# Legal hunting hours



## GeauxLSU (Nov 11, 2004)

Ok....



> LEGAL HOURS
> Legal hours for hunting are 30 minutes before sunrise until 30 minutes after sunset, except that alligators, raccoons, opossums, foxes, coyotes,  bobcats and feral hogs may be hunted at night. However, only battery powered lights not exceeding 6 volts (12 volts for alligators) or fuel type lanterns may be carried by hunters for locating these animals. Legal hours for migratory bird hunting conform to federal regulations.



Last Saturday afternoon where I was hunting the sun set at 5:45 pm.  So 'legally, I could shoot until 6:15.  It was a very clear night and I was in a pasture.  There is NO WAY I could have shot that late.  It was PITCH BLACK.  Do I have some ocular degeneration I don't know about or am I accurate in saying that 1/2 hour after sunset, it's just plain NIGHT TIME!   

Hunt/fish safely,
Phil


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## HMwolfpup (Nov 11, 2004)

I've wrestled with that too.  I stay until 30 minutes after sunset, but can't recall the last time I would have thought it was a legal shot after about 15-20 minutes after sunset.


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## PWalls (Nov 11, 2004)

How do the game wardens keep track of that?

Is there a posted time on a sheet that they carry around and refer to when they check you on this? Or, do they even worry about it?

What about 30 minutes before sunrise? A lot of people walk in when it is pitch black. Are they hunting during illegal hours if they are ready and it is still dark?

I imagine that the game wardens concentrate on the night hunters and don't worry about enforcing this law.


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## JerryC (Nov 11, 2004)

I notice the same thing, but it seems like there have been times where I could see well enough much past the legal hours. It is tougher in a blind though when you get no light in.
That's why you should always hunt near a Wal-Mart parking lot


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## GeauxLSU (Nov 11, 2004)

PWalls said:
			
		

> How do the game wardens keep track of that?


I think it's more enforced as legal SHOOTING hours, not so much hunting.  Having said that, good luck if you're caught sitting in a stand at 1a.m.  
Hunt/fish safely,
Phil


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## gtaff (Nov 11, 2004)

D2D,
I let a monster buck walk b/c it was too close to that "legal shooting light" margain...

Had he been 5 to 10 minutes earlier; BOOOOOOOOM!

Did he run off or walk off when you really missed him!!!!    Just kidding


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## HMwolfpup (Nov 11, 2004)

PWalls said:
			
		

> Is there a posted time on a sheet that they carry around and refer to when they check you on this? Or, do they even worry about it?



I don't know how much they worry about it, but there is a sunrise/sunset chart in the hunting regs.  It even has the state divided into zones for the few minutes difference between the east and west sides of the state.


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## littlewolf (Nov 11, 2004)

I passed up a shot tonight on a big fat doe within legal shooting hours cause it was just a tad too dim and "out of focus".  I have looked at deer thru other scopes that draw alot of light and I probably would have taken that shot with one of those. 

Also, keep in mind the moon phase. Tomorrow is the new moon which means there was very little light today after sunset..


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## Beehaw (Nov 13, 2004)

I was hunting last Friday on a food plot until the last minute.  I was watching a few deer on the far side of the food plot, which gets more direct sunlight and the last light of the day.  I think it was much darker on the side I was on compared to where they were standing.  None of them was "eligible", but had they been I would have been comfortable shooting with my scope.  I was watching them through binoculars, and it was amazing how hard they were to see without them.


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## Ga-Spur (Nov 13, 2004)

Sunset and sunrise is in a lot of newspapers. The Federal duck regulation has the times in it.Some calendars also have the times on them.


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