Reading through this not sure how much wildlife traffic, but 30lb of sunflower seed and there was still enough for the DNR officer to tell the field was baited?
I’m also a bit confused on your post, no one was hunting? Y’all just hanging around the field, or did you all have guns getting ready to hunt?
I kind of agree with polly about a light discing to cover. Specially since you said your sunflowers didn’t make well.
Mom goes through 25lbs every week in her bird feeders. Red birds alone will clean up a field in little of no time and boy howdy if you get a bunch of geese go through your field. I’m guessing you must have stacked up the seed in piles that was very obvious? I haven’t baited in a long time, but we had an electric spreader that put on a four wheeler. It would be pretty hard to spot seed in an already planted field of sunflowers and darn near impossible after 5 days or so.
what i’ve found is dove hunting kind of draws the elites hunting, lots of pull = strong enforcement from DNR. Not your old style every neighbor invited hunts of yesteryear. I can see a relation with doves and redfish. I Also see a lot more attention being given over to deer hunting as more out of neighborhood hunters come in with a quadzillion ways to manage the woods goats and we still have the boot leg dog hunters giving the legit a bad name. Poor farmers… Just as long as we can still get depredation permits.
“If Bruce Jenner can keep his wiener and be called a woman, I can keep my firearms and be considered disarmed.”
I absolutely disagree with this under our current system of penalties.
Example:
Being the possession of a red that is over slot is illegal.
Having one fish 1/8" over, warning.
having one fish 2" over, medium fine.
having the limit of fish, all 36" fish, large fine.
having any of these as a second offence, BIG BIG fines.
The level of disregard for the law does and should effect the case in front of the LEO.
1/8th of an inch over on the Game wardens ruler Vs whatever your measuring fish with could be an “honest” mistake, 2" and there is intent in my book and you get a fine depending on attitude. I wouldn’t risk a ticket over a fish anyway, if there’s ever a question I throw them back and catch another. 30lbs or 300, you intended to illegally bait doves and got caught and paid the fine. What more is there to discuss? If you thought you were getting a raw deal you should’ve taken it to trial, not taken it to Charlestonfishing.com for sympathy…
Field was manipulated and not normal farm practice & grain was added. Done case.
If someone calls or they spot it from air (and they are out looking before the season) they have probable cause and will come check it out. Private makes no difference.
He could have charged everyone! And I have seen that happen. You got lucky. If it was 300# rather than 30# then, that would have got everyone more than likely for being blatant.
That baiting law was carefully thought out and written. Only way to to not worry about it is do it by the book. There are no loopholes in that one.
Are you not a resident of the state? If so I don’t understand why you had to pay on the spot. As far as the law goes you should brush up on your reading comprehension .
Salty I was referring to a wood chipper. I guess economical solution for not having a bush hog. Very familiar with the silage process. Which is done while the stalks are still green.
quote:Originally posted by salty849
quote:Originally posted by docsorders
I didn’t know running corn in a shredder was a legit farming practice.
8 row corn “Shredder”, also known as a silage cutter.
My apologies, I’ve never heard of a wood chipper referred to as a shredder. Putting corn through a wood chipper in the field has got to be more aggravation than its worth, but then again, people will do crazy things if they think it will bring 10 extra birds to their field. Heck, that’s the reason this thread was started.
Sounds like this is more an issue of being angry about getting caught then the DNR “over-reaching.”
I have no problem with DNR being on my property because I have nothing to hide and I’ve never been on the wrong side of the rules and regs so I’ve never had to worry about a ticket or a fine. When preparing a dove field or a duck hole or making any hunting preparations, if the word “if” comes into play, we don’t do it. We leave nothing to chance and we don’t skirt close enough to the “line” to welcome interpretation of the law. It always amazes me how many people try to find loopholes in existing rules and regs or deem themselves lawyers and “interpret” rules and regs and then get mad when they get fined or ticketed because the officer had a different “interpretation.” South Carolina’s game laws and rules and regs are more than forgiving and very liberal. They leave plenty of room for enjoyment and good times by simply following them as opposed to trying to find a way to “bend” them in your favor. That’s not to say there aren’t some LEOs out there that may not be on the up and up but there are far more hunters out there on the wrong side of the law.
Oh, and the wild game of this state are property of the state. Look back at the deer population in the late 1800’s to early 1900’s. That’s what happened when “we the people” were in charge of “managing” wild game and other natural resources. The sad thing is people take this stance against the DNR not because they think they know better but mainly because they simply don’t want to be told what to do. Personally, that’s a piss poor excuse and nothing but putting themselves and their personal agendas over that of the needs of the resource we all love to pursue.
In the future, where every stranger poses a potential threat, knowing the predator mindset is the only safe haven.
So, have you contacted the DNR and verified that the fine you paid has been accounted for with them?
When I lived in MD we used to hunt ducks & geese over fields that had had corn & sow beans planted in them. It’s illegal to hunt over baited fields, but grain left from the harvest operation is legal to hunt. Same applies there as here with added bait.
In some cases Fed or State officers wrote citations for baiting, and in most cases they got it right. In those they didn’t it was a matter of how they determined the field had been baited or not. Not an exact science & mostly opinion. However, spreading grain for baiting & what’s left from harvesting usually has some pattern to it. Unfortunately, that’s not always easy to determine, particularly when it’s been awhile since the field was harvested so when they suspect hunters have baited they write the citation & let the court deal with it. New grain on an old field is not difficult to spot either.
Never had a problem personally, but know some guys who did, on their own property too. The biggest things going against them was they guided hunters, so they wanted results and had been caught in the past baiting fields.
The regs here are much more involved than they were back in MD. I can certainly see the potential for conflict between DNR & hunters over interpretation.
I’ve never been fined, but if I had to pay cash in the field, I would be following up on it & making sure the cash made it to the proper accounting place. I have the highest respect for LEO’s of any type, including DNR, but still would follow up on a situation like this.
You broke a FEDERAL law regarding the hunting of migratory game birds over bait and were fined accordingly!
I see no where you mentioning that you removed (ie covered or disced, etc) the seed THEN waited 10 days to hunt the field.
Simply waiting 10 days after you BAITED the field is not what the rules say and is considered baiting.
Now that you’ve inappropriately called out DNR on Al Gore’s innerweb for all the world to see, good luck not getting a visit each and every time you try to hunt the place!
Like others have said, you can manipulate the crop that is in the field so invest in a chipper or one-row silage cutter and you’ll be a dove farmer!
FYI, had you shot the field on the 11th vs the 10th day, you still would have been in violation of the law unless you removed the bait the same day you put it out!
The 10 days is the waiting period that is required AFTER ALL TRACES OF BAIT IS GONE, not just after you spread it.
It is the same for turkeys…
First issue: Preparing a field. This is to assign responsibility to the person who baited the field.
IE: Owner baits a field, doesn’t hunt, invites guesses and does not tell them the field is baited. The hunters are involved in an illegal activity due to actions of other party. Early morning shoot, should the hunter have to go predawn with flashlights and inspect the field? According to DNR, Yes they should.
So end of the issue, I preformed an illegal act. 30# over 7 acres and shot ON the 10th day instead of the 11th. This is nothing short of a chicken **** ticket, this is why warnings and such exist.
It is legal to spread bait. However it must be MORE than 10 days after the last application of a baiting substance. I will be calling the DNR to come and inspect when I throw seed, and demand they are there EVERY DAY to reinspect for the 10 days. On the 11th, there will be a shoot and again I will DEMAND the officers be there to inspect everything. I can not stop them from being on property but I can run them to death.
Second issue, DNR having access to your land. DNR should have a fairly wide ability to “follow the game”. I understand that, however during my whole event I caught them walking under my equipment sheds, inside workshop which contains my “home”. What reason do they have for doing that? When I questioned them they simply said, “we owe you any kind of explanation…” BULL****. To search structures, vehicles, storage facilities, or my place of residence should require at least an explanation of probable cause. DNR is not above the law.
At the end of this, I am early 40’s, been a sportsman since I was 4-5 years old. This is the second ticket I have ever gotten, the first was for not having running lights on three minutes after legal dark, in July, on a Wednesday, on Goose creek
Since yall have the rule book out I have 2 questions. Keep in mind I’ve been bird hunting once in the past 12 years or so and that wasn’t even on my place so this is out of curiosity mostly.
First, I’ve heard that you can you can drag a grain drill around that will spill seed and it is considered a standard agricultural practice and immediately available to hunt. Supposedly this is straight from the GW’s mouth and he said he does it on his land. Can anyone confirm this is legal?
Second, I’ve noticed plenty of times on my job sites that a rock pile will bring in quite a few birds. I know they will eat “rocks” to help grind their food in their gizzard. Has anyone ever used rock as a lure and would that be legal? I don’t think it would technically be considered feed though they would eat it.
GW, I would suspect if they caught you manipulating a grain drill to spill seed they would get you for baiting, especially if you are a game warden. I’ve also dove hunted at a rock quarry before and been checked by the wardens…no problems. I guess you aren’t even shooting over an agricultural crop, just going where the birds are.
I think the 11th day shoot was planned thinking they could get away with the 10 day rule, never really reading that it’s 10 days after the bait has been totally removed from the field. He should be thankful they only gave out one ticket when the warden could have ticketed everyone on the field and could have called in a federal warden. Paying in the field sounds like he’s not a SC resident. Wardens have a tough, thankless job and people/posts like this just reinforce what they have to deal with. It’s not their fault if you don’t agree with the laws they are charged with enforcing.
One more word of advice, SCDNR watches these message boards, so don’t be surprised if you are on their list for next year…and the next, etc. Based on this post, I bet they don’t have any mercy on you the next time you do something wrong, I wouldn’t.
“The good fisherman is surprised when he doesn’t catch fish: I am just the other way around.”
Gene Hill, Passing a Good Time.
Cracker, I have made every effort to extend an open hand to these guys. Called and asked to meet with them. Discussed topics like coyote and wild hog problems. Asked them call me if there was questions, have called them about odd events going on. They walk in slap me with a fine, embarrass and threaten my guest over a very minor, very trivial matter. Insult taken.
I do not agree with the lay down and talk it from these guys. That is EXACTLY why they think they can impose their attitude instead of the law.
Stlhunr, not according to what they said to me. If your put bait out, wait a full 10 days, then you can hunt if there is still bait there then it is what it is. And yes I recorded the whole conversation so when these revenue collectors return saying that isn’t what was said…
Um yeah…that’s not how it works. If there is still some of your original bait left in field then you are shooting a baited field. You have to plow the field over…then the ten day count down starts…at least that’s my understanding…
“Endeavor to Persevere.
Give,Give… Never Take.”
EC
I recorded the conversation, without saying anything about it. I record a lot of conversations simply because I have a terrible memory.
As a rule, I do not argue or be confrontational at all with a LOE. First you will NEVER win the argument. Also I have a State Trooper who works with me and was standing there the while time. He was good on how it was handled from my side. He is PISSED with the DNR.
Leadenwahboy:
I have know many DNR, always held them in the highest regard. In the past few years, like many government agencies, the ability to “self fund” seems to be influencing too many decisions.
pretty sure its illegal to record someone without there knowledge…lol
“Endeavor to Persevere.
Give,Give… Never Take.”
EC
This is a MAJOR part of the problem. The law should be clear; it should be black and white. It SHOULD NOT be up to an officer to interpret the law. That’s not his job. That’s the judge’s job.
It continually puts the LEO in a bad situation and the person trying to enjoy the resource usually pays the price.
This is a MAJOR part of the problem. The law should be clear; it should be black and white. It SHOULD NOT be up to an officer to interpret the law. That’s not his job. That’s the judge’s job.
It continually puts the LEO in a bad situation and the person trying to enjoy the resource usually pays the price.
I tend to agree with your sentiments, but -
google SC dove baiting and the first result is DNR instructions:
A little ways down the page is the instruction in very clear language:
I pointed a red arrow to the black part and a blue arrow to the white part.
Per info in this thread, it was illegal/considered baited. Accidental misinterpretation or not.
