Bird Feeders

[threeway]

If you have a new piece of property to turkey hunt, and the land owners have bird feeders out for other birds. But the turkeys keep coming into the yard and destroying the feeders etc.... Can a hunter legally hunt near this food source or not? I'm assuming its like deer hunting. Feeders have to be removed prior to hunting.

[DonBo]

You have to be a certain distance from a house to hunt. Unless the bird feeders are far from the house (who would do this?) you should be okay. You certainly can't hunt in the yard where the feeders are.

[threeway]

Actually, the feeders are along the tree line that is about 200 yds from any buildings. The farmers wife doesnt want the seed and such to ruin the grass. She has a tremendous lawn for a farm yard, I wish mine was like that. So, I think I should ask her to let the feed to run out or check with the local CO on this.

[fishfearme]

I would think it depends on where you live. Can you legally fire a gun on your property? Can you shoot a bow? If you are licensed you should be able to shoot them right out of your door.

[threeway]

Maybe it wont even matter in April? The birds will not be dependant on this food source. So, they might not be patterned that easy. Now they just feed at the feeders all day then roost about 100 yds away.... Obviously its great they are feeding them, food is very hard for the birds and deer to find right now.

[DonBo]

I would stay away. It is illegal to hunt over bait, and I would say "bird feeders" far from a house would constitute bait. Not worth it...

[threeway]

That is the same thing I was thinking!

[fishfearme]

Here is how it reads in the regs.

A person may not hunt turkey with the aid or use of bait or feed or in the vicinity of bait or feed if the person knows or has reason to know that bait or feed is present.

An area is considered baited for ten days after the complete removal of all bait or feed.

Bait or feed includes grains, fruits, vegetables, nuts, or other food that is capable of attracting or enticing turkey and that has been placed by a person. Food that has not been placed by a person and resulting from normal or accepted farming, forest management, wildlife food plantings, orchard management, or other similar land management activities is not bait or feed.

A person otherwise in compliance with this subpart who is hunting on private or public property that is adjacent to property where bait or feed is present is not in violation of this subpart if the person has not participated in, been involved with, or agreed to baiting or feeding wildlife on the adjacent property.

[Cheetah]

Dunno how far "in the vicinity" is, but if it is a decent number of birds and they aren't roosting right over it you should be fine figuring out where they roost and hunt them there or in other nearby fields. I highly doubt they sit on that bird feeder 24/7.