Hunting near busy highways

[TNbowhunter]

@TNbowhunter you mention you “recently” got this permission. When did you first lay eyes on all the sign? I only ask cuz as a fellow middle Tennessee hunter, there’s a big difference between October/November sign and late season December/January sign. Is it possible those deer have vacated the area? I only ask because this has happened to me quite a bit come mid December and on here in Tennessee. I have a much easier time nailing down great early and mid season spots. Late season has always been tough. I guess I’m saying, just make sure those deer are indeed in there this time of year.

Saw several fresh piles of scat just this morning. My gut tells me there are fewer deer there right now then there were two months ago, but they’re not completely gone yet. It’s odd.

 

[Hunter260]

I hunted a place a while back that was less than 500 yards from a high school. We were set up and a football game started. We could hear every word from the game. My buddy shot a doe just before half time.

 

[robstewart]

@TNbowhunter you mention you “recently” got this permission. When did you first lay eyes on all the sign? I only ask cuz as a fellow middle Tennessee hunter, there’s a big difference between October/November sign and late season December/January sign. Is it possible those deer have vacated the area? I only ask because this has happened to me quite a bit come mid December and on here in Tennessee. I have a much easier time nailing down great early and mid season spots. Late season has always been tough. I guess I’m saying, just make sure those deer are indeed in there this time of year.

Yea the deer that I saw using the awesome bedding area all but left when the snow hit.


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[NikoTheBowHunter]

Are you saying I should try what I’ve heard called elsewhere a “bump and dump”? And I don’t mind getting in early, but are we talking an hour before sunrise or 3am early?

Be ready to go and set up in your stand 2hrs before sunrise.

 

[BCHunter]

Alright, now lets take it one step farther, am I allowed to hunt in a median that I can access from a side road? Some of them are hundreds of yards wide with streams, swamps, and hardwoods. Thoughts?

 

[boyne bowhunter]

The median isn't fenced along the side road? I don't have any expressway near me up here so I don't have any experience with this idea. It is intriguing though.

 

[boyne bowhunter]

This is a random selection from the Mi-Hunt site that shows public hunting lands. It specifically excludes the median even where both sides of the expressway are state land. Don't know of they're all that way, just one specific example.

 

[robstewart]

Alright, now lets take it one step farther, am I allowed to hunt in a median that I can access from a side road? Some of them are hundreds of yards wide with streams, swamps, and hardwoods. Thoughts?View attachment 23569

In Ontario the rule is no discharge within 8 m of the TRAVELLED part of the road or on the other side of a fence if it exists.

I honestly don’t see why you couldn’t do it with a bow as long as your shooting lanes were parallel to the road.

What would really suck is when you take the shot and the wounded deer runs out in front of a 15 passenger church van killing everyone in it, causing a pile up killing and injuring a few more people and you make international news.


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[onestringer]

hunt it deer don't care. True story, I once killed a deer that walked under I-44. Watched him do it.

 

[BCHunter]

What would really suck is when you take the shot and the wounded deer runs out in front of a 15 passenger church van killing everyone in it, causing a pile up killing and injuring a few more people and you make international news.

wow, that turned dark rather quickly.... haha, I don't think I would ever do it even if it was legal, i hate hunting by road noise. I'm lucky enough to have access to way too much hunting land and can be selective. I still drive by those giant medians with swamps and woods thinking that there must be a buck dying of old age in there

 

[cmbetke]

I tagged out this year on a little piece of property that I gained permission to hunt on. The property backs up to a big block of city land that is bordered by a very heavily used road on two sides. I basically hunt this corner of where the two roads meet. Being I'm hunting in a neighborhood I have to be pretty stealthy to not draw attention so I've focused on hunting in the evenings so that if I do get an opportunity at a deer it will be getting dark at the end of the hunt and most families and neighbors are settling in for the night.
I've noticed that the deer travel this hillside daily and in the evenings they basically come in like clock work, waiting for the traffic to die down to be able to cross the road. It's quite interesting to say the least and I've seen more action this season on this little piece than I have our 900 acre lease that i've been hunting for 7 years.
The best you can do is to sit and observe and make moves accordingly and legally!
I wish you luck on this back end of the season and hope you seal the deal!! Post back and let us know!

 

[BCHunter]

This is a random selection from the Mi-Hunt site that shows public hunting lands. It specifically excludes the median even where both sides of the expressway are state land. Don't know of they're all that way, just one specific example.

View attachment 23570

hm... I see what your saying, but I still have a hard time trusting an electronic map, no matter who makes it. I've seen the county GIS maps say different than the paper copies. If I really wanted to know I would contact the DNR and try to see if interstate medians are technically right of way no matter how wide they are. For now it's gee-whiz info since I hate hunting close to road noise, cuts down on the "purity score" haha.