Road Hunting

[fishnowworknever]

I guess that is what i am asking. I am not going for an ethical quiz here. I already said i dont do it, my favorite part of hunting is working with my dog. I just want to arm myself with the right info.

How about both circumstances, if i am driving around my own land or land i have permission to hunt, or if i just see a bird in the ditch, crossing the road etc. Can i "jump" the bird if it is in the ditch. Arnt most of the states ditches fair game?

I emailed the DNR asking this broad question:

"Hello quick question here:

Is it illegal to road hunt small game (grouse/pheasant) in MN? If I were to see a pheasant sitting on the side of a gravel road in the middle of southern MN, no houses/livestock/people and not within any city limits, am I able to exit my vehicle, load my shotgun and shoot at the pheasant?

Thank you in advance"

His reply:

"from Tim Hage <[email protected]>

date Tue, Nov 24, 2009 at 2:47 PM

subject Re: Question on road hunting small game

mailed-by dnr.state.mn.us

hide details 2:47 PM (10 minutes ago)

You can road hunt small game in Minnesota."

So he is saying you can shoot them off of the road? Assuming it is not a state highway or paved road?

Why don't they add a few more pages to the Regs and spell it out?!

[Ely Lake Expert]

I was really suprised when they did away with the 60 ft from the vehiclle law and then the case law. You see the laws abused in the north woods constantly while grouse hunting.

what is the for distance from the vehicle now?

[RumRiverRat]

I didn't know they got rid of the 20 yards from the vehicle law. Seems like a mistake to me. I still feel some ethical responsibility to provide fair chase. When i see a grouse while road hunting i'll get out and make an effort to hunt it rather than blast it next to the truck.

You have no right to force your ethics on someone else.

[MinnesotaMongo]

Interesting topic. We were traveling to a spot to hunt last week - saw a rooster scurry into the brush from the side of the road on this Public hunting land - and we said "Game on". We grabbed the guns - got the dog - and were going to walk into this public land to try and flush this bird when we noticed two guys with two dogs about 250 yds from us, hunting the far side of this same public land. We go - "Oh shoot" - put the dog back in the kennel - and try to give the hunters the "BIG WAVE" to point them in. We hunted the next adjacent land - just down the road a bit. Not hearing any shots - we went back there, after they left and ran out dog and actually flushed that rooster - well - he was wily and flushed about 50 yds ahead of us out of gun shot range. But if no one was there - I would have had no problem chasing that bird down in that particular situation.

[grab the net]

What if ? What if ? What if?

[FCspringer]

Interesting topic. We were traveling to a spot to hunt last week - saw a rooster scurry into the brush from the side of the road on this Public hunting land - and we said "Game on". We grabbed the guns - got the dog - and were going to walk into this public land to try and flush this bird when we noticed two guys with two dogs about 250 yds from us, hunting the far side of this same public land. We go - "Oh shoot" - put the dog back in the kennel - and try to give the hunters the "BIG WAVE" to point them in. We hunted the next adjacent land - just down the road a bit. Not hearing any shots - we went back there, after they left and ran out dog and actually flushed that rooster - well - he was wily and flushed about 50 yds ahead of us out of gun shot range. But if no one was there - I would have had no problem chasing that bird down in that particular situation.

I am not sure you would have hit him anyway there old 5 pops.

[Dave S]

We had a similar situation last weekend Mongo and we did the same thing. The public land was a couple hundred acres with hunters heading that direction so we never got out of the truck.

We walked the next area a half mile down the road and kicked up a few hens and watched my shorthair on one of her best points.

[zackthehunter]

my uncle told me that you shoold aways treat a gun as it was loded. so i think if you folow that rule it should not matter if it is the case what if someone puts a loaded gun in a case? that would be more dangeros right

[CRAZYEYES]

I dont mind the case rule. I like being able to leave my gun uncased if it gets wet, it prevents it from starting to rust. "Sportsman" that shoot birds off roads are gonna do it anyway regardless of case laws or 60 foot rules.I've talked to a few CO's this year that think the law changes are rediculous.

[BobT]

I still don't understand how the case law prevented anyone from using a firearm illegally. What it did do is add another way for someone to be illegal but that's about it as far as I can tell.

[scsavre]

Like crazyeyes said, i like to have my gun uncased if wet, or i guess i just leave it unzipped to dry out.

Does your gun have to be in the most rear area of the vehicle? so if i have an SUV, it cant be in the back seat? It must be all the way in back?

I tried looking it up, but my computer wont open the PDF on the DNR site.

Please dont reply with, "were you previously able to have the gun where ever you wanted?"

Most of my hunting life has been in Iowa, which is a bit more strict. So i follow their rules, when in doubt.

Heres my disclaimer, so i dont get picked apart. I keep my gun in the rear of my SUV, just want to know the rules.

[BobT]

There is no provision for where you have to keep it.

The reason I made my comments on the other thread was because you kept asking a question that was being answered. I merely tried to reiterate what everyone was telling you...that there were no other changes is that law.

In this case I would ask the same question again. If you were not required to carry it in the rearmost part of your vehicle when it was cased, you are not required to carry it in the rearmost part of the vehicle now uncased either...because....that part of the law did not change.

[scsavre]

got all i needed to know now. Thanks Bob T and others.

[Lunker]

I agree clarification is needed. In Wisconsin for example the regs are pretty simple. There is a minimum distance off of the middle of the paved road to discharge a weapon(can't remember what it is off the top of my head), and not so on a dirt/gravel road.

I don't consider myself a road hunter, but if I am going from spot to spot I would not hesitate taking a road/ditch bird if I knew I could do it legally. My two cents.

[Farley]

the new uncased law is just a step in the right direction. We dont need any more laws telling us what we cant do. I hunt mainly the 2 sections I live by since my buddy and my uncle own a good chunk of it, havent cased my gun yet except for duck hunting when I dont want it to get all banged up. For the record I have never shot a pheasant from the window of a vehicle either. Why should I have to case my gun if I'm driving 3 miles down the gravel road?

[BobT]

Quote:

For the record I have never shot a pheasant from the window of a vehicle either.

And you still aren't allowed to do that today.

[Farley]

Just sayin I follow the rules.