Spotlighting

[Haggis]

I was just curious to see if the time honored practice of going spotlighting is just a regional thing around here or if it is a country wide phenomon. When the farmers start picking their cornfields and the nights get colder, it always been a tradition to load up the family and hit the back roads with some snacks and the spotlight and go find some deer. Course if your a young buck, it's a good excuse to grab your girlfriend and cruise the backways of the country side. Back when I was young deer herds would push the half century mark and now seeing a dozen deer together is considered a big herd. Of course our new deer management practices here in PA have thinned the deer population but we are seeing nicer and bigger bucks than ever before. So tommorow night we'll hit the dirt roads and see if we can spot some good bucks, goodtimes in NW PA.

 

[jh504]

I was born in Mississippi and grew up spotlighting. I moved to NC when I was 12 and the practice is the same up here. We would go usually on the weekends with our friends and some girls in highschool. I still do a little shinning but now it is purely for hunting reasons. I will shine a spot where I will be hunting every now and then to see whats moving out there and when. There are laws in certain parts of NC that it is illegal to shine after 10pm. It is also illegal to shine near someone's house or if you have a gun in the vehicle. Get caught shining with a gun and your in big trouble. So I go unarmed when I do go.

 

[Haggis]

There are laws in certain parts of NC that it is illegal to shine after 10pm. It is also illegal to shine near someone's house or if you have a gun in the vehicle. Get caught shining with a gun and your in big trouble. So I go unarmed when I do go.

Same laws here, there are sort of unwritten rules for proper spotlighting etiquette and respecting your neighbors is the main one.

 

[Accrete]

the tittle grabbed me but my "spotlighting" was a bit different...
Weeknights out of Reno in the early 80's with the Toyota Mini trucks and Landcruiser club up in the hills. We had one guy that had two 12 volt batteries set aside to power a 24v landing gear light from a Galaxy C5A. We'd let him lead the pack and light the trail. It was blinding!!!

; ) Thom

 

[JIMBO]

:sombrero: I "SPOTLIGHT", generally after Midnight, when we hear STRANGE things at 7000 ft alt.

:safari-rig: :safari-rig: JIMBO

 

[snipecatcher]

I go pretty often, but with a gun. The pigs are a real problem around here, and are most active at night. Spotlighting works well. It also happens to be one of my favorite things to do with some of my closest friends. We rigged up a Kubota RTV with a tall rack in the bed and about 6 lights shining in all directions, plus a couple of handheld spotlights. It's very relaxing being out there in the cool night air.
-Dan

 

[jh504]

I go pretty often, but with a gun. The pigs are a real problem around here, and are most active at night. Spotlighting works well. It also happens to be one of my favorite things to do with some of my closest friends. We rigged up a Kubota RTV with a tall rack in the bed and about 6 lights shining in all directions, plus a couple of handheld spotlights. It's very relaxing being out there in the cool night air.
-Dan

I know you guys have a real pig problem in TX but I envy you. The pigs are just starting to have a decent population here and I am looking for bacon. I havnt had a chance to kill one yet but the ferals around here are supposed to be good eating. Im not sure if we can shine them at night. We do have open season year round though like yall have.

 

[maxama10]

Hmm, never heard spotlighting for deer. Out here we spotlight for rabbits and coyotes. In my county its only legal for about half of the year though.

 

[snipecatcher]

I know you guys have a real pig problem in TX but I envy you. The pigs are just starting to have a decent population here and I am looking for bacon. I havnt had a chance to kill one yet but the ferals around here are supposed to be good eating. Im not sure if we can shine them at night. We do have open season year round though like yall have.

They are definitely a problem. I've killed in the neighborhood of 60-80 of them and I'm but 22 years old. I remember one year we trapped 150 of them. That was just one year. There are so many it's ridiculous. One plus I can see is that if the SHTF and zombies attack, you could always live out in the boondocks and eat and unlimited supply of pork. :ar15:

 

[FshTaco99]

Neh to spotlighting in Delaware. You're asking for big trouble if you get caught even with a spotlight and stopped on a road. I can see people do across the my field through the beans and see people shining. I usually call the cops...or wait for them to shoot and I'll scream out in the field in the truck.

 

[Haggis]

Lets not confuse "spotlighting" with "jacklighting".

Spotlight is a perfectly legally activity here in PA where you go out at night and in a neighborly way and use your spotlight to see game, namely deer, to scout for the upcoming deer season and just to get out of the house. Having a gun, bow, crossbow or weapon is illegal as is spotting during hunting season.

Jacklight is an illegal activity where in unscrupulous people use a spot ight to take game of any kind out of season or out of approved shooting hours. Often these cretins will shoot a buck and take the horns and let the carcass rot.

The first is fun and a good way to spend time with your kith and kin on a otherwise boring night, better than watching that darn vapid TV. The other will get you in a whole truckload of trouble. Because someone does the first doesn't mean they're trying to do the last.

 

[BiG BoB]

All the shooting I've ever done has been by spotlight!

We used to have a pretty big feral rabbit population in Australia (until we declared biological warfare on the suckers!) and it was good fun going out doing our bit for the environment!

These days there aren't as many rabbits around, so I don't bother.

Sean

 

[98dango]

the pratice is used here on OREGON but only varments. aney thing else is tabooo big time u must have a permit and what not

 

[olympiccop2002]

Have done it in MN and WI... Now I have a nice spotlight on the Truck and can shine whenever I want! ROFSheriffHL: See some monster bucks! Great fun...

 

[frgtwn]

Spotlighting?

This must be a regionlism, as spotlighting is generally known as an illegal activity. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spotlighting

What you call it in your neck of the woods, well that's your neck of the woods. I've lived in 14 states, including Alaska, on both coasts, and do not recall having heard the term "jacklighting."

And, I have known about "spotlighting" as being illegal from my first "hunt' at age 4 in South Dakota. Mom, Grandmother, little bro and I stayed in the HenryJ while Dad and big bro went HUNTING. We saw two deer, they saw nothing.

However, what you do as entertainment sounds like fun. Me, I just sorta remember Submarine Races.

Dale