Need clarifications on weapon discharge on private land distance laws

The #1 community for Gun Owners of the Northeast

Member Benefits:

  • No ad networks!
  • Discuss all aspects of firearm ownership
  • Discuss anti-gun legislation
  • Buy, sell, and trade in the classified section
  • Chat with Local gun shops, ranges, trainers & other businesses
  • Discover free outdoor shooting areas
  • View up to date on firearm-related events
  • Share photos & video with other members
  • ...and so much more!
  • Huuman

    Active Member
    Jul 20, 2019
    151
    Hello Everyone,

    I'm moving to Carroll County in a few weeks. The house I bought has 3 acres. I can see deers eating from pear tree on my property about 50 yards from my deck. I just need a clarification on what is the actual letter of the law. Is it discharged location or point of impact that must be 150 yards away? Like if my house is within 150 yards of my neighbors, do i need their permission to discharge rifle from my own deck? Is the impact location (hopefully the buck) need to be 150 yards away too? Thank you!
     

    Boats

    Beer, Bikes n Boomsticks
    Mar 13, 2012
    4,073
    Howeird County
    AFAIK it is 150yds from where you are shooting from.

    However, don't be the guy who ruins CC. Be responsible. Talk to your neighbors. Let them know what you're doing. Be a good neighbor.

    Also, remember, you are responsible for that bullet from the muzzle to wherever it lands.

    Finally, welcome to the forum. You might wanna introduce yourself.
     

    ted76

    Ultimate Member
    MDS Supporter
    Jan 20, 2013
    3,151
    Frederick
    For 50 yard shots, a quality cross bow would keep you in the good graces of you neighbors, but it wouldn't hurt talking to them about getting permission to use a firearm, as they may be having deer nuisance problems. I would get to know them first before asking about firearms and hunting, as they could be very anti 2A and hunting.
     

    balttigger

    Ultimate Member
    Oct 15, 2008
    3,051
    Middle River, MD
    Remember the oft overlooked phrase "without permission". If you get written permission from your neighbors (after a short discussion regarding time of day, I am sure) then blast away.
     

    Clark W. Griswold

    Active Member
    Oct 5, 2009
    929
    You and the animal must be 150 yards from any house you don’t have permission from.

    Archery in Carroll county is 50 yards without permission.

    You also need to remember that you need permission to track a wounded deer into someone else’s property. Some landowners will not give permission to track and retrieve a wounded deer from their property
     

    ohen cepel

    Ultimate Member
    Feb 2, 2011
    4,509
    Where they send me.
    3 acres is pretty small for rifle fire. I would look at the crossbow as others have said.

    Depends a lot on how your land sits and the neighbors. If you're on 3 acres in the middle of a farm, then cool. If you're surrounded by a subdivision then its much tougher.
     

    Huuman

    Active Member
    Jul 20, 2019
    151
    Thank you for the replies! I was worried because most of the neighbors has horses. Dont know if they dont like them to be frightened. Guess bow is the plan until l know the neighborhood better. I should introduce myself. Going to do that now. Looking forward to being in this state.
     

    ohen cepel

    Ultimate Member
    Feb 2, 2011
    4,509
    Where they send me.
    Horse people are why I can't even hunt my own land on Sundays here (HoCo) with a crossbow. So go lightly, they can be tough to get along with, sure have been for me!

    Gunfire will likely not go over well with them.
     

    Inigoes

    Head'n for the hills
    MDS Supporter
    Dec 21, 2008
    49,353
    SoMD / West PA
    No matter what the minimum distance you may find for target shooting.

    A projectile may never leave your property.
     

    lazarus

    Ultimate Member
    Jun 23, 2015
    13,673
    If you are planning on hunting on your property, review the DNR regulations, especially for your location.

    http://www.eregulations.com/maryland/hunting/

    No matter what, you will need at a minimum, you will need a Certificate of Competency in Firearms and Hunting Safety (aka hunter education/safety card)

    It’s his property, he doesn’t. You need to register with DNR for an ID as you are legally required to report your harvest and abide by harvest restrictions and all other hunting laws. You are not required to have a license. Which also means you do not need to take the hunters education course. I HIGHLY recommend you do take it if you’ve never hunted.

    CC is 50yds for bow. 150 for muzzleloader or firearm just like the rest of the state. The distance is from you, the animal and the straight line path between you and the animal. So the animal could be 400yds away and there is a house 50yds to the side of the path on the straight line distance, but the house is 230yds from you and 230yds from the animal (estimating the geometry there) and is dead in the middle otherwise. It’s more than 150yds from you and the animal. Not a legal shot.

    You also must have a safe backstop. If the animal is 30yds from you and the closest house is 200yds away, that’s a legal distance. However if the house is directly behind the animal (unless there is a hill in between) it isn’t a legal shot as there is no safe backstop and a miss means you can hit the house or the bullet over penetrates and can hit the house.

    It’s 50/150yds depending on what you are using as well as a large dose of common sense.

    Ohen Cepel is has a nicer setup than I do for deer hunting. Going to try this year on my new property. Pretty limited even though a couple of my neighbors have asked me to drop any deer I see. Only 4.4 acres. Even if it wasn’t HoCo I wouldn’t feel comfortable with the calibers needed for deer hunting on my property even though I have a ton of safe directions and backstops. Some is upsetting the neighbors discharging a 12ga...some is still that I’d be shooting awfully close to safety limits without the neighbors telling me hunting is fine. I don’t need a freak ricochet causing a slug or ML bullet to go whistling in to their house.

    One thing to discharge a 22 to kill a fox or raccoon bothering my chickens. Or even a shotgun loaded with shot. Another for a slug or ML bullet.

    An arrow I am a lot less concerned about and I’d have to be an idiot to hit their house or drop one in to their yard.

    But the odds are decent I’ll have one run on to a neighbors property with just 4.4 acres.

    If I had 30, probably most would stay. 4.4 I am going to have to retrieve some from a neighbor sometimes.
     

    geda

    Active Member
    Dec 24, 2017
    550
    cowcounty
    Realistically 3ac is going to be hard to line things up if your neighbors have similar sized lots. I live on 3ac and have a 30ft area in one corner that is legal, not worth the effort. If you think there is any chance of having safe and legal shooting lane on your property you should march down to the gun store tomorrow morning and buy a suppressor. You should have it in your hands for the 2020 season. The neighbors where I rifle hunt have told me my supersonic 300blk sounds like a 22lr from 300m away. You need to be quiet and unnoticed when dealing with horse people. The ones that I have known are the type that will trespass and harass you in your legal stand.
     

    Inigoes

    Head'n for the hills
    MDS Supporter
    Dec 21, 2008
    49,353
    SoMD / West PA
    It’s his property, he doesn’t. You need to register with DNR for an ID as you are legally required to report your harvest and abide by harvest restrictions and all other hunting laws. You are not required to have a license. Which also means you do not need to take the hunters education course. I HIGHLY recommend you do take it if you’ve never hunted.

    Wanna place a wager? Any legally taken game must be reported to DNR within 24 hours of harvest.

    You are correct for not requiring a license, due to being a landowner and only hunting that land.

    If the person had a hunting license before July 1, 1977 (unlikely scenario nowadays), then you are correct about not having a hunter safety certificate.

    A hunter safety certificate is required when you register to get a DNR id.
     

    Huuman

    Active Member
    Jul 20, 2019
    151
    Wanna place a wager? Any legally taken game must be reported to DNR within 24 hours of harvest.

    You are correct for not requiring a license, due to being a landowner and only hunting that land.

    If the person had a hunting license before July 1, 1977 (unlikely scenario nowadays), then you are correct about not having a hunter safety certificate.

    A hunter safety certificate is required when you register to get a DNR id.

    So I just created a DNR account. You do need to take the Hunter Safety Course. And you dont need a license if hunting on your own lands. Thanks everyone for the helpful information. Alot of details that I didnt considered like ricochet and possibility of projectile leaving property. Guess I'll get to know my new home/neighborhood better before I even consider rifles.

    Ok random brainstorm idea, any recommendations. Where should I position myself? Should I be lazy and stay on my deck (or even my bedroom window)? it has good elevation and the ground impact is on my property. Or should I build a stand somewhere else and commit to the full gear setup (camo, scents, etc)? Would it be possible to someday built a mount/rise/projectile trap on my property at the end of my shooting lane so I can use rifle? Here is look at my property. The fruit trees is marked in green.



    Thank you everyone. I appreciate it.
     

    Attachments

    • Property.jpg
      Property.jpg
      35.5 KB · Views: 358
    • neighborhood.jpg
      neighborhood.jpg
      37.5 KB · Views: 355
    Last edited:

    fscwi

    Ultimate Member
    Feb 21, 2012
    1,536
    You and the animal must be 150 yards from any house you don’t have permission from.

    Archery in Carroll county is 50 yards without permission.

    You also need to remember that you need permission to track a wounded deer into someone else’s property. Some landowners will not give permission to track and retrieve a wounded deer from their property

    If a landowner refuses access for recovery, is that considered wanton waste? Could the DNR be contacted?
     

    Biggfoot44

    Ultimate Member
    Aug 2, 2009
    32,876
    Welcome !

    He did say he was moving here from California , that's just about the only scenario where Md is a Good Thing .

    Nobody's said it yet; If you haven't moved in yet, is it too late to flip that one, and relocate 15 minutes north ? That's the real answer if you are serious about hunting from home .
     

    gtodave

    Member
    MDS Supporter
    Aug 14, 2007
    14,156
    Mt Airy
    Ok random brainstorm idea, any recommendations. Where should I position myself? Should I be lazy and stay on my deck (or even my bedroom window)? it has good elevation and the ground impact is on my property. Or should I build a stand somewhere else and commit to the full gear setup (camo, scents, etc)? Would it be possible to someday built a mount/rise/projectile trap on my property at the end of my shooting lane so I can use rifle? Here is look at my property. The fruit trees is marked in green.



    Thank you everyone. I appreciate it.
    Set up a tree stand in a tree about 25 yards SW of your fruit trees. That will put you dead downwind (wind is typically from the NW here, with the variant coming from the S) of your prey, and a chip shot with a bow and arrow. Happy hunting!

    I know this is a gun forum, but the vast majority of hunting opportunities in Central MD comes from bow hunting. The 2-5 acre lots are perfect for it.

    If a landowner refuses access for recovery, is that considered wanton waste? Could the DNR be contacted?
    It isn't wanton waste, but if the hunt is 100% legal, then yes, DNR can (and should) be contacted, and the landowner can be compelled to allow retrieval.
     

    Users who are viewing this thread

    Latest posts

    Forum statistics

    Threads
    274,915
    Messages
    7,258,419
    Members
    33,348
    Latest member
    Eric_Hehl

    Latest threads

    Top Bottom