My dad has a neighbor that lets a couple people hunt her property. Today my dad noticed a new ground blind set up just off the property line and within abut 60 yards of my dads house. I read the law on the DNR website but need a little clarification. It states if the hunter does not own the property they are hunting, they need permission from the landowner to shoot within 100 yards of their house. Does that also apply to any surrounding houses? Would he need my fathers permission to shoot? Thanks in advance.
Wisconsin Hunting Reports/Discussion
LAWS FOR SHOOTING WITHIN 100 YARDS OF A HOUSE
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For me, it comes down to this. The person that put out the blind is either too dumb to know the law or too rude to care about following it. Why would anyone give that person a free pass? Rude, unethical people give us all a bad name.
IMHO, setting up a gun deer blind that close to someone's house is just rude, no matter what the law reads.
I would agree with all that, your land your rights. But if we can't trust our neighbors then who can we trust?
Like you said, he should have knocked on the door in the first place. That's common courtesy. But all this talk about calling the DNR, calling the sheriff, getting GPS coordinates, etc. seems to be excessive. The OP's father could just as easily stop and talk with the guy when he's prepping or talk to the neighbor and voice his concerns, if he has any. It sounds to me like he really doesn't care one way or another, he just wants to exercise his rights. Which is where my "uptight" comment comes into play. Why create a problem when there isn't one.
As the uptight owner of rural acreage, that not only serves a recreational purpose but as my primary residence as well, I'm just curious which of my land owner rights and the laws that protect them do we not have to follow?
I deal with this issue almost on an annual basis. I have kids and animals and family that are out on MY property by MY house during deer season. It's my families safety, and it's my property that I pay taxes on.
And in the end, its about getting the property owners permission. Knock on the door and ask. Just may be surprised.
May be its the cavalier and flippant attitude some "sportsmen" have towards the laws that protect landowners, their property, and their rights that have made many of them uptight. No offense of course.
You sir, would then fall ino that category of "uptight". No offense of course.
You can safely fire a firearm 5 yards from a home, I'm not quite sure how 100 yards is any different. Considering most rifles are pretty accurate to 400+ yards, I'm confused as to how 101 yards is safe, but 99 yards isn't. It is up to the landowner's discretion for a reason. Hunting in your backyard in the city is ridiculous, hunting in your backhard in the country with one neighbor, is standard.
I'm just being realistic here. If you've gone 35 years of following the law to a T since day one then props to you, you just might be the first person in history.
Now I am at a loss...
"But what happened to the unwritten laws of sportsmen?"
I have been hunting for 35 years, and never, ever, never was it considered appropriate or safe to fire a gun within 100 yards of a house, a lot of times even if the property owner knew. That includes the dozens and dozens of sportsmen I have had the pleasure of hunting with over those decades.
Unwritten laws of sportsmen!? Respect!? Just curious then, what laws are we supposed to follow?
This isn't even a hunting law, its a state statute: endangering safety by use of a dangerous weapon. Not just during deer season, but 24/7/365.
I'm also at a loss here. Your father doesn't hunt, he is 60+ yards from his house and has permission to hunt on that land. He is respecting the land boundary by not trusting and apparently minding his own business.
By law, sure your father has the right to not allow him to hunt there. But what happened to the unwritten laws of sportsmen? Give the guy your blessings and hope he nails the big one tomorrow the morning. He isn't harming anything. It's a shame people have gotten so uptight about these things now-a-days.
I don't quite get doing nothing and just assuming you'll take care of it after the violation occurs. You're waiting until the guy is all excited at that point. I'd just make a simple phone call and phrase it in a way to sound like you are just curious since its so close to the building. Doesn't have to be mean or anything.
Setting up a blind or stand that close shows intent. Think about it in a more drastic,obvious sense that still applies under the same law. Say I put a blind 10 yards from your house and decide to crawl in it wearing blaze orange, toting a gun. Its only a violation if I shoot? Clearly there is intent to shoot if a deer shows up. Would you wait to say something in that case?
I had a neighbor up north near my cabin who would shoot like crazy. Emptied clip after clip into a bucket hanging from a tree. His backstop was the back of my property. He is about 90 yards from my cabin (range finder) and about 40 from another. He has a very little yard, basically right by the road when shooting. This is a more drastic example I realize, but I had to say something so that I didn't have to fear being shot if I was in the woods he was shooting into like a maniac. He was nice about it and all was good. His buddy who was the age of my dad did say that they do it all the time, that was his justification. I gave him that 'are you that stupid' look and he stopped LOL.
I own a farm and another farmer neighbor stopped by yesterday.
My neighbor brought up a very good point. Without back tags it's going to be very hard to call in a tresspasser. Like he said, before you could binoc his back tag and call it in. Now you have to confront them, who in there right mind wants to confront someone with a gun in there hand, especially with all the nut jobs out their.
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