Need some opinions

[Whiskers]

I need some opinions here, and since some of you guys are pretty opioniated, I figure this is the place to ask.
The hunting club I belong to in New Gretna,New Jersey has a 100 yard rifle, pistol range. We have hunting members that have full use of the facilities, and we have range members (four of them) that only have range use. The archery range is right beside the rifle range. The Archery range consists of one tree stand, and you supply the targets. The tree stand is about 50 yards down the range off to the right. Today, I arrived and no one was there, I started shooting my bow, and a car pulled into the lot. As I am shooting this guy Forest Stiles, the local NRA representative (and range member only) walks down range, and starts putting targets up. I figured he was going to wait until I left, to start shooting. He walked up the range to the last bench almost 100 yards. I came down to retreive my arrows, went back up in the stand, bang, bang, bang. This guy is shooting a semi-auto weapon right past me, off hand! I flipped out!!! I asked him if he didin't see me? He said YEA, I see you, your plenty far away. I told him to quit shooting. Broke out my tape measure, and measured from where I was standing to his lane of fire...10ft. I called this guy every name I could think of trying to get him to come after me. I called his wife names, I question his parentage. I questioned his sexual orientation. I haven't wanted to hit someone so bad, in a long time. I was so mad, I got sick to my stomach. My question is, should I give the club the alternative of throwing him out, or me quitting, or should I just quit. Or am I overreacting?
By the way, my dues is $350 a year and his is $100 a year.

 

[noharleyyet]

He would be dismissed with prejudice from our range...no question about it.

 

[danr55]

I bet the range has rules about shooting firearms while someone is in the archery lane. If it doesn't, it should given the proximity. If they don't have any rules, then look out for your own safety and quit. If they do have rules and he broke them, then cut him off.

In either event, to answer your question, NO! you did not over react. I don't know that I would have waited for him to hit me. I think you showed outstanding restraint.

 

[DRAFTSTUD]

Plain and simple, ask just what this club is worth, because you will be the owner if that yahoo shows his ass around there again. What he did was not target practice, what he did was endanger your life and if they don't get that message, then you have no business being involved with people like that! John

 

[mtmiller]

Sounds like they need to move the archery range away from the gun range so this doesn't happen in the future. Also sounds like the guys fugged up and he should be made aware that this will not happen again or he will be gone. I don't see any relevance in the difference in dues as to who has the "right-of'way".

By the way, I may be pissed at a guy, but I will not question his sexuality when he is holding a gun and my arrows are sticking in a target.

 

[Whiskers]

mtmiller, we are in New Jersey, we don't have alot of room to move the archery range too. All of our space is taken up by the trap range, turkey shoot range (which brings in most of our income) and the rifle range. No relevance in dues to who has the right of way...which member would they just soon loose. His gun was on the bench, when I questioned his pole smoking abilities.

 

[mtmiller]

OK, then I would kick his ass, beat his dog, reimburse him $100 and tell him never to come back. Seems to me you feel you did the right thing and are looking for a pat on the back. Fine, everyone reacts differently and it sounds like most agree with what you did.

I think I would have handled the situation differently, though it doesn't mean my way is right and your is wrong.

Ah hell, maybe I would have kicked his ass. Sounds like he was a "left wing kook" anyway.

No relevance in dues to who has the right of way...which member would they just soon loose.

The person who is in the wrong, with no bearing on who pays more $$$.

 

[Tom]

The range needs rules, you were there first. If you're 10 ft to the right, that's the archery range, he was at a rifle spot, then you both should work together. Go down range together, not shoot, so as to disturb each other. An archery shooter should not have to wear earplugs, except maybe there? Your club needs more rules, I think.

 

[Elkhunter]

The range needs rules if they do already have them. At the range here, no one is allowed to even hold their gun, and all actions must be open, whenever anyone is downrange. It is strickly enforced and if you don't like it, you will not shoot there, period. I do not think that you over reacted at all.

 

[Delw]

I agree with tom and mt.

The range needs rules , maybe shut the rifle range down when people are using the archery ranger or set up some knda flags.

what bothers me the most is that the guy knew you where there( if he had said he didnt I would say its your fault) but since he did. I would have shoved a xx75 camo up his ass then put out all four of his tires, tied him to a tree upside down buck nekid and let the squirrels play with his nuts.

Delw

 

[Nut]

I would have done a double lung shot on him if I had broadheads. :BLEEP:


or I would have meekly left the area.....dont take a bow to a gun fight....


or ...I dont really know.

 

[Erik in AK]

Report him to the NRA/ILA State Director and the National HQ

 

[Steiny]

Amazes me all the time that people that darned stupid are allowed to purchase guns. I have seen similar stupid stuff at my range as well.

One time these dudes were sighting in a slug gun on the 50 yard range and didn't have any binos or scope, so one stood down range 10 yards or so left of the target, calling his buddies shot placement for him. I didn't get out of the truck that day, just turned around and left.

Now days, I take charge when someone else shows up. I go over introduce myself, and talk about what we'll be doing before they start shooting. Somebody has to train these guys.

Also amazes me what pigs some guys are. They bring all kinds of junk to use for targets, leave most of it laying, leave their brass scattered all over, and generally make a big mess. I generally do a clean up session every trip out there. There are three or four trash barrels right there too. They could burn their trash & pitch their brass, no sweat.

 

[wilecoyote76]

I would have put my archery target 10 ft away from him and started shooting away..... I think he'd get the picture in a quick hurry. Tables are turned and now he is the one being shot at. Some people's kids I swear................

 

[Whiskers]

mtmiller, I ain lookin for a pat on the back! I was just curious to how others felt, sometimes (most of the time) I have a tendency to overreact.
I did write a report, and leave it on the counter at the club. I will be at the next meeting.
Shooting towards him, would have been just as wrong, as him shooting towards me. I did want him to take a swing at me tho. I even thought about calling the Game Warden, they are the ones responsible for licensing private ranges, but figured that would cause more grief than good. I am going to write a letter to NRA, and ask them to send Eddie Eagle to Stiles residence.

 

[Gunner46]

Screw all this dribble!!!!

Next time you see the B@$t@rd, walk right up and clock him a gooood one, HARD!!! (If other members are present, so much the better).

Then say something like " If you EVER shot towards me again MF'R, I'll return fire, and "I don't intend to miss, a$$ hole. GET IT ?" .........

Kick something, Break a couple of minor furniture items, swear some more, and generally astonish everyone, then tell the F&c#r, if you ever see him again, you'll remind him of the rules.

End of problem.

Course, that's just me, I have a slight tendency, small, of expressing my dissatisfaction with certain situations.

 

[Whiskers]

Gunner I used to react like that, but after a couple of trips to the gray bar hotel, and huge fines, and one tremendous Dr bill, I quit handling my grievances that way. Oh yea the judge said something about a prison farm.

 

[Nut]

Let us know how the next meeting turns out.

 

[noharleyyet]

Stiles (an NRA rep.???) broke one of the most serious rules of firearm safety as well as exhibiting complete loss of common sense. Without a fulltime rangemaster, it is incumbent upon the members to self enforce. This guy needs to go...period.
I know you said you had limited space but that sounds like a terrible layout Whiskers. When the archery set up is in use, the rifle benches should be closed or, better yet, disabled...& vice versa.

Steiny: I agree w/ you about slobs & bubba shooters....leaving their targets or shooting the baffles & baffle support posts...pistol shooting bubbas are the worst.

 

[Whiskers]

NoHarley, I guess for one idiot we could put a sign up range closed, when one guy is shooting on the archery range. But an idiot like that would ignore the sign, because he still sees nothing wrong with what he did. He talked to another member yesterday, and told him how unreasonable I was. Sam told him, he would probably loose his range privileges at the next meeting.
99% of our members all 46 of em, are pretty good guys, and practice good gun and bow safety. Our officers don't put up with too much shit. With the way people sue today, anything happens on that range, guess who is gonna get sued, yep, the board members. Its the board that makes the rules, and allows who can be a member or not. They are fully aware of this, and point out all the time, they ain loosing their homes, businesses, over some asshole.