Cannot believe this! I was just on my way home from town when a car in front of me stopped (in the road of course) and the driver got out, knelt by the side of the road and took two shots into a neighbor's field at a disappearing deer. When I asked them if they were aware of the fact that A) there was a horse pasture behind the field they were shooting into and B) IT'S ILLEGAL TO SHOOT FROM THE ROAD OR A CAR!!! they seemed stunned that I would have said anything. C'mon! I'm fully in favor of hunting and support people's right to hunt on un posted land, but to blindly shoot into a field where they don't know the lay of the land is just irresponsible. Please keep an eye out during hunting season and report heater hunters to the game warden (of course I was so irate that I failed to get their license plate number...I'm sure they will be cruising this road often though).

Thanks for the rant!

Think snow!

Good thing you weren't wearing your white mittens.

And too bad you didn't get the plate number.

I think you should call it in to the state police, with as much info you can about the car.

I grew up hunting, and knew then and know now, that some people shouldn't be allowed to have guns.

If they are shooting from the road, I think that is against the law, everywhere. Certainly was, in NY. I've not checked that, here. Anyone else know?

As gotamagal stated in his post, it is definately illegal to shoot from the road in Vermont. Methinks the Dept of F&G need to bring out the robo-deer to catch these idiots in the act.

I highly suggest that if you see hunters commiting similar agregious violations, right down their plate number and report it to VF&G, but do not confront them as that at the very least is very risky business.

Hey, It was OK for the Vice President of the UUU-nited States....THE leader of the free world....

What.....?.

You mean the Vice President isn't the leader of the free world?

i can infer what heater hunter means but why is it referred to that way (a flatlander is curious)

mikec13 wrote:

i can infer what heater hunter means but why is it referred to that way (a flatlander is curious)

because the lazy guy sits in his truck while the heater is on, and cruises the road, "road" hunting while the rest of us true VT hunters freeze our butts off in the woods following tracks, deer sign, and waiting for the deer silently just as our ancestors did.

As for hunting like that, the guy was definately out of line! ugh.. I hate it when idiots make the rest of us responsible people look stupid!

(note: I grew up hunting at the family farm near Pomfret, VT, but I don't hunt anymore due to my new location in NH)

Dave

According to some local hunters, it is legal to hunt from the road as long as you are 10 feet off the center line. Kneeling in the dirt on the side of the road as this GIRL did, is certainly not 10 feet off (at least on this particular road). Yup, heater hunters are those who are too lazy to get out of their cars or trucks and hunt like real hunters. It's a bummer because I think that the majority of hunters out there are responsbile and are doing a good job managing the deer herd.

I was surprised at that limit. The real limit is 10' from the road, not the center line. Hunting laws

If I remember correctly, it was a lot stricter in NY, when I grew up. I think it was 100' from the road.

But Tom Lehrer's Hunter's Song says it best.

"People ask me how I do it, and I say there's nothing to it. I just stand there looking cute. And when something moves... I shoot. And there's 10 stuffed heads in my trophy room right now. 2 game wardens 7 hunters and a cow."

Lostone wrote:

I was surprised at that limit. The real limit is 10' from the road, not the center line. Hunting laws "

Hmmmmm?
I always thought it was 500 feet from a road or a dwelling.

Long time since I heard any Tom Lehrer. Day like today we could be "Poisoning pidgeons in the park".