Anthony A
Well-known member
Tom,
My previous comment regarding hunting standing up only on WMA land, and in a boat everywhere else, was told to me by a CO I met at a boat launch. It was opening day two years ago, North Zone. He wasn't really checking anybody, he was just riding shotgun to a wildlife biologist swabbing duck arses and checking type/age/sex. I asked him about where I can hunt in the immediate area, which is in an industrial area, has two major highways, several railroad bridges, and a major city about a mile or so downriver. He was very informative!
He told me that the marsh adjacent to the WMA belongs to NJ Transit and it would be tresspassing to hunt there. Although he knows people do hunt there on occasion, any transit workers who happen to be onsite would call in the local police, who would throw the book at any hunter tresspassing. That's when he told me about the standing in water with a loaded firearm rule (only on the WMA). He then preceeded to tell me that I could hunt the entire river and marshlands, as long as I stayed in the boat, and was the approriate distance from buildings. I could hunt near the highways and bridges, but he didn't recommend it as people may stop and call in police, which could complicate things and end up calling him and he'd probably have to write a ticket. Oh, and he also warned me not to venture downriver towards the city since I would be nearing the city limits, and they have a law against firearms discharge there, and that the police would be waiting for me back at the ramp, to see the direction I would be coming from to arrest me...
I usually see a CO once or twice a season, sometimes more. I only hunt WMAs (which are probbaly beacons to them) so can just sit and wait at the boat launch areas waiting for guys to come back to their vehicles to check them out...
Regards
Anthony
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