Yesterday (Sunday)  I was shooting pistols with three other guys at 2:00 PM on my own property.  We were shooting for about an hour, nothing particularly loud, or rapid fire and I turn around and a town cop drives up to where we are shooting.  I was not very happy to see him to begin with, I shoot just about every weekend so the neighbors should be used to it.  It is 150 acres, so we are about 200 yds from the nearest house and we are shooting into a cut out gravel bank with logs, so very solid backstop with trees behind it.  If you include the trees, there is about a 50' tall backstop.  This is the first time in about 4 years that an officer has come down, the first time he did not get out of the car, said "Someone complained, I had to come down, have a good day."  
This time, different officer gets out of the car, asks if we are shooting rifles (what difference does that make), I said no, he asks who the property owner is.  I say I am and then he asks me for ID.  I ask him why I have to show ID when I am shooting legally on my own property, he seems annoyed and asks again.  I actually did not have my wallet, so no ID.  He said a neighbot complained that the sound was "reverberating off the trees" or some bullshit, not sure what that means.  Bullets must make that noise when someone is being unsafe.  He then asks the other three guys, who show ID.  Cop goes back to his car with the IDs.  I am not happy at this point, but did not act like an asshole since I have to run a business in town.  He gets out and gives back ID's, I ask him why he needs the IDs again, he said for his report.  He did not have an answer for me when I asked why there is a report.  He gets irritated and says he is just trying to do his job, and says I should expect complaints in my town.  
Am I right to be pissed?

As far as being pissed, I'd vote yes.
I see no reason for a report. If anything, the report should be that for future complaints  a property owner is target shooting on his property.
Why it would include ID for anyone else than the property owner is beyond me.
I'm glad you kept your emotions in check as that was the reaction we need in these circumstances.
We are already looked at as the evil ones, why make it worse!
Hopefully they are done bothering you, good luck!

Should you be pissed? Yes.

But one way to avoid this issue in the future is to call the local police and tell them when your shooting on your own property so they know to ignore the calls from your twisted panty liberal progressive anti gun neighbors.

I am not going to call the local PD every time someone shoots on my property.  Between me and my brothers, we shoot down there a couple times a week.  I guess I have to keep shooting until they get sick of calling.  One guy wrote a letter to the town a couple years ago complaining about shooting in town and he said he is a long time resident, he has been in town since 2005.  This is the third generation of my family to live on the same piece of property.
The Italian Navy makes a lot more noise all weekend during the summer than I do.  Those assholes run straight pipes on their go-fast boats all summer, I am a couple miles from the water and I hear them constantly.

Should you be mad? Yes and No.

If someone complains the police are obligated to follow up. In this scenario if you are not shooting anything illegal I would show my ID and verbalize my displeasure. Without ID how does the police know you are the property owner? I would not call the town every time I want to shoot. Let the police department keep wasting their time checking on a non-issue. You could be the guy who stands his ground and refuses but that will surely not be making friends with the local PD. I for one am of the mind set that you get more by being nice and respectful. Tell the cop " I am showing you my ID because I do not want to be an asshole but I really am not happy having to show ID on my property."

I have a neighbor who never talks to anyone but when my other neighbor was riding his snowmobile in his own yard checking it out after repairs he called the cops. The cop came and asked for ID. My neighbor showed it and the cop said, while pointing, "that guy called saying someone was riding snowmobiles in his yard". Clearly there where no tracks except in his own yard.

In these kind of neighbor complaints I feel bad for the cops. They are stuck investigating stupid complaints and wasting time.

Only thing is once you give him the ID it goes into a report.

Sounds like the neighbor tries to call at different intervals hoping to get a different cop to respond. Since the 1st one didn't write a report, there is no way of other supervisors of knowing what resulted in the complaint in the future if they weren't working during that time. Furthermore, the neighbor if not satisfied with the result will probably complain to the mayor/town councilman who in turn will make an inquiry to the chief for answers of what happened.
Annoyed? yes you should be if you are shooting consistently and haven't been a problem before.  Look at it this way, unfortunately it will take the cops to go to your place a few times, afterwards, it will be known that it's "so & so" shooting on his property and they won't even entertain the neighbor's complaint.

Wanna host a HTF shoot?

It might get the point across. .

^this^

also, some towns have fairly specific noise ordinances. which usually means cops wont do anything if they don't get a call, even if they hear it themselves. but if they get multiple complaints  multiple neighbors, they can demand you stop making the noise, and if you don't stop they can ticket or arrest you for disturbing the peace and other crap. (they typically make exceptions only for construction type noise)

Agree. Neighbor complaints suck, some times their valid, other times their not. Which is why a quick call to the police before you shoot on your property could solve the problem. <shrugs>

In some towns that could make things worse, especially if you get a cop that's anti.

"What's that? You intended to shoot? Shoot who? We are sending someone to respond immediately. Do not leave your location!"

I think I will just start locking the gate, not sure if they would need a warrant at that point, but it would at least make them walk for 10 minutes.  Would probably also discourage checking IDs on the computer, that would add up to about a mile of walking to make multiple trips down to where I am shooting.  
We have had game wardens go through the gate onto our property without stopping by the house.  They had to stop by the house on the way out to get the gate unlocked.

game wardens are different the regular cops, they usually dont need warrants for most things, or at least thats what ive heard

If you live in such a town your pretty much screwed no matter who calls to report gunfire.

Sounds like you need to host a shoot on your property... Paging nutter

I know game wardens don't need a warrant, this was a town cop this weekend.  The gate was locked on the wardens probably ten years ago, they tend to be assholes in my experience.

I say shoot more shoot faster and shoot louder guns

Lock the gate too

Also get a 50

I'm tired of being nice in this state

Respectable is a two way street

I would love to burn through a shit ton of ammo on your property ! HTF weekend BBQ shootout party!

Count me in for an HTF shoot.

15 years ago I lived in Wallingford on a fairly rural road that turned to dirt just past my house. One night I am on the couch watching TV and I see flashlights outside.I looked out the window and I see a bunch of Cops with dogs walking around my yard. I opened the door to go outside and one screams for me "to get back inside and close the door". I refused and he started giving me lip. I reminded him they were on my property without my permission. I told him they were lucky I was not a shoot first ask questions later kind of guy. I reminded him that he could have just knocked on the door and said stay in the house we are searching for a suspect. There were at least 6 cops with K9s. Turns out that a state trooper had pulled over a car that was on an APB and the driver got out and ran and they were searching for him. Apparently he was wanted for armed robbery in New York state.

I slept with my AR under the bed that night.

Up to 50 pounds of tannerite is legal. Properly tamped down into a hole under a few hundred pounds of loose sand for safety of course.

Or an airburst in a plastic 5 gallon pail 'bout 40 feet up.

ive about had it had it myself.

wana call me a baby killer because i own an AR15, ok, im fine with it, because im not, your just an asshole

wana call me a redneck because i cling to my guns, ok, im fine with it, because my neck is red from being a blue collar worker, and have pride in that

heres a giant fuck you to all the libs on here playing spy games, FUCK YOU

Someone's drinking the hateraid today. Jk

close, budlite and knob creek

I would  absolutely lock the gate and make it as difficult as possible for them

I'm not a cop hater. Most of  the men in my family are cops and so is an old hockey buddy of mine.

But I do consider cops for the most part to be unfriendly and I will not show ID or talk to them. It's important to know your rights and not give them an inch

AFAIK that's just what they THINK.  It's a combination of their general lack of training and education and the fact that they are often searching the open fields.  I've never heard of the "Game Warden Exception" except from Game Wardens, and believe me I have heard some great stuff: "when the cops have a hunch and can't get a warrant they call us up and have me kick in the door cause I don't need a warrant."  Where the truth is something like, "Hey, Joe the Fish COP, we only have probable cause of this guy violating DEC laws, but he's up to some bad stuff, mind if we get you in on this raid?"



 

Just keep in mind that when a police officer is sent to investigate a complaint he must INVESTIGATE the complaint.  Does a police officer have the right to be on private property?  Depends on what is going on.  Why did he ask for ID?  Because he can.  You're right in that you are not obligated to give it to him but your "word" that it's your property sometimes isn't enough.  

Some that complain about his would be the same people screaming if someone came on your private property, shot the place up and left.  You'd call the police and file a complaint that someone trespassed.  Imagine this scenario.  The police tell you "Yes we were out there earlier and there were numerous people shooting on your property."  You then ask, "Who were these people?" The police tell you, "We don't know they didn't want to show us any ID and said it was their property, so we just left."  You'd be on here complaining how the police don't do their job.

Don't get me wrong, there are some real dicks out there with a badge, but like it was said earlier most are family guys just doing a job.  Just because a police officer, in the middle of the night, sneaking through back yards, after an armed suspect, that could be around any corner waiting to put a bullet into them, is a little curt towards you when you open your back door and demand to know what's going on. ...  Maybe you should cut them a little break.  Once again, you're tucked into your bed, cuddling with your AR-15, behind a locked door, while they are risking their lives to locate the bad guy.  Just saying that they may be a little stressed at the moment...

If you call the local dept and explain the situation about the neighbor and either call them before you shoot or give them a phone # to call if they do get a noise complaint(like a cell or something), it might work. If they don't have to send a car out every time and walk up your driveway but can just call you to confirm I can't see why they wouldn't want to...

That was mentioned early on in this thread to the OP, the response was; "I am not going to call the local PD every time someone shoots on my property."

OP, id be pissed too.  

ive never ran into a cop when i was shooting at FIL's house ( he has a ton of acreage)

Friend of mine has property in VT and was shooting with some friends up there.  He said a cop came rolling down the driveway and the first and only words he said to him was "you are on private property, get back in your car and fuck off"  ... i guess you get away with that when you are a statey (works for another state)

This gate the fucker up! If they wanna come then make em walk....  Anyway... 200 acres of property.... Who the fuck is close enough to hear it and complain? I'm sure you can narrow it down to 2-3 people...

Anyway... Gate it up and fuck them.

I gotta say though... When they do show up, don't cause a scene... Laugh, giggle, crack jokes and do cartwheels. Seriously, make em your friend not your enemy... Ask if they wanna shoot etc...

The police don't investigate complaints, they investigate crimes.  If I call 9-1-1 because I don't like the shampoo my neighbor uses they're going to tell me to fuck off...what about the situation the OP posted even suggests there is criminal activity afoot?  Just because there are firearms involved?  People shoot on their own land all the time.  If your neighbor calls in a noise complaint that clearly violates no laws and the police show up and knock on your door is it necessary that they check ID because there is a 1 in 1 Billion chance that the people playing loud music are actually burglars? If the police want to show up to communicate a neighbor's displeasure it's nothing but a consensual encounter and they are subject to the mercy of the attitude of those they encounter and that state's ID laws, but it's not an investigation and certainly not a stop or detention.



Better that demands are made of the innocent on their own property under threat of force than a trespasser goes free?  I think not.



 

I would have a difficult time figuring out which neighbor is was, the guy that wrote a letter to the town lives about a mile away, not even on my street.  I don't know if it was him or not, but there are plenty of people it could be.  I will just shut the gate from now on, none of them are ambitious enough to actually walk to where I am shooting.

Amazing how you have to be harassed while doing something perfectly legal on your own land.

I take it you live in Old Lyme? I'll come over next time and help you out giving them another reason to call the cops again.

Yes and No. I would be more pissed at my neighbors than the local PD. My friend is in the local PD, the PD are just doing their jobs. They have to come out and investigate when they get a complaint (especially if the person constantly calls numerous times for the same reason), no matter how pointless the complaint is. As for showing the ID, I probably would just to be corporative with the PD (just to try to stay to corporate with them), so next time it happens he will drive up, see you, wave and leave. Also how are they suppose to know its your property if you do not show an ID? As far as they know, It could be some random person shooting on your property without your permission.

This used to happen to my father's property in update New York. Assholes hunted on it and shot up the house and barn because they were almost never used. The cops told him "what are we supposed to do keep checking on it". I know he want to say "no you are supposed to just put in your 20 years at a donut shop to get your retirement. I don't expect you to do any work". Instead of fighting them he sold the property. He had no real use for it.