Newbie? Road hunting Pheasant's in MN, legal or not?

[hanso612]

Scout, I agree that most small parcells of land owned by the state are posted. I think the reason is not that they would make dangerous places to hunt, but because they have equipment, machinery or other working builings on them and I think theft and vandalism is a bigger problem. I see these sites posted all the time and think they should stay that way. They are usually close to town as well. I think we are talking about two distinkly types of property.

Your point on ag land is exactly right. A bill last year made it very clear and that's the kind of language I am looking for in regards to these ditches. I want to make it expressly clear that I am not advocating hunting these ditches until it is made clear to do so. And I am sure not advocating hunting AG or crp land just the puplic right away next to it. Right now it is not expressly clear, and there are conflicts in ditches all the time not just with hunters, I might add. I'm pushing for clarification to help with these conficts, but also to help with cover and hunting opportunity(two concepts very hard to argue against).

As far as the snow drift prolem -here is what I propose. Mow the up wind side in fall after nesting only. Plant downwind side in native prairie to act as snow catch. Snow catch adds moisture to soil and could help with cattails in ditch(best thermal cover). Have controled burns to keep down woody cover and help warm season grasses. Make the snowmobilers travel on downwind side until they get to there home section. There will be more and better snow in the ditch for longer period of time because of drifting. The snowmobile passes will nock down grass after first snow keeping the road from drifting.

I think we have the right person in charge of the DNR and agree with you that they have all of our best interests in mind. I think our enforcement is undermanned and underfunded and any clarification in rules would help their work as well.

As far as the cheats-like I suggested above, if we provide huntable ditch cover away from population I truly believe it will be less likely rougue hunters will be hunting next to landowners.

Once again, What I am proposing is only for pheasant hunting(not pass shooting for ducks or big game),and only in the heart of pheasant zone(Think red area in roadside survey map with that comes out each fall. Mostly what I am talking about is section line grid in farm country.

One last thing, I always hear the recomendation of asking the land owner. In our area we are seeing more and more corporate farms. The homestead in the woodlot is very rarely the farmer who farms the land. We are also seeing a proliferation of hunt clubs who lease many acres of prime hunting cover. I live in Northfield, but our farms are in Murray Co. and ,like me, more and more hunters are forming partnerships and buying every piece of huntable cover. My neigbors are from Nebraska. Absentie landownership and group ownership make it very difficult to get permission to hunt because you can't find the owner and muliple partners might disagree who to let on.

Wild game belongs to all of us, and if we let wealthy landowners control access wild game becomes theirs by default. I also think it is clear that, in Minnesota, we don't want individuals to profit from the sale of wild game. Charging access fees to shoot pheasants is just that. I'm afraid we are headed to the European system of game lords if we don't try everything in our power to stop pay hunting. My ditch proposal is a way to take a little of this land back for the people.

Once again sorry for the long post, Hans.

[Hammer Handle]

People are selling out their land due to higer taxes and the thought of getting more money for retirement...as the MN small farms are dead.

Opening up road hunting will not help this.

As a family with a small farm (still) and with lands along roads that it is not legal to road hunt on, I will not support anything that will open up people to hunt legally there and put me at risk when I hunt. I pay taxes on the land, it should be private.

If this changes, I might as well sell out and buy land elsewhere.

[gonefishin11]

Hans,

To your point about having neighbors from all over and not being able to contact them... They have plat books, websites and cell phones to find the person. Go to the plat book and find who owns the land, go a whitepages.com or google and type in the person's name. Use your cell phone to call that person and go from there.

I got permission from a guy in Colorado doing this. I told him to call me when he was harvesting in the area to meet for a handshake and a thank you. I gave him a case of beer and a package of frozen crappies and I hunt there now without issue.

This may not work when you see a group of roosters while road hunting but in the long run, it is a much better solution than road hunting.

For your road hunting proposal, its a valiant idea but I don't think alot of good would come of it. There are too many lazy hunters that would still just drive around until they saw a rooster, hop out and shoot it.

If people did attempt to walk a road ditch, what happens when a rooster flys across the road, the hunter gets too excited and blows the window out of an oncoming car?? What happens when a dog chases a pheasant across the road and is hit by a car??

Do we really want to increase (Maybe not a huge increase but it would happen) the chances of these accidents just to hunt a patch of grass that is 10 yards wide AT MOST???

[hanso612]

My point is that there has always been a large group of hunters that hunts this way and are surprised when you tell them that the ditch might be private. When they ask CO's they only hear the information that reinforces their beliefs. Its such a common practice that is obviosly contoversial that it seems to me that this is exactly the type of issue government needs to step in and take a stance. Hans

[gonefishin11]

I agree with your point that the government needs to take a stance. If/When they do, I would rather see a complete ban than making them all legal, as others have stated.

[Hammer Handle]

Exactly my point.

Make it all illegal...and safer. Driving around and ditch hunting is unsafe and really not hunting. And, most of it steps into being illegal anyway with tresspassing, shooting dangerous, and not knowing your surroundings.

Making it legal so people without land have a place to hunt is not a good solution.

[gonefishin11]

Everyone in MN has land to hunt... they are WMA's, WPA's, etc. Instead of hunting road ditches, get a MN Gazeteer, use Google Earth to find isolated patches and/or changes in cover on these lands and then hunt them. No need for road ditches.

[sparcebag]

Heres a DNR Reply;

Thanks Jim heres what is confusing me.

I'm hunting a road ditch road to fenceline about 33 feet wide a bird gets up and flies over the road,Can I shoot that bird?

Same senareo I'm in the road ditch a bird flushes and flies too the feild past the fence line,Can I shoot the bird?

Hello,

Yes, you could discharge across a road. The 500ft rule does apply to dwelling or live stock. If a vehicle was coming you could be charged with the reckless discharge of a firearm.

If that bird is flying over posted or agricultural land, I would not discharge my firearm. If an officer was driving by or watching you could be charged with trespassing for not having permission to discharge. And you still would need permission to go and retrieve that bird. If not ag land or posted sure you could discharge and retrieve.

good luck

ji

James Abernathy

DNR Information Consultant

500 Lafayette Rd Box 40

St Paul Mn 55155

651-296-6157

1-888-646-6367m