Hunting Apps for Public Land

[AlBeight]

I don't understand what the big deal about being 20, 40 + yards off? Learn how property lines are marked, especially public lands, then use field evidence. Your not surviving a line with these tools.

Yeah, because all public lands are impeccably marked.... Seriously though, good advice in theory but I’ve hunted so many different places (both public and private) where it’s not marked at all or it’s marked clearly in spots then nothing else whatsoever. This would be where these apps would be helpful. I’d still stick with your plan, I don’t trust apps like that, I take them as just overall suggestions. For the 20-40 yards thing, I trust my eyeballs.

I do want to look at that ONX thing mentioned, there are places I hunt that I’d love to find the adjacent property owner info to request permissions. County property records I’ve tried in the past give you the name, but no contact info - if these apps do that it would be spectacular and I’ll download one immediately.

 

[Pale Ryder]

I think Merlin or the SDAT site does include mailing address for property owners.

 

[Park ranger]

I think Merlin or the SDAT site does include mailing address for property owners.

Of course it does. I guess I'm having a hard time understanding the problems. Are folks trying to hunt on the actual boundary lines? Are they using these apps to set boundary lines? Are they hunting in 4 acre tracts?

I'm used to 40,000 and 50,000 acre tracts of public lands and have a degree in Forest Management and a resume of land surveying. The online land records are tools with very limited precision. We don't use a Stanley tape measure when reloading, you use calipers. Use the right tool for its purpose.

 

[StantonCree]

Of course it does. I guess I'm having a hard time understanding the problems. Are folks trying to hunt on the actual boundary lines? Are they using these apps to set boundary lines? Are they hunting in 4 acre tracts?

I'm used to 40,000 and 50,000 acre tracts of public lands and have a degree in Forest Management and a resume of land surveying. The online land records are tools with very limited precision. We don't use a Stanley tape measure when reloading, you use calipers. Use the right tool for its purpose.

Us central county guys do hunt small tracts but as much as i think game wardens are mostly douches i think if you show you tried and believe your within your boundary you’ll be fine.

 

[Slackdaddy]

Because I end up in a confrontation with some jackwagon who is 80 yards into my property hunting,, with him saying he is on public land because his "Wiz Bang" phone app says he is on public by 5 feet

And being 80 yards over is an issue when you only own 10 acres or so.

I don't understand what the big deal about being 20, 40 + yards off? Learn how property lines are marked, especially public lands, then use field evidence. Your not surviving a line with these tools.

 

[Park ranger]

Because I end up in a confrontation with some jackwagon who is 80 yards into my property hunting,, with him saying he is on public land because his "Wiz Bang" phone app says he is on public by 5 feet

And being 80 yards over is an issue when you only own 10 acres or so.

Ah, I see. Yeah, I've posted my land to prevent this, and if I neighbored public lands, which I don't, id probably contact the land manager to see if they could freshen up their lines or sign it.

 

[AlBeight]

Of course it does. I guess I'm having a hard time understanding the problems. Are folks trying to hunt on the actual boundary lines? Are they using these apps to set boundary lines? Are they hunting in 4 acre tracts?

I'm used to 40,000 and 50,000 acre tracts of public lands and have a degree in Forest Management and a resume of land surveying. The online land records are tools with very limited precision. We don't use a Stanley tape measure when reloading, you use calipers. Use the right tool for its purpose.

Says someone that probably doesn’t hunt in a mostly residential area on about 6 acres of an 11 total acre plot. Standing there on the boundary watching herds of deer 100 yards away on a beautiful piece of property that you can’t hunt because you don’t have permission or even know who to ask. I’ve tried the County tax records and site plans, all they give are the names, which in Carroll County doesn’t help because most of the farmers and big property owners all have the same name (several generations of them). These apps would be a very useful tool to point me in the right direction to gain permission.

Plus, Mr. Ranger, some public lands DNR issued paper maps don’t quite match up with the signs on the trees and the blue or yellow paint stripes.

One place I hunt in Carroll County, the DNR map shows a squared southwestern corner, whereas in the woods the signs and paint stripes indicate a rather large southwestern dogleg portion that doesn’t seem to be correct per the DNR provided information. Intriguing as that area is where every deer I’ve shot there came from or went to, and is just a place that looking at it in person, you’d really want to go hunt it. I’ve always stayed out of that area, adhering to the probable squared corner theory, just in case.

 

[AlBeight]

Us central county guys do hunt small tracts but as much as i think game wardens are mostly douches i think if you show you tried and believe your within your boundary you’ll be fine.

+1! Not to mention on these small parcels, with Maryland’s 150 yard rule sometimes the only place you can actually hunt is relatively close to a boundary line.

 

[wilcam47]

Because I end up in a confrontation with some jackwagon who is 80 yards into my property hunting,, with him saying he is on public land because his "Wiz Bang" phone app says he is on public by 5 feet

And being 80 yards over is an issue when you only own 10 acres or so.

100%

Ah, I see. Yeah, I've posted my land to prevent this, and if I neighbored public lands, which I don't, id probably contact the land manager to see if they could freshen up their lines or sign it.

Works just as good as gun free zone signs...

 

[davsco]

i have gaia, that's what i started with a few years back for my colo elk hunts. seems pretty intuitive to use, at least the low level stuff. i bought and tried a handful of handheld gps units and they didn't come close to ease of use or being intuitive, plus cell phone screens are generally larger.

 

[OneGunTex]

I'm not quite sure what the law in Maryland is on posting your property esp where it borders public. In my mind though, either you paint a bunch of blue stripes/fence (in which case, I'll respect it no matter what my maps say) or you don't and I'll make my best judgment based on maps I have and terrain features/other markers.

If you're property isn't marked and I'm so close to the line that you have to get an actual surveyor to prove I was trespassing, that's a risk I'll take. Property disputes happen all the time based on who says what line is where - its going to take a real a$$ho*e to hire a surveyor because you think I was 50ft over and didn't like my sincere apology and leaving as soon as I was asked (which I would do)

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[308Scout]

I'm not quite sure what the law in Maryland is on posting your property esp where it borders public. In my mind though, either you paint a bunch of blue stripes/fence (in which case, I'll respect it no matter what my maps say) or you don't and I'll make my best judgment based on maps I have and terrain features/other markers.

If you're property isn't marked and I'm so close to the line that you have to get an actual surveyor to prove I was trespassing, that's a risk I'll take. Property disputes happen all the time based on who says what line is where - its going to take a real a$$ho*e to hire a surveyor because you think I was 50ft over and didn't like my sincere apology and leaving as soon as I was asked (which I would do)

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Vertical blue stripes (minimum of 2"W x 8"L; 3-6' from the ground) serve as legal posting of property in Maryland.

 

[OneGunTex]

Vertical blue stripes (minimum of 2"W x 8"L; 3-6' from the ground) serve as legal posting of property in Maryland.

I meant more on terms of, if you don't paint stripes, how much right of trespass (or defense of trespass violation) do I have?

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[Doco Overboard]

I'm not quite sure what the law in Maryland is on posting your property esp where it borders public. In my mind though, either you paint a bunch of blue stripes/fence (in which case, I'll respect it no matter what my maps say) or you don't and I'll make my best judgment based on maps I have and terrain features/other markers.

If you're property isn't marked and I'm so close to the line that you have to get an actual surveyor to prove I was trespassing, that's a risk I'll take. Property disputes happen all the time based on who says what line is where - its going to take a real a$$ho*e to hire a surveyor because you think I was 50ft over and didn't like my sincere apology and leaving as soon as I was asked (which I would do)

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Why not just stay 100Yds or a more reasonable distance away in the first place and not have to worry about it?

 

[OneGunTex]

Why not just stay 100Yds or a more reasonable distance away in the first place and not have to worry about it?

Because, as has been posted several times before, sometimes you are hunting a particularly small and/or narrow property.

I hunted a piece of private in St Mary's Co that was shaped like a big 'L' approx. 250yds wide with very steep ravines so you (and the deer) had to traverse very particular paths

I hunted turkeys on a small piece of public in Calvert Co where the center 75% of the property was crisscrossed by walking trails and to get away from people walking their dogs you had to hunt the edge. Luckily both DNR & the neighboring landowner marked the boundary well and I killed a bird ~75yds from the edge in thick cover, that probably came off a roost on the other side

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[RRomig]

I’ve had very good luck with onX. I totally understand hunting tight areas but I don’t think you’ll find anything that’s perfect. I’ve walked my property in Burtonsville and Oakland MD and it’s very close. More like 5-10 yards if that and definitely no where near 50. I also use a Garmin Montana when I’m way out in the country. It located me perfectly when my phone couldn’t connect. But I have a lot to learn on that piece of equipment like over laying boundaries.

 

[AlBeight]

Why not just stay 100Yds or a more reasonable distance away in the first place and not have to worry about it?

Not a problem usually, unless you don’t know where to start measuring or approximating where that 100 begins. I think we’ve been talking about how to find the line, in order to keep away from it. I don’t hunt in Fantasy Forest like Park Ranger does where all boundaries are properly marked. I rely heavily on DNR maps, and visual references like posted signs, obvious fencing, or blue and yellow striping. I think these apps would give a good starting point to find the actual marked boundaries if they exist. Get me in the area, then I’ll start looking for signs, colored blazes, and such. If they aren’t there, then I’d probably rely on the app telling me where I am in relation to the border, even if only approximately.

Also, others have incredulously stated things like “why do you intend to hunt the very edge of the border”? Did any of you think that maybe it’s sometimes about trailing to recover a shot animal and not wanting to encroach on the neighboring land? In order to not trespass, you have to know where that line is. The apps allegedly have contact info, so that if you do have to trespass, you might get permission ahead of time. I look forward to trying some of the apps mentioned upthread, for various reasons.

 

[G8tor]

Not a problem usually, unless you don’t know where to start measuring or approximating where that 100 begins. I think we’ve been talking about how to find the line, in order to keep away from it. I don’t hunt in Fantasy Forest like Park Ranger does where all boundaries are properly marked. I rely heavily on DNR maps, and visual references like posted signs, obvious fencing, or blue and yellow striping. I think these apps would give a good starting point to find the actual marked boundaries if they exist. Get me in the area, then I’ll start looking for signs, colored blazes, and such. If they aren’t there, then I’d probably rely on the app telling me where I am in relation to the border, even if only approximately.

Also, others have incredulously stated things like “why do you intend to hunt the very edge of the border”? Did any of you think that maybe it’s sometimes about trailing to recover a shot animal and not wanting to encroach on the neighboring land? In order to not trespass, you have to know where that line is. The apps allegedly have contact info, so that if you do have to trespass, you might get permission ahead of time. I look forward to trying some of the apps mentioned upthread, for various reasons.

Exactly. When I started this thread I wanted to hear what folks were using and how they liked it. I don't expect any app to be perfectly accurate. It's my responsibility to know where I am. An app is just another tool.

 

[Park ranger]

Not a problem usually, unless you don’t know where to start measuring or approximating where that 100 begins. I think we’ve been talking about how to find the line, in order to keep away from it. I don’t hunt in Fantasy Forest like Park Ranger does where all boundaries are properly marked. I rely heavily on DNR maps, and visual references like posted signs, obvious fencing, or blue and yellow striping. I think these apps would give a good starting point to find the actual marked boundaries if they exist. Get me in the area, then I’ll start looking for signs, colored blazes, and such. If they aren’t there, then I’d probably rely on the app telling me where I am in relation to the border, even if only approximately.

Also, others have incredulously stated things like “why do you intend to hunt the very edge of the border”? Did any of you think that maybe it’s sometimes about trailing to recover a shot animal and not wanting to encroach on the neighboring land? In order to not trespass, you have to know where that line is. The apps allegedly have contact info, so that if you do have to trespass, you might get permission ahead of time. I look forward to trying some of the apps mentioned upthread, for various reasons.

Glad to know we don't hunt in the same area. Again, if there is a particular section of line your curious about, if it were me, I'd contact the land manager. But, I tend to be proactive. Don't whine, but ask for guidance. It is public (your) land.

 

[Doco Overboard]

Not a problem usually, unless you don’t know where to start measuring or approximating where that 100 begins. I think we’ve been talking about how to find the line, in order to keep away from it. I don’t hunt in Fantasy Forest like Park Ranger does where all boundaries are properly marked. I rely heavily on DNR maps, and visual references like posted signs, obvious fencing, or blue and yellow striping. I think these apps would give a good starting point to find the actual marked boundaries if they exist. Get me in the area, then I’ll start looking for signs, colored blazes, and such. If they aren’t there, then I’d probably rely on the app telling me where I am in relation to the border, even if only approximately.

Also, others have incredulously stated things like “why do you intend to hunt the very edge of the border”? Did any of you think that maybe it’s sometimes about trailing to recover a shot animal and not wanting to encroach on the neighboring land? In order to not trespass, you have to know where that line is. The apps allegedly have contact info, so that if you do have to trespass, you might get permission ahead of time. I look forward to trying some of the apps mentioned upthread, for various reasons.

How about heading out in June or August and looking things over then? Talk to the other people/landowner next door. Take the steps to find out before hand.
That way a person could reward themselves with not being wrong.
I bet, and being a landowner/sportsman that deals with this sort of thing all the time, a responsible person could afford themselves additional opurtunities just by getting to know someone.
I would much rather know someone and hunt with them instead of against them.
Soon as I hear some real ******* start going on about an app and know full well he's made no attempt to communicate I know hes a moron and dont want to hear it.
I bet if I met him a few times or at the very least recognized him, yeah man go ahead, or just sit back in there and dont worry about it. You see them with a kid and tell them to hop up in a stand for youth day or something. They way it should be.
But no, they want to whip their phone out like they're running things or something. Like its controlling their minds or somehow. "I dont see any blue vertical marks on trees!" Yeah, we'll maybe its just been logged out and theirs none left? Or its all phrag in here. Sorry I didnt rush right over and accommodate your ignorance now get the f(&k out of here and dont come back.

Ask the State property manager to more clearly post their boundaries? They'll let people off hunting with out a license while they trespassing on your land even when its posted.LOL yeah. That's some real fantasy stuff right there.

Guys trolling for the state if I didn't know better. . They know full well what their doing and what they will and wont do.