# Hunting laws. Excuse the ignorance of me.



## BuzzBait Brad (Oct 17, 2014)

Hey guys. Excuse my ignorance of hunting laws. I'm not a hunter, I enjoy the great outdoors fishing and don't know the rules and regulations of hunting. 

Anyway, I was sitting here thinking about hunting in general from a boat or kayak on a river, lake, or state park here in ohio. 

I'm wondering if it is legal on any river in Ohio? Are you able to shoot any kind of gun off a boat? Are there designated areas on the river to duck hunt? Or are you limited to outside of city limits on a river? How about state parks. Are you able to hunt off a boat in state parks?

Again, sorry if I sound stupid or a newbie. Lol please don't give me too much flack.


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## Bonemann (Jan 28, 2008)

It is legal to hunt from a boat. Of course it must be during 
a hunting season. And the boat may not be under power( motors
off) and you still need written permission for the land your hunting.

State parks and forests etc. have rules and dates when hunting
is permitted.

So to answer your question yes but within the rules as always.


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## BuzzBait Brad (Oct 17, 2014)

Bonemann said:


> It is legal to hunt from a boat. Of course it must be during
> a hunting season. And the boat may not be under power( motors
> off) and you still need written permission for the land your hunting.
> 
> ...


So who do you think I'd have to get permission from if I was to duck hunt off a kayak in the river? I may get into it eventually. I'd like to use my shotgun for something other than clay pigeons!


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## beaver (Sep 28, 2010)

If you don't touch land, nobody. However, if you get out to pee, wade, drop anchor, let your decoy weight touch the bottom, have to get out to pick up a dead bird, etc. You have to have permission from whoever owns the land. Property owners don't own the water, but they own the land around and under it.


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## BuzzBait Brad (Oct 17, 2014)

No


beaver said:


> If you don't touch land, nobody. However, if you get out to pee, wade, drop anchor, let your decoy weight touch the bottom, have to get out to pick up a dead bird, etc. You have to have permission from whoever owns the land. Property owners don't own the water, but they own the land around and under it.


Yea I already knew those rules since I yak fish down rivers quite a bit. I didn't know I couldn't drop an anchor though. Good to know. 

Also, I thought private proprty owners didn't own the first 20 feet away from the water?


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## beaver (Sep 28, 2010)

There is some grey areas that has something to do with navigable water ways and federal regulations on certain rivers that qualify as such, but it's like the debate between states legalizing Marijuana but the feds still saying it's illegal. Is it worth risking? If you ask any warden, they'll tell you that if you, or anything of your possession touches land, you're trespassing. I'm sure it would take a special kind of jerk to write you a ticket for getting out to pee, but technically it's the law. My experience with river hunting and fishing is that 90% of landowners don't know or care that you're there until they find a spot where someone has trashed and area, built a fire etc.


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## beaver (Sep 28, 2010)

I did have a buddy that got a ticket for trapping on a river this past season. He was trapping from a boat and all traps were on the waters edge. The warden was waiting for him at the ramp and made him go back out with him on his boat to show him where all the traps were (over 100). When he couldn't produce written permission for 4 of them, he was ticketed and had to forfeit those 4 traps. They let him keep the 30 something dead ***** he had though.


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## BuzzBait Brad (Oct 17, 2014)

beaver said:


> I did have a buddy that got a ticket for trapping on a river this past season. He was trapping from a boat and all traps were on the waters edge. The warden was waiting for him at the ramp and made him go back out with him on his boat to show him where all the traps were (over 100). When he couldn't produce written permission for 4 of them, he was ticketed and had to forfeit those 4 traps. They let him keep the 30 something dead ***** he had though.


That would suck. So I'm guessing hunting from a kayak isn't really worth it then. May as well just do it during different Times of the season at a state park. Sounds like Rivers might be more trouble than it's worth.


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## beaver (Sep 28, 2010)

It can be worth it. If you have a river stretch with public land, or land owners that are willing to give permission. It's a lot easier to find a couple large farms that own large pieces of river frontage than trying to get permission from 20 landowners that one half an acre each. It's hard to keep track of property lines when one owner in the middle of all of them says no. It's a lot easier to get big chunks and know that you're allowed everywhere "between these two bridges" or "from this island to the powerplant" and not have to worry about a chunk in the middle somewhere. 

People also float hunt a lot and cause some controversy, but it can be done legally. Just only take shots you're sure of so you're not drop on birds on land, and be mindful of other hunters. Nothing makes a decoy hunters blood boil like a floater coming right through their decoys or scaring birds that they're working.


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## sherman51 (Apr 12, 2011)

public land like wildlife preserves usually allow you to hunt but most of them you have to check in in the morning and out at the end of your hunt.

one good place in Indiana for doing this would be pigeon river wildlife preserve. they have an area just for water foul hunters. but they have miles of open river.
good luck to you if you continue on your quest.
sherman


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## Sciotodarby (Jul 27, 2013)

Thanks for asking before you went out and did it anyway. Like others have said, you're fine as long as you don't get out of the boat or drop anchor. If you're shooting squirrels out of trees you need permission. I'm not sure if it's legal to shoot deer on the bank from a boat, but you'd need permission to do so if it is legal. Waterfowl are fair game as long as you're just floating. And like beaver said, be prepared to piss off guys that have permission to anchor and set up decoys.


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## BuzzBait Brad (Oct 17, 2014)

Thanks guys!


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