Regs for distance from building to hunt?

[Cheetah]

Quick question, and my super awesome ability to search the MN hunting regs have come up short... I apologize if this was asked before, I'm sure I am not the first, but my forum search came up short as well.

Using archery equipment and hunting deer, what is the legal distance the hunter must be from a permanent structure/building? And assuming the hunter has permission from the landowner, is it technically legal to hunt within that distance. Say for example, a tree roughly 30yds from the house...

[sparcebag]

Good question even though I dont know about archery???which I always hunt,I know firearms is 500 ft. I wonder if its the same for archery? Never needed to know where I hunt nearest place is bout 1/2 mile away.

Good Question to email the DNR. Let us know the answer.

[Mark Christianson]

It is a city/county regulation in cases. I would call your local law enforcement and ask them.

[Cheetah]

Hmm, I wasn't thinking it might be a city/county regulation. I sent an email to the DNR to see what they say. I'll keep investigating and report back.

This is for just outside the Rochester city limits.

[Mark Christianson]

Local municipalities are the ones that might have regualtions regarding firearms discharging.

[lawdog]

The 500' requirement for firearms as part of the DNR regs does not apply to archery. There is no similar requirement for archery. Its also important to note that the 500' is not a prohibition on shooting that close, its just that you can't be shooting any closer without the permission of the owner. If the owners are OK with it (and assuming its otherwise legal in the area), I think you can lean against a building and shoot...

[Cheetah]

Thanks Lawdog,

I also received a reply from the MN DNR. Pretty much said the same thing.

Quote:

Hello,

There is no set distance an archery hunter must be from a dwelling(firearm only).

good luck

[Deitz Dittrich]

Not that I didn't believe Law Dog, but thanks for the DNR reply and update.

[deerminator]

I arrowed a doe less than 100 feet from my cabin once when I was on my way out to stand. Shortest hunt ever. lol. I know a lot of guys who have stands not more than 50 to 100 yard behind cabins or even houses in the country. Some people call that lazy or "not hunting" but if that's where the deer are, more power to you. As long as its legal, I say go for it.

[Mark Christianson]

Not to throw a twist in this all, but if you are the landowner(and family members in the household), you can sit with your high powered rifle right next to the neighbors house if you want.

The rules are for non landowners.

Here in Sherburne County, I talked to the Sheriffs office a few years back and he told me if I want to sit on my deck and shoot geese, its legal.

If I want to put a deer stand up next to my neighbors garage(on my land of course), its legal to shoot deer with a gun.

He did say that its not exactly recommended, but its legal.

He said I cant have friends over and shoot geese off my deck though, even with my permission. They would need to be 500 ft from the nearest building(whether its neighbors or my own).

Screwy if you ask me.

[deerminator]

Most of that I knew, except I thought it was you needed to be 500 feet from any occupied dwelling (except your's of course)even if you were on your own land. Meaning, even on your own land, I thought you still needed to consider your neighbors and not be shooting within 500 feet of any of their dwellings - without permission. Not that I would even ask! Not sure I'd like someone sitting next to my house 50 feet away from my house and property line firing a slug gun every which way. We have a neighbor who slug gun hunts near our cabin and his stand is about 800 feet from our cabin. He's very careful of course, but that still makes me nervous at that distance.

[lawdog]

blb I'm not sure your sheriff knew what he was talking about there. It doesn't jive real well with the DNR rule. Was he talking about a Sherburne County ordinance on discharging firearms or was he mangling the State Law?

[harvey lee]

My understanding was one needed to be 500ft from those buildings. Maybe different for your own but not another landowner.

[lawdog]

Here is what it says in the rules Synopsis (page 12):

• On another person’s private land or a public right-of-way, a person may not take a wild animal with a firearm within 500 feet of a building occupied by humans or livestock without written permission.

• A person may not take a wild animal with a firearm within 500 feet of a corral containing livestock without permission.

SO, as I said before, with the written permission there is no prohibition and you could shoot leaning against the building or sitting on the window sill. BLB your friends can come shoot geese too, as long as any neighbor within 500' signs off on it...

[Mark Christianson]

It specifically says take a wild animal.

So is recreational shooting legal then within 500ft of a neighbor?

I just talked to the Sheriff. He said if I want a stand next to the neighbors garage, I can do it.

They had a guy several years ago, shooting guns on his 1/3 acre lot. WAY within 500 ft of neighbors. They had to get a court injunction to stop the guy.

Interesting twists, eh?

Bottom line, common sense goes a long way. I dont intend to move any of my deer stands up next to the neighbors garage regardless if its legal or not.

[sparcebag]

Here is what it says in the rules Synopsis (page 12):

• On another person’s private land or a public right-of-way, a person may not take a wild animal with a firearm within 500 feet of a building occupied by humans or livestock without written permission.

• A person may not take a wild animal with a firearm within 500 feet of a corral containing livestock without permission.

SO, as I said before, with the written permission there is no prohibition and you could shoot leaning against the building or sitting on the window sill. BLB your friends can come shoot geese too, as long as any neighbor within 500' signs off on it...

I went through this also with a Sheriff and CO,I hunted ducks off my dock,a complaint came in and both Sheriff & CO came by,I needed written permission from each neighbor within 500 ft of my point of discharge,Which was 2 neighbors to the south and three to the north,only 2 are year around but was told I yet needed written permission.Sorry to say the person who turned me in lived a block away,I think I knew who it was???

[justlivin']

The area we bow hunt runs right up to a city park where there is controlled deer hunting (our land is outside city limits) every year some hunter sets his stand 2-3' off the fence line and faces our property. We called DNR asked the question if we were to run live stock in that area up to the fence line does the 500' foot rule apply? He responded no because a bow is not considered a firearm.

[Mark Christianson]

Sparcebag

Well, both the county sheriff and the local conservation officer today told me I can hunt with a firearm right next to my neighbors house if I want as long as I am on my own property. I do not need any written permission to be within 500 ft of them.

If I have a friend over, he would need written permission to hunt within 500 ft of their dwellings.

Look close at the DNR rules. It says "on another persons private land". There is the catch. If its your land, you dont have the 500 ft limitation

• On another person’s private land or a public right-of-way, a person may not take a wild animal with a firearm within 500 feet of a building occupied by humans or livestock without written permission.

Isnt consistency nice?

And I am not saying I will ever test the neighbors. Not at all.

Just clarifying what I posted earlier. Perfectly legal.

And I have it in email.

[harvey lee]

Those rules are why some just don't understand and get pinched. They might just as well write them in another language.

[sparcebag]

Sparcebag

Well, both the county sheriff and the local conservation officer today told me I can hunt with a firearm right next to my neighbors house if I want as long as I am on my own property. I do not need any written permission to be within 500 ft of them.

If I have a friend over, he would need written permission to hunt within 500 ft of their dwellings.

Look close at the DNR rules. It says "on another persons private land". There is the catch. If its your land, you dont have the 500 ft limitation

• On another person’s private land or a public right-of-way, a person may not take a wild animal with a firearm within 500 feet of a building occupied by humans or livestock without written permission.

Isnt consistency nice?

And I am not saying I will ever test the neighbors. Not at all.

Just clarifying what I posted earlier. Perfectly legal.

And I have it in email.

I tell ya what,there's a big stink out here about land owners building next to WMAs & WPAs The COs have to enforce the 500 ft rule which is closing parts of public hunting areas PUBLIC LAND FOR HUNTING NO PREMISSION NEEDED.

I'd like to see that email from the DNR,Not to doubt you but to copy it and have it on hand! Ya see a area across the road from me was built on two years ago and the COs arent yet ticketing but warning.That email will also help me from neighbors having to write me permission slips if I do hunt my dock.

My email add is below

[Mark Christianson]

Email sent.

[deerminator]

Wow. So legally, I could start slug gun hunting in my back yard, 10 feet away from my neighbor's cabin, just blast a deer out of the woods not 20 feet from him while he's eating breakfast. Sweet.

[Mark Christianson]

Sure. Please have a friend videotape the escapade for us all to watch too. LOL

[deerminator]

Hey, our other neighbor blasted a doe out of the woods not a couple of hundred feet from my wife and kids when they were going down the driveway from our cabin this weekend so I figure what's the difference?

[harvey lee]

I do believe the least a hunter could do is to ask the neighbor if this would be alright with them.

When enough get upset, the DNR will have a whole new set of regs on this.

Can't hurt to ask. Thats what I would like from my neighbors if I still lived in the country. Just a little respect.