150' Highway Setback
Massachusetts
Hey guys-curious to hear any opinions on hunting near highway....for example- you legally shoot deer more than 150' off highway and it bolts in the direction of the highway... the question is it ethical to hunt an area where there is potential wounded deer makes its way on to the interstate ??? TIA
Sure why not?
Course don't listen to me I am a noob,..
Go for it they most likely won’t run to the highway
I usually hunt near a highway. I'm typically farther in than 150' but have been close to the setback. Never had a deer run towards the highway. I've seen deer drives in shotgun season in the same area. Deer head toward houses and thick areas. Not the highway.
In my opinion this is one of those tricky situations where ethical and legal diverge. Here's my take on it.
With regards to a wounded animal, IMO it's ethical to continue to hunt it and try to make the quickest kill possible, even within the setback (provided it is safe to do so, i.e. not shooting toward the road). Having said that, it's still not legal to release an arrow within the setback, regardless of which direction you are shooting.
Could make for a tough decision...
EDIT: I think I misunderstood the question at first. Now I think I understand more clearly what you're asking. What if your pursuit of the animal causes it to run onto the highway, becoming a danger to motorists? Wow, now it's even more complicated. I would probably continue to slowly/carefully hunt it.
Relax—150’ is good. The government decided this, so it can’t be wrong.
You guys hear about the guy out in California that shot the mule deer, tracked up into a Walmart parking lot, and started flinging arrows at it? Lol. I don’t suggest blasting at a deer on the highway if you happen to end up in that situation
I'd hunt it. I hunt in the suburbs, very familiar with these challenges. Just put your arrow in the boiler room and you shouldn't have a problem. Sometimes they surprise you but more often they're dead in a reasonable distance.
I had one time where it went south but could have been worse. Shot a buck through the heart and he bee lined through the woods to the neighbors property. Must have been adrenaline because he went a good distance. It was an afternoon hunt in winter with snow on the ground. Easy blood trail lead right to the neighbors deck where there was a big blood spat on the sliding glass door and my dead buck piled up beneath it.
I knocked but no one was home. Found out from my landowner that his neighbor was in Florida for Christmas. We got my buck, cleaned up the blood as best we could and hoped for the best. I stopped by his house when he got back to explain and offer some venison. Weather had taken care of the blood and he never would have known. He got a kick out of it and gladly took the venison.
Bowhunting is never dull...
I dont have an issue with this. We are all responsible for where we aim our arrows, but regrettably control little of where they actually go. That's not saying I think it's ok to chuck arrows willy nilly at deer. FAR from that. Just that you do your best, practice, aim well, release, and the deer ducks or twists funny and suddenly what looked certain becomes a long day. That's MINIMIZED if you try to take only the best shot. But as BC's story clearly notes, you dont control where the deer goes after that shot. Was it Hick Stick who's buck a few years ago died feet from a train track and almost got run over as he walked up on it?
If you follow the law for 150ft and you only take a shot you feel very good about, this (hunting near an interstate or road) should be fine.
If you have a situation where you shoot the deer and it appears to cross the interstate or something, call the EPO's and seek assistance. Dont be the goomba in Sturbridge a few years ago who walked across 84 tracking a buck he hit with his gun to keep on it IN THE MEDIAN... Ooph! That area has a median a few hundred yards wide at least, maybe more, so he probably could have been 150ft from either side, but the situation just does not make sense, so that's not a great choice.
Absolutely. Assuming it is legal hunting land. Be sure your stand is at least 150' and do not shoot towards the paved road. Which I would presume to mean, not beyond a parallel line.
"Lunker" posted that he had an issue last year and the bottom line, after due harassment by less than informed police was, the EPO that was called made him show the stand location. It checked out and that was that.
151' proof... like Bacardi's
Ps. if a shot deer does happen to enter the "no-shoot zone" ... well, don't shoot. Use good judgment in tracking it. Although the law allows for the active pursuit ( of crossing a road, not shooting in that or other setbacks space) with a loaded weapon I wouldn't do it that way. Call authorities, as advised above and proceed with what makes them comfortable.
yep that happend to me.l have shot alot of deer near the highway not one ran into it.not to say it would not happen but percent wise i'd say ur good
If your deer runs into a no shoot area, well, that's why you have a knife. Finish it off up close and personal.
I hunt along route 3. I'm in about 300 yards, close enough to use the noise as a cover but far enough where I can here a grunt or bleet. Almost every time I see deer they are walking from the highway. The two I shot ran in the direction they were walking, away from the highway. Enjoy Summer gang, Let's Go
When I drive down rt95 from millinocket in the winter I'm always surprised at the number of tree stands I see on the sides of the highway. Also see a lot of deer paralleling the road.
mrw , Good point. Be prepared. Spear, knife, sledgehammer, broadsword, battle ax, taser, rope, strong hands, sharp teeth... whatever you need. Just don't shoot in the setback.
Unrelated - to hunting here - but on the highway subject, I'm always amazed how this goes in other regions. We drive to FL 1 X year, Minnesota 1X year and do several road trips with the kids that may take 10-12hrs at a chunk. It's amazing how many stands and shooting houses are in easy sight of the highway, some that I'm sure would not be legal here. A couple weeks ago driving back home on 80/90 in, I think, Indiana, we realized that someone had a target practice area set up - bench, targets etc - at most 50-100 feet off the highway running parallel. So they were shooting parallel to the high way in plain sight.
Different regions, different rules... And different levels of acceptance, I'm sure that would be shut down with 85 SWAT officers a few helicopters and some armored cars if the people did that along route 2 or 495 :) here!
Will, I've noticed the same thing with the stands and shooting houses/blinds, though I don't think I've ever really seen a target shooting setup. But in my mind it sort of validates that in many parts of the country people understand that the majority of gun owners are not the danger that we're made out to be by the uninformed.
On guns: I feel it's people that don't trust themselves with guns don't trust others with guns.
On stands near highways: I always see shooting houses and stands close to the road. Not target along the highway though Will!
On knives: My friends and I have on several occasions muckled a deer, covered its eyes and put it out of its mysery. The tough part is chasing them down and tackling them! This has always been helping track an animal with a marginal shot.
What is the setback for stabbing a deer?
yup will...that was me. my last CT buck shuffled off this mortal coil with its antler perched on a commuter rail track. Buddy and I grabbed it, pulled it off the track onto the crushed stone....posed for the hero shot - then we heard the rumble...lol
my first thought was 'those commuters are gonna get an eyeful if we don't get outta here', so we each grabbed an antler and ran as fast as we could dragging 160 pounds....lol...just got up into the treeline when the train passed by. lol. no harm no foul. that was probably the 15th or 20th deer taken from that spot and the only one that ran toward the rail track.
alas that spot is no more. old guy retired to FL and sold the spot to a developer.
mrw , zero feet. no inches. or closer.
