Stupid Hunting Regulations?

[terminator]

Just wondering how many stupid hunting regulations are out there from state to state? One of our's in Georgia is that ALL centerfire firearms are legal for hunting deer. Sounds ok until you consider shooting a deer with a 25 ACP handgun!? A 22 magnum on the other hand is not legal and is much more powerful than the 25 ACP. What are some of your stupid state regulations?

[hussker]

Here they dont even let us hunt deer at night!! It would be so much easier!!HAHAHA

[machette]

In the part of Texas I am in they have a 13" inside spread rule for bucks. Im all for deer management but I dont agree when it comes to kids hunting. I think a kid should get to shoot what ever they want. It gets old telling my nephew no you cant shoot him, hes not wide enough. Before to long hes not going to want to hunt because he cant shoot a buck unless it has a spike on one side or is wider than 13". Anyway enough of my rant.

[passinthru]

We have two different zones for guns here in Mi. The lower half of the state can only use shotguns and the upper half can use a cannon if they want. The lower half can use a m/l if wanted which brings me to the dumb part. The reason they only allow shotguns is because of the amount of people living in an area. So shotguns limit u too short yardages but a m/l can shoot 200 yards or better. So how does this make sense??? I could go on and on but.

[grassi25]

Dec 28, 2010 20:19:57 GMT -5 machette said:

In the part of Texas I am in they have a 13" inside spread rule for bucks. Im all for deer management but I dont agree when it comes to kids hunting. I think a kid should get to shoot what ever they want. It gets old telling my nephew no you cant shoot him, hes not wide enough. Before to long hes not going to want to hunt because he cant shoot a buck unless it has a spike on one side or is wider than 13". Anyway enough of my rant.

Besides that, the old spread rule is not a great means of management anyway. I mean there are plenty of 1.5 year old bucks that can be 13" and they get blasted because they are legal. then the old spikes don't ever get shot because they are not legal. Basically your genetically killing the herd.

[oldzimm]

Here is my unlucky story about a stupid hunting Regulation that cost me $$$$$.

My first hunting season after getting back from the war, I was hungry for venison because I missed the 2003-2004 seasons.

It was a rainy day and my father and I went for a ride through the mountains. Driving down a mountain road and I spotted a deer, I drove down the road about 200 yards and told dad that I'm going to walk back, if that deer was still around I'm going to put it in the freezer.

The deer was still there, it didn't move off from where I first seen it. I thought the deer looked sorta strange, I walked 5 yards to my left and its head followed me, I walked 5 yards to my right and its head followed me again, I done this 3 times. I said to myself this is "ROBO DEER".

I thought to myself this would be a perfectly legal shot, I'm not shooting from the jeep, I'm going to shoot it for the fun of it. (BIG MISTAKE) I took aim and fired away, thinking "robo deer you are going down". Do you know robo deer is like superman, that deer took that bullet from my 300WSM without flinching a fraction of a inch.

Well needless to say, as soon as I fired that shot a car came down the road skidding sideways, a car comes up the road skidding sideways and a guy comes from the other side of the road, all dressed in camo, waving a badge, yelling "Law enforcement officer, put your gun on the ground". All the while I'm thinking "where is the drug bust".

My father gets there with me and the three game wardens. I told the wardens that I thought it was robo deer and I was making a legal shot, we all were standing there talking and laughing. I was laughing until I was given a citation with a fine of $250.00. The warden told me I was being fined for making a unsafe shot.

Now what is so stupid about this whole deal is if I were flanking this road on a deer drive and made the same shot, it would be legal. Getting out of my jeep and walking 200 yards and making the shot was illegal. What makes one shot safe and the other one unsafe? My gun wasn't loaded in the jeep, I didn't load it until I started walking back the road.

What is sorta funny is the night before at the cabin, some of the guys were complaining about robo deer, saying it was entrapment and I said jokingly "If I see robo deer, I'm going to shoot the SOB". Well the next day after my experience, I got back to the cabin and said "hey guys, I shot the SOB, anybody have $250.00 they can lend me", you could've heard a pin drop. (I guess I'm as good as my word)

[Predator]

Too bad you didn't have a firecracker. You could have lit it and waited for the fun to start.

[Predator]

Don't get me started about Virginia. You can't put out corn, bait or salt of any kind, but it is perfectly legal to use dogs to run all the deer all over the place, even off of posted land.
You need landowner's permission to track wounded deer onto lands of another, but anyone can go onto any land, posted or not, to retrieve dogs, as long as they don't use vehicles or carry firearms. This is in the hunting book.
During general firearms season, you can kill up to 6 antlerless deer, and then buy an unlimited amount of antlerless permits, but you can only shoot antlerless deer on certain days, which vary by county. (Here in my area, we have a 42 day season, but only 14 either sex days. 12 of these days are at the end of December, when the rut is over and you're lucky to even see a deer unless it's being run by dogs.) Why not lower the bag limit on antlerless deer, and let you shoot one anytime you want?
Several of our counties, including one of the counties I hunt, are shotgun only, which is pretty stupid if you ask me. My shotgun is good out to about 50 or so yards with a slug. Past that, who knows. My 30-06 is a tack driver out to at least 200 (I've never tried farther away), and it's illegal.
I do like the long season in Virginia. 4 weeks of archery + 2 weeks of black powder+ 7 weeks of general firearms season = 13 weeks of deer hunting.

[Predator]

West Virginia's gun laws are a little overkill in my opinion. A gun can't be in a vehicle unless it's unloaded and cased. But according to the game wardens, a gun leaning against a parked truck with the ignition off, or laying on a parked truck's tailgate, is considered "in a vehicle" and must be cased.
Also, I think a 2 week buck firearm season is too short.

[dagr8bilster]

My dumb rules and regs pertain to the season dates...for my zone the season opens Aug 15. Its too hot, too many bugs, the deer are still VERY much in velvet and the activity is minimal. My season ends Jan1. I would gladly trade the August portion for an extension into Jan. So often due to weather we have extended ruts or secondary ruts that run into Jan. We get much cooler weather then also which aids in deer movement and the woods are thinner from the frost and die back. I gotta tell ya if you hunt the Low Country in Aug and take a nice buck you pay for it!!! You'r hunting in 90 plus weather, mosquitos, gnats, hornets, biting flies, ticks, and every other biting insect out there. Not to mention the snakes and other critters on the ground. The woods are so thick from growth you can't see but 20 yds or less...and the deer don't move in very regular patterns. It took me a couple seasons before I was able to know down a deer in August and now I typically don't even start going out until mid Sept.

I like Husskers response...why can't we hunt at night?? Especially on private land...thats when they are most active. Its like going fishing but you can't use a fishing pole with line.

[buckfever]

one of the dumbest ones we have is for hogs. it's not uncommon knowledge that they're destructive animals, and SC has no set season for them, but you can only shoot them with high powered rifles during deer season. that is unless you get a depredation permit. now what's the point in that? i bet if there were more farmers in this area there'd be no permits needed. forget the fact that they'll slap ruin food plots and hunts in general, but those suckers can be really dangerous. it just befuddles me that regulations are in place for them. course with as few dnr officers as we have there's not a lot you can't get away with unless they just happen to be in the area where you're hunting.

[arrowhawk]

Another dumb one here in MI is towards the end of the Hunting Season where Muzzleloading and Archery Season is going on at the same time. If your in the woods with a Bow you can shoot a Buck or a Doe with a Combo tag if you have one but can only shoot a Buck with a Combo tag if you have a Muzzleloader. Oh and its Illegal to carry both, go figure.

Also to the High Powered Rifle and Shot Gun Zones. If Hunting Varmits or Predators in the Shot Gun Zone you can use a High Powered Rifle during the day but cant use one if Deer Hunting.

[Canuck2]

One of my pet peeves here concerns seasons for various weapons. It used to be that early archery season was the first 9 days of September. Then firearms season commenced and lasted until Nov 24 - 2 1/2 months. Since I hunt both ways, I was fine with that.

Then a youth and seniors (65+, where I almost am) firearms season was added which runs at the same time as early archery.

Why in the h-e-double hockey sticks would they add the noise and activity of firearms to a nice quiet archery season, especially with a much longer gun season already in place?? Take the first week of the original firearms season and restrict that to youth/seniors if such a season is needed; there will still be way enough time left for the general firearms season.

I am an active advocate of getting our youth involved in hunting, having taught the hunter training program to dozens, and introduced hunting to many firsthand. But give me a break; grrr.

[chickenjohn]

Jan 8, 2011 11:12:06 GMT -5 dagr8bilster said:

My dumb rules and regs pertain to the season dates...for my zone the season opens Aug 15. Its too hot, too many bugs, the deer are still VERY much in velvet and the activity is minimal. My season ends Jan1. I would gladly trade the August portion for an extension into Jan. So often due to weather we have extended ruts or secondary ruts that run into Jan. We get much cooler weather then also which aids in deer movement and the woods are thinner from the frost and die back. I gotta tell ya if you hunt the Low Country in Aug and take a nice buck you pay for it!!! You'r hunting in 90 plus weather, mosquitos, gnats, hornets, biting flies, ticks, and every other biting insect out there. Not to mention the snakes and other critters on the ground. The woods are so thick from growth you can't see but 20 yds or less...and the deer don't move in very regular patterns. It took me a couple seasons before I was able to know down a deer in August and now I typically don't even start going out until mid Sept.

I like Husskers response...why can't we hunt at night?? Especially on private land...thats when they are most active. Its like going fishing but you can't use a fishing pole with line.

The reason for our funny season is politics ,people want to come from out of state (high dollar permits) to kill a furry horned deer .