Legality of Shooting From a Boat?

[kmk1012]

I had a weird thought at work today while discussing with my coworker about shooting while in a boat. Is it legal? Say, if you were way away from any one, beached a boat, set up targets and went back out onto the water. We weren't sure about the legality of it, I'm not wanting to do this, just was curious. Anyone here do anything like that?

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[Flopsweat]

I had a weird thought at work today while discussing with my coworker about shooting while in a boat. Is it legal? Say, if you were way away from any one, beached a boat, set up targets and went back out onto the water. We weren't sure about the legality of it, I'm not wanting to do this, just was curious. Anyone here do anything like that?

I remember at least one state I lived in prohibited shooting "over or across a body of water" or somesuch. So you might do a search for that.

 

[RVTECH]

I BELIEVE the law is You cannot shoot anything but a shogun over water ANYWHERE in Oregon.

 

[osprey]

In Wa It is legal to hunt ducks and maybe other game from a vessel as long is it is not underway. I would think if the situation was safe target shooting would be allowed from non moving boat. As you can imagine shooting from a rocking boat with any kind of precision is difficult.

 

[bionic knees]

the only thing I see in the Oregon regs about boats is that you can not shoot game animals from a boat while it is moving, either from a sail or motor power.

 

[kmk1012]

Wow, lots of responses already. We weren't interested in actually shooting but couldn't find a definitive answer as to whether we "could".

 

[s1xty7]

Two things come to mind, regardless of legality:

1) Ricochets can happen off of water, like skipping a rock. Gotta be careful. Here's a video showing this:

2) Be careful with guns on a boat. It's a good way to lose them!

 

[Member 34319]

I always wondered how far out into the ocean you'd have to be to start.

 

[osprey]

I have shot trap off my boat several times in The SJ Islands with the Coast guards blessings. You just have to pick safe locations. Learned that trick from a couple of the super yachts that cruise the area.

 

[TTSX]

I imagine this is just another law the hunting community will largely ignore when a convenient game animal is around. Just like road hunters who shoot deer/elk/turkey on the road, FROM the road, with their engine running and driver door wide open

 

[po18guy]

In the 1980s, there was a freak accident in which a fishing boat captain was shooting at a shark with a .303 British Enfield IIRC. The bullet ricocheted off the water and eventually passed through the open window of a car driven by a girl along a coastal highway. She died and the captain was charged. So...

 

[pharmseller]

I imagine this is just another law the hunting community will largely ignore when a convenient game animal is around. Just like road hunters who shoot deer/elk/turkey on the road, FROM the road, with their engine running and driver door wide open

Nah, we shut the car off, the vibration from the engine affects accuracy.

I thought everybody knew that.

 

[ma96782]

I always wanted to/had dreams about (what if)......
Start your viewing at about 3:54

Yup......Full auto is MORE FUN (effective here).

Note: it was to save a life.

Then.......
I once asked a boat owner about it. He said "NO". He didn't want any mistakes "Like, accidently shooting a hole in his boat". Yeah.......I see his point.

Aloha, Mark

PS.....Yup, sharks live in the ocean. Sweet Dreams.

 

[DirectDrive]

In Wa It is legal to hunt ducks and maybe other game from a vessel as long is it is not underway. I would think if the situation was safe target shooting would be allowed from non moving boat. As you can imagine shooting from a rocking boat with any kind of precision is difficult.

This ^^^
Duck hunters routinely shoot from floating blinds (boats).

 

[RVTECH]

From the US Forest Service site:

When on Forest Service land remember that:

• Shooting across bodies of water or a Forest Service road is prohibited.

*This will no doubt apply to MOST 'bodies' of water (inland) as MOST will be on the NF.

 

[RVTECH]

Note: it was to save a life.

Well, in the fictitious sense of being a movie.

And pretty 'cheesy' at that.

 

[ma96782]

Well, in the fictitious sense of being a movie.

And pretty 'cheesy' at that.

Actually.....personally.....
I don't have a problem with the "culling" of the shark population. Especially, when a person is attacked close into shore. But, that's me.

Today, yeah.....it's not P.C. Whatever.

Aloha, Mark

PS....speaking of sharks. Feeding of sharks to bring them closer into shore.

Rrrrrright........IMHO.......that practice should be outlawed.

 

[ma96782]

RE: Culling sharks.

Why?

I remember this incident from when I was stationed at the Wahiawa Police Station.

https://sharkattackfile.net/spreadsheets/pdf_directory/1992.02.19%20-%20Adona.pdf

Aloha, Mark

 

[OldBroad44]

Friends--Please don't use balloons as targets unless you remove every bit of broken balloon afterwards. Ducks, domestic or wild, can gobble up the broken balloon, probably thinking its a delicious slug or worm or fish. The result is a slow painful death for the duck from having its intestinal tract blocked by the balloon fragment. (Whether balloon fragments get ingested by other birds or wildlife I don't know.)

 

[Catfishmoon]

My guess is also that in Washington state, a small jon type boat can be camouflaged and used while stationary as a blind for hunting waterfowl..
But laws change and vary by region, I would research beforehand.