How far off the ground do you need to be in your area?

[Hangingrock]

How far off the ground do you need to be in your area? There is a requirement in certain counties of North Carolina which stipulate this for deer hunting. In this area dependent on counties that mandate the requirement 6ft or 8 ft above ground level is the minimum standard.

I no longer involve myself with deer hunting other that granting property access.

I assume (ass-u-me) there must be a standard for minimum tree trunk diameter, height, and load when a stand is employed. We have some hard woods that are tall but small in trunk diameter. When there is the occasional storm/high wind the trees sway to an extent. So far we haven’t had a hunter fall off a stand or a tree and hunter take a tumble.

 

[Rembrandt]

First I've ever heard of a minimum height requirement......none where I live. Have a few stands that are on side hills overlooking ravines that are probably 50' high or better on one side and 20' on the other.

 

[jmr40]

I don't climb trees. I haven't been more than 6 inches off the ground while hunting in years. Never heard of any requirements on that, but do not hunt NC either. I'm interested to see if this is true.

 

[Grumulkin]

You don't have to be off the ground in Ohio either but the general public isn't allowed to use rifles during gun season either; it's either muzzleloader, handgun or shotgun.

 

[slicksleeve]

As far as I know, here in Alabama, there is no height requirement. That seems a little silly to me anyway. I mostly hunt in elevated stands, but have killed a few deer with my feet, (and rear end) planted firmly on the ground. Something I have noticed is, sometimes if not carefull I can go too high. This becomes a problem during bow season where I have found myself above several tree limbs that still have heavy leaves on them. You then don't have a clear arrow shot, not that I would try to send a rifle bullet through them either. Where I hunt, whether 12' high or 25' high, if you make any noise or sudden moves, the deer will look right up at you, just like if you were on the ground.

 

[countertop]

I hunt North Carolina a lot - but have never heard of that requirement. What counties? I've heard of cities and/or urban hunting seasons requiring hunters to be in an elevated stand. That kind of thing might be what your talking about but I haven't heard of it in North Carolina before.

 

[Hangingrock]

countertop: I hunt North Carolina a lot - but have never heard of that requirement. What counties?

http://www.ncwildlife.org/Regs/2009_10/2009_10_Local_Laws.pdf

Example Gates County: Hunt with a rifle larger than .22-caliber or capable of firing .22 centerfire, unless positioned at least 10 feet above the ground.

A quick glance of county regulations Cabarrus, Camden, Scotland, Stokes and possible other counties with out reading each counties regulations.

 

[Sav .250]

Seems to me I`ve seen this question else where. Other than that, I have no comment.

 

[Dr T]

No requirement in Texas or Colorado.

 

[MCgunner]

Very odd law. Guess they don't believe in still hunting in NC, eh? My tripods are 10 feet so I can see over some of the brush, but it's not law. I do like to still hunt or spot and stalk where I can. I wouldn't put up with a law like that. I'd have to hunt out of state.

I'm guessing this rule is a way to keep rifle bullets from going very far, an alternative to shotguns only. I hope that idea never makes it to Texas. Don't know why it should. A lot of our state, even some of it east of I35 mostly in south Texas, is fairly sparsely populated. It ain't all Harris county. I reckon that county to county stuff could catch on, but I don't like the piney woods for deer hunting, anyway.

 

[~z]

Still hunting on stilts sounds difficult!
~z

 

[MCgunner]

Stilts? Hell, I trip without stilts.

 

[Owen]

i went on a pig hunt in SC, and was told that their insurance required us to hunt from stands.

 

[Loyalist Dave]

No tree stand requirement here. Hunters fall out of stands each year, but it's from poorly maintained permanent stands, and they break the boards on the ladder or go through the railings. Sometimes they fall asleep, and fall out.

I hunt from the ground.

LD

 

[JimKirk]

Had a treestand collapse once with me, it was one those old Baker style climbing stands, fell right into a patch of Saw Palmetto...ever wonder why they call it SAW...because it has blades just like a saw and will cut you all over!!!

Jimmy K

 

[MCgunner]

Well, I bet it beats prickly pear.

 

[Hangingrock]

Before relocating to North Carolina I was employed by a manufacture of hydraulics and mining equipment. Some of the fellows in fabrication built their own portable tree stand the operative word being “Portable”. They were over engineered to the point of being semi permanent. It required two men and a boy to carry the tree stand into the woods. One of the fellows asked me to calculate the load bearing capacity and thus a safety factory. Let’s just simply say more than enough to support (4) 95 percentile men.

 

[jbkebert]

I have not ever heard of a minimum requirement for height of a treestand. I spent 17 hours going through classes with the TMA to become a master treestand safety instructor for the state of Kansas. I can see a little safety factor built into this rule. The requirement to be elevated shooting downward with a centerfire rifle would in theory keep bullets from going to far. I would venture to guess that these counties in question a heavily populated and the local authorites are trying to make rules to insure a pretty sure backstop.

 

[22-rimfire]

The only place I have heard hint of a stand height requirement is NC in one other thread. No such requirement in TN.

Hunt with a rifle larger than .22-caliber or capable of firing .22 centerfire, unless positioned at least 10 feet above the ground.

Your words would seem to apply to archery hunting, not use of traditional calibers used in deer hunting. That is the way I interpret "unless".

 

[Hangingrock]

22-rimfire:Your words would seem to apply to archery hunting, not use of traditional calibers used in deer hunting. That is the way I interpret "unless".

Please see the following:

Cabarrus
_ Take deer with a centerfire rifle, except from a permanent or
portable stationary stand at least nine feet above ground level
and with the written permission of the landowner or lessee in
one’s possession

Camden
_ Hunt deer with a rifle, except from a stand eight feet high
located on land owned or leased by the hunter or on another’s
land with the owner’s permission.

Scotland
_ Hunt with the use of a centerfire rifle or any firearm capable of
firing a centerfire projectile, unless the person is positioned in a
stationary and elevated position at least 10 feet above the ground.

Stokes
Take any animal with a centerfire rifle, unless the person is
positioned at least eight feet above the ground

The above mentioned counties the wording was copied & paste from a North Carolina government site pertaining to rules and regulations for hunting 2009-2010.

 

[jbkebert]

Well apparently my thoughts for reason for minimum heights was way way off. Can't think of a valid reason to mandate hunting with archery equipment from a elevated position while rifle hunting is fine from ground level.

 

[wombat13]

Please see the following:

Cabarrus
_ Take deer with a centerfire rifle, except from a permanent or
portable stationary stand at least nine feet above ground level
and with the written permission of the landowner or lessee in
one’s possession

Camden
_ Hunt deer with a rifle, except from a stand eight feet high
located on land owned or leased by the hunter or on another’s
land with the owner’s permission.

Scotland
_ Hunt with the use of a centerfire rifle or any firearm capable of
firing a centerfire projectile, unless the person is positioned in a
stationary and elevated position at least 10 feet above the ground.

Stokes
Take any animal with a centerfire rifle, unless the person is
positioned at least eight feet above the ground

The above mentioned counties the wording was copied & paste from a North Carolina government site pertaining to rules and regulations for hunting 2009-2010.

I suspect that there are a couple sentences missing that precede the statements quoted in this post. Those statements aren't even complete sentences. I would bet it goes something like this:

"Please note the following hunting prohibitions listed by county below."

In other words, it is illegal to...hunt with a centerfire rifle, unless ten feet off the ground.

 

[Hangingrock]

Wombat13:I suspect that there are a couple sentences missing that precede the statements quoted in this post. Those statements aren't even complete sentences. I would bet it goes something like this:

"Please note the following hunting prohibitions listed by county below."

In other words, it is illegal to...hunt with a centerfire rifle, unless ten feet off the ground.

http://www.ncwildlife.org/Regs/2009_...Local_Laws.pdf

You may go to the above listed. It was simply copy and paste the sections listed. No items were taken out of context or misrepresented and the written/wording structure was not manipulated or changed.

 

[627PCFan]

I cant remember my source but I remember reading about this popping up more and more in specialized areas that are becoming more encroached by developments but still require deer hunting to keep populations in check. The idea being that if your up high, your always shooting down and rifle bullets never bounce off the ground I have seen a couple where its a requirement for shotguns (in non-rifle areas) as well. This is what happens when people that make the laws have no knowledge of the subject.

 

[H&Hhunter]

Now I think I've seen it all.....

I've never hunted form a tree stand in my life and I have no immediate plans to do so.