Jeez Jimmy,equating poaching by moon to shooting just after daylight?I know its the law but how come the law allows you to shoot 1/2 hour before sunset in spring turkey season yet sunrise to sunset in the fall.It cant be a safety reason,there are more turkey hunters in the spring.

I agree with you Jimmy S. I wish all hunters had that attitude. Every Opening day of SZ deer season I hear shots in the distance as I'm walking to my stand. It's so dark I need my flashlight to see what time the shot was taken. Sometimes it's like 6:15 am. No one needs a deer that bad that they can't wait for legal shooting time.

sshunter, I don't know why states set different time for different seasons. I do know that if deer hunting ends at sunset and begins at sunrise and someone shoots a deer ANY other time, it's wrong! Or, as some have said.."As long as I can see what I'm shooting, its dead."..the law has been broken. There's no bending the rules here!

I don't know when shooting time ends in NH but here is a common Pa scenario. It's 6:15 PM, sunset, in October. The little time chart in our book says it's quitting time. The sun has just disappeared but you can see 100 yards easily under the canopy of the trees. A twig snaps and here comes a deer. He walks in and stops 15 yards out. You draw your bow, but wait, it's now 6:20 PM. How many hunters can honestly say they won't shoot. Stupid rules wind up being broken by basically honest people!

BTB..If hunting season ends at 6:15 PM as you mentioned and you said: "You draw your bow, but wait, it's now 6:20 PM. How many hunters can honestly say they won't shoot. Stupid rules wind up being broken by basically honest people!"...What if it was 6:23PM, or 6:36PM or6:49PM or 8:30PM?.....Where do you draw the line? Are you saying it's OK to BREAK THE LAW if it's only 5 minutes late? How does that make me an honest person if I break that law? Let me say this..If you or anybody else feels that answer is YES and that you would release that arrow at 6:20PM knowing hunting season is legally over, then I have lost respect for you as a hunter. Either you hunt by the rules or you don't. There is no exception!!!

OK, here's a scenerio for us to think about. Legal shooting time stops at 6:15 PM, but by whos watch? There are three of us who are working in my office right now, and I just checked all three of our watches, and the clock on the wall, between all of them there is a difference of almost 10 minutes. SO, again I ask, who's watch do we go by. Is the encon officer's watch more reliable than mine? Maybe, but maybe not.

This is why the law should be changed to end shooting time when it is too dark to safely do so. In much the same with our law here in NY for driving too fast, but under the legal limit. Speed not reasonable. Well, then make it a violation for shooting when there isn't enough light to reasonably insure a safe shot. The law should not be tied to a clock.

Ok, flame away

Jimmy, My primary point was that the sunset law is unrealistic. My secondary point is that people are naturally inclined to break the stupid laws first. Did you ever speed in a 25 zone without knowing it because the area was probably more suited to 45. Have you ever torn off that mattress tag? Would you turn in the income from a club 50/50 or small raffle to the IRS? I wouldn't hunt by moonlight but can't say I wouldn't be tempted to shoot in the scenarion I laid out. I think most hunters being honest with themselves would answer that question the same way. If your principles wouldn't allow you to shoot, I respect that. I think you might be just a wee bit too critical of some of these other folks though.

In PA during regular rifle season ALL hunting must be confined to legal shooting hours.

You may hunt coyotes at the same time you are hunting deer, but may not continue to hunt coyotes after legal shooting hours. To hunt coyotes during any given big game season, in PA, you must have a valid tag for whatever big game you are hunting. Once I get my deer I may not hunt coyotes until the end of deer season.

Once it is past legal shooting hours your gun must be unloaded...

Uh... I have a CCW permit... can I continue to carry a loaded handgun, after legal shooting hours, for "personal defense"???

uh... I carry a .44 mag. <img src=icon_smile_big.gif border=0 align=middle>

What happens when I forget my watch???