Road Hunting/Shooting from vehicles

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illinoisburt

illinoisburt

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Many people post about shooting out of car windows or across the hood of a truck. I'm curious how common this truly is, either for target shooting or actual hunting. Growing up it was illegal where I lived to have a loaded gun in a vehicle (big gray area with ATVs) and the concept of road hunting was very much frowned upon - meaning driving around looking for animals was thought unethical, shooting from or across a road was illegal. Have things changed substantially or is it just a regional thing?
 
Central Texas in the 70s and 80s I know it was common out in the country. Shooting at “that damn squirrel” out of an open window while sitting at the dining room table was a thing too. Coyote and coon hunting with 5 guys in a truck was common. Things have grown up a lot since and I don’t hear about any such activities anymore. Seems like it would still be going on further out in the boonies.
 
I shoot Prairie Dogs from my truck. I extend the side mirrors out like I do when pulling a trailer and put a front rest bag on the frame work. A couple of the guys that I hunt with hunt out of a side by side. One of them rides in the back and shoots over the roof using bags and the other one made a board that bolts onto the rollover frame when you fold the front glass down. Both of these work well. Both of these are in the field on private property, not on any roads except maybe private farm roads.

As far as hunting game animals off of the road, Arkansas has a law that you have to be so many feet from the center line of any road maintained by with the city, county or the State. And you can't shoot across any road nor up and down it.

Oh, we have those that ride around looking for deer and shooting from the roads or from the truck. This is illegal. Game and Fish even has robot deer that they use for bait!
 
illinoisburt said:
Many people post about shooting out of car windows or across the hood of a truck. I'm curious how common this truly is, either for target shooting or actual hunting. Growing up it was illegal where I lived to have a loaded gun in a vehicle (big gray area with ATVs) and the concept of road hunting was very much frowned upon - meaning driving around looking for animals was thought unethical, shooting from or across a road was illegal. Have things changed substantially or is it just a regional thing?
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Strickly recall here...
Montana, you must have your entire body out if the vehicle, you must have both ( assuming you have two ) feet on the ground. A hunter is prohibited from shooting across a public road.
She's ok off the ROW
Screenshot_20210215-090129.png
I passed up a shot on a Bull Elk this year based on this subject.
 
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I often hunt from the truck on cold days, but on my own land. The side mirror makes a good rest, and has helped put an end to lots of varmints and deer.

lightman said:
Arkansas has a law that you have to be so many feet from the center line of any road maintained by with the city, county or the State.
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One hundred feet, to be exact. However, if one lives next to a rural road (not highway) and their backyard (like mine) isn't quite that far, I doubt the AGFC would fuss.

Road hunting is, as stated, strictly forbidden and an issue locally. Every red neck with a 22 magnum prowls the dirt roads at night looking for a "good buck". They shot one off me a couple years ago, but I have no proof other than the puddle of blood in the corral the next morning. However, I've never turned anyone in. I feel the wardens are a bit heavy handed, and I can't help but think someone might've just been hungry and needed meat.

Mac
 
illinoisburt said:
Many people post about shooting out of car windows or across the hood of a truck. I'm curious how common this truly is, either for target shooting or actual hunting. Growing up it was illegal where I lived to have a loaded gun in a vehicle (big gray area with ATVs) and the concept of road hunting was very much frowned upon - meaning driving around looking for animals was thought unethical, shooting from or across a road was illegal. Have things changed substantially or is it just a regional thing?
Click to expand...
I think it's generally considered unethical here even though it's done a lot. I've shot a few deer myself while resting my rifle across the hood of the truck. However, shooting across a public road is definitely illegal here - that's spelled out in our hunting regulations.
On the other hand, as I've posted several times before, my wife contracted atrial fibrillation as well as an atrial flutter 2 years ago and had to get a "Disabled Hunter Permit" in order to continue hunting big game - like she's been doing with me for 49 years.
The permit (which hangs from our truck's rearview mirror) allows my wife to legally shoot from a motor vehicle as long as the vehicle is not moving or on a public road. My wife doesn't much like not being able to get out of the truck and climb to the top of a ridge with me before daybreak like she used to. But she's still getting out there. And the truth is, the 2-point mule deer buck my wife shot the year before last while resting her rifle over the hood of our truck (which was parked beside the road) tasted just as good as the one I shot last year a half-mile from the road.;)
 
It is pretty common on private land where we hunted black tails in Ca. We were in old CJ jeeps with the tops and windshields removed. After we tagged out on deer, we drove around with 10-22's shooting ground squirrels.
 
Georgia law is pretty clear:
a) It shall be unlawful to hunt any wildlife or feral hog from an electric, gas, or diesel boat, a steamboat, a sailboat, an airplane, a hydroplane, a hovercraft, or a motor vehicle; except that alligators may be hunted from any boat or watercraft under power.
 
Out West the only folks allowed to hunt from a vehicle were those legally classed as disabled; otherwise, the fines and penalties were steep for shooting from the vehicle, across a road, etc.
 
I know someone that shot feral pigs and Roos bouncing around in the back of a pickup in Australia. I doubt there was any consideration as to the legality of the act. He said it was a lot of fun though.
 
Used to shoot squirrel out of our Windows. At the house. Truck/car hunting is done by poachers where I grew up at. Middle GA.
 
Only animals I shoot from my house are the red squirrels. Don't shoot anything from a vehicle, but I would shoot red squirrels from a vehicle if I thought it would be helpful. I hate those evil little critters.
 
While checking cows and the trap line as a youngster shot many of small game from bunnies to squirrels for the pot. It is still common for folks to hunt plum brush thickets for bunnies. I quit hunting them years ago as the population here is small. Illegal too here in Kansas I believe.
 
Georgia law is pretty clear:
a) It shall be unlawful to hunt any wildlife or feral hog from an electric, gas, or diesel boat, a steamboat, a sailboat, an airplane, a hydroplane, a hovercraft, or a motor vehicle; except that alligators may be hunted from any boat or watercraft under power.
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The key phrase is "while under power". Lots of duck hunters hunt from watercraft. Which is OK as long as it isn't under power when the shot is taken.

It is illegal to shoot from or across a public road or within a certain distance, 50' I think. On public land hunting on a gated road is OK, but if the gate is open to traffic no. I hunt a lot of National Forest and WMA's. Normally the gates are only open during certain hunts. I've never seen anything either way about how they interpret this on private property, but would doubt if it is a problem.
 
I know a guy that hauled a broken down old Ford into the woods to use as a shooting house, legal far as I know.

I know a lot of people who use the hood, or bed of a truck as a rest while sighting in a rifle or just recreational target shooting with buddy’s, (on private property) done this myself and legal as far as I know

I know a few people who have enough property to ride on and if they see a deer they’ll shoot it, I’ve been feeding cows and took a shot at out the window myself. It’s never occurred to me it may be illegal.
As a kid we would on occasion put me and my brother in the back of the truck after dark and dad would ride around the pastures shooting with us armadillos, this was simply an effort to keep cows alive/uninjured, don’t know if it was legal and I can assure you it didn’t matter, to anyone.

In my younger years - teens and early twenties -I knew a lot and I mean a lot of people that rode around, generally with a 22, and shot deer on the side of the road. I never participated for many reasons, my dad not being the least of them. This is highly illegal, and I know several people who’ve been caught, jailed and severally fined, they also lost their gun.
 
My ex brother in law did that along with poaching deer at night. And he is a felon with a 270!!!
 
Armored farmer said:
mo comment
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AF, I feel seen now....

Did something similar, only it was the passenger mirror of a '63 Ford Galaxie, and a 30-30.

wombat13 said:
Only animals I shoot from my house are the red squirrels.
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My house is my blind! Kitchen window overlooks my hay field, and its ranged and marked. Just yesterday, I popped a crow at 250 with my triple deuce and a handloaded v-max. I've also shot a lot of deer and groundhogs out that window. *insert redneck joke here*

Mac
 
MacAR said:
AF, I feel seen now....

Did something similar, only it was the passenger mirror of a '63 Ford Galaxie, and a 30-30.

My house is my blind! Kitchen window overlooks my hay field, and its ranged and marked. Just yesterday, I popped a crow at 250 with my triple deuce and a handloaded v-max. I've also shot a lot of deer and groundhogs out that window. *insert redneck joke here*

Mac
Click to expand...

I wish. Can’t discharge a firearm in my ‘burb, so only the red squirrels are in danger in my yard.
 
I remember sighting in deer rifles years ago with my Dad resting on the hood of a '59 Mercury. I was shooting -06 handloads with surplus WC852 ball powder. The unburned powder grains burnt the paint on the old Merc's hood, She was pretty much a junker by then so it wasn't of much concern.

Don't even think about shooting from a vehicle in PA. They can probably write you up for about 5 things.
 
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