This may get pretty long, but there's a point to it.
I went to the Honey Island range yesterday for a couple of hours. I haven't been past the range is a very long time. After I left the range, I decided to head down to Indian Bayou Road and check things out. At the end of the road was parked a wildlife agent just chilling in his truck, talking on his phone. I waved as I passed him, he waved back, and I turned around and headed back to the main road. About two minutes later he appeared in my rear view mirror and flashed his blue lights.
I pulled over immediately and kept my hands on the steering wheel, knowing I had a couple of firearms in the truck.
Agent: "How are you doing?"
Me: "Doing fine, you?"
Agent: "I'm good. You were going a little fast down the road."
Me: "Sorry about that."
Agent: "So whatcha doing back here?"
Me: "Just left the range and I haven't been back in this area in years. Just thought I'd check it out."
Agent: "Do you have any firearms on you?"
Me: "Yes, sir."
This is where I was getting a little nervous. I know I can have a firearm in my truck, but I was still getting nervous. This was the first time I've been pulled over with a gun on me.
Agent: "What do you have?"
Me: "I have a .22 and a 9mm."
Agent: "Where are they?"
Me: "The .22 is behind my seat and the 9mm is under that junk there." I pointed to a pile on the passenger floor.
Agent: "Are they loaded?"
Me: "No sir. I cleared them before I left the range."
Agent: "Ok. Did you fill out the self clearing permit at the entrance?"
Me: "No sir."
Agent: "You need to fill out a permit whenever you do anything other than going to and from the range."
He continued to tell me about the rules of the WMA. I'm man enough to admit when I've done something wrong. I know I should have filled out the self-clearing permit before I went anywhere else than the range. I apologized to the agent.
Agent: "I'm not going to write you a fine or anything, just be sure to fill out the paperwork next time you come in."
Me: "Yes sir."
Agent: "Try to keep it around 25 on these dirt roads. I know there's no speed limit signs posted but these roads are pretty jacked up."
Me: "Yes sir. I'll do that."
So here's a couple of points to keep in mind when visiting the Honey Island range:
1. Even though you may not see a wildlife agent each time you go there, that doesn't mean they aren't there.
2. If you only go to the range, you don't need to fill out the permit. But you can't go anywhere else without filling out the permit. You can only go to and from the range.
3. If you think you may want to go joy riding while in the WMA, fill out the permit when you go in just in case. The time it took for the agent to questions me , I could have had the permit filled out.
4. Treat law enforcement like you would want to be treated and all will be fine.
5. Don't be a dumbass like me and ignore the rules of the WMA. I knew what I did was wrong and still did it anyway. I consider myself lucky that the agent didn't issue a fine to me. But luck can only get me so far.
I went to the Honey Island range yesterday for a couple of hours. I haven't been past the range is a very long time. After I left the range, I decided to head down to Indian Bayou Road and check things out. At the end of the road was parked a wildlife agent just chilling in his truck, talking on his phone. I waved as I passed him, he waved back, and I turned around and headed back to the main road. About two minutes later he appeared in my rear view mirror and flashed his blue lights.
I pulled over immediately and kept my hands on the steering wheel, knowing I had a couple of firearms in the truck.
Agent: "How are you doing?"
Me: "Doing fine, you?"
Agent: "I'm good. You were going a little fast down the road."
Me: "Sorry about that."
Agent: "So whatcha doing back here?"
Me: "Just left the range and I haven't been back in this area in years. Just thought I'd check it out."
Agent: "Do you have any firearms on you?"
Me: "Yes, sir."
This is where I was getting a little nervous. I know I can have a firearm in my truck, but I was still getting nervous. This was the first time I've been pulled over with a gun on me.
Agent: "What do you have?"
Me: "I have a .22 and a 9mm."
Agent: "Where are they?"
Me: "The .22 is behind my seat and the 9mm is under that junk there." I pointed to a pile on the passenger floor.
Agent: "Are they loaded?"
Me: "No sir. I cleared them before I left the range."
Agent: "Ok. Did you fill out the self clearing permit at the entrance?"
Me: "No sir."
Agent: "You need to fill out a permit whenever you do anything other than going to and from the range."
He continued to tell me about the rules of the WMA. I'm man enough to admit when I've done something wrong. I know I should have filled out the self-clearing permit before I went anywhere else than the range. I apologized to the agent.
Agent: "I'm not going to write you a fine or anything, just be sure to fill out the paperwork next time you come in."
Me: "Yes sir."
Agent: "Try to keep it around 25 on these dirt roads. I know there's no speed limit signs posted but these roads are pretty jacked up."
Me: "Yes sir. I'll do that."
So here's a couple of points to keep in mind when visiting the Honey Island range:
1. Even though you may not see a wildlife agent each time you go there, that doesn't mean they aren't there.
2. If you only go to the range, you don't need to fill out the permit. But you can't go anywhere else without filling out the permit. You can only go to and from the range.
3. If you think you may want to go joy riding while in the WMA, fill out the permit when you go in just in case. The time it took for the agent to questions me , I could have had the permit filled out.
4. Treat law enforcement like you would want to be treated and all will be fine.
5. Don't be a dumbass like me and ignore the rules of the WMA. I knew what I did was wrong and still did it anyway. I consider myself lucky that the agent didn't issue a fine to me. But luck can only get me so far.
