Hunting start time clarification

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I searched the threads but didn't see anything regarding my question so maybe I'm just missing something but here goes..

When going hunting, when exactly are you considered to be hunting?

I ask this because I hunt public lands and the regulations state:
"Hunting hours begin ½ hour before sunrise and end ½ hour after sunset. (Except on WMAs stocked with pheasant or quail during the pheasant or quail season, hunting hours are sunrise to sunset.)"

Since I'll be deer hunting on a WMA which does get stocked does that mean I cant step foot on the WMA before sunrise? If my stand is a mile hike in, can I make the trek before sunrise and be in my stand at sunrise?

I've seen a few posts that people talk about getting to their stand hours before sunrise and I just want to sort out if its legal to do that on a WMA.

Thanks in advance.
 
It’s pretty clear.
I wait on the edge on the end of how far I can drive in and stay by the truck,
When I hear the first shot at the duck pond that drives all the birds away for the day,Then I start for my stand.:)

After bird season, a half hour walk in the dark in the woods before sunrise , and watching sunrise from the stand makes the trip worth it.

However keep a light on and wear it, for obvious safety reasons,
I have come across guys already settled in on the way to my stand.
 
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The extra half hour only applies DURING the pheasant season which ends before deer season starts. IMHO, you can walk into your stand at 3am, but you can't shoot until official time of 1/2 hour before sunrise.
 
The extra half hour only applies DURING the pheasant season which ends before deer season starts. IMHO, you can walk into your stand at 3am, but you can't shoot until official time of 1/2 hour before sunrise.


Good luck with that, it’s states hunting hours not shooting hours.
 
I could never find a clear answer myself. Maybe call or e-mail the .gov. Looks like they give a number and e-mail address "if you have any questions".

My own interpretation is that if you are walking in with an empty gun you are not hunting, if you are walking in with ammo in either the magazine or chamber you are hunting. If you are walking in with a loaded gun, and any type of light turned on, then you are jacking deer, in addition to hunting before legal hours. But these are just my own personal guidelines, and could be all wrong.

This also incidentally is one of the reasons I like a bolt gun ( I mostly hunt deer in Maine), is that when it is time load,you can load it much more silently than other types.
 
My take on this and it's is course up to you.....your not hunting if the gun ain't loaded. I keep the ammo in my vest or backpack and walk in. Load up at legal hours.
 
Good luck with that, it’s states hunting hours not shooting hours.
How am I hunting if the gun ain't loaded?

I don't know a single bow hunter that isn't in his stand WELL before legal hours. Splain that!

I have hunted ducks with the youth duck hunt group and the FEDERAL FISH AND WILDLIFE AGENT.......that accompanied us had us in the blinds 1 hour before legal hours. The boys were instructed to load up only at sunrise. I'm fairly certain the fed knew the regs and kept us legal. But hey.......you sit by your truck until half hour before sunrise......the rest of us will walk in unloaded before you and let you push deer at us.
 
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Head into the woods any time you like. Just don't shoot until to 1/2 prior to sunrise. I'm typically in my stand about an hour before sunrise and I don't head back out until it's almost too dark to see.
 
I wouldn't go traipsing into a stocked WMA before sunrise, during pheasant season. Outside of that, would you be sure to be outside a hunting area before 30 minutes past sunset?
 
How am I hunting if the gun ain't loaded?

I don't know a single bow hunter that isn't in his stand WELL before legal hours. Splain that!

I have hunted ducks with the youth duck hunt group and the FEDERAL FISH AND WILDLIFE AGENT.......that accompanied us had us in the blinds 1 hour before legal hours. The boys were instructed to load up only at sunrise. I'm fairly certain the fed knew the regs and kept us legal. But hey.......you sit by your truck until half hour before sunrise......the rest of us will walk in unloaded before you and let you push deer at us.


Ok,wise ass, just don’t shoot me on the my way in, cause you hear leaves crunching in the dark.
 
Ok,wise ass, just don’t shoot me on the my way in, cause you hear leaves crunching in the dark.
Ok bud....you assume I'm a lousy unsafe hunter because I know the regs? Just admit your wrong.....and go away.
 
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I'm in my stand a min of an hour before shooting time, usually earlier.
W.e.c. is worried your going to shoot him though. :D

So we should all sit in our trucks and wait for him to be ready First.
 
If you have ammo in the gun, you're hunting.

Unload within 150' of the road and 500' of a building, so you're not hunting.

Of course, driving deer without a gun, is still hunting. [rolleyes]

A few years back I was with a Falconer friend on a hunt, hitting brushpiles with a ski pole to scare up a bunny for the bird to chase. I asked an EPO if I'd been hunting without a license. He said, "Yes, but we leave Falconers alone, 'cause they're all crazy."

My point? Don't blatantly break laws, and the EPOs won't be Richard Craniums, when you walk into your stand 1 hour before shooting time.
 
I wouldn't go traipsing into a stocked WMA before sunrise, during pheasant season. Outside of that, would you be sure to be outside a hunting area before 30 minutes past sunset?
What if my hunting area is a 45 minute walk to get out? All you need to do is unload 30 minutes after sunset.

As far as the WMA stocked with pheasant.....the majority of those have a sign at the gate stating "stay in parking lot until sunrise".....but that is a special rule for WMA pheasant stocked areas......not a general hunting regulation. I know....because I asked a mass epo that question.
 
Is there any actaul law that says if your guns loaded your hunting?i just take it as no shots 30min before or after. Ive heard advise every wich way but most of it is people trying to apply common sense to MA law which is futile.

I just read the regs and try to follow them in their most basic interpretation..
I find it rediciouls that our professional politicians can't just right simple, clear cut laws.
 
Isn't this a moot point anyway? I thought all WMAs closed a half hour after sunset until a half hour before sunrise. So you shouldn't be on the land regardless of the hunting specific reg. At least the WMAs I;ve been on have signage to this effect at the parking area. Assuming others are the same.....
 
I don't know a single bow hunter that isn't in his stand WELL before legal hours......

I'm not. Being in the stand during hours you can't hunt does not improve your odds. It lowers them IMHO. All you're accomplishing is having your scent permeate the woods. I want to get into the stand just a few minutes before opening hours. I know about the argument of letting the woods settle after you hike in.... I think stinking up the woods does more damage to the hunt then the noise made if you hustle in.
 
I'm not. Being in the stand during hours you can't hunt does not improve your odds. It lowers them IMHO. All you're accomplishing is having your scent permeate the woods. I want to get into the stand just a few minutes before opening hours. I know about the argument of letting the woods settle after you hike in.... I think stinking up the woods does more damage to the hunt then the noise made if you hustle in.
All good points. These have nothing to do with what the regs say though on lagel hunting hours. I said I don't know any that aren't in there well before sunrise.......well......now I know one anyway.
 
Isn't this a moot point anyway? I thought all WMAs closed a half hour after sunset until a half hour before sunrise. So you shouldn't be on the land regardless of the hunting specific reg. At least the WMAs I;ve been on have signage to this effect at the parking area. Assuming others are the same.....
Not true at all. That hour restriction is only during pheasant season on pheasant stocked land........copy and paste is below and in fact it specifically states an exception on pheasant stocked areas DURING pheasant season if you are hunting raccoon and possum. Outside of pheasant season......legal hunting hours apply to the game you are hunting. For example......rabbits can be hunted till midnight during open season on rabbit so hunt em till midnight.

  1. No person shall hunt before sunrise or after sunset on any WMA where pheasant or quail are stocked during the open season on pheasant or quail, except for the hunting of raccoons and opossums between 9pm and 3am.
 
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Isn't this a moot point anyway? I thought all WMAs closed a half hour after sunset until a half hour before sunrise. So you shouldn't be on the land regardless of the hunting specific reg. At least the WMAs I;ve been on have signage to this effect at the parking area. Assuming others are the same.....
Ya ,but it don’t stop these Yahoos, and I don’t care what the hell you do out there, just don’t sound shoot me yahoos.
 
Every state I've hunted deer in has been 1/2 hour before sunrise until 1/2 hour after sunset.

Then I moved to South Carolina. One hour before sunrise until one hour after sunset. Yup. One full hour.

These people hunt in total darkness down here!
 
Not true at all. That hour restriction is only during pheasant season on pheasant stocked land........copy and paste is below and in fact it specifically states an exception on pheasant stocked areas DURING pheasant season if you are hunting raccoon and possum. Outside of pheasant season......legal hunting hours apply to the game you are hunting. For example......rabbits can be hunted till midnight during open season on rabbit so hunt em till midnight.

  1. No person shall hunt before sunrise or after sunset on any WMA where pheasant or quail are stocked during the open season on pheasant or quail, except for the hunting of raccoons and opossums between 9pm and 3am.

Perhaps some specific WMAs have different regs then. Specifically I know for a fact there is signage at Freetown State Forrest that specifically say - don't be in the woods outside of the half hour after sunset to the half hour before - year round... It's posted in the main entrance and you have to drive by it - and a Mass Wildlife ranger station - to get in. So no claiming ignorance.

Perhaps others are different. But it's not the only WMA I've seen this signage at. If you venture onto state parks (not WMAs I know) then I believe that rule is universal across all state parks where hunting is allowed..... which I believe is every state park outside the Boston Metro area where setback requirements can be met. There are additional setback requirements (500 feet from campsites for example - even if unoccupied and out of season) for state parks too. If you venture onto one make sure you read up.
 
Is there any actaul law that says if your guns loaded your hunting?i just take it as no shots 30min before or after. Ive heard advise every wich way but most of it is people trying to apply common sense to MA law which is futile.

I just read the regs and try to follow them in their most basic interpretation..
I find it rediciouls that our professional politicians can't just right simple, clear cut laws.

The EPOs that come to the Hunter Ed classes I help teach, all say that if you have a loaded gun within 150' of a road, or 500' of a building (without appropriate permission), you're hunting.

I'd guess the EPO's opinion would be: if you have a round in your gun 31 minutes before sunrise...you're hunting. Feel free to argue the point with Officer Friendly. Let us know how it works out for you.
 
I'm not. Being in the stand during hours you can't hunt does not improve your odds. It lowers them IMHO. All you're accomplishing is having your scent permeate the woods. I want to get into the stand just a few minutes before opening hours. I know about the argument of letting the woods settle after you hike in.... I think stinking up the woods does more damage to the hunt then the noise made if you hustle in.

I've shot a lot of deer minutes after first legal light....when you would have just walked in. But that's OK I like hunters like you that push deer around at first light walking to your stands. That's why I'm at my stand at least an hour early. I don't load up until legal shooting time, which for me with a single shot is easy and quiet.

In general, early morning theres the least amount of wind, so the permeate/scent thing is usually not an issue. Noise is generally not a factor either, most deer probably assume you are another deer in the dark. I've gotten on stand, let things calm down til sunrise made a few calls and like clock work, here comes a buck,looking for that doe (me) he heard in the dark on that ridge above the bedding area where he was laying.
 
I guess i dont worry much because im always walking from private property, so setbacks haven't been much of an issue. Noones going to tell me i cant carry a load shotgun on my own property..and if the issue of once me leaving private property im "hunting" i dont see anyone reasonable game warden breaking my balls.... now if i had NV and a ir laser equip shotgun i could see an issue.

But a loaded gun isnt "hunting" and you can go in the woods anytime you want.
Next year im just going to sleep in my blind.

Disclaimer, im not a lawyer... just some a**h***.
 
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