NAC Posted October 31, 2008 Report Posted October 31, 2008 So I made my way to the Grand River at Bridgeport yesterday around 2:30pm to see the new bridge construction and how things have affected the fishing. I went up the south side of the river because there is no allowance behind the Lancaster Tavern anymore. I walked up the opposite side of the river equivalent to where I wanted to be on the the other side. I'm standing on top of a concrete culvert trying to get a good vantage point of where I want to fish first. I'm looking around scanning for a nice pool when all of sudden I hear a totally unmistakeable sound off the steel grate infront of the culvert.... it's a ricochet. Immediately, the hair on my neck stands up and I crouch down and start scanning where it came from across the river. Then I hear a "fffffffpppptt" sound in the river just 3 feet from where I'm standing and I now know that the first wasn't accidental. Now I'm scanning the top of the high riverbank across the river and catch a glimpse of something bright red where there should only be evergreens and just as another shot comes within a foot of me. I now knew for certain it was just pellets, with no crackle from the gun prior to the shot landing. I stood up and covered my face and looked right at what I thought was the culprit. I pointed to my eyes and then back at him twice to let him know I saw him. By now I've pulled out my digital camera(only 6x zoom) and start taking pictures of them where they were at the back corner of Golf's Steakhouse, facing the river. Turns out there were two of them and they booked it when I started taking their portrait. I did manage a shot of one of them before they ran off, but it only shows his red jacket, location and side profile because he knew I had the camera. It now looked like they were leaving dodge, so I ran to my truck and drove over to where they were and found nothing. I've fished for over 30 years and that has got to be the single most minldess event I have ever seen, let alone been part of!
HTHM Posted October 31, 2008 Report Posted October 31, 2008 We are not the ones that you should first report this to. Did you call the police?
Greencoachdog Posted October 31, 2008 Report Posted October 31, 2008 Report that incident to the local authorities!!!
bigugli Posted October 31, 2008 Report Posted October 31, 2008 At least it was only the pellet gun. There are still idiot yahoos that hunt along marked public trails, including sections of the "Bruce". I've had a couple of close calls. Regional police have been a joke because I don't have an I.D. of the shooter or his wheels The idiots out there know they are doing wrong. Unfortunately, they also know how easy it is to get away with their behaviour. Don't get me wrong please. I am not anti hunting. I used to hunt. I stopped hunting because I'm somewhat gunshy. I had to pick birdshot out of my hide after one of these Yahoos decided to shoot at the first thing that moved. Unfortunately, that was me as I popped up out of the blind. The idiot sure ran quick. the fellas that tried to chase him down only got close enough to see his dust cloud. Remember, there will always be a few dangerous idiots out there. Try to keep your eyes open. Be safe.
lew Posted October 31, 2008 Report Posted October 31, 2008 they were at the back corner of Golf's Steakhouse, facing the river. Absolutely call the coppers, maybe someone in the restaurant got a better look at them or even saw their car. If these punks find it funny to take pot shots at somebody with a pellet gun today, who knows what they'll get their kicks from tomorrow.
jwl Posted October 31, 2008 Report Posted October 31, 2008 wow that's brutal, glad you didn't get hurt. got a good scare when I was about 15, me and 3 buddies got dropped off at a some what fishing hole by one of the guy's Dads on his way to work, and he was picking us up on his way home. We where stuck there for the whole day as this was a good ways from home. We where fishing, things where a bit slow so we decided to go try another spot and walked over to a long point sticking out. We where having a great time fishing catching a tonne of mudcats and the odd big channel cat when all of a sudden....BOOM!!!!!..we look around, then another..BOOM!!!! and this time pellets sprayed the water pretty close in front of us. We look around to find this huge burly biker looking guy with a shot gun pointed at us and yelling "hey!!! get out of here this is private property". Well you never saw 4 kids try and scramble so fats in your life as a second big biker type runs over to his buddy just as he is about to pop off another shot and grab the gun his other freind had and point it up in the air as he yells at his buddy "relax" before they walked off. Man, we where stunned and crapping our pants by this whole ordeal, for the record, the area we where fishing was indeed NOT private property, we where on a point by a creek mouth, the other side of the creek where the gunslinger was is where the private property was. Perhaps we where getting a little to close to thier stash or something they happened to be "cultivating" out there, but all I know is right after we grabbed our stuff and hightailed it back to where we started, and the whole time shaking our heads that we couldn't believe what had just happened, not only that, this was almost 25 years ago, no such thing as a cell phone,the biker guys WHERE the closest people around, and we had to wait there until our friends Dad got off work to pick us up
NAC Posted October 31, 2008 Author Report Posted October 31, 2008 Absolutely call the coppers, maybe someone in the restaurant got a better look at them or even saw their car. If these punks find it funny to take pot shots at somebody with a pellet gun today, who knows what they'll get their kicks from tomorrow. Good idea, but I'm leaving for 5 days in Minden in the next 1/2hr. I think I'll call the restaurant though just to see if anyone working saw them and can ID anything. I should have used my cel phone and called the police before I let them know I could see them... I was a little too upset to think clearly right at that moment.
lew Posted October 31, 2008 Report Posted October 31, 2008 Good idea, but I'm leaving for 5 days in Minden in the next 1/2hr. I think I'll call the restaurant though just to see if anyone working saw them and can ID anything.I should have used my cel phone and called the police before I let them know I could see them... I was a little too upset to think clearly right at that moment. Still call the police anyways Nomad, and let them know what's going on. The next guy they take a shot at may not be as lucky as you.
holdfast Posted October 31, 2008 Report Posted October 31, 2008 (edited) Yea, similar, I was fishing one of the smaller so called cottage lakes in cottage country and tried to find a shoreline to camp on. Couldn't find a spot that seemed not owned so I decided to throw a tent up beside the boat launch. After a whisky here and there I heard a truck go screaming by firing some gun shots I guess to scare me away which didnt work. I can tell ya though the next day it seemed I had every neighbor prowling around my tent to see who the invader was, but when I crawled out of the zippered door and wished them good morning and offered them a beer in my ginch they booted off. If it was up to them they would hog the whole lake to themselves. Edited October 31, 2008 by holdfast
Pachone Posted October 31, 2008 Report Posted October 31, 2008 Messsssssed up dude. Post the pic of the red jacket sniper?
fishindevil Posted October 31, 2008 Report Posted October 31, 2008 Glad you are ok !!!!...man i hope the cops get them before someone gets seriously hurt !!!
Sinker Posted October 31, 2008 Report Posted October 31, 2008 Yeah, you should have called right then and there. That's a pretty serious offence....even though its only a pellet gun.....its still dangerous use of a firearm!!! Prolly too late now. Sinker
Rich Posted October 31, 2008 Report Posted October 31, 2008 Hey that's okay, some idiots put marbles in a paintball gun and fired at me in the boat once on a local lake. Called the cops but they were long gone before they showed up. People are just stupid. At least you weren't hurt.
Cookslav Posted October 31, 2008 Report Posted October 31, 2008 Thats ridiculous, Pretty sad when you have to worry about being shot at while fishing in town by kids... I'd go back with a set of 2 way radios next time and a freind who "happens" to be parked at gulfs. Catch the lil sots red handed.
jediangler Posted October 31, 2008 Report Posted October 31, 2008 Bridgeport is the only place that I have been shot at while fishing as well. Back maybe 20 or so years ago I was fishing the flats about 3km upstream from where you were off of Kraft rd. The difference was they were using a 22. They shot into the water within 10ft of where we were wading in the river. Being young and stupid, we started swearing at them to put the gun away and come down and get their keisters kicked. They promptly jumped in their jeep and came right down to see us. My buddy, who lived in Bridgeport, recognized the ringleader and called him by name. He was the oldest of 3 or 4 brothers that lived there who were always getting in trouble. Once he realized we knew his name he said to his buddies "I'm not going back to jail because of this" and they hit the road. We used to call them the "Ruffians". They all wore those red plaid jackets and hung around in gangs of 6 or 8. You could never find one alone.
lew Posted November 1, 2008 Report Posted November 1, 2008 They all wore those red plaid jackets and hung around in gangs of 6 or 8. You could never find one alone. Funny isn't it, how the "tough guys" always have 6 or 8 guys backing them up.
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