how close is too close when hunting next to private land?

T28w

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so as i was sitting in a deer stand that is less than 100 yards from adjoining property, i was thinking about western hunting and wondered if there was a ball park number that most folks would agree on that is far enough from the private land to take a shot? curious as to what yall have to say for both rifle and bow, although im asking for a rifle hunt.

also has anyone actually shot an elk and then been denied access to recover it on private land?

where i hunt here is pretty much all family land broken up (wife's side) so there is no concern if a deer runs of the property. ive never heard of anyone here actually being denied access to recover an animal.
 
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T28w

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gotcha,
ill look into it as i was thinking colorado specifically.

by your response, if its still on public, its fair game?
 

mtwarden

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I’ve seen it happen with deer a few times. The hunters had checked with the landowner and were denied entry. They (hunters) called me and I would then go to the landowner and was able to secure permission (in all three cases they wanted me to accompany the hunter).

One case the hunter had shot it ON the adjoining landowner’s property (big whitetail buck)- that deer was promptly seized an the hunter fined. Kind of a bold move to call the game warden when you knowingly have broke the law :)
 

sram9102

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I have a few setups within 50-75 yards of adjacent properties. Just happens sometime hunting little patches of woods around ag fields. I've had good luck with having that conversation before hunting season ever comes around. Introductions can be somewhat stressful for the old lady next door in the dark when your decked out in hunting gear. Just explain that your hunting so-and-so's property and that there is a chance a deer may end up on them.
 

elkduds

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The distance should be greater for elk than deer. Here in CO the landowner is not required to give the hunter or warden access to recover game. Every place that game cross back and forth from public to private is well known to hunters and landowners. I'm thinking of a rough draw in unit 40 that has hunters next to the fence every huntable minute of all the seasons. It is common here for hunters to follow a fenceline for a few miles to get on the backside away from easy access.
 
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widnert

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I hunt some spots on public lands where the terrain takes me right up to neighboring private land fence lines. Just following the movement patterns of the elk.

As for shooting distances, I'll usually try to make sure my shot is at minimum 50 yards away from the fence line and when I hit an animal, I do everything I can to prevent them from crossing. Some do. Thankfully, I've hunted these areas long enough that I've met the ranch owners/foreman during the course of my hunts, while they are working along the fences, and introduced myself and talked with them. I made sure to let them know I was always staying off their property and not shooting onto their property and showed them how I was doing so (onX). They each appreciated my approach and I've had engaging conversations with each. Some can be long-winded and tell lots of stories and I can tell, they appreciated someone just hanging out with them and listening for a while. I would discuss retrieval with them, should an animal jump their fence after being shot, and they were ALL fine with my retrieval on their property, preceded of course, by a call to their number. Numbers were exchanged. Thus, I have had great experiences when it comes to this scenario. Also note, each of these ranchers runs their own outfitting business or leases to an outfitter.

BTW - some of the best encounters I've had elk hunting was getting into animals coming from or headed to those private lands, due to pressure on the rest of the public lands. Little elk hunting tip for some of you.
 

cnelk

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I know of private land in Colorado that you are denied access, even if the elk is dead and can see it.
A Colorado property owner does not have to give you or anyone permission to retrieve a big game animal

But how close is too close?
Man there are millions of acres to hunt. Why hunt a fence line?
 
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T28w

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That is flirting with disaster . Elk can go far with one lung or 3 legs, even when fatally hit. Elk country is big. Give yourself some breathing room.
to you and the reply above yours,
this is kinda my point. from my understanding (having never hunted colorado) that one tatic is catching the elk moving from private to public or public to private. if this were where you found elk, would you shoot one 100 yards from private? 500? 1000? im not saying i would be sitting on the property line hunting.
i have shot deer that ran close to 100 and when cleaned, you didnt find a piece of the heart or lungs bigger that your thumb.

thanks for all the comments thus far.
 

cnelk

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From what I hear, watching/waiting for elk on private land while you're sitting on public is a very frustrating way to hunt.

But hey, its your hunt.
 

BuzzH

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I know of private land in Colorado that you are denied access, even if the elk is dead and can see it.
A Colorado property owner does not have to give you or anyone permission to retrieve a big game animal

But how close is too close?
Man there are millions of acres to hunt. Why hunt a fence line?

Depends on a lot of factors, but there are places on public that if you don't hunt the boundary, you don't get an elk.

I shot this bull in Montana and it died 116 feet from the private line. IMO, if you're going to hunt a private/public line just make damn sure you make a good shot. It makes a difference if you're rifle hunting or archery hunting, obviously.

DSC00540.JPG


Personally, I would shoot an elk if it was 1 foot on public...but I would also make sure that bull never moved after I shot it. Public land is public land...and I'll use every last inch of MY public land.
 
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T28w

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From what I hear, watching/waiting for elk on private land while you're sitting on public is a very frustrating way to hunt.

But hey, its your hunt.
i hear what you are saying.
it obviously wouldnt be my first choice, but im trying to get a first season rifle tag and if i had hunted hard for 3-4 days and only seen elk on private......well id be lying if i said i would try to figure out how to get them on the public land.....
i guess i was just making sure there was not some unspoken etiquette on this or an accepted distance. i could see a landowner seeing and handling the following senarios differently.
a elk shot 50 yards of his property line and one shot 400 yards, but both end up dead on his land. i see these differently but that doesnt mean anyone else does.

thanks again, just trying to not be "that guy" lol
 
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My personal comfort zone is about a 1/4 mile buffer from private land. The largest mule deer buck I've ever had a shot at - and likely ever will - was standing feet from a boundary sign and I passed at close range to avoid the conflict. That one still hurts a little.

If I could emphasize anything in regards to hunting close proximities to private land boundaries it's that pre-scouting is worth every second. Not everyone has fences and in Colorado the landowners are not even required to post their land to lawfully keep people out. Responsibility falls all onto the land users.
 

cnelk

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There are also ranchers that have their cowboys ride the fences to keep elk on the private side.
 

cgasner1

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My favorite spot during the week to hunt is a single section it’s frustrating I know before daylight if elk are on the field or not and I’m trying to catch them transitioning to private sucks watching bulls make it to private but I get chances at some huge bulls one morning it will work


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Keep in mind that the property lines on mapping services aren’t exact. I have a neighbor that is a surveyor. He said it is not uncommon for them to be 50-100 yards off.
 

AGPank

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I’ve seen many places where ranchers fence off public land as their own too.

I’m fortunate to have a small plot of family land to hunt (400 acres). We have neighboring land owners with large property with stands right along our fence lines on game trails.

I frequently find where hunters have recovered game on our property without permission. Caught one hunter with guide purposely stalking a wounded bull on our property without contacting us. It ruined my hunt. Last day of my hunt. I traveled from Florida to hunt. It sucked.


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T28w

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Keep in mind that the property lines on mapping services aren’t exact. I have a neighbor that is a surveyor. He said it is not uncommon for them to be 50-100 yards off.
this is why i would never hunt "on" a property line out west and relying on gps.
 
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