Dove hunters proned out on private land adjacent to Goodfellow AFB. Would like to hear the Air Force side of the story.

USAF guards detain dove hunters on private property

I'd also like to hear the other side of the story. Seems like, if it's that close to the base, they might have tried to give a heads up to the base or something. Or start hunting from a different direction. I don't know. Might not be any winners in this situation.

If they had an issue with the hunters, show up and talk about it. But putting law abiding citizens on the ground is uncalled for.

They have a fence that clearly separates military from private land. What happened was bs especially since they had just had a meeting with them that morning including the media talking about how important hunting was to the economy in that area.

Imagine your anger/surprise if a game warden had you laying prone on private property on an anthill and released you 30 minutes later without a warning or ticket.
That's fully denying someone due process.
Unless something comes out that the hunters were peppering buildings or vehicles on the base, this is really, really bad.

I get it. A bunch of white males carrying weapons in military-type clothing in close proximity to a military installation is a threat to security. - I should write headlines for CNN.


If you don't think our hunting heritage is at risk, think again.

could you imagine laying on asphalt for 30 minutes in 100 degree heat and not allowed to move.

I wonder how many of the base security boys were Texans.

Probably had some overzealous LT thinking west central Texas was the grounds of the next Islamic Tet Offensive performed by a sleeper cell of redneck imposters.

Even worse, could you imagine being the land owner? He was one of the hunters that was proned out!

I would be pounding on the door of the base CO's office.

30 minutes to figure out that they were dove hunters? Thought maybe the shotguns, dove ammo and older gentlemen dressed in camo may have helped expedite that conclusion.

Well, when I was in the USAF, the Security Forces weren't always the smart ones!

They need to do that when "hunters" refuse to pick up hulls. Let them taste the gravel

The base commander should have his but kicked!

That would be the duty officer not BC.

I image they are on a interesting higher alert level..

Unfortunate incident

These are not peaceful times and the Military does not take anything for granted. I wonder how close they were to the fence and if anyone shot across the fence?

It doesnt matter how close they were to the fence, what matters is what side they were on.

"Security forces" are a joke. Those guys freak out over the smallest warrants on base and treat the people like crap. Hope they get all they have coming to them. It's private land, they had no right to do that to those hunters.

Not disagreeing on that... Seemed a little over the top.

When does the air force have the right to enter private land?

As stated how close to the fence doesn't matter, but shooting over the fence is indeed an issue. But no warnings or tickets were issued, makes me think these guys were an okay group of hunters.

Texas hammer on his way

I just bought a place that is next to Dyess AFB in Abilene. We have been hunting there this season with no issues. If this happened to me and my buddies I would be livid. I would be knocking on someones door demanding an explanation and apology. I have lived next to the base for several years, and I will say that they don't respect private landowners like they should. They are constantly trying to get the city to pass regulations controlling what can be done on our property. It seems like private property rights do not matter to the government any more.

Want to end this rant by saying I have the utmost respect for our military personnel and what they do for us. They put their lives on the line to give us the freedoms that we have. I just wish that the bureaucratic side of the government would realize they have been fighting for exactly what they take away from us sometimes.

Did anyone else watch the skeet shooting carp video on the bottom of the page? Best combination of stupidity and awesomeness I've seen in awhile

A different news release... "17th Training Wing Security Forces responded to a report of six men armed with weapons at the base perimeter fence at 4:20 p.m. and temporarily detained the individuals, according to a news release from GAFB.

The group was promptly released once it was determined they were hunting near the base and not a threat to the installation, according to the release."

Walk along the fence of any security area, and you draw attention. It took Local Authorities 29-30 minutes to respond. If someone was outside the back fence of your house, what would you do? Assume it's OK because they are not on your property? Just saying...