. If you aren’t on your property, Maryland already doesn’t believe you should ever be armed unless you ARE hunting.

    So I think as far as Maryland is concerned, “why ARE you waking around with a gun, at night, casting rays hither and yon?”

    Many affirmative defense laws are BS, but this one sorta makes sense. It means you can be burdened with an officer demanding to know why you are acting like a poacher and you are required to tell them under the law. How often are police stopping someone under this law who aren’t acting really suspicious? I don’t honestly know. But I’ve never once in my life heard first hand, second hand or third hand of a single instance OTHER than a situation where cops actually stopped someone who was actually poaching/attempting to poach.

    I am sure there have been times totally innocent guys guilty of nothing more than seeming guilty in the eyes of an officer have gotten hemmed up by this and then had to explain to the satisfaction of the officer they weren’t up to no good. But that seems real rare. And how many guys not actually violating the spirit of the law have actually gotten charged?

    Isn't that contrary to the point of the 5th amendment? I get what the law is trying to do, but walking at armed at night on my own land, using a flashlight to see, is illegal. No buts about it, my only hope is that I won't be caught, or that I trust DNR not to charge me, and I need to waive the 5th as I am assumed guilty.

    This is getting off topic and I don't want to derail, but the interaction I had with the police was incredibly brief, all they asked me was if the car was mine, and who the registered owner was. No other questions, not even who I was, so kudos to St. Mary's county police.
     

    GutPile

    Ultimate Member
    Jul 4, 2016
    3,218
    Officer I spoke to today wants to see if they can get a decoy setup in the spot he is hanging out gazing at. I'll post updates it it makes the NRP blotter. Come see the deer and the foliage during the day. I know all of the other people that hunt the neighborhood and nobody knows this guy so it's not someone just checking out their spot.
     
    Last edited:

    lazarus

    Ultimate Member
    Jun 23, 2015
    13,680
    Isn't that contrary to the point of the 5th amendment? I get what the law is trying to do, but walking at armed at night on my own land, using a flashlight to see, is illegal. No buts about it, my only hope is that I won't be caught, or that I trust DNR not to charge me, and I need to waive the 5th as I am assumed guilty.

    This is getting off topic and I don't want to derail, but the interaction I had with the police was incredibly brief, all they asked me was if the car was mine, and who the registered owner was. No other questions, not even who I was, so kudos to St. Mary's county police.

    Not entirely. The fifth is about not being able to be compelled to give testimony against yourself. Not exactly the same as willingly giving testimony that might exonerate you. It would be more akin to looking suspicious, but then not being willing to provide an alibi. Sure, you can refuse to provide one. But unless you are guilty or the alibi might make you look guilty or implicate you in something else (maybe not criminal. Like your alibi is you were porking the neighbors wife and you don’t want to admit that and have your wife and the neighbor’s husband to find out).

    To me this is more akin to an alibi. I mean, if you don’t have a hunting implement on you you don’t fail the hunting part of the code for casting rays. If it’s from a vehicle, well most of the other reasons it would be perfectly legal are also probably pretty easy to explain. You could choose not to provide any affirmative defense and frankly the police could try to use that against you. But they’d still have to have some sort of evidence showing you ran afoul of the law. Which they probably wouldn’t really have unless you also had a hunting implement.

    I’d love to see the judge or a DA if the police evidence is someone saw a guy with a high powered flashlight shining it out their car window driving through a neighborhood. Well a search of the vehicle didn’t reveal any weapons, but the guy wouldn’t tell us what he was doing. So here we are with a citation.

    But anyway, sorry. Yeah, a bit far afield. Good luck and hopefully NRP catch the guy in the act (on a decoy)
     

    Doco Overboard

    Ultimate Member
    Nothing illegal done yet other than seeing a spotlight a few times coming from the truck- into people's front yards and large tracts adjacent to houses. The guy seems to be targeting across the street from my friend 'The Lorax' towards a creek bottom where another neighbor has had a deer blind/feeder setup in the past. I see the same truck every evening while walking my dog doing a slow roll in a loop back and forth. Have seen lights a few times. Last weekend the guy had a stainless butcher table in the truck bed around 8PM on a Sunday evening (balco so no legal hunting). DNR hasn't even returned my phone calls. Got the tag numbers and video. Nobody slow rolls like that in loops at night unless they are up to no good. Truck does not belong to anyone in or connected to the neighborhood and others have noticed this guy too.

    You should just stop him when he comes through and ask WTF are you doing?
    You lost, or looking for a mailbox or something somewhere?
     

    mpollan1

    Foxtrot Juliet Bravo
    MDS Supporter
    Sep 26, 2012
    6,559
    Мэриленд
    Officer I spoke to today wants to see if they can get a decoy setup in the spot he is hanging out gazing at. I'll post updates it it makes the NRP blotter. Come see the deer and the foliage during the day. I know all of the other people that hunt the neighborhood and nobody knows this guy so it's not someone just checking out their spot.

    North Woods Law stuff right there. Hope they nail him. Poachers suck!
     

    GutPile

    Ultimate Member
    Jul 4, 2016
    3,218
    North Woods Law stuff right there. Hope they nail him. Poachers suck!

    Yup. They setup a trap for him around 7 in my driveway. 2 trucks ready to pounce. Went to walk gut pupper and my neighbor emailed and said he saw him slow rolling a few times around 6:30. I was in a tree then trying to get a 3 pointer to leave so i could get down. He was hell bent on destroying the tree in front of my stand and finally just made him move when i lowered my bow.
     
    May 13, 2005
    2,769
    I'm interpreting P1 to mean...If you are a landowner and are checking on your land, you are exempt from paragraph 1, regardless of whether you have a firearm in your possession. Yes?

    If not then none of the excepted persons, including LEO are exempt. Lol
     

    GutPile

    Ultimate Member
    Jul 4, 2016
    3,218

    Attachments

    • AB2D4A52-8673-4F48-949C-FDDF945A6559.jpg
      AB2D4A52-8673-4F48-949C-FDDF945A6559.jpg
      38.5 KB · Views: 213

    Users who are viewing this thread

    Latest posts

    Forum statistics

    Threads
    274,937
    Messages
    7,259,625
    Members
    33,350
    Latest member
    Rotorboater

    Latest threads

    Top Bottom