Hunting Reg.'s Question? / Hunting deer from a boat.

Spawned from another thread in the Public Hunting Forum, the question arose regarding the legality of hunting deer from a boat.

All I can find that refers to it in the reg's is found under General Hunting where it stipulates game can not be taken from a boat under power. :

Would a hunter be wrong to assume that he could anchor out in a cove on a lake somewhere and shoot a deer on the shoreline, providing his motor was not running and in accordance with all other laws ?

For the record, this is not something I desire to do. This past Wednesday I went to Allatoona WMA via a small boat. The extra high water permitted me to and venture up a creek deep inside the woods. I was surrounded by whiteoaks dropping acorns and the thought occurred to me I could just hunt from the boat, but of course opted not to believing it illegal.

I would appreciate a professional legal opinion all the same. Would I have been illegal as long as I did not shoot a deer in the stream? Also, while we are on a similar subject, how much water constitutes an illegal havest if the deer is standing in it when it is taken?

Thanks,

Al

The way I have always read it is the same as you. If a boat is under power, it is illegal. If it is not, then it is legal.

I am with ya'll in believing that it is not illegal. I also wouldn't have a problem with shooting from a boat. Anyone who believes that is not ethical should talk to some native americans. I am quite certain that when Indians were the only ones to roam these parts, they would have had no problem with sticking one from their canoe.

Also, while we are on a similar subject, how much water constitutes an illegal havest if the deer is standing in it when it is taken?

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I have wondered about this one to. I believe the intent of the law is to prevent hunters from taking advantage og a swimming deer, but as i recall, the law does not specify water depth. So, is it technically illegal to kill a deer standing in six inches of water? :

Shooting from a boat would be pretty tricky. Not exactly a steady platform.

It is legal to shoot a deer from your boat as long as you are not using your engine or electric motor.

The problem is you must have the permission of the land owner before you shoot the deer. As far as depth goes, I believe if the deer is in the process of swimming a pond, lake or river it would be illegal. I hunt near small creeks and sometimes the creek is overflowing and small streams of water are running thru the woods. The stand I will be hunting in the morning will probably have two/four inches of water near it and I do not consider the deer to be in a stream. They will be walking parallel to the creek and hopefully walk by my stand.

In the cypress bottoms where I hunt, you can hear the deer coming to you as they are wading through knee+ deep water.

I was wondering about the "deer in water" thing myself last weekend. I hunt overlooking the North Fork Ogeechee River. Now this "river" being 3 to 6 inches deep in most places along my property and about 4 to 6 feet wide, it isn't exactly a "swimmer". If a deer was standing in water that barely covered his feet and he scored P&Y, would they accept it into the record book? And would the state view it as illegal? The wording, not the intent, is that it is illegal to take a deer in any pond, stream, creek, etc. It doesn't specify depth but the intent is to keep folks from killing a deer that's swimming and therefore helpless. They need to clarify some of our game laws.

Huntin from a boat

All of ya'll are correct. You can hunt from a boat as long as it is not under power as many have said. As for the water question, Al. The law as someone has said, is meant to protect the deer while they are swimming. As a matter of fact I killed a buck (8pt) before standing in a creek in 12 inches of water. It was the only shot that he offered.

It also falls the same with waterfowl hunting. If you are floating down a river you can hunt that way, because you are not under power you are going with the flow. And as BowArrow said you better have landowner permission.

Happy Huntin Guys

You also MUST have permission of the landowner of the land where the deer is standing.


T

Hunting from a boat not under power is legal but not easy , It's that hunting from an air plane not under power that gets me Ouch !!

On the original topic...........It must not be under power.....like having air conditioning on in summer and heater on in the winter or listening to the radio....


Deer will seek out and drink water, but................they can usually obtain enough from thier food source, which is 50 to 90 percent water anyway ( unless you're feeding them an unnatural food source like Purina deer chow, corn, salt licks,ect.).

Deer will need five to eight pounds of food per day for every 100 pounds of body weight.

Water is dependant on the season.......In winter, they only need about 1 1/2 quarts of water per day for every 100 pounds of body weight. In summer months, when temps are warmer and the deer are active, they will require 2-3 quarts of water per day per 100 pounds of body weight.

In the opinion spectrum......The law says while it is IN a lake, stream or pond............so, if the deer is standing IN Big Lazer creek or the no name stream that runs into it, it would be illegal to shoot that animal until such time as it was no longer IN the stream (in this case).

I always thought that aspect of it was clear. And if you were still a kid and your daddy told you not to get IN the creek and you just stepped one foot IN the creek anyways, I have a feeling that he made it clear to you!

What is considered to be IN the lake, stream or pond? Being IN a stream can be stretched into meaning within it's banks (ex.:stanading on a sand bar but down in the banks of a low creek,stream, river, pond, ect.).

On parts of Big Lazer creek, the water and sand bars are 10-12 foot down from ground level. To me, down in thier, is in the creek. Whether you're wet or not.

I've seen lots of deer cross Big Lazer, but....seldom do they stop and drink. More often than not, i've seen adult does taking the little ones into the creek for a bathroom break and bathin'. Especially in areas that are rich in predators...............So, until they are on level ground out of the creek and it's banks, i'll leave 'em be.