What if their feeder is on the fence line?

Still waiting to see if the GW made contact with the OP about the feeder and baiting or if he initiated the question. Still betting on he asked a stupid question and got an intelligent answer.

No an intelligent answer would have been to tell him the law and ask how far his feeder was from his dove hunting spot. Then tell him that he is good to go, not leave a gray area on the matter.

That's what those guys are here for to inform hunters about laws. Usually the DA that doesn't ask ? And does what he thinks or heard is legal will get a ticket.

Baiting, when dealing with distances, IS a gray area. And because of that, the GW was accurate in telling he could get a baiting ticket for hunting "near" his feeder.

If a GW feels the "baited area" is giving the hunter an advantage be it they are hunting directly over/by it or if they are hunting the flight path the birds are taking to get to it then the GW can give the hunter a baiting ticket.

With that said, I don't think there is any advantage gained from being 600 yards from a feeder. I've hunted a lot closer than that to mine before.

They are able to make judgment calls, all that was required was a simple yes or no.
The handful of wardens that I know would tell you the law and let you know if you are in the right or in the wrong.

Where does this flight path thing come into play? No where in there does it say "Flight path to and from bait". If shooting birds that are to and from baited areasa, we would all be in violation with or without knowing it.

http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/regulations/...s/general-rules

If they want to go through that much trouble searching for one piece of corn ill just pay the ticket and keep hunting.... just dumb

Laws now days are written to generate revenue. They have nothing to do with right and wrong. Look at the states fishing laws. You need an attorney to keep up with them and the wardens know it.

^^^^ This.

It's gotten ridiculous, and few of the wardens you meet don't use much discretion, if there's some infraction, you get a ticket.

I asked about this in another thread and the only answer I got was that I was trying to push the rules. I have the opportunity to hunt a 70 acre ranch that has a deer breeding facility next to it and wanted to know if it would be a violation to hunt near that fence line since they are feeding like a buffet on their side of the fence. The other question I had was how would you know if someone was feeding on the other side of a hill or some brush and you had no idea you were hunting 50 yards from a feeder.

Better to ask for forgiveness than permission

Wonder if the HF operation could be considered "normal agriculture practices" since the deer are like livestock

That was one persons suggestion since they have exotics as well. I get the asking for forgiveness thing but honestly, I'd rather not risk it and be in compliance. Not worth it to get ticketed. I am still curious about not knowing what was over the hill/brush though. This seems like it could happen anywhere. I'm on a dove lease in Austin (wasn't there opening day thank god) and apparently some jackwagon baited a tank with like a foot tall mound of bird seed from HEB. 5 wardens hauled basically everyone on the lease in and started writing tickets. People that couldn't even see the tank and were over 300 yards away got ticketed. So glad I wasn't there because I would have come unglued if I was hunting the opposite side of the property and got ticketed for something I had no idea about. Still not sure if I want to even go hunt out there since I only know a few people on the lease and don't want to risk having that happen again.

A citation does not mean you are guilty of a crime. Grow a set, go hunting and if you get written a ticket you did not deserve, then fight it in court. A game warden is just as human as any of us. They have no selective authority to be judge jury and executioner. It is a jury that can decide the fate of a citation, not a warden. If it is a feather legged ticket, then by God stick it right back on the GW in a court. It is your time, your hour, your chance to tell the world about how the possum cop screwed you over.

Pretty much was said tongue in cheek...this is one of the times I do not believe in that saying. Better to have it clarified to avoid the issue. As far as knowing what is on neighboring land, I would say you can't know and shouldn't be expected to know unless the feeder was visible from where you were hunting. Like anything, guess it is up to the GW's interpretation.

If that place was busted opening day, I wouldn't go back. All baited feed is supposed to be gone for 10 days before you can hunt it again. And since they found it the first trip, I would imagine they will be back.

The wardens specifically told my buddy that they needed to wait 10 days before hunting again to let the bait go away. I'm sure they will be back out there this week so I may try to go later in the season, otherwise, I'm only out 300 bucks so not the end of the world.

So you're telling me if my neighbor sets up a feeder on his property that is visible I can't hunt on MY land?!?! So I go out and spend a huge amount of money to buy some land and I can't hunt it because my neighbor has a feeder set up? No way! Not saying you were implying that is the rule but there is no way that would hold up.

I absolutely agree with you but as a practicing attorney once told me...How much do you want to spend to prove that you were right? You might win your day in court but attorney fees add up and the state is not going to reimburse you when/if they are proven to be incorrect.

If you set up across a fence from a feeder on someone elses land, I would venture a guess that you could get a ticket and it might would hold up. I am not a GW and not a jury, so can't so for sure, but it wouldn't surprise me a bit.

Most GW's aren't that bad. We hunt a pond that has a feeder on the other side of the dam. GW checked us and didn't say a word about it. The dove were coming to the water, or so we assume. As far as courts and juries...I just assume not get that far. Plenty of places to hunt without pushing the limit.

They all are different that's for sure... best anyone can do is be respectful.

WTH?

?

X2 Nav

Probably talking about the contradiction in my post

I say plenty of places to hunt and not push it that far...then say I hunt a pond that has a feeder close by