Float hunting for deer

buckfvr

Eight Pointer
I am new to float hunting for deer I looked at the regs and got a little knowledge but was wondering if anyone had success with it and any in written rules or regulations regarding it.

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nccatfisher

nccatfisher

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
Depends on where you are going to do it. In the eastern part of the state several rivers it is prohibited. In the central and western part for the most part it will be legal except for the fact of having permission. You are legal to hunt from the boat but many times the property owners own right to the water so the animal will be on private property, thus you would be hunting without permission.
 
Longrifle

Longrifle

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
It's my understanding that the land owner owns to the high water mark. Still pretty grey unless you have permission from the landowner. Unless it comes toward you after the shot(what are the chances?) without permission you're probably going to have to trespass to retrieve.
 

Justin

Old Mossy Horns
I've killed two. They have to be below the high water line and not in water above their knees. Can't be under power. Other local regulations may apply. I will say, that where these were taken, retrieval and obtaining permission wasn't a high priority. Not to say it was right, but I sure didn't feel guilty about it. I haven't done it in over 10 years, it was like shooting fish in a barrel. They could care less if they see you.
 
nccatfisher

nccatfisher

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
Justin said:
I've killed two. They have to be below the high water line and not in water above their knees. Can't be under power. Other local regulations may apply. I will say, that where these were taken, retrieval and obtaining permission wasn't a high priority. Not to say it was right, but I sure didn't feel guilty about it. I haven't done it in over 10 years, it was like shooting fish in a barrel. They could care less if they see you.
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There is something about a floating object in water that doesn't alarm them much. When I used to float the river for ducks it wasn't uncommon to see them and they paid little attention to me as long as I didn't make a rash movement. It didn't matter because most of the time the season was closed for them as I always waited to late in the duck season to float hoping for cold weather to freeze the potholes and put the ducks on the river.
 

britlab64

Six Pointer
Well I knew this thread would surface sooner or later. Seems to every year.
For the FLOATERS.
I realize it is a grey area but think about this .
Pretty much any place you are going to float by is already owed or leased for hunting in NC.
I really can not think of any prime hunting land that is not already tied up.
Now if you shoot a deer NOT standing over knee deep in water but on the land.
You are Trespassing
Next most of the time the deer is not going to drop in its tracks.
So here you go
Trespassing again.
And then again, if you had permission
Then you would not need to shooting while floating.
I realize for the free or I have the right people might not like my post.
But that's because you have nothing invested in the hunt.
Only looking a way around the rules.
But my best argument is you have no idea what is on the other side of that brush you are shooting into.







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Swampin

Button Buck
I called the joco game warden about this last year. She said that the property owner owns to wherever their line is. Not to the high water mark. She said to be legal the deer has to be touching the water but not more then knee deep. If it runs up the bank and you can't reach it from the boat it's illegal to retrieve without permission. She basically said everyone does it and since there are rarely witnesses they get away with it but if you want to be legal, then it's safest to just not do it.

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30/06

Twelve Pointer
Our lease is on a river and we've caught several people slipping in by boat. We've also heard from random people their friends and or relatives kill turkeys "off the river" meaning they poached em off somebody's land along the river. I think it would be very hard to do legally, grey at best and it the animal runs off your breaking the law.
 

Muzzleodor

Eight Pointer
Sometimes I hunt on the ground beside the river. You better make sure of what you're doing, there could be someone like me sitting there with a rifle or shotgun and not to happy getting shot at.
 
woodmoose

woodmoose

Administrator
Staff member
Contributor
30/06 said:
Our lease is on a river and we've caught several people slipping in by boat. We've also heard from random people their friends and or relatives kill turkeys "off the river" meaning they poached em off somebody's land along the river. I think it would be very hard to do legally, grey at best and it the animal runs off your breaking the law.
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we get that all the time, especially during turkey season, on our lease along the pee dee,,,,,,,,,


ok,,,"all the time" is a stretch,,,,,,,we get it enough that it aggravates,,,,,hard to catch with as much frontage we have,,,but have caught a few,,,,,,,,
 
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shotgunner

Ten Pointer
I have been in several clubs that had access to rivers, creeks and runs that flowed through them. It was a great way to reach remote areas. Drift along, then sit a while. Club land on both sides. Of course no power allowed. I would pull my trolling motor completely out of the water to remove any doubt. Drift 3 or 4 hours then motor back up stream and drift again. Some really relaxing times. Saw lots of game. Would love to do it again.
 

DRS

Old Mossy Horns
There are places where it is legal and the land is game land. No better way to sneak along quietly and hunt with trespass not being an issue.
 

britlab64

Six Pointer
I understand there may be places and or games lands where it can be legal.
However buckfvr asked a not so particular question.
And looking at his profile I see he's near or close to Goldsboro at SJAB.
That being said
I will modify my original comment
In Wayne County there is little to no place you can drift without being on someone' s property.
No gamelands but plenty of river frontage to drift.Just because you CAN do it
Does not make it right.
Seems most think once away from the boat ramp if not seen its OK.
Like I said earlier it's a safety issue as much as a moral one.
Not a very good feeling to be hunting and having buckshot or a rifle bullet whizzing by.

And buckfvr
THANK YOU for your service.
If you need a place to hunt that badly pm me and I maybe I can put you on a deer.




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jug

jug

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
You can be very successful float hunting but you better have permission to shoot on someone else property. Not worth the legal implications if you are caught.
 

Justin

Old Mossy Horns
Under the high water mark, or are they still the Kings deer at that point?

High shoulder and he falls in the water and he's legal as can be. Not much different than hunting anywhere that it's possible for a deer to cross a property if shot otherwise.













*stir stir duck*
 

FITZH2O

Old Mossy Horns
[emoji1312][emoji1312][emoji1312]

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Well played Justin, well played
 
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para4514

Eight Pointer
Contributor
So if private property lines run to the middle of the river/creek/stream. The stars align and you harvest the deer standing in water less than knee deep, bang flop. Once you step out of the boat to load the animal, are you not trespassing?
 
Rescue44

Rescue44

Old Mossy Horns
woodmoose said:
heck, a mile? that's just the wadable portion!!
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How about last year? 2 to 3 miles wide? Was told that there were times and areas along the Pee Dee that the only places not under water were the roadway and roadside and deer were seen there quite a few times, as the woods were flooded. A couple of hunting buddies brought this up. They have an area they float with permission, not in the Pee Dee area, but didn't last year because of all the water.
 
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Mack in N.C.

Old Mossy Horns
DRS said:
There are places where it is legal and the land is game land. No better way to sneak along quietly and hunt with trespass not being an issue.
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this would be the really only option. If not gamelands u are floating through then you are either shooting deer off anothers land w/o permission or shootin one illegally too deep in the water. odds that u will shoot one standing less than knee deep in the water and dropping right there is so low as it isnt worth it.

now duck hunting or squirrel hunting , that is a different story...shot lot of squirrels in limbs over the water....and dip them out of the water. ducks too.
 

Justin

Old Mossy Horns
If there's a lake that's down say 4-5ft, and a deer wants a drink of water, you realize hot much real estate there is for that deer to cross to get to the water to get a drink. What's different than duck hunting on the water on a public water way and being pulled up next to the bank



"Stars align".... That's laughable. A rock solid rest better than setting in a swaying tree at an odd angle, a dirt bank behind said deer to stop any pass throughs and on public land, and the deer isn't in water over knee deep.



Something tells me the King is jealous and it has nothing to do with morals.

The only immoral thing was how easy it was to do perfectly legal and load the freezer.


Surely you wouldn't hunt just inside the woodline is the neighbors cut their timber and the deer weren't coming out of said cut over til right at dark to feed on your acorns.


Lol morals and ethics..... More like "stop shooting MY deer".


That scenario only makes you question morals because you never think of someone LEGALLY hunting along the water boundary of your property.

Like I said, I'm sure no one has ever hunted near the property line where there was potential for a deer to run back off property. :rolleyes:

FYI of the two fish I shot in the barrel, I never had one jump out. Like shooting them off a bench rest.



Think outside the box. Not all public water is narrow creeks and not all deer have two feet on dry ground, and not all adjacent land is private and not all "private land", is well... I won't say, but let's just call me not so moral and not really give much thought to having to look for one if it does go onto certain corpor...I mean private land owners.
 
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woodmoose

woodmoose

Administrator
Staff member
Contributor
Rescue44 said:
How about last year? 2 to 3 miles wide? Was told that there were times and areas along the Pee Dee that the only places not under water were the roadway and roadside and deer were seen there quite a few times, as the woods were flooded. .
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Last year was the worse in a decade or so,,,,,,entire club was inundated for most of 4 months during hunting season,,,,roads and all for the most part
 
woodmoose

woodmoose

Administrator
Staff member
Contributor
Justin said:
If there's a lake that's down say 4-5ft, and a deer wants a drink of water, you realize hot much real estate there is for that deer to cross to get to the water to get a drink. What's different than duck hunting on the water on a public water way and being pulled up next to the bank



"Stars align".... That's laughable. A rock solid rest better than setting in a swaying tree at an odd angle, a dirt bank behind said deer to stop any pass throughs and on public land, and the deer isn't in water over knee deep.



Something tells me the King is jealous and it has nothing to do with morals.

The only immoral thing was how easy it was to do perfectly legal and load the freezer.


Surely you wouldn't hunt just inside the woodline is the neighbors cut their timber and the deer weren't coming out of said cut over til right at dark to feed on your acorns.


Lol morals and ethics..... More like "stop shooting MY deer".


That scenario only makes you question morals because you never think of someone LEGALLY hunting along the water boundary of your property.

Like I said, I'm sure no one has ever hunted near the property line where there was potential for a deer to run back off property. :rolleyes:

FYI of the two fish I shot in the barrel, I never had one jump out. Like shooting them off a bench rest.



Think outside the box. Not all public water is narrow creeks and not all deer have two feet on dry ground, and not all adjacent land is private and not all "private land", is well... I won't say, but let's just call me not so moral and not really give much thought to having to look for one if it does go onto certain corpor...I mean private land owners.
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Exactly,,,,,no different than hunting any other place,,,,,know the boundaries,,,know who owes the adjacent and hunt so that you can recover (high shoulder shots for example),,,,,,

My thing on turkeys at the place along the pee dee was they were accessing by boat then trespassing,,,,,different scenario
 

Hank

Old Mossy Horns
Wow, some folks jump to conclusions quickly. Buckfvr never once mentioned that he did not own or lease the property in question. He just simply asked if it was legal to hunt out of a boat. A simple yes, but it can not be under power and normal trespassing laws applied should have been all that was said.

I was just shaking my head in disbelief at the guy wanting to throw the book at him when he has yet to commit a crime.
 
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HorNhnTr

Twelve Pointer
Hank id have to guess he doesn't own or lease the land he's hunting around. Accessing land by boat is one thing but hunting from a boat is another thing all together. Especially " float " hunting....
 

Hank

Old Mossy Horns
Your assuming Aaron, I didn't know anything about it, so I would have had to ask the same question also. Last year I was on a lease with a butt load of land bordering the Pee Dee River, from what I just read, I could have floated down the river and been perfectly legal. I never like to assume anyone is planning on being "sneaky" just because they are doing something different than I am.
 
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