Texas Hunting Forum
How close to the road can you hunt??
Posted By: dsw1000
How close to the road can you hunt?? - 09/02/09 04:08 PM
I can't seem to find any distance regulations for how far from a road you have to be in order to discharge a weapon. All i can find is you can't shoot across the road. Any one know how far you have to be, if any?
Posted By: cbump
Re: How close to the road can you hunt?? - 09/02/09 04:23 PM
I don't think it matters.
Posted By: cbump
Re: How close to the road can you hunt?? - 09/02/09 04:23 PM
As long as you don't fire across.
Posted By: mulie_mike
Re: How close to the road can you hunt?? - 09/02/09 04:26 PM
It does matter. And it depends on what type of road. Most are 1,000 feet. Check your regulations or call the local GW
Posted By: dsw1000
Re: How close to the road can you hunt?? - 09/02/09 04:29 PM
1000 feet?!? no way! that's a long way. holy cow that will suck.
Posted By: txhunter24
Re: How close to the road can you hunt?? - 09/02/09 04:30 PM
I can't seem to find any distance regulations for how far from a road you have to be in order to discharge a weapon. All i can find is you can't shoot across the road. Any one know how far you have to be, if any?
Heck I have a deer blind 20 yards from a county road that looks down into a creek bottom 200yards into my place. It is very convenient and helps me not to blow my cover. The walk to the blind is easy and I stay out of the deer habitat. Just my
I have talked to our GW standing right beside my stand and he didnt say anything about it being a problem.
Posted By: cbump
Re: How close to the road can you hunt?? - 09/02/09 04:30 PM
Well it is definitely not 1000 ft from where I have hunted before or you wouldn't be able to hunt.
Posted By: Gunslinger
Re: How close to the road can you hunt?? - 09/02/09 05:55 PM
Posted By: huntindude
Re: How close to the road can you hunt?? - 09/02/09 07:55 PM
Ya'll have scendero's we have roads. Same thing right?
Posted By: GSS
Re: How close to the road can you hunt?? - 09/02/09 08:27 PM
It does matter. And it depends on what type of road. Most are 1,000 feet. Check your regulations or call the local GW
Please tell us the source of your info (as I don't want to bother the GW, plus I prefer reading a reg, versus trusting the GW to know every law on the books).
Posted By: Txduckman
Re: How close to the road can you hunt?? - 09/02/09 08:28 PM
There is no distance restriction unless in a location that is impacted by that new law and it is 150 feet there. Unless you are hunting near a big city then distance should not matter.
Posted By: fishingmike
Re: How close to the road can you hunt?? - 09/02/09 08:36 PM
in the regs. it say's "you can't shoot on or across a public road" it's in the manual.
Posted By: cbump
Re: How close to the road can you hunt?? - 09/02/09 08:38 PM
No question, but it does not say anything about a distance regulation.
Posted By: rstewlandman
Re: How close to the road can you hunt?? - 09/02/09 08:44 PM
if your on YOUR property who are they to tell you where to put a stand, the State of Texas or the county own the Right of Way sometimes in the form of Deed and sometimes in the form of Easement either way if your not on their property, I've heard this before and its simply false...so is the 100 yards off a property line myth...just false...you just cannot have your projectile cross a property line without agreement of adjoining property and i believe that has to be written permission, and I don't think you'll get one from the S of TX
Posted By: MacD37
Re: How close to the road can you hunt?? - 09/02/09 08:46 PM
Ya'll have scendero's we have roads. Same thing right?
A "sendero" is a Spanish word for a dry wash, or Arroyio, not a road!
Firearms and roads in Texas the rule is you cannot fire a firearm from the right-of-way of a public road, or fire across the right-of-way of a public road, or shoot an animal in the right-of-way of a public road!
The dirt roads on private property are not included in this rule! Unless the land owner places a restriction you may fire across the jeep trails (dirt roads) on private property!
I thought it used to be 150 feet.... but it's been a while since I passed a penal code test...
Posted By: fishingmike
Re: How close to the road can you hunt?? - 09/02/09 09:03 PM
go to
www.tpwd.state.tx.us/huntwild/ at the top go to regulations
you should find what you are looking for there.
Posted By: Txduckman
Re: How close to the road can you hunt?? - 09/02/09 09:09 PM
It is not in there b/c there is no set distance or in a way it is in there in that it is not in there. Only law TPWD has is don't shoot from or across a public right-of-way.
Posted By: Closed Traverse
Re: How close to the road can you hunt?? - 09/02/09 10:25 PM
no law that im aware of, ive killed plenty hogs and a few yotes right after pullin up to the gate. that, and if it was a 1000 ft, i couldnt shoot any gun on my back porch, which is not true....
Posted By: Big Orn
Re: How close to the road can you hunt?? - 09/02/09 10:27 PM
Posted By: pig out
Re: How close to the road can you hunt?? - 09/02/09 10:32 PM
i don't deer hunt near a road but when I'm dove hunting I'm pretty close.
Posted By: RKHarm24
Re: How close to the road can you hunt?? - 09/03/09 12:51 AM
Why do you think Big Orn's Camaro has Monster Mudders on it.....Barr ditch to Barr ditch
Posted By: stinkbelly
Re: How close to the road can you hunt?? - 09/03/09 12:39 PM
I spoke to a sheriff a couple of years ago and he told me it was either 50 or 100 yards from a structure and that a developed road was considered a structure.
I think common sence will tell you if you should hunt there. It will also tell you if you will get in trouble for it.
Posted By: rstewlandman
Re: How close to the road can you hunt?? - 09/03/09 01:54 PM
I spoke to a sheriff a couple of years ago and he told me it was either 50 or 100 yards from a structure and that a developed road was considered a structure.
I think common sence will tell you if you should hunt there. It will also tell you if you will get in trouble for it.
I think your sheriff needs to go back to law school.....could a deer stand be determined a developed structure? what about a water tower, or an electric ROW, or a Pipeline, or...or ...or...
Posted By: Old_Town
Re: How close to the road can you hunt?? - 09/03/09 02:52 PM
Ya'll have scendero's we have roads. Same thing right?
A "sendero" is a Spanish word for a dry wash, or Arroyio, not a road!
Firearms and roads in Texas the rule is you cannot fire a firearm from the right-of-way of a public road, or fire across the right-of-way of a public road, or shoot an animal in the right-of-way of a public road!
The dirt roads on private property are not included in this rule! Unless the land owner places a restriction you may fire across the jeep trails (dirt roads) on private property!
Sendero is "path" or "trail"
Posted By: yanta61
Re: How close to the road can you hunt?? - 09/03/09 06:37 PM
i know you have to hunt at least 100 yards away from roads at aransas wildlife refuge.....just got the permit the other day......not sure about private land......
Posted By: MacD37
Re: How close to the road can you hunt?? - 09/03/09 10:47 PM
Ya'll have scendero's we have roads. Same thing right?
A "sendero" is a Spanish word for a dry wash, or Arroyio, not a road!
Firearms and roads in Texas the rule is you cannot fire a firearm from the right-of-way of a public road, or fire across the right-of-way of a public road, or shoot an animal in the right-of-way of a public road!
The dirt roads on private property are not included in this rule! Unless the land owner places a restriction you may fire across the jeep trails (dirt roads) on private property!
Sendero is "path" or "trail"
I stand corrected!
Posted By: rifleman
Re: How close to the road can you hunt?? - 09/03/09 10:52 PM
and what is wrong with that?????? I have to have somewhere to plug in my spotlight and inside the truck is much warmer than sitting out in a cold deer stand.
Posted By: wgonfan
Re: How close to the road can you hunt?? - 09/03/09 11:20 PM
Are you hunting in texas? Are you hunting private or public lands or what? Different regulations/laws may apply.
If you are hunting public property you may not be aware that most agencys have thier own set of "rules". Not all COE and forestry land have the same regs either so be sure to check the specific rules for that property.
here is a link to the COE regulations for my district. the pdf at the top of the page covers this in more detail.
CoE - wrightpatman lake here is a exceprt that says you cant hunt within 600' of the road.
"a. Hunting or shooting within 600 feet of homes, developed parks, roads, fishing piers or platforms, farm and ranch yards, outlet structures, emergency spillways, or other areas is prohibited unless otherwise stated or posted."
Most (questionable) of us know and understand the laws/rules that apply to us and our area. You never know what funky rule or law may be in place where you plan to hunt.
Never take the word of any of us on this forum when it comes to laws. Always check for yourself and Always read the printed rules/laws that apply to that piece of property.
Posted By: cbump
Re: How close to the road can you hunt?? - 09/04/09 12:49 AM
Original post said nothing about COE so in general, NO, there is not a distance regulation.
Posted By: rstewlandman
Re: How close to the road can you hunt?? - 09/04/09 02:14 AM
thats right cbump, I think it would be an assumtion that no one was refering to federal property....COE and USFS are a whole different ballgame
Posted By: dsw1000
Re: How close to the road can you hunt?? - 09/04/09 03:21 PM
right, this land has no 'special' restrictions. it is governed by the laws of the state. i am going with, 'there is no distance regulation.' thanks for the input all.
Posted By: djones
Re: How close to the road can you hunt?? - 09/04/09 03:49 PM
A friend and I pulled off a paved county road. He got out and shot into a field. The game warden stopped us and said it was against the law to hunt from the road. I asked where he considered the road to end and he said where the fence begins or would normally begin if no fence is present. Where I hunt, that means where the county shredder stops and the pasture, plowed field or crops start. Pulling off the pavement, getting out and shooting will get you a ticket (happened to my friend).
Posted By: rstewlandman
Re: How close to the road can you hunt?? - 09/04/09 04:20 PM
well that would make sense now wouldn't it.....
Posted By: cbump
Re: How close to the road can you hunt?? - 09/04/09 08:20 PM
LMAO
Posted By: djones
Re: How close to the road can you hunt?? - 09/05/09 03:06 AM
Just saying some ambiguity exists where the distance from the road isn't measured in units, but rather a judgment call. Same rule applies to a dirt road where boundaries aren't obvious.
Posted By: psycho0819
Re: How close to the road can you hunt?? - 09/05/09 04:47 AM
In east Texas your vehicle must have at least 12" of ground clearance. No low riders!
Posted By: Cardbb4144
Re: How close to the road can you hunt?? - 09/05/09 06:17 AM
Actually the distance from the road isn't a judgement call or vague its explicitly listed in the Transportation Code or the code that everyone goes over to get your Drivers License. It goes from bar ditch to bar ditch. So just because your not on asphalt doesn't mean your not on the road. Same thing as pulling over and drinking a beer in the grass, it is still an open container because your still on the roadway. Hope that helps with the confusion.
Posted By: djones
Re: How close to the road can you hunt?? - 09/05/09 08:38 AM
Sounds simple enough, but in our case we hunt miles of private property for hogs with a county road in the middle of it; some dirt, some asphalt. When we see hogs, we pull off the road, get out and shoot. If the grass isn’t cut on the side of the road, and the field is CRP, it’s not always clear where the easement ends and the private property starts. In some places there is no bar ditch, it's all flat. When farmers plow it, they plow all the way up to the road. Since there was so much discussion on this topic I thought I’d share my experience. We were in the wrong and the driver got ticketed. Now when we pull off the road we get waaay off just to make sure. We’ve got too good of a hunting deal to screw it up with stupid stunts.
Posted By: djones
Re: How close to the road can you hunt?? - 01/02/14 05:24 AM
Actually the distance from the road isn't a judgement call or vague its explicitly listed in the Transportation Code or the code that everyone goes over to get your Drivers License. It goes from bar ditch to bar ditch. So just because your not on asphalt doesn't mean your not on the road. Same thing as pulling over and drinking a beer in the grass, it is still an open container because your still on the roadway. Hope that helps with the confusion.
old thread but it's never too late to prove a point. perhaps some uber intelligent member could tell me exactly where the bar ditch is here.
Posted By: txshntr
Re: How close to the road can you hunt?? - 01/02/14 05:32 AM
Hey there good buddy
My guess is that it is where there aren't any tire tracks
Posted By: djones
Re: How close to the road can you hunt?? - 01/02/14 05:38 AM
i like the way you think!
ps - those dark spots in the upper half of the pic are flying tumbleweeds
Posted By: txshntr
Re: How close to the road can you hunt?? - 01/02/14 05:41 AM
i like the way you think!
ps - those dark spots in the upper half of the pic are flying tumbleweeds
I must be honest...my first response was that a GW couldn't find you in that dust storm and no way he could tell where the shot was taken, but figured that wasn't the most appropriate response
Posted By: 817cd
Re: How close to the road can you hunt?? - 01/02/14 02:53 PM
The only way he could find you is if you had a white truck. O wait.
Posted By: Navasot
Re: How close to the road can you hunt?? - 01/02/14 02:56 PM
I would be checking state and county regs. None here as long as you don't fire across the road
Posted By: Hopedale
Re: How close to the road can you hunt?? - 01/02/14 03:05 PM
5 pages deep so if this is been stated consider this a x2 instead of an original comment.
On most public land regulations you will find rules on how far from the road you need to be. For example where I'm hunting, with a bow, you have to be 100 feet from the road or main trail.
If you're on Ray Roberts its over 100 feet.
On private land there is no distance from the road, but to be sure, call the Game Warden for your area and ask them.
Posted By: swellcat
Re: How close to the road can you hunt?? - 01/02/14 04:16 PM
Good to see the Mars rover is still sending back photos.
_____
Posted By: djones
Re: How close to the road can you hunt?? - 01/02/14 09:28 PM
in my personal experience, i've discovered that if a leo wants to give you a ticket, you’re going to get a ticket… for something.
i went to the county sheriff’s office once to see if there would be a problem blowing up a pile of dead hogs with some tannerite. i suppose they were too big and nasty because the coyotes wouldn't eat them, and the farmer’s hands were starting to complain about the stink.
i had a copy of the batfe code where bombs were defined. i explained tannerite was non incendiary and composed of binary compounds legally sold at sporting goods stores. he showed me a large book and said “i don't care what the atf says, this is the texas penal code, and it says if it goes boom it’s a bomb. if you blow it up i’m going to have the bomb squad confiscate your stuff and i’ll throw you in jail”.
it wasn't worth spending a night in lockup for the chance to prove i was right in court.
Posted By: Navasot
Re: How close to the road can you hunt?? - 01/02/14 09:29 PM
in my personal experience, i've discovered that if a leo wants to give you a ticket, you’re going to get a ticket… for something.
i went to the county sheriff’s office once to see if there would be a problem blowing up a pile of dead hogs with some tannerite. i suppose they were too big and nasty because the coyotes wouldn't eat them, and the farmer’s hands were starting to complain about the stink.
i had a copy of the batfe code where bombs were defined. i explained tannerite was non incendiary and composed of binary compounds legally sold at sporting goods stores. he showed me a large book and said “i don't care what the atf says, this is the texas penal code, and it says if it goes boom it’s a bomb. if you blow it up i’m going to have the bomb squad confiscate your stuff and i’ll throw you in jail”.
it wasn't worth spending a night in lockup for the chance to prove i was right in court.
Still sounds like a solid plan though...
Posted By: KG68
Re: How close to the road can you hunt?? - 01/02/14 09:50 PM
Pheasant hunting in the panhandle GW drove up and checked us as we were walking down the road back to our trucks after a drive. There were no fences on either side of the road only bar ditches. One guy was ticketed for having a round chambered.
Posted By: soonerdg
Re: How close to the road can you hunt?? - 01/02/14 10:22 PM
If you're close enough to the road to worry about it then you're too close to the road!
Posted By: TexastoaD
Re: How close to the road can you hunt?? - 01/02/14 10:31 PM
Years ago as a young boy, I went out to one of the ranches to do a little hunting. The way our front gate is , is it goes inward at a taper to two 12' gates. It was built this way so that when we brought a load of hay or equipment in we didn't block the road when entering the ranch. Well, when I drove up to the ranch gate, I saw a nice buck grazing in the road of our ranch. So I used the gate as a rest and popped him. Well the same time I shot, a deputy was traveling down the road. He tried to get me for shooting off the road but it didn't fly in court since in reality I was standing on my property even thought I was outside my place.
