Boatless Fishing Forum, Reports, Info

I was out there Sunday 2/15/15 with my dad, fishing was very slow due to the cold front not much action at all. There were tons of people target shooting all sorts of guns. Is this legal? Does FWC care ? I want to go back out there and fish and shoot all day next time but I also don't want a felony. There were so many people shooting guns out there I can't imagine them arresting everyone lol.

Chit why pay the range $$ when I can just buy more ammo. I want to set up a 1/2" steel gong on a stand out there to shoot the SCAR17 at. Anyone go out there?

its a WMA area, and allowed to hunt. google for details. i use a similiar WMA in Miami to shoot my guns/riffles..love it,

I did google it and couldn't find anything about target shooting. Thanks for your response.

Found it thanks

LINESIDER wrote:its a WMA area, and allowed to hunt. google for details. i use a similiar WMA in Miami to shoot my guns/riffles..love it,

If you're ever looking for someone to shoot with or other guns to fire off shoot me a PM.

Same here... I do my shooting in Francis S. Taylor WMA and a few places in ENP

Have not been out there in years, but I know you can't have firearms out there when its not hunting season. Unless they have changed the regs. I did lots of duck hunting at HL in years past, before they created all the STAs.

http://mygovhelp.info/FLFWC/_cs/AnswerD ... D=&aid=321

I take it as legal

The FWC cannot give express permission to enter or access any property other than that managed by the Commission. Target practice or shooting skeet on a FWC Wildlife Management Area (WMA) is always discouraged for safety reasons. Target practice and random discharge of firearms increasingly threatens the quality of the hunting experience and can be dangerous on these multi-use areas. Area users are asked not to discharge firearms at anything other than legal game while in a WMA. The discharge of a firearm outside of periods open to hunting or in areas closed to hunting is prohibited per s. 790.15 F.S.

To determine if you can access or shoot in other areas, you will need to find out who owns or manages the area and ask them what rules or restrictions apply there. City, county, state and federal regulations may all apply depending on the area. Public or private land that is not posted or fenced, including certain beaches and water bodies, may be managed to limit public access or the activities allowed there. You can research the land records at the local county property appraiser's office to determine ownership and/or identify the managing public entity (city, county, state, or other agency).

Target practice on or over the water is never safe. A rifle bullet will ricochet off the surface of the water. In addition to the safety aspect, throwing bottles, cans, and other debris in the water to shoot is littering. Some municipalities have regulations that prohibit the discharge of firearms for any reason or limit activities allowed within their boundaries, including certain bays or harbors. Contact local authorities (sheriff and police) to find out about local restrictions and restricted areas such as military institutions, power plants, state or federal parks or refuges, or other areas where firearms are not allowed.

It is a felony (5 years imprisonment, $5000 fine, or both) to shoot over or across someone else's land without permission, even if there is no house or other structure.

That's the FWC saying no target shooting in a nice way. HB 45 changed some rules so the language changed. Dragging all that gear out there, finding a good backstop, probably pissing off a few hunters, not worth it. Also, shooting anywhere in ENP is highly illegal.

Pops is a nice rang and less stress.

Leadslinger wrote:Also, shooting anywhere in ENP is highly illegal.

My bad I ment to say southern glades, right on the border of ENP like by c-111 but not actually in the federal land..... Yet they did pass federal regulations though that made it legal to bring guns into any federal park so I don't think if you fired off a couple of shots in the park it would be a big deal only if you were poaching animals

I use to go out shooting with a buddy South of Homestead Speedway. I never liked doing it, but then again I never came across a FWC officer or a regular cop for that matter. I was never a big fan of shooting out there due to all the cats on ATV's...but I really stopped going because too many assholes were shooting the concrete power poles and I kid you not, almost brought one down. Gotta love Miami, there's always someone out there ruining all the fun for us responsible sportsmen!

Hear here

vetoe wrote:I use to go out shooting with a buddy South of Homestead Speedway. I never liked doing it, but then again I never came across a FWC officer or a regular cop for that matter. I was never a big fan of shooting out there due to all the cats on ATV's...but I really stopped going because too many assholes were shooting the concrete power poles and I kid you not, almost brought one down. Gotta love Miami, there's always someone out there ruining all the fun for us responsible sportsmen!

aaa good ole squares.. been riding out there my whole life.. shooting is actually allowed as is hunting,just not from main dirt road east. horrible spot to decide to shoot in any directions..

LINESIDER wrote:

vetoe wrote:I use to go out shooting with a buddy South of Homestead Speedway. I never liked doing it, but then again I never came across a FWC officer or a regular cop for that matter. I was never a big fan of shooting out there due to all the cats on ATV's...but I really stopped going because too many assholes were shooting the concrete power poles and I kid you not, almost brought one down. Gotta love Miami, there's always someone out there ruining all the fun for us responsible sportsmen!

aaa good ole squares.. been riding out there my whole life.. shooting is actually allowed as is hunting,just not from main dirt road east. horrible spot to decide to shoot in any directions..

Same here. I try my best to keep my rounds hitting where I can see in the dirt. I dunno, I have mixed feelings about it, mostly due to the ATV kids recklessly running around back there. That being said though, beats the hell out of paying for the range, Id rather spend the 25 a person on Ammo. I love it back there, but yes... DONT SHOOT THE DAMN POWER POLES!

-Swordfish

Hahah people around here will shoot at anything, how bout the speed limit signs along krome ave take a close look they are always riddled with bullet holes. I even stopped to fish once on the other side of one of the canal bridges was a makeshift range with a well under par backstop facing krome ave lol I have never seen so many shotgun shells it was like a sea of reds yellows and blues lol

vetoe wrote: I kid you not, almost brought one down. Gotta love Miami, there's always someone out there ruining all the fun for us responsible sportsmen!

Sorry about that.....and

baseball4life702 wrote:speed limit signs along krome ave take a close look they are always riddled with bullet holes. I even stopped

this as well....

Don't try that at any of the WMA's up this way in Martin/St Lucie county areas...FWC will throw the book at you if they catch you.

My understanding of the law and from talking with FWC officers is that you can only shoot on an WMA, during hunting seasons, with the guns that are allowed on that particular WMA for that season. You also have to have a quota permit if there is one required for that season.

Most WMAs in South FL are owned by the South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD), and FWC leases the land for hunts. You could be arrested for armed trespass (felony) if caught shooting on SFWMD land outside a hunting season.

For instance, right now, most WMAs are closed altogether for hunting, and the only ones that are still open are only for small game. You have to read the WMA brochures carefully for each one to see what the seasons are, and what guns are allowed for that season. For small game, most only allow shotguns, some allow rimfire rifles.

No WMA allow hunting with a centerfire rifle with a magazine that holds more then 5 rounds..so ARs with 30 round mags are illegal. I use my Mini-14 for hog hunting up here, but have to use a 5 round magazine with it.

It's also really rude and dangerous to be doing this around people who are actually trying to hunt.

Just my .02.

Here is an FWC field report that shows they cited people for target shooting in Holey Lands in 2009:

http://www.woodsnwater.net/articles/bre ... october16/

Officer Darral Thomason heard gunshots coming from the L-5 levee in Holey Land Wildlife Management Area. Four subjects were found to be shooting a shotgun. One subject was cited for target shooting and consuming alcohol while discharging a firearm.

4 found but only one cited bc he was drinking and shooting which is against the law. Thanks for the info and posts though all info is welcome.

Exactly drinking and shooting otherwise it would have been just warnings as the commission has a reputation for lol

No, he got 2 citations..one for target shooting, and one for consuming alcohol while discharging a firearm.

PhishingPhanatic wrote:No, he got 2 citations..one for target shooting, and one for consuming alcohol while discharging a firearm.

I would love to get FWC to look into it and let us know definitively. I have zero interest in breaking the law, but I love doing my shooting, so it would be good to know. I can tell you they would have to arrest and charge at least 80 or more people on any given day out there... Nothing has happened that I know of, but I agree that it isn't the safest thing in the world. All it takes is one idiot randomly shooting for someone to die, regardless of what the rest of us are doing to keep it safe.

-Swordfish

PhishingPhanatic wrote:Don't try that at any of the WMA's up this way in Martin/St Lucie county areas...FWC will throw the book at you if they catch you.

My understanding of the law and from talking with FWC officers is that you can only shoot on an WMA, during hunting seasons, with the guns that are allowed on that particular WMA for that season. You also have to have a quota permit if there is one required for that season.

Most WMAs in South FL are owned by the South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD), and FWC leases the land for hunts. You could be arrested for armed trespass (felony) if caught shooting on SFWMD land outside a hunting season.

For instance, right now, most WMAs are closed altogether for hunting, and the only ones that are still open are only for small game. You have to read the WMA brochures carefully for each one to see what the seasons are, and what guns are allowed for that season. For small game, most only allow shotguns, some allow rimfire rifles.

No WMA allow hunting with a centerfire rifle with a magazine that holds more then 5 rounds..so ARs with 30 round mags are illegal. I use my Mini-14 for hog hunting up here, but have to use a 5 round magazine with it.

It's also really rude and dangerous to be doing this around people who are actually trying to hunt.

Just my .02.

Exactly!

Why weren't the other 3 cited? I would think he cited him twice bc of the drinking.