GoFish
Senior Member
What's the legal distance to hunt from a public road?
What's the legal distance to hunt from a public road?
But what is odd is, I believe you can hunt in a tree stand 51 yards from the road and legally shoot that deer standing one foot off the road on your side?
Where does it say that?The 50 yard rule states that you cannot shoot toward or across a public road either........
– Hunt or shoot from or across a public road.
– Discharge a firearm within 50 yards of a
public road.
But what is odd is, I believe you can hunt in a tree stand 51 yards from the road and legally shoot that deer standing one foot off the road on your side?
About 2 years ago a hunter came in to check in his deer and was overheard by the Game Warden that he had shot his own truck when he shot his deer. The Game Warden came over and started to query him about it. The Game Warden told him he would have to investigate it since it had caused damage to a POV (privately owned vehicle) while discharging a weapon on a military reservation.
He had the hunter accompany him back to where he was hunting to see where the hunter, deer, and vehicle were when the shot was fired. The hunter was hunting from a 10 ft ladder stand about 105 yards from the road; the deer had just crossed the road and was about 10 yards from the road when the shot was fired; and the hunter's truck was parked on the shoulder of the opposite side of the road. The shot had passed thru the deer, ricocheted off the road, and struck the truck just in front of the driver's door panel. They then returned to the Game Warden's office.
When they got to his office, he asked the hunter for his drivers license, state hunting license and big game permit, and FG hunting and big game permit. He was then informed that he was being given a citation for:
1. Shooting across a public roadway- a state AND federal violation.
2. Causing damage to privately owned property during the
illegal discharge of his weapon (his own truck).
3. His deer was confiscated as an illegally taken game animal.
4. His FG Hunting Permit and Big Game Permit were taken and placed in "suspension" for the stated period based on the type of violation/or until the outcome of this case before a federal magistrate.
(This is standard SOP as stated in the FG Hunting Regulations.)
In other words.... he shot his own truck, he lost his deer, he lost his FG hunting privileges for 2 years (and possibly his Georgia hunting privileges on conviction before the federal magistrate). I think he was fined around $500.
Where does it say that?
This is what the popular guide says on page 8.
It shall be illegal to....
Slug,Phil, this is NOT AN ATTACK or AN INSULT.
Are you just playing "The Devil's Advocate" to stir the pot. (You're good at that!)?
Or.... are you just being a little "hard-headed/obstinate" about this?
If you FIRE YOUR FIREARM TOWARDS A ROADWAY, there is a HIGH PROBABILITY that the projectile will CONTINUE ON ACROSS THAT ROADWAY.
GA Hunter Education Instructor
Unless there is code to that effect (which is obviously not stated in the guide), that ranger was wrong. They're not perfect (either).The rule was stated to another hunter by a DNR ranger as i listened on........at least that was his take on it?
Does the 50 yard rule apply to bow hunting as well?