Legal hunting hours need revising

[WhitetailAddict11]

Quite honestly, I'm willing to take the risk of someone shooting at me. If you're so worried about being shot by another hunter, than carry a flashlight when it's dark.

[WhitetailAddict11]

Just to be clear, I say I'm willing to take the risk not because I'm being ignorant or talking out of my ass, but because the chances of that are so significantly miniscule.

[Grizz1219]

Most states I believe are 1/2 before and a 1/2 hour after... Would be better to do that and add hunter orange than the stupid rule of surise to sunset... in my opinion...

[josephmrtn]

I was just noting that there is nothing illegal about it because you insinuated there was.

yeah thats fine, altho i forgot to mention it is illegal to tresspass on my land for one and two it is really really illegal if you have a loaded gun......... that is in my mind, im not sure how that works w the dec

(also if u need to blood trail onto my land PLEASE come ASK and i will come out w u and help u find it, if ur story is true)

altho them guys were allready breaking the law by shooting at that deer in the first cause they shot it on my property.....

im going to start hunting the way back fields as much as possible too cause if im there poachers are much less likley to tresspass i think

[WNYBuckHunter]

I agree that its illegal to trespass. I was just point that particular point out. I wouldnt assume they shot it on your land just by a blood trail alone, did you find the typical pile of hair at the shot site? Deer can go a ways before they start to bleed sometimes. Regardless, I hope you dont have any further issues with them.

[Doc]

I agree that you cannot go hunting convinced that you are going to be killed or maimed. At least not if you expect to enjoy your hunt. However, it is smart to be aware of the potential dangers and try to take some actions to put the odds of being wacked just a little more in your favor. I am always aware that there are possibilities that I might come across someone who isn't exactly the sharpest tack in the box, or somebody who doesn't really value my live as much as I do. So if the state wants to be just a little careful with legal hunting hours, I see that as not really all that big a problem. Sunrise to sunset seems like a very reasonable thing to me. I have never seen a deer that was so important that I felt that I should be shooting in some fuzzy darkness at it. Sure there are differences that make it possible to shoot in those twilight conditions. If the skies are absolutely clear, if the deer is standing right next to you, if you have no interest in seeing exactly what you are shooting at or where you might hit it, if you are watching a wide open field, if there is snow on the ground, then maybe it is possible to pull off a shot 1/2 hour before sunrise. But maybe the next day you go out there will be a foggy, drizzly, day of heavy clouds. Maybe you will be hunting in a mature hemlock woods. You might be amazed at how you can have difficulty seeing even at the legal sunrise time under certain conditions. Unless they are going to let you shoot in the dark, they have to put some restrictions on legal shooting light. I think they have chosen the most reasonable standard that takes into consideration almost all of the variables that you are likely to encounter this time of year.

[bubba]

That someone pointed out the facts? Honestly Bubba, I asked you to come up with the law you said existed about a month or month and a half ago, and you had no response. Its an open challenge.

umm did you miss the lol? I was busting on ya. Geesh relax. No need to puff your chest out any more ok. But most important watch out for those coyotes.

Edited November 21, 2012 by bubba

[ELMER J. FUDD]

I passed a few because of the legal time laws. Hey, if it saves lives?

[ncountry]

not when everyone there has doe permits.

I hear you there..lol. I spent the the last 12 days /with 3 of them being the opening of shotgun downstate.. It was ridiculous ..sounded like opening of duck season up here. This was in an AR area too.. I could have harvested a deer (Waaay before legal shooting hours) but let her pass at 5' horizontally 30 vertically. It was not even close to being legal hours. Moments later the banging started.I have no idea how they could count antler points at those times.

We came home with a truckload anyway. 50/50 mix bow /firearm kills.

[DJ Wilson]

I agree 100%

[WNYBuckHunter]

umm did you miss the lol? I was busting on ya. Geesh relax. No need to puff your chest out any more ok. But most important watch out for those coyotes.

Guess i did miss the lol.

[Nomad]

Guys who say they don't shoot a few minutes before or after legal light are like Bigfoot,I read about them on the internet, but I've never seen one in the woods.

[jjb4900]

How about the guy who's walking through the woods with a loaded rifle, in the dark, lighting the way with his flashlight? bet I can find the law forbidding that.....

[cnymuzguy]

Maybe you don't see them in the woods because they leave when they're suppose to. Maybe we should buy photometers, the DEC sets a minimum standard, anything above the minimum level we can shoot. Heck on a full moon night you could sit out in your stand be be legal. With a little snow, you could be out there in the first and last quarter.

[josephmrtn]

I agree that its illegal to trespass. I was just point that particular point out. I wouldnt assume they shot it on your land just by a blood trail alone, did you find the typical pile of hair at the shot site? Deer can go a ways before they start to bleed sometimes. Regardless, I hope you dont have any further issues with them.

i found where i think they shot cause thats where the blood trail ended and it looked like the deer walked up and then suddenly took off running (you could see the marks where he jumped and took off running) and it was on my land.... no i havnt had any more trouble but i never found the deer.... i will try to post a map of the blood trail so you can see where i lost it and give any suggestions you may have....

[nyantler]

I agree that you cannot go hunting convinced that you are going to be killed or maimed. At least not if you expect to enjoy your hunt. However, it is smart to be aware of the potential dangers and try to take some actions to put the odds of being wacked just a little more in your favor. I am always aware that there are possibilities that I might come across someone who isn't exactly the sharpest tack in the box, or somebody who doesn't really value my live as much as I do. So if the state wants to be just a little careful with legal hunting hours, I see that as not really all that big a problem. Sunrise to sunset seems like a very reasonable thing to me. I have never seen a deer that was so important that I felt that I should be shooting in some fuzzy darkness at it. Sure there are differences that make it possible to shoot in those twilight conditions. If the skies are absolutely clear, if the deer is standing right next to you, if you have no interest in seeing exactly what you are shooting at or where you might hit it, if you are watching a wide open field, if there is snow on the ground, then maybe it is possible to pull off a shot 1/2 hour before sunrise. But maybe the next day you go out there will be a foggy, drizzly, day of heavy clouds. Maybe you will be hunting in a mature hemlock woods. You might be amazed at how you can have difficulty seeing even at the legal sunrise time under certain conditions. Unless they are going to let you shoot in the dark, they have to put some restrictions on legal shooting light. I think they have chosen the most reasonable standard that takes into consideration almost all of the variables that you are likely to encounter this time of year.

Exactly.. a standard that is quite easy to follow for everyone without being open to interpretation... the terms sunrise and sunset are very different to each hunter if a time isn't set... a set time eliminates any doubt of when you should or shouldn't be killing a deer... the fact that some don't like it is just part of the human condition... not everyone is going to like everything.

[wztirem]

I agree that you cannot go hunting convinced that you are going to be killed or maimed. At least not if you expect to enjoy your hunt. However, it is smart to be aware of the potential dangers and try to take some actions to put the odds of being wacked just a little more in your favor. I am always aware that there are possibilities that I might come across someone who isn't exactly the sharpest tack in the box, or somebody who doesn't really value my live as much as I do. So if the state wants to be just a little careful with legal hunting hours, I see that as not really all that big a problem. Sunrise to sunset seems like a very reasonable thing to me. I have never seen a deer that was so important that I felt that I should be shooting in some fuzzy darkness at it. Sure there are differences that make it possible to shoot in those twilight conditions. If the skies are absolutely clear, if the deer is standing right next to you, if you have no interest in seeing exactly what you are shooting at or where you might hit it, if you are watching a wide open field, if there is snow on the ground, then maybe it is possible to pull off a shot 1/2 hour before sunrise. But maybe the next day you go out there will be a foggy, drizzly, day of heavy clouds. Maybe you will be hunting in a mature hemlock woods. You might be amazed at how you can have difficulty seeing even at the legal sunrise time under certain conditions. Unless they are going to let you shoot in the dark, they have to put some restrictions on legal shooting light. I think they have chosen the most reasonable standard that takes into consideration almost all of the variables that you are likely to encounter this time of year.

Doc,

Great post!!!!!!!!

The line has been drawn and I for one readily accept it. We are talking about safety and the limits are for legal shooting hours make sense. Those individuals who refuse to abide by the law are lawbreakers and are putting others at risk.A human life is precious and those who shoot before and after legal shooting hours need to realize this.

[wztirem]

Exactly.. a standard that is quite easy to follow for everyone without being open to interpretation... the terms sunrise and sunset are very different to each hunter if a time isn't set... a set time eliminates any doubt of when you should or shouldn't be killing a deer... the fact that some don't like it is just part of the human condition... not everyone is going to like everything.

Joe,

A license to hunt is a privelige and not a rite. Unfortunately, there are those amongst the hunting community who fail to abide by the conditions granted under the license because they disagree. It's a sad state of affairs. I for one have no sympathy for anyone who violates any regulation clearly defined in the regulations!

Anyone have a rope?

[Jennifer]

In years past if the DEC finds corn in the teeth of the deer, they make the hunter take them to the kill spot. Illegal baiters are then issued fines and pay the consequences.

For whatever it's worth, when I was on a deer check station with the DEC about 10 years ago, we never checked for corn. We DID pull a tooth to take back to the office and check the age, health, etc... of the deer. This was used for research into deep population, health, age, sex, and other data that the DEC wanted to collect from samples. I'm not saying it never happened... But we were never instructed to look for corn when I did it. This was in Region 9.

[WNYBuckHunter]

How about the guy who's walking through the woods with a loaded rifle, in the dark, lighting the way with his flashlight? bet I can find the law forbidding that.....

I will put money down that you cant.