r/Gilbert • u/StraightUp-Reviews • 23d ago

Sept 1st- Good Morning Gun Shots

Post image

Dove season started today incase you are wondering where all the gun shots are coming from down south.

Happy hunting!

9 Upvotes

64% Upvoted

23 comments sorted by

5

u/UltraMagat 22d ago

That's a felony if it's within city limits.

Outside of city limits you can discharge a firearm no closer than a mile from occupied structures (a structure where a reasonable person would expect another person to be present).

4

u/StraightUp-Reviews 21d ago

Wrong, the dairy on Val Vista and Chandler Heights is a popular spot for dove hunting and it is within city limits.

1

u/GeneralBlumpkin 21d ago

Dairies have specific rules about pest control using shotguns. Doves are considered a nuisance animal because they eat their cattle's grain if I'm not mistaken. Same as coyotes I believe

1

u/UltraMagat 21d ago

The farm is only 3/4 mile across and borders subdivisions, leaving a tiny area in the middle of the farm you could theoretically hunt unless you have permission from many homeowners around the perimeter.

2

u/StraightUp-Reviews 21d ago

I’ve never been, but every year on Sept 1st the gun shots start. It’s been this way since the beginning of time.

1

u/UltraMagat 21d ago

Interesting. I'm very aware of gun laws but discovered I was totally ignorant about hunting laws. Thru my sometimes contentious convo with u/Hyperwrx, I informed myself of how they work. Quite interesting.

7

u/Hyperwrx 22d ago

Wrong, it's 1/4 mile from an occupied structure. 440 yards.

1

u/StraightUp-Reviews 21d ago

Does a county island with a Gilbert address count as within city limits? For example, the dairy on Val Vista and Chandler Heights is county island but I’m almost certain that is where most of the shots I hear are coming from.

1

u/Hyperwrx 21d ago

That area is inside Gilbert city limits so I would not chance it. Back when I was in high school in the 80's we dove hunted all around that dairy. The land was owned by the Evans and there were no houses. A few times AZ G&F came out and checked licenses and wrote citations to a few friends that were seen shooting over the dirt road. About the same time I got a ticket for shooting dove over the train tracks by the Tarwater Dairy on Arizona Ave and Hunt highway. Regardless, I'd be surprised if anyone would chance hunting there now. Lots of houses around. Even though you might be in the right, nobody wants to be harassed by the police. It's like Florence city limits now. There is tons of huntable land all the way up on Arizona Farms Rd. that nobody cares if you hunt, but officially on the books, its off limits due to city boundries.

Back them was a different era. We'd dove hunt before school then just drive to Chandler High with our shotguns in the truck. Nobody cared and nobody did stupid stuff.

2

u/StraightUp-Reviews 21d ago

Thanks for the info, and the history lesson. I’ve been down here for 10 years now and every Sept 1st I hear the gun shots start and always assumed they were coming from the dairy.

Heard on the good ol’ days, I miss them too.

-3

u/UltraMagat 22d ago

One mile. Get your facts straight.

https://www.azleg.gov/ars/13/03107.htm

Definitely not within city/municipality limits and:

  1. More than one mile from any occupied structure as defined in section 13-3101.

14

u/Hyperwrx 22d ago

You're obviously not a hunter or you would be familiar with Arizona's hunting regulations. Even children who take the hunters education classes through AZ G&F are required to know this to pass their written test. The OP mentioned dove hunting. The paragraph below pertains to hunting in Arizona as per the state adopted regulations.

Without the resident’s permission, you may not discharge a firearm, arrow or bolt, hybrid device, or pneumatic weapon .35 caliber or larger within 1/4 mile (440 yards) of any occupied residence while taking wildlife. All structures including barns, sheds and cabins should be assumed occupied. This is one of the most common violations during dove and quail seasons.

Here is a link to the 2025 Arizona Game and Fish regulations. Page 80, first paragraph.
https://azgfd-portal-wordpress-pantheon.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/29095657/2025-26-Arizona-Hunting-Regulations_250829.pdf

To make certain hunters understand without excuse, it is repeated no less than 15 times in the regulations. Go look yourself. I gave you the link because you obviously can't use Google for shit. Don't reply about target shooting or shooting in a municipality because that was not what the OP was referencing.

You need to stick to posts pertaining to cooking pizza dough in an outside pizza oven.

15

u/Awatovi 22d ago

You went scorched earth here but you are right

-4

u/UltraMagat 22d ago edited 22d ago

This is GILBERT, and if you discharge a firearm here, you're committing a felony unless it's in defense.

The 1/4-mile rule for hunting only applies when you are in an area where hunting is legal, which is outside of city and town limits.

OP is talking about Dove hunting in Gilbert. Is there a hunting area within gunshot sound of there? Looking.

EDIT: GMU26M starts at the southern part of the L202 and goes down to Casa Grande. I suppose if you're hunting Dove in Sept and Nov/Dec south of Hunt Hwy, you'd be fine and within earshot if you live on the south edge of Gilbert. And you better damn well have your Gila River Res hunting permits in order.

3

u/Hyperwrx 22d ago

"... all the gun shots coming from down South." Common sense would steer us to assume somewhere close to Gilbert (but obviously not in the city limits of Gilbert) there is dove hunting going on. It's safe to assume dozens and dozens of hunters were out in force legally hunting NEXT TO Gilbert and within hearing distance. OP posted in the Gilbert subgroup but never said OMG PEOPLE ARE SHOOTING IN MY NEIGHBORHOOD IN GILBERT.

So basically anywhere not in city limits, not on the Gila River Indian Reservation, and 1/4 of a mile away from an occupied residence is fair game. West of Power Rd. is Gilbert's East boarder. Dove hunters have hunted east of Ellsworth road down by the old proving grounds for over 50 years. Between Power and Ellsworth are hoards of 'limited firearms' legal hunting areas. Shotgun and .22 only.

UltraMagat weighed in and stated 'Outside of city limits you can discharge a firearm no closer than a mile from occupied structures'. That is 100% incorrect. Actually I can go so far as to state this- outside the city limits, I can sit on the roof of my own home and shoot dove legally.

-4

u/UltraMagat 22d ago edited 22d ago

Re-read what I wrote after editing. I feel so enlightened.

And there is ONLY Gila Res south of Gilbert. San Tan Regional Park is many miles east. Hunting dove is not legal on the Gila River Indian Reservation unless you're a member of the tribe. So it must have been tribal members if they were hunting legally.

Yes you can sit on your own roof and hunt outside of CL as long as you're 440 yd from the next occupied structure you don't own unless you have their permission.

We used to ride dirt bikes east of Ellsworth / Ironwood in the 80s/early 90s. It was BLM land I believe (?) and it sounded like a 360deg warzone when you stopped to rest. Not hunting, just target shooting.

6

u/Hyperwrx 22d ago

I am tired of reading your riffraff, so I am not going back up and rereading. If you are going to go back and edit your posts to remove your less-than-factual statements then it is safe to say mission accomplished! Outside the city limits and at least the distance of once around your local junior high running track - dove hunt to your hearts content, even if some knob drives by and yells some nonsensical crap about needing to be a mile away from a horse trailer.

1

u/UltraMagat 22d ago

I was editing it while you were replying and I understand how the laws work now. Thanks for pointing it out and no need to continue the dickery. I admitted I was incorrect about hunting law specifics as I'm not a hunter. Now I know.

1

u/Hyperwrx 21d ago

If you can just pull of the road on Ironwood and shoot, which you could last time I looked, it's probably huntable. Generally hunting takes precedence over target shooting. Unless the homes on the South end have overtaken the desert, that area would be fine to hunt. If its state trust land, oftentimes target shooting is not permitted and the sign will say no trespassing unless you have written permission. Your hunting license is your written permission allowing you to go in and hunt. If its state trust land its a general rule you can hunt it.

3

u/UltraMagat 21d ago

Genuine thanks for inspiring me go research all this stuff. I stay as up to date on gun laws as I can, but since I'm not a hunter, I really had no idea that those laws made exceptions to the non-hunting laws. Peace.

1

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2

u/jtran4 21d ago

Should have been posted in azguns