Shooting in America

[Pykie]

Anyone shot upland or wildfowl in America? What are the loops to go through in order to do so? Any advice would be great. My girlfriends parents live in Florida and wondered when we went over there if I could do any shooting. I am guessing each game bird has seasons like here.

[casts_by_fly]

Hunting licenses are state specific so Florida will have a set of requirements. Generally for all states you must pass a hunter safety (also called hunter education or hunter/trapper education) course first. Then you'll need to buy the appropriate license for what you want to hunt in that state. For waterfowl specifically (and also doves, woodcock, and other migratory birds) there is also a federal migratory bird stamp which is required of every hunter.

 

The states set the seasons generally, though in the case of migratory birds there are federal limits also which the states must abide by. Your first point is here:

 

http://myfwc.com/hunting/

http://myfwc.com/hunting/regulations/birds/

http://myfwc.com/license/recreational/visitors/

 

your biggest limitation will be the hunter safety course since that isn't offered here. You might find an e-learning version offered somewhere but I don't know if those exist since I did mine so long ago (1991 I think).

 

thanks,

rick

[Harnser]

I have hunted extensively in the states and never had any problems obtaining a deer or wildfowl permit . All my hunting was done in New York State and all that was required of me was to produce my UK fire arms ticket and shotgun licence . My UK licences was enough proof to the local state authorities that I was a bona-fide hunter . I did have to pay a lot more for permits than my cousins who are residents of New York as I was classed as an out of state hunter .

 

Harnser

[casts_by_fly]

A firearms permit is not legally enough to get a hunting license. It is not an equivalent to a hse course and a clerk should not give you a license based solely on a sgc/fac.

 

Thanks

Rick

[Harnser]

Rick , that's how it was the last time I applied for a deer permit in New York State . It was about ten years ago . I also applied on a party permit for 6 hunters to take a white tail doe as well as a buck permit . As you will know the party permits were by lottery and you had to have you application drawn out a hat ,so to speak .

I used to apply at City hall Niagara Falls and show my UK licences and never had any problem at all . I had to pay extra for a duck stamp and Turkey permit . One of my cousins lived on the Niagara river in Niagara Falls and we used to shoot duck from his back garden that backed onto the river . As I have said it was about 10 years ago that I last applied for a hunting permit and things could have changed .

We used to hunt at a place called Hornell that was on the New York State and penn state border . In New York State you could not use a rifle on deer and had to use a slug gun and in penn state you could not use a shot gun on deer and had to use a rifle . We had to be very care full not to stray over the state line into penn state otherwise we would have been illegal if we shot a deer with a shotgun .

They had the law that you could not conceal dead deer and all shot deer had to be visible for any body to see . Get caught trying to conceal a dead deer or a deer without a tag and you were in serious trouble . Most deer were transported in the back of open pick up trucks although I have seen deer tied on top of the roof and bonnets of saloon cars .

 

Harnser

[casts_by_fly]

Some of your info isn't quite right but is close. For instance you are (and have always been) allowed to hunt deer with shotguns in PA. Some counties require it. Western NY has been a shotgun (or bow and muzzle loader) only area for a long while, but i think they may have relaxed that a bit in some areas recently. Eastern NY (the Adirondaks and south) is a rifle area until you get to the border counties next to NJ and Long Island.

 

You can transport deer in both states in the boot of your car just fine. In both states though you must tag the deer as the first thing you do when you recover it. Then you can gut it out and drag it to the car.

 

Straying over the state lines was important for licensing reasons. If you have licenses for both then you'd be okay unless you are hunting PA with a rifle and then go into NY where a rifle isn't legal. However, not having a license for one state and straying over the line is a big deal. Hunting without a license is poaching and heavily fineable.

 

Now that you've possessed a hunting license from one state you'll be fine forever and can get a license in most any state by showing your old NY license, just beware that some states require seeing your original HTE card (colorado is one strict one). That would be why NY issued you one in the first place. The clerk would have assumed that a FAC/SGC was equivalent to a hunting license here but it most definitely isn't. You could argue that a DSC1 could be a replacement and i'd probably agree with that. Just know that it depends on the person writing up your license.

 

FWIW I grew up in PA, took my HTE there and hunted PA for 12-13 years before i moved to NY and hunted there for another 3.

 

Thanks

Rick

[Cranfield]

I have only bird hunted with a shotgun in the US and never had a problem getting hunting permits upon production of my SGC, but I have always been in the company of US born hunters who also showed his documents, so that may have had some influence, or given me accreditation.

Harnser is right about visitors hunting permits costing a lot more than for the locals, that applies to fishing licences as well and thats one for each State.

Don't get it wrong, because the penalties can be very harsh.

[Harnser]

I have only bird hunted with a shotgun in the US and never had a problem getting hunting permits upon production of my SGC, but I have always been in the company of US born hunters who also showed his documents, so that may have had some influence, or given me accreditation.

Harnser is right about visitors hunting permits costing a lot more than for the locals, that applies to fishing licences as well and thats one for each State.

Don't get it wrong, because the penalties can be very harsh.

One year that I was hunting in New York State a couple of local guys got caught with an untagged deer and spent the night in jail . Their truck was confiscated and so were their guns and equipment and they still had to go to court and would have received a very large fine .

Harnser

[Blunderbuss]

I went pheasant shooting on a public hunting preserve in Minnesota a couple of years back. I was with my brother who is a state resident. I bought my permit in a "gas", station. I had to provide photo ID and pay a little more as a non state resident, but I didn't have to show my FAC or SGC. All very straightforward.

Edited September 27, 2014 by Blunderbuss

[HDAV]

A firearms permit is not legally enough to get a hunting license. It is not an equivalent to a hse course and a clerk should not give you a license based solely on a sgc/fac.

 

Thanks

Rick

 

really? isn't like a bulgarian driving licence is valid here as its an EU licence despite the test to obtain being totally different? hse do you mean our HSE?

[casts_by_fly]

really? isn't like a bulgarian driving licence is valid here as its an EU licence despite the test to obtain being totally different? hse do you mean our HSE?

HSE means hunter safety education. Every state requires that you take a hunter safety education course before you can buy a hunting license. In a hunters safety course you learn firearms safety, game identification, conservation, licensing for the state, game management by the state, hunting and trapping techniques, and a bunch of other stuff. When i took the course it was 2 full days over a weekend.

 

All a sgc/fac shows is that you have been checked for firearms ownership (same as the standard background check to buy a gun in the US). How many shooters have you seen with fresh certificates and no experience or knowledge? People on this very board debate whether a mandatory training is a good idea or not. That is what hunters safety courses are used to prevent.

 

Thanks

Rick

[HDAV]

Ah thought you were referring to HSE (elf & safety), do they do back ground checks for shotguns?

[seeker]

Its been several years since i shot in Texas but then it was buy a licence and shoot.

Interestingly a quick goog shows an on-line Hunt ed provider ($24.95) for most States that require it, but a pass cert still had a 1 day Field course to do... Includes Florida.

But it does state that the Hunt Ed Cert is required to buy a State Licence by all over 16 AND born post 1975 ... So maybe age does have some benefit and a SGC would show proof of it ... ?

[creeboy]

requires nonimmigrant visitors entering the U.S. with firearms or ammunition to obtain a federal permit through ATF in advance of their arrival. U.S. law also forbids certain nonimmigrant visitors, workers and students from buying guns and ammunition in the U.S. Diplomats, foreign law enforcement officials and visiting dignitaries designated by the U.S. Department of State are not exempt from this requirement when bringing a gun for hunting purposes.

 

You will need to obtain and complete ATF Form 6NIA (5330.3D Application/Permit for Temporary Importation of Firearms and Ammunition by Nonimmigrant Aliens) to apply for the ATF permit. You will also be required to obtain a license from any state in the U.S. where you intend to hunt. Please note that you may fax the ATF Form 6 NIA-5330.3D application to (304) 616-4554 for expedited processing.

 

You may contact ATF's Firearms and Explosives Import office by email at eps@atf.gov if you have additional questions. For more information about nonimmigrant visitors who wish to import firearms, please see ATF's Frequently Asked Questions.

 

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Discuss...

[norfolk dumpling]

I've got family in Oregon - have shot wildfowl several times. All I needed was visitors hunting licence. Very strict on types/numbers which can be shot. My family tend to shoot a number of guys together so if your personal bag limit for green heads (like a teal-sized mallard) is 3 per day if you shoot more you can divide bag when you get back as you will be checked by game warden!! Careful with canada geese - there are 12 different varieties and some are protected and attract heavy fines and season ban on all wildfowl and/or confiscation of guns and ammo. Do a lot of homework and try to have a local with you.

[creeboy]

Did u take your oen gun from uk to usa?

Own*

[casts_by_fly]

Ah thought you were referring to HSE (elf & safety), do they do back ground checks for shotguns?

Yes. All guns. When you buy a gun you fill out the federal form with your information. The gun shop calls it in (24 hour hotline) and it is an instant background check. In some states if you have a concealed carry permit you can avoid the background check for all guns.

 

thanks

rick

[HDAV]

Yes. All guns. When you buy a gun you fill out the federal form with your information. The gun shop calls it in (24 hour hotline) and it is an instant background check. In some states if you have a concealed carry permit you can avoid the background check for all guns.

 

thanks

rick

Didn't realise that, so you get checked eveytime you Mal a purchase? Edited September 28, 2014 by HDAV

[aris]

Didn't realise that, so you get checked eveytime you Mal a purchase?

 

Not if you buy person-to-person, only if you buy from a dealer. I believe, this varies by state. A bit of a loophole which the NRA are resistant to change.

[Harnser]

All my american hunting was done in North Western New York State close to the PA state border . What amazed me was that if you had a licence you were allowed to hunt on anybody's land for wild game without permission from the owner . The only way to keep your land reserved for your own hunting ,was to have the land posted . This meant that you have registered your land with the state as private hunting and trapping . You would pay an annual fee to post your land This means that you will have to literally knock fencing posts 200 yards appart all around your land boundrys with an official state posting notice on every fence post .

 

Harnser

[casts_by_fly]

All my american hunting was done in North Western New York State close to the PA state border . What amazed me was that if you had a licence you were allowed to hunt on anybody's land for wild game without permission from the owner . The only way to keep your land reserved for your own hunting ,was to have the land posted . This meant that you have registered your land with the state as private hunting and trapping . You would pay an annual fee to post your land This means that you will have to literally knock fencing posts 200 yards appart all around your land boundrys with an official state posting notice on every fence post .

Harnser

that is only true for unfenced, unimproved, and unused land. Even then, the landowner can kick you out if they don't want you there. You do not need to register it with the state to post it, though there are minimum requirements for signage (sign siz, max distance between signs, etc).

 

http://www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/8371.html

 

Also, this is very much a state by state thing. PA as no such open lands access and private is private even if it is not posted. Unposted land makes it tougher to enforce a citation but it is still trespassing.

 

thanks

rick

[casts_by_fly]

Not if you buy person-to-person, only if you buy from a dealer. I believe, this varies by state. A bit of a loophole which the NRA are resistant to change.

Didn't realise that, so you get checked eveytime you Mal a purchase?

Only from dealers (or when buying a handgun which has to go through a dealer). In most (maybe all) states you can buy from private individuals and that doesn't require a background check.

 

thanks

rick

[aris]

 

Only from dealers (or when buying a handgun which has to go through a dealer). In most (maybe all) states you can buy from private individuals and that doesn't require a background check.

 

thanks

rick

 

California has some of the strictest laws in this regard - all firearm sales (even private) must have a background check - so you basically have to go through an "RFD" for them to do that (and pay a fee), plus there is a mandatory 10 day cooling-off period.

Edited September 29, 2014 by aris

[casts_by_fly]

California, Illinois, and NJ are three of the more difficult ones. Maryland and Massachusetts are two more.

 

California also requires that guns shipped to FFLs must come from FFLs as well. That means I can't mail a gun to a dealer in CA for sale to an individual. I have to have my FFL dealer send it to another FFL to sell to the buyer.

 

The 10-day waiting period was basically overturned recently.

 

http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/08/25/us-usa-california-guns-idUSKBN0GP22D20140825

 

thanks

rick

[The Juicer]

I went to a gun range in Orlando last year, oak ridge I think it was called. They hold your passport while you shoot any of their guns. Not hunting but worth a visit.