An Interesting Afternoon At The Range......

[Don L]

While I was helping Roger out at BPR today, a guy came in wearing a Glock in a OWB holster, and his 12 year old has a Ruger .22 in a OWB as well! We couldn't believe it! About the kid carrying, the dad said that "It's legal as long as it's exposed". When we all vigorusly shook our heads, he asked if we wanted the kid to take the holster off. Of course we did. Then, after he paid and went into the bay, he had the kid put it back on again! I ran in and asked "What are you doing?" He answered, "It's Ok as long as he's in here". Well, that changed in a big hurry! With that, and the "little chat" we had about target placement, he wasn't too happy with how his trip to the range was going. Hopefully, he won't be back soon.

[JoeH]

What was the target placement issue?

PS. I wonder if they stopped for a drink on the way home too!

[mnglocker]

What was the target placement issue?

PS. I wonder if they stopped for a drink on the way home too!

[JoeH]

Well, he's breaking the kid in early. I assume that it won't end with the gun.

Did you see who drove?

[ttousi]

good grief.............makes you wonder if dad even has a permit............. if so, he obviously slept through part of his permit class.

[justaguy]

What was the target placement issue?

PS. I wonder if they stopped for a drink on the way home too!

This isn’t Wisconsin. They wouldn’t serve him in a bar but when he got home they probably had some cold ones while cleaning the guns.

I will guess that he was putting the targets to close to the carrier. Instead of putting them 6 inches down on the cardboard backer.

[Don L]

The dad had the targets too high in the carrier. With the angle the kid would have been shooting at, the rounds would have ended up in the ceiling. With "hindsight being 20-20", I could have asked the dad if he had a carry permit. I felt sorry for the kid-he was in the middle of the whole thing.

[TC95GT]

At least your getting hazardous duty pay.

[Andrew Rothman]

Then, after he paid and went into the bay, he had the kid put it back on again! I ran in and asked "What are you doing?" He answered, "It's Ok as long as he's in here".

Must be a range rule against that? What is the age limit for wearing a holster in the bay?

[Don L]

I believe the minimum age for kids with holsters is 13, and the minimum age for kids shooting large caliber handguns is 9. I'll need to double check on both of those, though!

[Squib Joe]

Really too bad. I feel sorry for the kid.

[cobb]

Really too bad. I feel sorry for the kid.

I remember a mother of a young man taking a DNR Firearm Safety class many years ago. After the first class she pulled a couple of us aside and wanted to know if we could do anything about the young man's father, the parents were divorced. She said that she new the father was doing all sorts of things that was against the law when it came to hunting. I gave here some names and telephone numbers to call, I didn't know of anything that I could do, I never witness any of the so called violations. During the course of the class, the young man was seriously surprised at some of the information that we presented and would ask specific questions to verify what we were saying. I know, just from the questions and the confused look on the young mans face that there were multiple game laws being broke, like the question to verify that it was illegal to shoot out of a truck window even if the vehicle was fully stopped and on the edge of the road.

I talked to the mother a couple classes later, she did call the DNR and was put in touch with others in the DNR to investigate this. I just hope that the young man was not there when things went bad for the A hole father, but I never found out.

So sad.......

[1911fan]

My nephew brought a kid with him to hunting camp, we talked about it and it was clear he had hunted a lot and he was well versed in gun handling and none of it was new, that is until he hammered three hen pheasants in a row, which were all called out by others well before the shot. He too, was profoundly shaken to understand that his dad and grandfather were game scofflaws. He said his Dad shot any pheasant hen or rooster, and pretty much the same with ducks and geese. It was an uncomfortable ride home when he asked what he should do...

[mrmuko]

speaking of hen phesants, I found this in the Minnesota Statutes but it is not in the DNR Hunting handbook.

97B.715 PHEASANTS.
Subdivision 1. Stamp required. (a) Except as provided in paragraph (b) or section 97A.405,
subdivision 2 , a person required to possess a small game license may not hunt pheasants without a
pheasant stamp validation.
(b) The following persons are exempt from this subdivision:
(1) residents under age 18 or over age 65;
(2) persons hunting on licensed commercial shooting preserves; and
(3) resident disabled veterans with a license issued under section 97A.441, subdivision 6a.
Subd. 2. Daily and possession hen pheasant limits. A person may not take more than one
hen pheasant in one day or possess more than two hen pheasants.
Subd. 3. Hunting hours. A person may not take pheasants between the evening time that the
commissioner establishes by rule and 9:00 a.m.
History: 1986 c 386 art 2 s 60; 1988 c 588 s 7; 1991 c 259 s 23; 1997 c 216 s 85; 2002 c
323 s 13; 2007 c 57 art 1 s 99

So can you take a hen pheasant as long as you are within your limit? I have not done this, but it was brought to my attention.

[1911fan]

In our group it is JUST NOT DONE> shooting the hens drastically reduces the next year crop size.