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How close to the property line?

mike7tcu

mike7tcu

Member
Joined
May 27, 2020
Messages
94
How close are you willing to hunt to a property line or another type of boundary. This is ethical dilemma I find my self in often when hunting public. I know that terrain has a lot to do with it but I’m just curious how others feel about this. How close have you pushed to a boundary?
 
mike7tcu said:
How close are you willing to hunt to a property line or another type of boundary. This is ethical dilemma I find my self in often when hunting public. I know that terrain has a lot to do with it but I’m just curious how others feel about this. How close have you pushed to a boundary?
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On public ground I get as close as possible (if the terrain/setup I need only allows for close placement near private boundary), but when it’s private/private, I back off as far as I can.

If I know the private land owner hunts that borders public I try to give them room.


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If you are on public or private land you have permission, you are good. As long as the animal is on the land you are allowed to hunt, again it's legal. I'll hunt right up to the line if the situation calls for it and shoot them the second they step over the boundary. I would expect the other person to do the same. Most people are kind and will let you track over to their land if a deer runs that way just make sure to ask before crossing boundaries. Most importantly, be honorable and only shoot animals on land you are allowed to shoot. Also, don't face your stand/saddle towards the other person's property.
 
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mattsteg said:
Why is this an ethical dilemma? Just make sure the animal and safe backstop are on the right side of the line, and beyond that consider recovery, peaceful relations, etc.
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Because it is called respect. Especially in a private land/private land scenario. You don’t crowd your neighbors.


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I have no problem hunting right up against the property line, but I won't shoot across it or cross it myself without permission. I'm really big on property boundaries--I am very respectful of others' property, and I expect others to respect mine--but I see no reason to use less than the full property I'm allowed to access. If I bought a 100-acre farm, I'd expect to use all 100 acres, no more, no less.
The kicker is if you have a neighbor who won't let you track deer onto/across his or her property. In that scenario, I'd probably back off the property line a bit and give a buffer, but that's for my own good, not the neighbor's.
If you know the neighbor hunts, introducing yourself and trying to form a QDM coalition or just establish rapport can pay HUGE dividends when the blood trail of the monster buck you just shot leads you off your property on a midnight tracking job--really pays to know ol' Joe and Sally Smith's phone number and be able to get permission to recover your deer.
 
The tree I’m hunting on the opener here in VA will be on public less 5 ft from the bordering private. Don’t think anyone hunts that private, but either way that’s right where my target buck is so thats where I’ll be so to be in the game.
 
An age old dilemma. Falls right in with how close do you get to another hunter who's already set-up?
Buddy of mine has this going on right now. Guy bowhunting 10 yds off his property line on a pinch point. Every year he finds blood trails and gut piles on his property, yet nobody asks permission to track. He actually stays back from the line 100 yds to give the state land guy some room. That's being too nice IMO.
As a state land hunter myself, I learned long ago to avoid the situation completely, it always leads to problems. I get nowhere near private land so I have no issues. Private butting up to private is a different story. It seems a conversation would be in order to set some ground rules if both parties are civil enough to do that.
 
Droptine85.mt said:
Because it is called respect. Especially in a private land/private land scenario. You don’t crowd your neighbors.


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Respect is not putting an arrow where it doesn't belong and hunting in a manner that doesn't put others at risk or trespass.
mike7tcu said:
Worried about where the deer is going to die and recovering it.
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That's more of a practical concern than an ethical one. In other words - yes recovery is ethically important, but the practicality of recovery has to do with a lot more than just where a boundary is.
 
elk yinzer said:
I have and will hunt the line and shoot deer as soon as they cross the public side. It's public ground, I don't owe anyone a buffer. If I anticipate difficulty recovering the deer or confrontation I will consider that though.
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I think that I’m apprehensive because the section of public I’m hunting isn’t heavily used (atleast where we are accessing it) and the neighbor’s tend to stop what they are doing and stair at your when you drive past there house. This is the third year I’ve hunted it and haven’t had any problems. I just know a deer running out in the private hay field and tipping over is gonna go over like a turd in the punch bowl.
 
It depends on the situation. If I know the guy on the other side is hunting nearby I’ll give him some space. If someone is planting a food plot or baiting near the line to pull deer over to their side I will sit the line just for the point of it. On m little 100 acre lease we are sitting near the property lines and staying out of the middle of the property.
 
Good answers here. I have one spot where i will be on the line of the public because three habitats converge there. I wont shoot to the private,and in this scenario i am not too worried about tracking,the public borders the backside of private that is 1/2 mile from the road. I know the one property owner and could contact the other for tracking permission.
 
I’d say the line is fair. Especially if you’re hunting public. lm sure the guy on private wouldn’t have a problem sitting right on the line of public, why should it be different for you or I? If I approached and someone was already near by, that would change things. I won’t crowd someone who beat me to a spot.
 
Mschmeiske said:
I’d say the line is fair. Especially if you’re hunting public. lm sure the guy on private wouldn’t have a problem sitting right on the line of public, why should it be different for you or I? If I approached and someone was already near by, that would change things. I won’t crowd someone who beat me to a spot.
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That's a pretty bad argument unless the guy doesn't have a hunting licenseor it's a lottery location. Nobody is ever going to get mad at that guy.

What really gets the ire of people is when people place stands and orient them in a way that the primary and sometimes only shooting lane is on the side you don't have permission on.
 
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