Hunter etiquette

skhunter said:
That is merely a suggestion to keep up good relations with land owners. Nowhere does it say it is unlawful to hunt without permission on non posted land.

If you are hunting on non posted land and are asked to leave by the land owner and do not leave you will be charged if he reports you to the game warden.

If you are hunting on non posted land and the land owner reports you to the game warden without asking you to leave first you will not be charged with trespassing, but you will be asked to leave by the game warden.

As a land owner and hunter I have had first hand experience with the situation. If you are hunting on non posted land and stopped by a warden, they will check you for the proper tags and gun safety but they will not ask if you have permission from the land owner.

If you are hunting on posted land they will check you for tags and gun safety, plus you better have proof of permission.
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I'm going to look further into this, but it doesn't have to say in the hunting regs that you need permission to hunt on private land, if there is another law saying you need permission to be on someone elses land. Land owners act maybe.........If I find any rule, other than what I think I remember reading, somewhere,maybe, I'll post it.
 
In BC it's illegal to trespass on, or SHOOT OVER land that is fenced or cultivated without written permission. posting not required, but folks ignore all of it anyway.
We caught some guys on my buddy's ranch near 100 Mile that were camped 50' beyond a 4'x8' plywood NO HUNTING, NO TRESPASSING sign. And they had two bucks down.
I thought my friend's wife was going to prison that day, I was actually happy to see the RCMP show up.
 
Redbearded1 said:
I'm going to look further into this, but it doesn't have to say in the hunting regs that you need permission to hunt on private land, if there is another law saying you need permission to be on someone elses land. Land owners act maybe.........If I find any rule, other than what I think I remember reading, somewhere,maybe, I'll post it.
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There may be a law some where. I'm just telling you how the game wardens treat the situation.

Here is a true story of a dispute between a land owner and hunters. A couple of years ago a friend of mine heard shooting early one morning in goose season. He went for a drive and discovered some American hunters set up on his non posted land. He lost it and drove his truck through their decoy spread and demanded they leave.

A couple hours later the wardens showed up at his door, the hunters wanted him charged with destroying their decoys. He said they were trespassing and was told by the wardens that if the land wasn't posted the hunters were free to hunt on the land until told otherwise by the land owners. They also told him if he didn't want people hunting on his land to post it.

Neither side was charged with anything and the land was posted the next day.
 
skhunter said:
There may be a law some where. I'm just telling you how the game wardens treat the situation.

Here is a true story of a dispute between a land owner and hunters. A couple of years ago a friend of mine heard shooting early one morning in goose season. He went for a drive and discovered some American hunters set up on his non posted land. He lost it and drove his truck through their decoy spread and demanded they leave.

A couple hours later the wardens showed up at his door, the hunters wanted him charged with destroying their decoys. He said they were trespassing and was told by the wardens that if the land wasn't posted the hunters were free to hunt on the land until told otherwise by the land owners. They also told him if he didn't want people hunting on his land to post it.

Neither side was charged with anything and the land was posted the next day.
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I think thats a case of the warden stretching the truth, you hvae no right of tresspass for hunting or any activity
 
razorbeck said:
I think thats a case of the warden stretching the truth, you hvae no right of tresspass for hunting or any activity
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The game warden never said it was anybody's right, only that hunters would not be charged with trespass unless they refused to leave after being told to do so by the land owner. The way they apply the law is that a hunter will not be charged with trespassing if he is on non posted land without prior permission.

In other words, a hunter is not obliged under the law to obtain permission to hunt on non posted land. If discovered and asked to leave by the land owner the hunter is considered to be trespassing if he does not leave, and can be charged.
 
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skhunter said:
The game warden never said it was anybody's right, only that hunters would not be charged with trespass unless they refused to leave after being told to do so by the land owner. The way they apply the law is that a hunter will not be charged with trespassing if he is on non posted land without prior permission.

In other words, a hunter is not obliged under the law to obtain permission to hunt on non posted land. If discovered and asked to leave by the land owner the hunter is considered to be trespassing if he does not leave, and can be charged.
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Then i dare say Saskatchewan is the only jurisdiction with this crazy understanding
 
razorbeck said:
Then i dare say Saskatchewan is the only jurisdiction with this crazy understanding
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It actually works quite well for everyone. Landowners who do not want hunters on their land or want to control who is on their land simply post it. They can still allow people to hunt if they wish. My land is posted, but I will let most people who ask hunt it.

Most land owners in my area are pretty easy going as they are hunters themselves. There is far more non posted land than posted. It works well for hunters who are not from this area, they can spend their time hunting deer and not looking for land owners for permission.

It makes it easier for the wardens also, if you are on posted land without permission you are charged. If you are on non posted land, carry on.
 
I know I had found a law previously, but all I find is province specific information now. So I could be wrong. I could see how that system could work now that you've explained it. As long as everybody is on the same page. I think that's a problem everywhere in Canada though, nobody has a clue about the laws or their rights. Including cops sometimes.

But back on the topic of hunters etiquette, I saw on a commercial on wildtv there is a permission book you can get, that lays out basic land use arrangments for landowners and hunters to go over and sign. Seemed like a good way to show anyone you don't know that you are on the up and up about respectful hunting, when asking permission.
 
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