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Where do you practice?

I am new to this forum and relatively new to the sport. I have been following your discussion here and it is so interesting and helpful. I have a new shooter question. Where can I target shoot? Mostly I go to privet ranges in south-eastern Mass at shops like (Trader Jan's, X Spot and the like). But this is an expensive habit and you only get out to 20 sometimes 40 yards. I have thought of setting up a target in my backyard (It is about 60 yards long). I have a town easement behind me but each of my neighbors is closer than 500 ft to me (about 150 on each side). The law about setbacks is a bit confusing and I'm concerned about doing that. The other option is that I could join a shooting club but they are mostly centered around the gun range, a resource that I don't see myself using. So what do you guys do? what do you suggest to someone starting out (I need my practice)? Pete

Welcome aboard! You shouldn't have an issue shooting in your backyard. May want to give the neighbors a heads up and maybe a hay backstop or something but you really shouldn't have an issue.

Hi, welcome! Seems like there are 3 considerations with this--laws, upsetting neighbors, and safety. First two are above my pay grade, but I have a thought about safety: if you can shoot from elevated position--a deck, a porch, or even the bed of a truck, then to a degree (depending on how high up you are), you're basically shooting into the ground. For this same reason, archery setback with elevation requirement should be reduced from 500 feet to 150 feet. Good luck!

I'd be cautious about shooting close to the neighbors house, unless you get along with them real good and they don't care about you shooting arrows in your yard.

Some people would think that's as dangerous as shooting a gun. I'm lucky to have a wood line and fence between my house and a neighbor who I really don't get along with, I would never let him see me shooting my bow. I shoot from my garage door into my shed. I swing the barn doors open and the target is against the back wall with a large backstop if one gets away from me. It's 30 yards and if I want to shoot 40 I sneak out into the driveway and take a few shots. When I'm done I close the doors and no one can see the target. Hope you figure something out, being able to shoot in your yard is very convenient when you just want to shoot a quick dozen or two.

Concerning the law, it seems to me that there are many gray areas. Last year it occurred to be that the best possible place to practice was from my stand, in the woods. But that could sort of look like hunting, despite that it wasn't. So as it turned out, I talked to two different wardens about it, and got two totally different answers. One said it would be fine, and the other pretty much said he'd haul me off to jail. I guess that's just a suggestion to be cautious, in case you cross paths with the second warden instead of the first.

Thank you all for the advice, and jebediah you are right if you read the laws it is very gray. I want to ask my local police but I'm afraid they will just say no you can't even in your own yard. Is it better to ask forgiveness than it is to get permission? If I was to set something up I would shoot in the direction of a town easement (woods) and into a hay backstop like moons suggested. Shooting from the deck is also a good idea and would help with treestand shooting.

My yard. If I stand on the edge of the street I can get 30 yards. Long range, I go to the club.

I shoot in my yard mostly. Is it legal? Nope. Same setbacks at gun. Never had an issue. Drive around and look in peoples yards and I see many archery targets that dont meet the law.

Same as Proline. I can get 50 yards with my side yard range, which puts me about 15 feet from the road, shooting away from the road. Never had a complaint. Talk to the neighbors, be safe, and you will be fine.

I also shoot in my basement in inclement weather. Can only get 10 yards down there, through. Join a rod and gun club - well worth it, especially if you have any firearms.

To my knowledge the 500 foot thing is mentioned three places in Mass law. One pertains specifically to WMA's, the second pertains specifically to guns and not archery, and the third (ch 131, sec 58) is in the picture. It is not apparent to me that this excludes shooting arrows at a target in one's yard due to the 500 foot setback. But I'm certainly not an authority. However, another level altogether is town laws--no telling what the restrictions might be from one town to the next.

That was unclear. By "not apparent to me that this excludes shooting arrows..." I meant that I think practicing in one's yard may be perfectly legal, according to this. But I'm not a lawyer and more importantly, I'm not the EPO we all have to answer to.

I shoot from my driveway for 30 yards. My neighbors all see me. They don't mind. I'm not great friends with them, but we don't hate each other. Other people walking dogs around the block have seen it and no one ever called the cops. The hunting abstract does state the 150 from a road and 500 from a living dwelling, but that is for hunting. Not sure about just archery. I know Ace Archers does Sunday archery at Mansfield High School on Sundays during the summer. It is at one of the fields. I don't think the 150 rule is observed to the paved parking lot. Cops don't really pay much attention to archery. It is seen as a well rounded sport since it is taught in camp and even some school gym classes. So long as the direction you shoot is not in the direction of a road, a house, or a place people cross, then you should be find in your yard. Then again, I open carry my hand gun in my front, side, and back yards. No, i dont live out in the sticks. I live in Easton. Best of luck.

I only remember it from taking the bow hunting class. It could have changed since then but in this state likely not.

I just came back from the first section of the basic hunter course. I asked the backyard question. One of the instructors said no but the other two and the EPO said you can target shoot just not hunt. So it still looks a bit gray but I think I am going to set up a very safe range in the back yard.

Good to see consistency between the instructors.....

Well... I'm in the country now... can practice out to 80 yards in the side yard if I want to (which I don't)... even have an 20 foot elevated shot from a steep ledge in the back yard. But, when I lived in the city - where it was illegal to shoot in my yard - I set up an 11 yard range in my basement. Obviously, it wasn't ideal. But, it did keep me shooting nearly every day. And, I was deadly on any critter within 10 yards. :o)

Legal or not, I get 30 in my yard. Have a very safe backstop and been at it for years. Neighbors have no issues either. Jimbo, why don't you shoot 80? I find that practicing at long range makes the 20 a chip shot. When I go to the club it's mostly all long range, 40 to 90 yards. It's fun too.

I practice out to 50, BC... as far as I want to go. Virtually all of my shots at whitetails have been 30 yards or closer. If I know they're beyond that distance, they've got to be standing perfectly still and broadside, or I don't shoot. I won't shoot at a deer beyond 40 yards under any circumstance. Now, if I ever go for elk out west (or in PA if I get drawn), I'll extend my range a bit.

10-4. That's my thinking too, under 30 for whitetail, 40 to 50 out west (but still hoping for that 20). I do like practicing long though. Helps me stay tight and focused.

yard... can only get about 35-40 yards though...

Not sure where your taking the class,but I'm assuming the instructor isn't an EPO. Don't get me wrong, those guys are great for taking time out to teach the class,but I think the EPO's opinion carries more weight. If they were all EPOs, then we might have a problem. I say go with the backyard, it's your property for goodness sake. I'm a member of the Andover Sportsmens Club, and although most are focused on guns, you can still find great archery ranges and 3D courses at a lot of clubs. I say why not do both? I love 3D for getting tuned up, and its a blast. Good luck!

I think the real problem would be how the officer will interpret the law. If anyone has a problem they're going to call the town police so it would be up to the responding officer to make the decision if it's legal or not.

I say go for it and keep it low key, don't have a bunch of guys shooting in the yard and try to stay out of sight. I've been shooting in my yard forever and never had a problem, all the neighbors know I shoot and don't care. I hide it from the new neighbor because I know he would call. It sure is nice being able to shoot any time you want to.

Agree, it is going to be the police, not EPO who shows up. EPO has told me that they exclusively enforce state fish/game laws--not town laws. I wonder if the reverse is true--maybe town police don't enforce game laws? In which case town laws would be the thing to watch out for. And if that thing the EPO told me is true, then in its strictest form, EPO won't enforce written-permission laws in written-permission towns. Who knows. Let's just hope nobody here has to test any of this out.

I shoot in my basement - 13~ yards oil tank to the little area below the mud room. I also shoot at friends or at my parents. My folks is where I do most "long" shooting, like 20-60+ if the mood strikes. Mostly, when there, it's 20-40. The Neighbor's are about 20yards on either side, with about 7 miles of woods out back... It's a wooded town, in a rural area... I think folks are just pretty used to folks shooting. Point blank, neighbors historically have done stuff like shoot ground hogs with 22's in the yards and stuff... So at least at this point, everyone is cool and never thinks twice about folks around town shooting archery in their yards.

My current house, I could probably shoot 20-30 out back, (with a target in some woods), and I could do it safely relative to houses. but I could never guarantee no kids were back there or what not, and just wouldnt want to deal with asking several neighbors how they felt. So, I let my kids shoot their little stick bows, but I dont break out my bow in the yard.

I practice at home in the yard or the fish and game club by using the elevated platform. People don't see archery as dangerous I've found. Most are so ignorant of the potential lethality of these things that they are way less likely call on you. Even some town cops don't know. Just be safe, be ethical, and be smart about it.

I shoot in my yard. Max range is 45 yards. I could move the target back to about 60 yards, but like it under lean-to on the garage. Neighbors shoot bows as well. Shoot air guns also. All this from a yard on a main road in Western MA. Been here for 15 years, no issues yet. Even shoot from the peak of my garage roof sometimes. Shooting at 45 yards I'm right close to the road. Local police drive past and say nothing. Guess I'm fortunate to live in a rural town. The gun club I belong to has indoor archery, outdoor archery and a 3d course, all very nice, but a 30 minute drive. Glad I can shoot at home.

Get permission from every homeowner in a 500foot radius or take it someplace else. Use Google maps for this. Print a note and have people sign it . "I would like to practice target shooting my bow-arrows only ,from my yard ... please sign your approval below. " Practice from the treestand height especially the closer shots . If you are concerned about EPO or local police call them first . Make an effort at being responsible and you will win the favor of law enforcement.

stickbows I shoot in my yard or go roving in the woods using judo's..

with my compound I'd love to go check reedys practice course out heard its pretty nice with shots at Rinehart's out to 80yds! I'm curious if I can even sight in for 30yds,,,,im recovering from shoulder surgery so I'm nervous to shoot more than 10 shots anyway,,, this will be one of those sketchy years for me I'm sure..

I used to shoot from my driveway to the back of my yard. The yard is bordered with a full 6' cedar fence. I used to put my foam stops about 12" off the ground. Then I invited my daughters boyfriend to try my compound bow as he had a recurve and I though he knew how to shoot. He drew it like an archer from a Monty Python movie aiming it up in the air instead of aiming it at the target while he drew. Needless to say it went right into a neighbors garage roof. Last time practicing at home. Now I go to the bow range at the Braintree gun club.

I also practice in my back yard in violation of setback laws. but like others above have mentioned, common sense prevails. Be safe about it and as long as you dont have anti's for neighbors calling police and complaining I dont think you would have a problem. Many schools have archery programs with obviously no setback to speak of and I have yet to hear about any problems. By the way, calling the local police or EPO probably will not give you the answer you want to hear. Even if they silently agree with you , they will not give you their permission to break the law. IMO, and Happy Shooting!

Sure don't want to get anybody in trouble, and I could be wrong, but I really don't think the state laws on 500 foot setback pertain to shooting arrows at a target. 500-foot setback is mentioned once concerning WMA's, once concerning guns (very specifically doesn't include archery), and once concerning "hunt(ing) by any means on the land of another." Unless you plan to eat your target, I think you're OK. Town laws, though, could be another story altogether.

Practice? You talking about practice? Practice? Not the game, but practice?

Jeb. It is illegal to discharge any such hunting weapons , arrows or bullets within 500 feet of an occupied dwelling or building in use. Or across a paved road or within 150 feet of a paved road ect. without permission (supposed to be written) Didn't you take a basic course ? read Mass gun laws or discharging a weapon under the same. A legal bow , (draw weight ) puts you into this category. Ask the neighbors before you assume anything. Honestly. Or go someplace like a range or into the hunting/hunt-able woods. My neighbors and I have a clear understanding .

PI, please read "Section 58," image posted earlier in this thread. I stand by my statement.

Jebediah. I stand by this statement as coppied from Ma. Fish and Wildlife regulations. Discharge of any firearm or release of any arrow upon or across any state or hard-surfaced highway, or within 150 feet of any such highway, or possession of a loaded firearm, discharge of a firearm, or hunting on the land of another within 500 feet of any dwelling or building in use, except as authorized by the owner or occupant thereof. See page 26 for additional firearms regulations. I don't see any wiggle room in this law but I would say that the above posted " section 58" is not written very well and doesn't , by itself , excuse a more comprehensive understanding of the law. Notice the commas are not periods . The previous mentioned prohibitions are included in the latter. Namely the 500 foot restriction of discharge (Arrows included) without consent.

I read it as no hunting within 500 feet of a dwelling. I don't see any no discharge of an arrow within 500 feet.

PI see where it says "except as authorized by the owner or occupant thereof". I am the owner of my property and authorize myself to discharge an arrow within 500 feet of my dwelling. Talked to many law enforcement officers about this (my brother is a cop, two of my airman are local law enforcement in their local towns) and they don't really enforce fish and game laws but act as mediators often when neighbors get butt hurt about another neighbor doing something they don't like. Local town cops only enforce certain specific state laws (traffic laws, domestic, public safety, etc. and town by laws) which might include no hunting or discharge of a firearm. They always call the EP's with hunting or fish and game related issues because they really don't have knowledge on the subject. My current tenant is an environmental law enforcement cadet currently and he said the neighbors cant use the consent thing because if you stay on your land they have no leg to stand on in court even though it can be interpreted in their favor. When its a grey area like this he said it would be treated equivalent to a neighbor getting butt hurt for you shooting a pellet gun, or blow dart gun on your own property. The set back section has to do with hunting. Bottom line is as long as you are being safe meaning your not shooting in the direction of your neighbors home, yard, or vehicles you should have no worries because all the EP's are going to do is educate the butt hurt neighbor or whoever called on you. They get calls all the time from nosey neighbors and have to educate people all the time. It's part of their job. Everyone be safe, don't be stupid and don't be a dick to the people you surround yourself with and you should be ok.

I agree with "your own property" being safe to do as you please (regarding no setback) that is obvious but this doesn't override your neighbors rights. I read this as, You need their consent legally if you are within their setback of 500 feet. Discharge of any firearm or release of any arrow is in the first line. The first line is not a separate thought. Otherwise it would be a separate sentence. You may eventually find yourself asking a lawyer or the local police ... I would ask beforehand and not after , what the local police think but consult a Lawyer before not after something happens. Asking forgiveness afterwards is a poor strategy. Find this idea in the Law (such as what are our rights of property ownership) . I haven't read anything that overrides our neighbors rights. I will say this , if I have a 5 year old in my yard , you will not be shooting anything in yours. "Being a dick to people " is not your opinion but theirs... Not asking is being a dick IMO . Hence the permission clause.

PI nail on the head. You are 100 % correct in your thoughts. No arrow can be released within 500 ft of another's dwelling in use without permission of the owner. Do we all all abide by that....nope. But that is the law. Matters not what an EPO interprets it to be matters what a judge says and in our state you know where that goes.....

Anchorpete, seems like you got alot of advise from alot of smart people. If you haven't bought a house or are thinking of buying a house in the near future, just see if you are legally able to shoot in your yard. Or you could get into Tri-county 3D archery shoots. Those are great practice. I just did 1 last sunday. Lots of fun and great people. I'm also closing on my new house this month. It has 3.71 acres, so I can shoot freely. I can also hunt freely. It goes into hundreds of hinting acres owned by the town I live in. Can't wait for the season to start this year.

This state is so backwards...

Mr. Pro, Thank you and I agree with what you added. Fortunately, I have cool neighbors and so do they. We have enough space and a good backdrop of woods too. But many folks don't. I don't understand why anyone would chance it, in closer quarters or without the best backdrop etc. As we all know our projectiles are deadly . With the right situation and enough privacy there is not likely to be an issue but as you say ... the Judge will judge, if it is one. Maybe if we can address the setback distance (say 300 feet) from elevated position (Say 12 feet min) then we could also make this applicable to target practice. RI has 300 for bow I believe. One can dream ...

PI, I don't think anybody here would disagree that section 58 looks like a 10 year old wrote it. But the reference to discharge of an arrow is in relation to highway proximity, not in relation to dwelling proximity. Notice the second half of the compound sentence does not mention arrow. It only mentions firearm discharge and a good lawyer would chew this up. Now, how much does a good lawyer cost? They cost enough that I will always target shoot safely and as far away from my neighbors as I can. lol. And yes friendly neighbors helps. Coyote hunting laws are more confusing than this and we can touch on that another time....

Mr. 103. Please read my above post #8 from yours. It is from Ma Fish and wildlife regs. It is written better than the posted section 58 but could also use some improvements. If this is unclear to you then we are going nowhere with this. I am sure of this law and the intention of it. Do as you will . Tell it to the judge. Are you seriously thinking that it would be less safe to shoot near a possible passing car than a stationary home and its occupants ? Why not just tell your neighbors to stay in their homes and take cover because you have the right to shoot at will, wherever you wish to. "Honey get the kids in the house our neighbor is letting them fly again..." Come on brother , think it out.

Some have theorized that's laws are poorly written and lead to confusion ther by judges can interpret them themselves. Everyone knows the wording is horrible but it doesn't seem to get changed does it.

Mr. Pro you have a point there. Maybe it was composed by an author who knew the grammatically correct way to say this. But that isn't how people talk at present. For instance : people are still vague on some finer points (and their meaning) , as found within our Constitution and our Bill of rights. For that matter and to the point, even the wording in The Holy Bible is , at times a tad bit baffling. Asking the questions is the beginning of that discovery but ignoring the likely truth is the beginning of ignorance. I know my Dad knew what he intended to say and I became a very good interpreter cause the wrong guess hurt more that the right one. Just sayin' The judge don't care . We must, and we did.

I thought for sure I could find something online that would answer this question but nope. In fact I just found out that according to the state of Massachusetts gun laws my Labrador retriever can be considered a dangerous weapon. Im lucky to live were my Nabors all hunt and don't care that I shot my bow in the yard. but playing It safe and call the police dept. and ask about bylaws that prohibit against it sounds like a good idea. and surprisingly if you email fish and game questions they do get rite back to you. laws are diffidently written to be interpreted, but by judges not you and I. just because you thought you were right doesn't mean a dam thing

Still, Bingo.

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