Ask a conservation officer

[Lee Borgersen]

 Ask a Conservation Officer:
 
Hunting near dwellings on private property.

Q: I have a rural 10 acre parcel of land that measures 660' x 660' with a dwelling in the middle. I want to hunt deer on my property, but there is no way to be 500 feet from the dwelling. Is it possible to hunt on my land?

A: Yes. Each year, conservation officers spend quite a bit of time dispelling misunderstanding among hunters about what is restricted by trespass law and what is not. The restriction regarding a 500 foot distance reads like this: "A person may not discharge a firearm within 500 feet of a building occupied buy a human or livestock 1) On the private land of another, or 2) From a public road right of way." A person also may not discharge a firearm within 500 feet of a 1-acre stockade or corral containing livestock. If you are on your own land, the restriction does not apply. If you have the written permission of the owner, occupant, or lessee of the building or corral, these restrictions do not apply. These restrictions also do not apply if you are on publicly-accessible waters, public land or hunting on state-owned land during hunting season. See pages 7-8 of the 2018 Hunting Regulation Synopsis for more information or read the full statute contained in MSS 97B.001.