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Safety zone question

Wolverine72

Wolverine72

Well-Known Member
Joined
Aug 24, 2015
Messages
376
Location
Middle TN
Tonight I was stopped hunting by a very respectful TWRA agent.
He told me I am not able to park in a safety zone and walk into the hunting zone to hunt. Areas on the TWRA map designated green (huntable) and red (non-huntable).
I parked at a boat ramp, in the red zone, and walked to the huntable land about 1/3 mile in the woods. The safety zone goes about 100 yards into the woods.

Can someone point me in the right direction in the twra hunting guidelines to show me this is true? I've been parking and hunting this area for over 10 years and I can't see how what the officer told me is correct. I hate it if I've been wrong all this time.
Thanks
 
I can't point you to a spot in the regs, but I called TWRA about 2 weeks ago to ask this same question. They, without hesitation, told me you cannot walk into the huntable zones from the safety zones - for the reason that no weapons for hunting are allowed in the safety zones. I then asked, if no weapons are allowed at the boat ramp how do you use the boat ramp to access other parts of the wma? He said if they're concealed in your boat, they're fine. They just can't be visible. I didn't take it any further, as he wasn't very friendly, but I'm curious if you were to case your weapon and carry the cased weapon through the woods if that would be considered "concealed".
 
Very interesting. I'm so flustered about this. Having hunted there for 10 years it's just got me a little frazzled.
A buddy and I are going to go to our region office next week to discuss further. I'll post our results. And I ask about having the weapon in a "concealed" case
I too access certain areas by boat with a friend. It's kind of funny you mention that as I was thinking the same thing. But you still have to load the weapon into the boat at some point.
One areas like this I've been hunting since 2007 and had several conversations over the years with twra folks in the parking lot. And no comment ever. I guess it's whomever you run into.
This guy tonight walked out to me in my stand about 1/3 mile into the woods. I figure someone had to call him who seen me. I was a needle in a haystack and he walked almost right to me. Someone over there wants the space to themselves apparently.
 
With all due respect, I don't get what y'all don't understand? It's a safety zone with no hunting allowed. You can't just walk through there as if you're hunting with no intent to hunt. The purpose is exactly as you guessed, so people accessing the ramp and/or park don't see people walking around hunting. I would guess pushing the issue about the ramp itself could potentially move it out of the gray area into the black and white, and not in your favor.
 
No arrow knocked or shell loaded and you're not hunting your hiking. I would say you are correct as somebody is wanting the area to them self's, I can carry my pistol open or concealed but that doesn't mean I am hunting with it whether you can see it or not, almost all public area have safety zones you have to pass through in order to get to the hunting areas
 
Wolverine72 said:
Very interesting. I'm so flustered about this. Having hunted there for 10 years it's just got me a little frazzled.
A buddy and I are going to go to our region office next week to discuss further. I'll post our results. And I ask about having the weapon in a "concealed" case
I too access certain areas by boat with a friend. It's kind of funny you mention that as I was thinking the same thing. But you still have to load the weapon into the boat at some point.
One areas like this I've been hunting since 2007 and had several conversations over the years with twra folks in the parking lot. And no comment ever. I guess it's whomever you run into.
This guy tonight walked out to me in my stand about 1/3 mile into the woods. I figure someone had to call him who seen me. I was a needle in a haystack and he walked almost right to me. Someone over there wants the space to themselves apparently.
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Going to see the man about the man is a fruitless endeavor.

It's crap like this that keeps many from hunting lands that they help pay for.
 
What wma are you hunting? I ran into the exact same issue and it is something new. I was originally told by the agent it was legal, 3 yrs later its not. You can PM me if you like.
 
HottyToddy said:
I can't point you to a spot in the regs, but I called TWRA about 2 weeks ago to ask this same question. They, without hesitation, told me you cannot walk into the huntable zones from the safety zones - for the reason that no weapons for hunting are allowed in the safety zones. I then asked, if no weapons are allowed at the boat ramp how do you use the boat ramp to access other parts of the wma? He said if they're concealed in your boat, they're fine. They just can't be visible. I didn't take it any further, as he wasn't very friendly, but I'm curious if you were to case your weapon and carry the cased weapon through the woods if that would be considered
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I'll ask the question when i speak with them. If I could fit my bow/muzzleloader into my backpack, which I have one I could, would that be the same thing as concealing like in a boat
 
Roadracer6 said:
What wma are you hunting? I ran into the exact same issue and it is something new. I was originally told by the agent it was legal, 3 yrs later its not. You can PM me if you like.
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We were previously told it was ok as well years ago. Honestly, I think they are fine with it until someone complains. Which I think in my case is what had happened. Either way, of I'm not supposed to do it I won't do it. I'm obviously not perfect, but I do my best to abide by the hunting laws.
In one of the parking lots I used to use often, I've had several conversations in said parking lot, with no mention. In fact on one occasion they complimented me on my deer.
It's just frustrating, but it will give me good reason to learn more about our WMA's that we are blessed to have in TN. I'll just have to find new access points.
 
This brings up another point.
Since my access points will change and create longer drags when I harvest a deer, can I go the long way out with all my gear, then walk through the safety zone to retrieve my deer and drag it back through the safety zone?
With no weapon of course.
 
Wolverine72 said:
This brings up another point.
Since my access points will change and create longer drags when I harvest a deer, can I go the long way out with all my gear, then walk through the safety zone to retrieve my deer and drag it back through the safety zone?
With no weapon of course.
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IMO, you are essentially hiking at that point, but I would say the same with a bow unknocked/gun unloaded. I don't see any complaints about people riding horses during gun season without any form of orange on....I bring it up to those individuals when I see them and at that point it's up to them to be smart or ignorant.
 
If you search "safety zone" in any of the TWRA info it only refers to "hunting". Here is the definition of hunting:

70-1-101. Title definitions — Construction of dates and provisions.

(18) "Hunting" means chasing, driving, flushing, attracting, pursuing, worrying, following after or on the trail of, searching for, trapping, shooting at, stalking, or lying in wait for, any wildlife, whether or not such wildlife is then or subsequently captured, killed, taken, or wounded and every act of assistance to any other person, but "hunting" does not include stalking, attracting, searching for, or lying in wait for, wildlife by an unarmed person solely for the purpose of watching wildlife or taking pictures of wildlife;

The definition of hunting doesn't reference the condition or view of a firearm. So saying its okay to transport a firearm to conceal it in a boat in a safety area, but not carry one across a safety area to a hunting area doesn't make sense. I guess terms like "following after or on the trail of" or "searching for" could be construed by some to mean that.

If I was launching a boat and saw someone walking past with a rifle over their shoulder I wouldn't assume they were hunting at the boat docks. 🙃

But I guess whatever the TWRA told you is what you have to abide by.
 
If "Common Sense" applied, one would think: all arrows quivered, X-bow not cocked, ML not primed, or rifle unloaded with magazine removed. However, I have found that common sense no longer applies most of the time. I personally think what you have been doing is right and correct. Good luck with your future conversation and we will be awaiting the results of said conversation.
 
Sounds like another situation where the powers that be are bending to the wishes of an adjacent property owner or anyone with an agenda. Not only is it only sensible to understand that someone might have to cross a safety zone to access huntable public ground, it's been a given, at least when that's the only option other than boat.

Reminds me of the tip I got from an employee at Edgar Evans many years ago, instructing me where to park to walk around a creek so I could get out of the safety zone and hunt the other side. I mean, they understood if I shot something I was going to be dragging it back around the lake to the safety zone and they were obviously ok with it. They even gave me a map and showed me where folks could park to hike around the lake.
 
PickettSFHunter said:
I think TWRA should be able to provide an actual law that clearly demonstrates this is not allowed.
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This would help tremendously, I've read probably hundreds of hours of regulations and have more questions now than before I began hunting. Call an office on different days and you'll get different answers.

As far as "concealed" in concerned in TN concealed from eye sight is "concealed". In a gun case or under a few tissues on your passenger seat, don't matter.
 
HottyToddy said:
I can't point you to a spot in the regs, but I called TWRA about 2 weeks ago to ask this same question. They, without hesitation, told me you cannot walk into the huntable zones from the safety zones - for the reason that no weapons for hunting are allowed in the safety zones. I then asked, if no weapons are allowed at the boat ramp how do you use the boat ramp to access other parts of the wma? He said if they're concealed in your boat, they're fine. They just can't be visible. I didn't take it any further, as he wasn't very friendly, but I'm curious if you were to case your weapon and carry the cased weapon through the woods if that would be considered "concealed".
Click to expand...
Following........I use a boat ramp area to drop in the canoe to access a spot or two locally. The crossbow or whatever weapon I'm using is cased from the vehicle to the canoe and stays cased until I reach the hunting area, so it's never really in full view at any point while loading or unloading the canoe. I've also dropped in pretty early in the morning, so no one is usually around anyway.
I wonder if by concealed, he meant cased. I know on the local WMA I access, there are dozens of twra duck blinds that are only accessible by boat, so weapons are definitely transported thru the boat ramp/safety zone on a regular basis inorder to hunt those blinds.
 
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