While enjoying a Christmas with my wife's Grandparents the conversation turned to hunting. Granddad talked of how he and his school mates used to never bother buying a license and basically shot whatever they felt like eating. He thinks it's just kinda wrong that we have to pay to hunt HIS ground. His idea is that they are not the states rabbits, deer, etc. The state does NOTHING to feed, manage, otherwise care for the wildlife on or around his land. So why do we have to pay the state to harvest these creatures that they have nothing to do with? I gotta admit, the old geezer has a point. Now if your hunting public ground that's another story. It costs the state money to own and upkeep the land therefore you should have to pay to play. The state pays NOTHING for his land so why are we paying them to hunt it. You don't need a license to fish a private pond. Now don't get me wrong. He wasn't saying to abolish game laws. There can still be seasons, bag limits etc. All carrying the same punishment for violations. He just thinks that it's wrong that we have to pay our respective states to hunt land that they have nothing to do with. I know that it's just the way the world turns and it's not gonna change but again I gotta say. The old geezer has a point. I'm not looking to argue about anything, it just makes for a good debate so to speak. What do you guys think?
In MD we do not have to buy a license to hunt our own private property but we are still required to follow game laws.
What happens when these deer cross property lines... Are they still your deer? Tag fees and more than just a fee. They go to a slew of other branches that help on conservation, preservation, and funding. One has to look past the big picture. Bruce, I did not know that. Interesting idea. Do you have to own xx amount of acreage? Sent from my ADR6350 using Tapatalk 2
This is under the "Who may hunt without a license" section: A resident of Maryland (and their spouse) who owns property and who hunts only on that property. This also applies to: (1) the landowner’s children and grandchildren if they are under the age of 16; and (2) the landowner’s children and grandchildren, and the spouse of the children or grandchildren, regardless of age, if the child, grandchild, or their spouse, lives on the property, has worked on the property for at least 30 days during the preceding 12 months, or manages the property. Each person must individually qualify under these criteria. To qualify for this exemption, a landowner does not need to live on the property but must be able to prove ownership. A person (and spouse) who: (1) holds land under lease for agricultural purposes (or a sharecropper); and (2) lives on this farmland; and (3) hunts only on this farmland. This also applies to: (1) the lessee’s children and grandchildren if they are under the age of 16; and (2) the lessee’s children and grandchildren, and their spouses, if the child, grandchild, or spouse of the child or grandchild, lives on the property, has worked on the property for at least 30 days during the preceding 12 months, or manages the property. A nonresident (and spouse) who owns a contiguous piece of farmland that is in both Virginia and Maryland may hunt on the Maryland portion of the property without a Maryland hunting license, if the person’s primary residence is on the Virginia portion of the property. This also applies to the owner’s children and grandchildren if they are under the age of 16. A Maryland resident serving in the United States Armed Forces while on official leave in Maryland (whether stationed in Maryland or outside Maryland). You must possess a copy of official leave orders while hunting. See Hunters in the Armed Forces in the following text. A person serving in the United States Armed Forces who has a service–connected disability and possesses a valid military identification while hunting. Notes: Hunters not required to have a license must obtain a free DNRid number and a free Maryland Big Game Harvest Record if they intend to hunt deer or turkeys. These items may be obtained from a DNR Sport License agent or online at www.dnr.maryland.gov/service.
So can you just claim that a grandkkids spouse manages your land? Or do you need some sort of documentation? Sent from my ADR6350 using Tapatalk 2
In Ohio we have similar laws as to hunting on YOUR OWN property. I'm talking more about just John Doe buddy hunting your property. Not a family member.
They were never MY deer to start with. They are not the states either. What exactly does the state do to help conservation and preservation on private ground? I don't see them out there putting in food plots, aiding in predator control, digging duck marshes.
This over before it started... We can't plant food plots in Montana yet our populations are just fine. Weird. Sent from my ADR6350 using Tapatalk 2
Then outfitters could let anybody hunt their property without a license. I like the way the laws are set up in MD. If you own the land, fine, hunt without a license, other than that buy a license.
You may want to do just a bit more checking on what the states actually do to maintain public lands. Ours actually does plant "food plots". Whole fields of corn, whole fields of millet, etc. They maintain trails on the public land (we can hunt a lot of our state parks). I don't know about your state but ours does quite a bit to help with conservation and preservation. I would go so far as to say they do much more than private landowners.
Not In Illinois......thats were the funds are suppose to go but its distributed out among other sate agencies.
I think you missed my point. I know they do those things on PUBLIC land. What do they do on PRIVATE land? That's why I said in my original post. (Now if your hunting public ground that's another story. It costs the state money to own and upkeep the land therefore you should have to pay to play.) Just to add. I am not trying to change anything here. I couldn't if I tried. I'm just debating for the sake of debate. Playing a bit of the devils advocate so to speak.
I guess I don't understand. You are saying that since they do nothing to improve private land they should not regulate hunting on private land?
Indiana there is a minimum acreage requirement to hunt with "landowner tags" free. Also it has to be someone whom the property is titled/deeded under, a direct dependent that lives with the deeded/titled people and or the person who has an active farming agreement with owners and farms it. Lot of abuse of this occurs, fathers still letting sons two towns over hunt for free, cousins from out of state, the leasing farmer granting free permission to his kids and what not.
Ok... They establish harvest limitations so the landowners are not over hunting/harvesting THEIR deer. Sent from my ADR6350 using Tapatalk 2
No I am simply stating.. Why should I have to buy a license? Regulating and enforcing the laws is fine. I can still only hunt during specified seasons. Bag limits, hours, etc are still in place and I should have to abide by those laws just as I do now. But why does a person need to pay the state for a license to hunt property that they have done NOTHING for?
Exactly right Backcountry, if no one imposed harvest limits it'd be worse than it already is with over harvesting in some places.
I'm curious as to why you highlighted the word "THEIR"? Exactly who's deer are they? As I said previously. They are not the landowners deer. They are not the states either.
Because you personally dont own those deer. We all do. You don't have to pay a fee to hunt that land, but you do to hunt our deer. If I fed deer all year on a neighboring property and then one wanders over to your side and you kill it, you don't have to pay me anything... It wasn't my deer. Sent from my ADR6350 using Tapatalk 2
True they don't belong to anyone, but I'll venture a guess that state budgets and spends more money on habitat maintenance of parks, conservation sights, wetlands and preservation purchases of ground than any farmer spends on it. Just sayin'. I personally bought a lifetime license when I was like 14 (loan from grandparents) and while it's nice to not have to buy a license a small part of me wishes I still had to, because I know without licenses the state wouldn't be able to run the limited public land places they do or purchase and preserve some of the local wetlands and operate local parks.
