The idiot down the road....

Now, I realize I live in West Virginia, in the woods, on a dirt road. But is it actually hunting season for something? I didn't think it was but my neighbor has been shooting up a storm! I don't know what kind of caliber he's using but it sounds like a canon and has been scaring my cats and dogs for 3 days. He started on Saturday. The dogs were out in the fenced in yard and were terrified. Snickers was too afraid to come in and just whined until I coaxed her in with treats. There were 8 or 9 shots on Saturday, a few yesterday and he just started again. They are loud enough to shake the house. This is ridiculous. 

DH heard them on Sunday and thinks it may be a potato gun? What the hell is that?? DH is out of town for business today and I'm not going to go down and "talk" to someone that has a gun in his hand. We've had a few nice days and maybe the groundhogs came out? But this isn't a .22 shot. It's more of an explosion! I'm on edge, the animals are on edge, I just needed to vent!

Wow.  Maybe he got a new "toy" and he's enjoying playing with it?  Poor you and your babies!

Maybe he is target practicing? When my neighbor and his son are target practicing for deer hunting season that is what it sounds like.

Depending on your state and the amount of property your neighbor owns he could be shooting a nuisance animal.  I believe here is Wisconsin one can shoot possums, skunks and the like on your own property if they are causing damage.  For others like say deer or wild turkey's there is a specific hunting season and one needs a license to do so.

A potato gun is a device made out of PVC pipe. You put a potato in the barrel, pump it up to build up air pressure, apply hairspray (for some reason, dunno how it works chemically) into a little opening, and then press the trigger and VOOM goes the potato.

But all the potato guns I've encountered aren't that loud, and they don't make a gunshot-type noise. :dk: Maybe he built a super duper one.

Can you file a noise complaint?

I think that's something I'll never really understand - guns and gun laws and the fascination some people have for shooting things. I would be terrified to know there was someone living so close who owned firearms! I hope you get some peace and quiet soon

Maybe what you are hearing is a bird cannon......migration is starting and bird cannons are used to keep birds (usually waterfowl) from landing in new crops and crops ready to harvest and destroying them. If you are in a fairly rural area it's plausible as is someone firing a shotgun to scare birds off as well

sk_pacer said:

Maybe what you are hearing is a bird cannon......migration is starting and bird cannons are used to keep birds (usually waterfowl) from landing in new crops and crops ready to harvest and destroying them. If you are in a fairly rural area it's plausible as is someone firing a shotgun to scare birds off as well

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Yeah, but no lakes or ponds around here and they don't have a garden. Plus its the middle of winter so no new crops to protect and no birds to scare off.

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LilleKat said:

I think that's something I'll never really understand - guns and gun laws and the fascination some people have for shooting things. I would be terrified to know there was someone living so close who owned firearms! I hope you get some peace and quiet soon

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We own a .22 and a hand rifle. Not that I know how to use either one (I really need to learn soon). Honestly, people in the country around here do need to own at least a good rifle because with miles of woods around you never know what can come roaming on your property. I have every right to shot a bear that is attacking on of my cats or dogs (granted, a .22 is only going to piss him off). Most people around here have them for self defense, not for aggressive purposes. (note...hand gun IS for denfencive purpose only.

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GailC said:

Maybe he is target practicing? When my neighbor and his son are target practicing for deer hunting season that is what it sounds like.

Depending on your state and the amount of property your neighbor owns he could be shooting a nuisance animal.  I believe here is Wisconsin one can shoot possums, skunks and the like on your own property if they are causing damage.  For others like say deer or wild turkey's there is a specific hunting season and one needs a license to do so

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That's actually what I'm think he was doing, but it still scared the crap out of me. I think here you can kill any animal that is damaging your property regardless of the time of year. Including deer. But since the wheather was warn over the weekend, maybe he WAS killing groundhogs. Not quite sure why but it's possible.

speakhandsforme said:

A potato gun is a device made out of PVC pipe. You put a potato in the barrel, pump it up to build up air pressure, apply hairspray (for some reason, dunno how it works chemically) into a little opening, and then press the trigger and VOOM goes the potato.
But all the potato guns I've encountered aren't that loud, and they don't make a gunshot-type noise.

Maybe he built a super duper one.
Can you file a noise complaint?

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 And is the potato gun just for fun, or does it actually serve a purpose? If it was that the mountains could have made it sound louder....maybe?

Potato guns are just for fun. But they really don't make a very loud sound. . .more of a "shoop" noise (:lol3. My guess is that he's target shooting with a shotgun. Those things are LOUD.

"I think that's something I'll never really understand - guns and gun laws and the fascination some people have for shooting things. I would be terrified to know there was someone living so close who owned firearms!"--Lillecat,  not to get into a discussion on gun control here--and I'm sure the Mods wouldn't want it--but I'd like to clarify something.

Most gun owners own their guns legally, and handle them responsibly, including DH and I. I personally had to pull a handgun on a threatening man a few years back, in order to defend myself while I was alone (fortunately, he backed off without me having to use it.)  I had previously had another man try to break my door down while I was alone. My gun was upstairs. Luckily, he didn't get far--or I would've been in BIG trouble, with only a steak knife to stop him. Everyone I know who owns guns (and that's a LOT of folks, BTW), have trained at gun ranges, and lock up their firearms, which, of course, have been registered, etc.  We believe in background checks before buying, too.  I can understand that not everyone likes shooting things, but, if your neighbors are normal, decent people, if they were typical gun-owners, you'd be safer with them around you, IMHO.  In the wrong hands, guns can be a danger. In the rights hands, guns can be a life-saver.  It's the mindset of the person handling the gun, not the guns themselves.  Bad or crazy people can use anything as a weapon, and will.

I don't blame you and the pets for being frightened. YIKES!!!!!!!! That does sound very loud - a shotgun - target practice :dk: That would make me very uneasy too