Shooting Bows and pellet guns within a 1/4 mile of a building

[wayno945]

I was just reading through the regs and I couldn't find anything about shooting bows or pellet guns within 1/4 mile of a building. Is it legal?

[Scooter]

Archery equipment, I'm 98% sure it is 200 yards minimum distance. Pellet guns (listed more commonly in the regs as pneumatic weapons) fall under the same guidelines as any other firearm where it can be used as a legal implement for hunting. Of course local ordinances may apply on top of any state laws.

[wayno945]

I only saw a reference to 30 caliber or larger.

 

“Firearm” means any loaded or unloaded handgun, pistol,

revolver, rifle, shotgun or other weapon that will

discharge, is designed to discharge or may readily

be converted to discharge a projectile by the action

of an explosion caused by the burning of smokeless

powder, black powder, or black powder substitute.

 

 

h. Discharge a pneumatic weapon .30 caliber or

larger while taking wildlife within one-fourth

mile of an occupied farmhouse or other

residence, cabin, lodge or building without permission

of the owner or resident.

[trphyhntr]

i called AZGFD about this, and you all know how that goes. talk to 3 different people and get 3 different answers but they told me 1/4 mile even with a bow

[DUG]

There is no distance for a bow. G&F says just don't piss off your neighbor or let the deer die in an unfriendly neighbors yard.

[123456]

What Dug said above is true, however I heard from a friend of mine, that is a game warden, that they changed the verbage this year to, " no HUNTING within a 1/4 mile of an occupied structure" He told me they put this in place for the Metro units mainly. I have not even looked to see if this is the case, but I have to believe him.

 

In the past it has always been no "shooting" now they have changed it to "hunting" to include archery and other methods of take that are not considered firearms. I am not a 100% on this, just relaying what I have heard from a warden buddy of mine.

[azgutpile]

The only restrictions that I'm aware of regarding shooting a bow or air rifle are in place at the city level.

[Curtis Reed]

You have to check with city ordinances too. I believe at one time shooting a bow in the City of Surprise was illegal or was a proposed ordinance that didn't pass. I can't remember which

[125coues]

I have seen a sign placed on a fence in the Prescott Valley area that states no hunting with in 1/4 mile and at the same time I saw a game manager using a range finder to check the yardage of a speed goat hunter sitting in a ground blind .after he ranged him he walked out to the blind and gave the guy a ticket for hunting to close .the hunter was only 200 yards from the sign.

[mklong40]

I shoot in my backyard all the time and technically I am in city limits down here in Tucson. One time, several years ago, someone called the cops on me. The police showed up and said they could do nothing about me shooting in my backyard. They said the only reason why they responded to the call was so the neighbor knew they talked to me. I was doing nothing illegal. Since then, they all know I shoot and there has never been a problem since.

[123456]

I have seen a sign placed on a fence in the Prescott Valley area that states no hunting with in 1/4 mile and at the same time I saw a game manager using a range finder to check the yardage of a speed goat hunter sitting in a ground blind .after he ranged him he walked out to the blind and gave the guy a ticket for hunting to close .the hunter was only 200 yards from the sign.

I know that as of the last 19a archery goat hunt, it was not illegal to shoot a bow within a 1/4 mile of a residence. The city of Prescott had voted to pass an ordinance against this, and they put up signs saying it was illegal. I spoke the the game warden on that hunt, and she told me that in 19a, those sings mean nothing. That the laws that AZGFD got passed regarding all "M" units a few years back when they came out with the new "M" unit maps, became the law of the land. Basically stating that AGFD now had ALL jurisdiction on hunting within city limits. As far as target shooting, that may be a different story.

 

As I posted above, I heard the law changed this year again regarding the "M" units only. I have yet to officially read that though.

[125coues]

when I saw this it was many years ago

do not know of any new laws about it

maybe next time i travel up there i will go see if the sign is still posted