Hunters deal with property laws


By Michael Bonsiewich
EastGators staff writer

Every night the crackle of gunfire pierces the silence. Fort White resident Kris Terry, who lives on five acres in the rural town, often hears hunters' gunfire and hunters' dogs passing through his land at night.

"I can hear the hunters outside all the time, shooting deer and such," Terry said.

Terry, along with many other residents of the fertile hunting grounds of northern Alachua and southern Columbia counties, has complained to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission that these hunters shouldn't be allowed on his property.

And these complaints have become one of the most common objections of property owners, according to the FFWCC.

As these hunters and their dogs methodically shadow animals in the night, they may in fact be breaking the law without knowing it.

According to Florida hunting laws, hunters are not allowed to hunt on private property without the consent of the owner of that property.

"I know these hunters are going on my land, and not one has contacted me about doing so," Terry said.

In addition, a bullet cannot be fired over private property, even if the animal it hits is not on private property. Despite these regulations, most hunters have little or no knowledge about these laws.

"I hunt all the time in Fort White and High Springs," said Chris McCormack, a self-described avid hunter. "I didn't even know these laws existed."

Dogs also are subject to these hunting laws. All dogs must be tagged with the owner's name and phone number, said Roy Brown, who works with the FFWCC.

However, the rules for dogs extend beyond identification.

"If a dog encroaches on private property, even if he is tagged, the hunter is held responsible," Brown said.

On the other hand, the property owner has no responsibilities in dealing with trespassing hunters.

Hunters are expected to know the rules, yet property owners are not required to put up signs to specify where their land begins and ends.

If a hunter disregards the law and trespasses onto private property with his or her gun, that hunter can be charged with trespassing with a firearm, which carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $5,000 fine.

Nonetheless, although these regulations strongly protect the rights of property owners, many hunters do not see it as a problem, and neither does Brown.

"Most people who hunt want to continue to hunt, so they follow the rules," he said.