Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Optics will a too bright scope cause you to break the law?

Just a thought I have had. I have noticed with two of my scopes (4x nikon & 1.5x6 elite) that I can see to shoot clearly before and after legal shooting time. Does this cause undo temptation for anyone else? Not trying to start a p***ing match just wondering. I know that hunting in europe is differant from our hunting here in the states because they hunt certain games such as boar by moonlight so they developed the scopes for that. But here I do not know of anything that we can hunt at night except yotes. thoughts? tom

Are you allowed Racoons? How about Possums?

I've noticed that twilight varies alot. I've seen clear, moonlite nights in the desert that would allow one to almost shoot with good iron sights. Then I've seen predawn conditions in heavy forrest that really call for a good 6X42 complete with a 4a reticle. E

Cause no, allow yes! Only I can cause my self to break the law, but a good scope could allow it.

AK has no "shooting hours" laws to break, except on waterfowl.
<br>art

good point pointer (pardon the pun) Guess I have have phased it a little differantly. Point being that if you guage legal hours by weather or not you can see then a bright scope might cause you to shoot before or after legal hours, but if you know exactly what the legal hours then you are right. how many of us carry a chart for the area we hunt based on the date and location that lists sunrise and sunset? tom

patsman, not sure if you can shoot them here. I know we have racoons, but have not seen any possums. tom

Pump-- Abiding by shooting hour restrictions is a matter of looking at your watch, not your scope. Yes, a good scope does make it more tempting. One of the definitions of character I like best is " what a person does when no one else is watching". Based on the way you phrased your post, I would guess you do it right.Happy holidays!--Bill

Only law breakers break laws, not scopes.
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<br>One can hunt 24/7 in Texas when hunting hogs. Last I checked Texas wasn't within the confines of Europe.
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<br>If one is tempted to break laws then they are tempted. I doubt any good scope would change that.
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<br>Have a good one,
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<br>Don

The assumption that any scope is good enough till dark:30 is rubbish. I remember all to well having to pass on a nice little buck about sundown. I was on the north side of a mountain, on a cloudy day, under a heavy canope.
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<br>A little better glass, and I'd have been able to tell in time. FWIW, Dutch.

Kentucky puts the actual times in a chart for each day of the year, right in the hunting guide.
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<br>Today, 12/20/02, for my zone;
<br>legal start time 07:10
<br>legal end time 17:45
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<br>Before or after will get you cited, by the wardens.

or you look at your GPS, and check sunrise/sunset... At least where I hunt you can't tell a thing by how much light there is, I've had rainy days that I can't really see 5 minutes after sunset, and clear nights I could have seen all night long.

Dutch,

According to "most" here the optics makes no difference. All anybody needs is a FAT CROSSHAIR to kill in low light.

Forgive them, for they never saw good optics.

Have a good one,

Don <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

I just look at the chart before I leave the house in the morning.

Remember also that how fast it gets dark depends on where you are.

E.g. in Virginia we can shoot deer and most other game until half an hour past sunset. 900 miles northeast, in the farthest reaches of Maine, half an hour after sunset you will know exactly who turned out the lights. (And that's why you can only shoot 15 min. after sunset up there.)

John

Of course not. Pulling the trigger after legal shoting time causes you to break the law.

Come over to the UK for a trip and we can shoot 24/7 except christmas day ~ this is one advantage of living in Blighty!! (maybe the only one!!)

Sitka- you mean to say that you can shoot any legal game animal at any time of the day? Like take a spot light and shoot a big buck grazing and dazing into the light? Or without a light?