Common sense should prevail....set up some rules them make sure everyone understands. Some folks just need to be told.

Some of y'all are pretty tough. IMO, common courtesy should be given. For the rifle only hunters, would you care if people were shooting near your stand during prime hunting time?

I don't care what season it is, if you don't want it to happen while you are in your stand, don't do it while someone else is in theirs.

We are lucky to have a fairly large ranch. We allow dove hunting when the seasons overlap with deer, but deer hunters have priority and dove hunters have to work around them. We have a gravel pit set up for target practice. No need to be shooting, just to shoot on the rest of the ranch, especially during prime hunting time.

Some get on a lease to play, others get on a lease to actually hunt.

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He was not even there when the rabbit was shot by the second kid. And I think he said the other kid shooting a pistol with his father took place in camp, not near his stand.. Still I agree with you if it is that kind of lease. But on a family type lease where you have new members who don't bowhunt and you know they are going to bring their kids to the lease and then no one communicates rules or there are no rules, I think a kid spending time shooting with his father in camp and another father letting his kid shoot a rabbit when no one else is there are fairly predictable events.

I agree. If no one is there, the shooting wouldn't bother me. Our place is a family friendly place and there are guys (including me) that have spotlighted rabbits at night during hunting season.

If there are no rules about it, and no one was there, I don't see one thing wrong with the rabbit being shot.

As far as shooting in camp, we really don't want loaded guns and target practice in camp. To much risk, that is why we have a designated spot they can shoot all they want.

On our lease for safety we made a designated spot for sighting in rifles. It is a 100 yard range with a covered bench and stool and a target stand. The covered bench is on the side of camp where we all know if anyone is shooting. Most gun ranges have a clubhouse no farther away than our range is from my camper.

It isn't the noise we worry about. At times, we have kids of all ages that can be running around or on 4 wheelers. Just assume the gun fire be away since kids aren't always aware of their surroundings.

Our lease rules only allow 4 wheelers on designated roads and roads to stands. No running around off road. This is the landowner's rule. but I could see this post as being about two kids riding atvs around the lease while someone is bowhunting too. It boils down to common sense. Set rules whatever they may be that everyone knows before they sign on or that everyone agrees to for safety and courtesy to others. Otherwise situations like presented by the poster will happen every time with both sides thinking the other is being unreasonable.

Written rules go along way. I think it is important for all parties to be aware of the expectations so there aren't any surprises.

Ok, we had this nice fun dialog. I am curious now. How about the background on the lease rofd1374. Written rules? Anything about shooting during bow season? Or is the question based entirely on assumed courtesy?

My stand at my inlaws is less than a kilometer away as the crow flies. we shoot guns and all kinds of nonsense and I still have deer coming to my feeder while they are shooting. Deer get used to it as long as they are not pressured at YOUR area. you might even create a little safe haven for them by not rifle hunting and blasting in you area.

Thanks guys I was just wanting everyone's thoughts and we have rules an everyone signs etc . And yet there is nothing that states no gun firing once bow season starts . But never in the past have we had a problem being common curtisty of ones hunting . But we do have all new set of guys on lease and maybe if we feel it's goin to be a problem maybe it needs to be in written rules in future . If all agreed on. I know now hunters shouldn't have more say so I agree . But again it's common curtisty that rifle hunter wouldn't want someone blasting away while they are hunting so should be same as while bow hunting. Again I see and agree with alots of what y'all are saying .

I'd be frustrated, but I'd ask if they were given a rules sheet ahead of time stating that what they did was impermissible.

If they weren't, I have a hard time blaming a father for letting his son shoot rabbits, squirrels, etc.

And as far as scaring the deer, one of my neighbors used to intentionally shoot his pistol during bow season to piss me off. My place was a long, narrow tract, so it was pretty close as the crow flies. I had bucks eating at my bow stand while the shooting was going on once and they didn't even flinch.

It was inconsiderate but I wouldn't hold it against them too long. I think it's distasteful people think the deer lease is a gun range anyhow. Sight in and play with your guns at a range. Most deer leases are not set up to have a good safe back stop or means to keep firing lanes clear of people or vehicles either. All around it's just not a good thing IMHO.

Depends a lot on the size of the lease. Either way, they probably be shooting while other members are in the field hunting. For safety sake anyway. Never know when someone's ATV or truck wouldn't start and they have to walk into camp while someone is blasting away. Might not be safe.

Maybe encourage members to save target shooting and plinking for mid-day when everyone is out of the field.

Jaw-jaw is better than war-war. If the bowhunters calmly request that the shooting be suspended during archery season, I believe 99% of all lease members will voluntarily stop shooting....as a matter of courtesy and respect, even if they don't necessarily agree.

"Do unto others as you would have them do unto you." Most of us don't need written rules just to enforce something that should be innate in the fiber of our being.

I don't think not letting a little boy shoot a squirrel is "innate in the fiber of our being".

Quite the contrary, actually.

As most have said, depends on the rules. I can see both sides as I was a kid once too but I like peace and quiet while deer hunting.

I have my own place. I bring friends hunting all the time. Their kids are welcome during the off season to hog hunt, shoot, ride 4 wheelers, whatever.
But after a few instances like you describe I don't allow kids during bow season at all or until after Thanksgiving during rifle season. Again, I like peace and quiet.....

I think your analogy is flawed!

"Do unto others"......hasn't got a thing to do with whether a little boy gets to shoot a squirrel. One cannot forget the "...as you would have them do unto you" part. There's a time & place for everything and kids should be taught accordingly, even if it means saying "no" or "not now" occasionaly. I'm not currently hunting with a bow but if I was I'd be a little upset at the situation. In our case we don't shoot firearms during bow season if someone is hunting and we don't target practice during optimal hunting hours.

IMHO A knowlegeable parent & hunter who practices the "golden rule" should not even think about allowing his kids to shoot anything during bow season on a private lease until he knows for sure there is no one hunting. He probably should've been there well before bow season or waited until gun season was open. Of course I would agree that he needs to know there are bow hunters on the lease, but then again if he were a conscientous hunter he would've or should've asked before letting it happen.

On our lease we all get along, and don't have rules other than what the land owner has stated.
It's a good lease and a pleasure to go there and do what we want, but then again we are courteous to one another.
Sounds like I would be very unhappy hunting on most leases already mentioned.

If you have established rules, then follow those rules. If you don't have rules established, then you may need to discuss them with the new hunters.

But, like stated, if people get on a lease where you can fire some 22's and some shotguns around camp, and then you want to prevent that, it might be too late to force those rules. I agree that I don't like activity in and around my hunting stands, also. In the past, we have stated that once bow season starts, casual shooting and ATV and cycles (around the lease) stops.

I would be pissed. If I wasn't bow hunting and there were others out there then I wouldn't dare shoot a gun or leave the camp site other than to go home or the store. That's called common courtesy and I would appreciate and expect the same treatment.

As a general rule on a lease you should hold others in higher regard than you hold yourself. If everyone would think that way then there would be no problems. Also why it is best to have rules set up prior to hunting season.

Hunting lease, others should respect those who are there to actually hunt. They wouldn't want you blasting away while they are in the blinds during the gun season so they shouldn't be doing it while you are bow hunting. A little common sense can go a long ways. I would have been upset too.

This also goes back to something I said early in the thread. If you are a bowhunter, look for a lease where everyone bowhunts. If you not a bowhunter, look for a lease where everyone does not bowhunt. If you don't have kids don't get on a lease where everyone else is bringing kids. If your an old guy, don't get on a lease with a bunch of young guys, and so on. If most on the lease don't bowhunt, the lone bowhunter telling the majority with kids that their kids have to stay in camp and not make any noise could be taken as discourteous to the kids. And people do tend to get very defensive when it concerns their kids. I would be tactful in how you present it, especially if there is only a couple bowhunters in the group. I know on my lease as the lone bowhunter if I tried to involk a rule of no shooting during bow season, after season I would probably be politely told my time on the lease was over. I enjoy my lease and enjoy who I hunt with, so I go with the majority and with our designated range safely in camp that is in a visibly open area with a safe backstop and not out in the hunting area, smart enough not to put up a bowstand in the areas we hunt small game and dove, and so no one shooting around my bowstand, it is not a problem anyway.