Shooting an animal across state lines?

[Oregon]

Also, it's illegal to shoot across a river in Oregon.

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any chance you could point me in the area of the regulations that state this? I'm a regulation junkie, I've never read this or even heard of this. Thanks.

 

[deltadukman]

Not to fire up an old thread but it's funny how we as hunters know this is a huge no no with shooting animals across state lines, lacey act violations, having to debone to cross certain state lines, other CWD stuff, etc. knowing the rigorous law enforcement repercussions that would await us if doing so. Yet, look at how the southern boarder is being treated. It's baffling.

 

[S.Clancy]

In Idaho it's illegal to shoot across any navigable waterway.

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That is pretty much every state

 

[Oregon]

That is pretty much every state

I can't find this anywhere. It would really make duck hunting impossible in a lot of places. For example, there are countless rivers classified "navigable" that are less than 100 yards wide. Every shot at a duck with a 45 degree angle will have shot land on other side of river.
Not denying it is a law somewhere, but as I asked the guy above who said it's illegal to shoot across a river in Oregon, I can't find any statute on this.

 

[Rich M]

There was a thing on here couple years back, guy hunting Unit X, goes to hill in Unit Y to glass and long range shoot critter. GW did not issue ticket.

 

[Travis Hobbs]

In Idaho it's illegal to shoot across any navigable waterway.

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U sure Chris?

If so there is a lot of waterfowl hunters breaking the law every day of the season.

 

[S.Clancy]

I can't find this anywhere. It would really make duck hunting impossible in a lot of places. For example, there are countless rivers classified "navigable" that are less than 100 yards wide. Every shot at a duck with a 45 degree angle will have shot land on other side of river.
Not denying it is a law somewhere, but as I asked the guy above who said it's illegal to shoot across a river in Oregon, I can't find any statute on this.

U sure Chris?

If so there is a lot of waterfowl hunters breaking the law every day of the season.

I had a conversation with a game warden about this in MT specific to an area I grew up, our property on one side of the river, state property on the other (rifle, for deer hunting). No go. However, I did a cursory search for the statute this morning and nothing readily came up. You may need to call an enforcement officer in ID to confirm and have them give you the statute.

Also, in the same conversation it did not apply to hunting waterfowl.

I could also be wrong about ID, stranger things have happened.

 

[Jason Snyder]

You guys might want to double check on the alleged illegality of shooting across rivers.

 

[Travis Hobbs]

I just know, in all my reading and experiences, I don’t think I have ever heard or seen anything about not being allowed to shoot across a river or navigable waterway.

If so, I have literally broke the law in Idaho countless times, in front of both USFW and IDFG officers, I’m talking shooting bears, waterfowl, deer and elk, and never once have I been so much as warned or even heard this come up.

From Hells Canyon, to the Lochsaw, Salmon, upper Snake, Henry’s Fork, Bear River and everywhere in between.

I have had IDFG wardens literally watch me shoot bears across a river, even helped me get my raft launched and picked back up while I retrieved the bear.

I have been checked by Oregon game wardens in hells canyon, with my boat sitting on the Oregon banks, glassing across the river for bears in Idaho, never once has anything come up about this.

I have had USFW officers, (these guys were some of the biggest dicks in the world) search every square inch of my waterfowl boat looking for anything, I mean 200 questions, ripping apart my boat, search every crack and crevice, you name it… This was after they watched us shoot across a river for 3 hours over decoys hunting ducks and geese…. They said the guns appeared to change in audio pitch between shots. (They thought we were mixing in and shooting lead)

Long story short, if these guys could have found something to charge us with, they would have. Never once did shooting across the river other boats were coming up and down even get mentioned.

 

[Beendare]

Of course its illegal…

 

[CorbLand]

It states this on the FS website. Like many, I would wonder how one can waterfowl hunt without shooting across a river. We have also shot a lot of bears across rivers.

 

[Sand Wrench]

I just know, in all my reading and experiences, I don’t think I have ever heard or seen anything about not being allowed to shoot across a river or navigable waterway.

If so, I have literally broke the law in Idaho countless times, in front of both USFW and IDFG officers, I’m talking shooting bears, waterfowl, deer and elk, and never once have I been so much as warned or even heard this come up.

From Hells Canyon, to the Lochsaw, Salmon, upper Snake, Henry’s Fork, Bear River and everywhere in between.

I have had IDFG wardens literally watch me shoot bears across a river, even helped me get my raft launched and picked back up while I retrieved the bear.

I have been checked by Oregon game wardens in hells canyon, with my boat sitting on the Oregon banks, glassing across the river for bears in Idaho, never once has anything come up about this.

I have had USFW officers, (these guys were some of the biggest dicks in the world) search every square inch of my waterfowl boat looking for anything, I mean 200 questions, ripping apart my boat, search every crack and crevice, you name it… This was after they watched us shoot across a river for 3 hours over decoys hunting ducks and geese…. They said the guns appeared to change in audio pitch between shots. (They thought we were mixing in and shooting lead)

Long story short, if these guys could have found something to charge us with, they would have. Never once did shooting across the river other boats were coming up and down even get mentioned.

Per the Army Corp of Engineers, "Navigable Waters" are the ones where they're running barges and other commerce. Like CorbLand pointed out, there are also Forest Service rules about "bodies of water", which I believe they define as "waterbody" is a natural or man-made basin that stores water, but does not include jurisdictional wetlands or beaver ponds. I found a list of Idaho rivers and lakes that are considered "Navigable", but I could not find the regs regarding shooting across them. Super interesting discussion.

https://www.idl.idaho.gov/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/12/DIS-003_navigable_lakes-rivers.pdf

 

[sneaky]

That is pretty much every state

Well, I asked a regional investigator with IDFG and he said it's actually a federal rule that makes it illegal to shoot across a navigable waterway, but IDFG doesn't have a code for it and they don't enforce it. The fed bois, the good ol USFWS would be the ones to write that ticket.

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[sneaky]

You guys might want to double check on the alleged illegality of shooting across rivers.

I did. Straight from IDFG, is a federal rule, not a state rule

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[sneaky]

U sure Chris?

If so there is a lot of waterfowl hunters breaking the law every day of the season.

You just mad that them Yankee FWS treated you like a felon

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[roadrunner]

Not to fire up an old thread but it's funny how we as hunters know this is a huge no no with shooting animals across state lines, lacey act violations, having to debone to cross certain state lines, other CWD stuff, etc. knowing the rigorous law enforcement repercussions that would await us if doing so. Yet, look at how the southern boarder is being treated. It's baffling.

State game agencies/gov'ts against a clown show fed gov't...

 

[roadrunner]

View attachment 679618

Per the Army Corp of Engineers, "Navigable Waters" are the ones where they're running barges and other commerce. Like CorbLand pointed out, there are also Forest Service rules about "bodies of water", which I believe they define as "waterbody" is a natural or man-made basin that stores water, but does not include jurisdictional wetlands or beaver ponds. I found a list of Idaho rivers and lakes that are considered "Navigable", but I could not find the regs regarding shooting across them. Super interesting discussion.

https://www.idl.idaho.gov/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/12/DIS-003_navigable_lakes-rivers.pdf

Navigable Waters, in a nutshell, is any body of water that dumps into the ocean. A man-made reservoir in the middle of the Heartland that dams a river that flows into Mississippi is a navigable waterway.

 

[Jason Snyder]

I did. Straight from IDFG, is a federal rule, not a state rule

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Then how do folks hunt waterfowl up and down the Columbia and Snake Rivers?

Maybe things true certain safety/shipping areas but having a hard time believing this is a blanket rule.

 

[Magma]

With the little experience that i have. I found out that Boned out meat and cleaned skulls will meet the requirements for virtually every state as it stands right now. Fines can be fairly hefty and your animal will be confiscated if you are caught transporting something not in compliance with state law.

 

[Apex_2024]

It's your job as the hunter to know where your hunting and to know the law. You should never take the word of an outfitter or guide , EVER. If you shoot an animal across state line I'm guessing 90% know actually where their are and know what their doing. Shooting a 200 class deer isn't worth me being in the papers as a poacher or having every person i see say that's a poacher. Biggest thing is i don't want to lose my hunting rights to any state. Like i said in a earlier post criminals have infected the hunting community an ethical hunter is going to know where he's at and never break the law.