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Shining

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I'm not for giving up rights but my tree stand sits 80 yards from a main highway (doesn't sound like a good spot but really it is), and the last thing i need is a spot light shining on me or rifle shot zipping over my head.

[/ QUOTE ] You get to your stand to early.
 
Banning spotlighting to stop the poachers from killing deer is about as stupid as banning gun ownership to stop the criminals from commiting gun crimes. I can say that I do enjoy a little spotlighting in the fall to see whats around, but we never carry weapons. And I can prove that with the 6 or 8 times the police and DNR has pulled us over in the last 2 years to check our vehicle out. So yeah, lets just keep making laws until we get to the point that we can't have any freedoms what so ever.
 
I think if I were a landowner I would look for a real solution if I thought shiners were poaching deer on my ground. Plant some trees, leave some corn late in the year along the roadways. You cant shoot what you cant see. This would be something physical that could actually help, not just a piece of legislation that will do nothing. I doubt to many poachers are up to date on their Iowa Code.
 
How about someone make a quick poll?

1 - I own 80 acres or more land myself and I think spotlighting should be legal.
2 - I own 80 acres or more land myself and I think spotlighting should be Illegal.
3 - I don't own land and I think spotlighting should be legal.
4 - I don't own land and I think spotlighting should be Illegal.

I'm going to predict 2 and 3 get the most votes and 1 gets very few.

I'd also like to hear from some of you spotlighters about what you'd think of me shining my spotlight around in your yard in the middle of the night. Send me your address and I'll come check for deer in your yard some night.
 
My family owns a descent chunk of land and I don't see a problem with it. I mean if you were driving down the road in the daylight and saw a 190+ typical standing 50 yds off the road would you stop and look at it? If not, you are a better man than me. I have shared hundreds of photos of awesome bucks, mainly in the daylight on this site and not once was I called out on it for taking a picture on someone elses ground from the gravel road
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This law sounds like people saying we should ban guns to stop crime. I am a landowner and have never spotlighted. As an individual, I would have nothing to lose should this law pass but this seems like a very silly law to me that does very little for the CO and reducing poaching. If we ban guns, will crimes with guns come to an end? If I install a fence around my property, will it keep the tresspassers out? The DNR checks ALL spotlighters almost without exception already today. This law only hurts the legal spotlight user and does nothing to stop the illegal user.
 
I have the same problem wih headlights and spot lights pointing towards our house at night. I know what they are looking at is between the road and us, and hope that if they do take a shot it doesn't miss and come right on through to our house.
I don't agree that it is used for hunting. I have to say it is strickly a trophy tool. When someone goes out to enjoy a HUNT, they have a good sit regardless of the size of the antlers. I don't know of anyone going out to look for does with a spot light.
The difference I see with a trail camera is it's being limited to a small square footage to record data, most often on ground where permission has been allowed to hunt. I see more problems with people running around shinning lights onto ground they have no business being around and don't have permission to hunt. Chances are good that someone else is probably in that area and has worked hard to get there to hunt.

Even if they banned trail camera's, I can still go sit in my tree and HUNT. It's that simple....
 
Up in Michigan, where I went out once, the deer definately acted nervous, and eventually headed for cover. Maybe they are more tame out here, but I don't think it makes them feel safe. It may even "Spook" them a little more. Personally, I never got that much of a kick outa doin it. I did not care that those bigger bucks were out at night, while I was in bed. I wanted to see them in daylight, when I could hunt them. My wife bought me a trailcam for Christmas. I consider using it during daylight hrs, but don't intend to hook up the flash, for the same reason. Seeing what is happening at night, and what I am missing in daylight, would probably just frustrate me.
 
First I would like to say that I don't shine so I wouldn't really be affected by this on a personal level. I would like to say though that after reading all of the posts that it looks like an awful lot of people would have something that they enjoy doing legally taken away from them.
I consider myself fairly nuetral on this subject and would like to share some nuetral opinions and thoughts that I got as I read some of these comments.
I can see both sides of this argument, and I realize that not all areas of Iowa are the same as far as population densities-both human and deer. I'm sure that SE Iowa has a much bigger problem with deer being killed under artificial light than where I'm at in eastern IA. They also have a much lower human population, higher deer numbers, and fewer game wardens. Also, the lower the population the smaller the Sheriff's Office. Obviously, law enforcement can't be everywhere to see what is going on at all times.
I honestly don't think that banning spotlights will stop poaching, but it may help. Then again it may not. Poachers are already doing something illegal-they don't care if the state makes it illegal for everyone else.
I also live in the country and have spotlighters shine the fields around my house which are owned by my family. I don't get uptight about it because what they are doing is LEGAL. You can be sure though that I listen for shots or if I think that they are up to something less than honest I'm the first one to call the SO or game warden.
Also, I just can't resist commenting on the idea that shining a light onto private property is somehow trespassing or a violation of privacy. Under law there is no expectation of privacy in an open field. The difference between someone shining a field and someone shining a front yard and house is harassment.
Before I read this post I would have said to ban shining outright, but after reading how many people enjoy spotlighting recreationally I'm not sure that I still have the same view.
 
Its a real shame when laws are passed that punish good people for the perceived actions of others. I could almost understand if whitetails were on the endangered list. I don't believe a fraction of the poaching "claims" I hear. Most of it is speculation. Everytime a buck is found dead near the road with the head cut off, poachers are blamed. No one would ever think someone cut the rack off a car kill right? I shine and glass alot, I have never ever witnessed someone poach a deer, but I see people shine them constantly. Paranoia shouldn,t make our laws or punish people who use shining as a tool, or a family activity.
 
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The DNR checks ALL spotlighters almost without exception already today.

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I can only assume that many of you have not followed any poaching cases
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Time after time poachers have been caught after they have killed sometimes as high as 30 bucks!

That means they went out night after night after night... with a gun and a spotlight and never were stopped!!
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It is phyiscally impossible for one CO to stop even a portion of the shiners in a 2 county area.

They cannot work only at night, ALL night, 7 days a week..ALL fall.

C-mon....some of you are so concerned about making a small sacrifice that you have your heads buried in the sand!

For those of you that say "it doesn't concern me"...good gosh people...having a mature buck "stolen" from you doesn't concern you????
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Your all so worried about having something take away from you...it already is....night after night...it's being taken from you and you are blissfully unaware of it.

One poacher NEVER was caught in the field...he had at least 26 bucks at his place...it's unknown how many others he had already sold.

He was caught ONLY because someone had reason to investigate a meth situation.

How many others like this are there?

Perhaps we should turn loose 10 shiners in 2 counties...and let any one of you see if you can find...

the one with a GUN
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How much time will you spend checking the ones you find???

How many bucks will the one gun take while your killing time checking a "legal" shiner???

How long would it take you just to drive down the back roads of just one side of 2 counties???

This is amazing!! Sometimes I can't even believe what I'm reading from some of you!
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Headless bucks might be hit by a car???

In the middle of a CRP or soybean field???

On a dirt road???
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I know...I know...I'm wasting my time here...but the door of oppurtunity for change is cracked...and with the help of a lot of people who are as fed up as I am...we're gonna kick it wide open!
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The difference between someone shining a field and someone shining a front yard and house is harassment

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If shining a light at your house is harrassment then why isn't shining a spotlight on deer out in a field harrassing wildlife?
 
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The DNR checks ALL spotlighters almost without exception already today.

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Please allow me to rephrase this. The DNR checks ALL spotlighters THAT THEY SEE SHINING almost without exception already today.

Shining is not the problem. Yes, it is a tool for the poacher. Yes, a lot of poaching activity happens after hours. Am I concerned about poaching? Why of course I am. Would the new law change this problem? Perhaps, but I think not. Changing this law does not take away that tool and only affects the legal user. Again, I compare it to many gun control laws. The intent is good but it only affects the legal users.

I do not shine. I do know that my farm has probably been shined illegally and that pisses me off. But, I do see this as a sacrifice only for the legal user and do not see how it stops the illegal user. I am trying to look at this with an open mind but really have not seen any good example of how this law change will change anything so help me out. What is the goal and objective and how does the law change meet that goal and objective?
 
Here's one more thing to consider... it sounds like there are many recreational shiners out at night glassing for deer, which certainly means that CO's are indeed making useless trips across the county. On the flip side it also means that there are MANY honest people out there patrolling the countryside at night as they engage in a legal activity...if they hear a shot fired, or see someone in the process of poaching an animal - they are much more likely to call in a license plate and get an arrest >>> meaning actual results... The presence of more people serves the purpose of deterring poachers.

As was pointed out earlier, farmers and landowners aren't out at night driving the roads looking for criminals...

The way I see it, fewer shiners means more poaching...

The proposed law is literally trying to restrict our freedom of looking at wildlife to daylight hours only - trying to regulate our eyes.

While they are at it, they might as well pass a law that says you can't stop on a road unless you have an emergency or come upon a stop sign. That way, anyone that sits parked in their pickup is either in distress or a vile criminal.
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JMHO
 
How about this example. NEIOWAARCHER said that he had been stopped and checked 6 or 8 times for legally spotlighting. How many hours and dollars of law enforcement resources did he waste just because he wanted to legally spotlight deer for fun. If this law were in force then and the DNR stopped 6 or 8 spotlighters they would have apprehended 6 or 8 lawbreakers,AKA poachers. Each time he was stopped was proably from a complaint called in and with out wasting resources there was no way to tell if this was legal or illegal activity, so officers were sent to check it out. If spotlighting were illegal then each of these complaints that could be tracked down would result in penilties for law breakers instead of just late night excercises in flustration for COs. If someone calls in a complaint on a bank robbery, guess what, the law officers know that laws are being broken and act accordingly. Same goes for a domestic disturbance call, or shooting in a bar, or just calling in a report of a reckless or drunk driver on the highway, which I have done several times resulting in law enforcement stops of that vehicle. The point is that they then know pretty much what they are dealing with and that it is not a legal activity. The same would hold true with spotlight calls, something illegal is happening so act accordingly.

I think that those of you who are saying that this law won't stop paoaching or illegal use of spotlights are absoultly correct, but please don't confuse the point. With this law every sighting or complaint would be because of illegal activity and with more public awareness instead of appathy at least some of these people will be caught. Also after some are caught and publicized maybe some of the more casual or opprotunistic criminals will think twice before becoming so much more visable by shining a spotlight across a field at my house. Believe me when I say I'm not for increased restrictive laws and more government involvement in our lives, but I also am against completely wasting enforcement resources and that is exactly what stopping 6 or 8 cars spotlighting legally is just because we can't take the chance that they might not be legal.
 
I didn't realize that spotlighting was such an issue. Some people on here act like they will have to give up hunting. I do not own land in Iowa, but I do in Missouri where spotlighting is illegal, regaurdless. I have went out with some land owners and spotlighted their own land. It was fun, but if it were outlawed, really wouldn't effect me. I do believe that you should respect other peoples property by not throwing the beam across their field, if you don't have permission. It would be nice if it were outlawed, then only poachers would be out there, so when the co is called, he knows what he is after, not just recreational shinners. On the other side of the fence, we need to quit looking at personal issue's and the issue at stake. I know it is a game law that would "help" stop illegal shinning, but always remember what dbltree said, it will not be very long before their is no one in the office that supports us. So if you pass one game law, although it would probably help, you are still passing a "game law" that effects the legal means of shining. I am generally against any game law, when it will surpress legal hunters. Just a point to think about.
 
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I would like to think that everyone is against wasting our tax dollars...

I see your point. Let me continue with the same logic...I think it's terrible that terrorists can hijack a plane and turn it into a missle and destroy thousands of lives. Using the same approach as the lawmakers trying to get rid of shining, the solution would be to get rid of all air travel. If there aren't any planes in the skies, they can't be used as weapons. We don't have to fly, we can travel by car, boat, train... Sound reasonable?

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Guys, I think you are missing the point. The officers are spread thin and when they get a shining call they may or may not check it out. If it were illegal there would be a reason to drive and check it out. I don't care either way. I wouldn't feel comfortable doing it. I know Weasel chased Freddy about three miles on gravel when he was shining a place he hunted until he figured out who it was...
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It isn't that they think it will stop poaching it is the fact that if there is a call placed now it will be worth the while to go check it out. Like I said I am Switzerland on the deal but I see the point of the proposal.
 
You guys that never go shining have no clue what its like out there at night, only pure speculation of what you think it is like out there. All I can say is by making it illegal at least while they are still in velvet is pretty much like telling me I cannot bowhunt next fall. You take something away from guys like us like that, and you will have strong emotion against it. We have helped many people along side the road broken down, or called in fires that sprang up over the night, turned in kids making meth, and even found a 12 year old boyscout that ran away from camp and was crying hysterical in the middle of BFE at 2 am until help arrived. As far as wasting the DNR's money by shining, no way, I have only been stopped twice in 5-6 years going dang near every night and those where in state parks by by rangers, which I expected to get stopped. So they are not running around wild like chickens with their heads cut off checking us recreational shiners out.
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i don't really have a dog in this fight either, but i do see both sides.
it IS a valuable scouting tool. if i see deer in a field at night, and you know where good bedding areas are, you can get a plan to set up on travel coridors.
on the other hand, i would get pretty pissed if people were shining my fields night after night. and, regardless of how many legal spotlighters there are, it IS how the majority of poached bucks are killed.

this law won't effect me either way, i don't spotlight, because i don't have a vehicle that is clean enough. you wouldn't have too look too hard to find atleast a shell casing of some kind, and that would just cause too much headache.
if this law were put to a vote, i would only vote FOR it, if there were limits, such as no shining from sept1 through january
 
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