Is Shooting deer in backyard legal?

[Curly]

I've got deer on my 5-ac property.  I enjoy watching the fawns and does in the spring and summer and seeing the occasional bucks.  It was fun watching the doe with twins yesterday chase off the little spike.  She's been chasing him off the last couple weeks.  I think he's one of her offspring from last year.

I've had a few opportunities over the years to have shot a 3-point, a real nice 4-point and several 2 points and spikes during season.  One day I came back early from hunting and a 3 point was bedded 20' out my back door.  I had been muzzleloader hunting for blacktails and had taken the whole week off from work and passed on a couple spikes and does that season and came home to a bigger deer than I'd seen all season while out hunting.  I debated for 20 minutes and finally decided not to take him.

That said, I'd have no problem with one of my neighbors shooting a deer as long as they did it safely and legally............but if they ask me I'd actually tell them that I'd rather they didn't shoot one.  Also, if I do decide to take a deer someday I am not going to ask permission of my neighbors.  What they don't know won't hurt them. 

[JakeLand]

I've got deer on my 5-ac property.  I enjoy watching the fawns and does in the spring and summer and seeing the occasional bucks.  It was fun watching the doe with twins yesterday chase off the little spike.  She's been chasing him off the last couple weeks.  I think he's one of her offspring from last year.

I've had a few opportunities over the years to have shot a 3-point, a real nice 4-point and several 2 points and spikes during season.  One day I came back early from hunting and a 3 point was bedded 20' out my back door.  I had been muzzleloader hunting for blacktails and had taken the whole week off from work and passed on a couple spikes and does that season and came home to a bigger deer than I'd seen all season while out hunting.  I debated for 20 minutes and finally decided not to take him.
That said, I'd have no problem with one of my neighbors shooting a deer as long as they did it safely and legally............but if they ask me I'd actually tell them that I'd rather they didn't shoot one.  Also, if I do decide to take a deer someday I am not going to ask permission of my neighbors.  What they don't know won't hurt them.

 Well said 

[bobcat]

I got no problems with shooting deer out of the orchards, I typically drop four or five a year.  I'll even stand on the back deck and shoot them out of the pastures if they wont stay away from the cattle.  But in a neighborhood where people enjoy their presence, I don't think that's a good choice.

Are you able to get depredation permits for those from the WDFW?

[krout81]

Interesting. 

[fishnfur]

Apparently, because a couple people have made pets out of deer frequenting their neighborhoods, any deer in a backyard or private woodlot or acreage outside of town is now labelled a pet and is easy to kill.  I'd bet many piles of dollars that few if any hunters could bag a fully nocturnal buck running the 'hoods around here.  Toughest hunt around!  You would never know they were there without a cam, but they're in my yard 5 nights a week.

To each, his own.  Let your conscience guide.  This is America after all, isn't it?  Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.....(which does not include dropping 4 or 5 deer a year "bothering" cattle in an orchard).

[Bow tech hunter]

So family and I moved in to our house last August so last muzzeloader season 2015 my wife text me saying there is a 2pt and 4pt Bucks laying down 30 yards from back slider door of our house in the 2 acre lot timber so when she text me saying that about the Bucks I left work early I did some quick research and made some calls I found out that in Centralia my house is in city limits and so is the 2 acre lot I talked to a Centralia cop and they said u can shoot archery in city limits but there was some things not to do when shooting but I can't remember the details once I found out u can hunt archery in city limits I called my local game warden asked him what I need to do he said I had to find out who owns the 2 acre lot so I did and I talked to the owner and I was denied to hunt one of those bucks but I learned a lot that year that people are able to hunt archery in city limits but have to get permission first from the lot owner and have the correct tag if I had the green light I was going to buy a muzzeloader deer tag and try to shoot one the bucks with the bow but now I know what to do to hunt city limits

[JakeLand]

Crossbows quiet and deadly accurate

[BIGDOG253]

I say if it's a legal area and they are there whack them rose eaters one of the sheriffs in town here thumped a bruiser by my house with a bow ! If your neighbors don't approve maybe they should live in the city 

What a stupid thing to say... Your neighbors should approve of your activities or they should move?? Just because they enjoy watching deer in a relaxed setting and watch them through all the four seasons on a daily basis they should live in a effing CITY.You shoot a deer that dies in my yard expect more trouble than you want . I have killed more bucks than most and NONE of them were tame.. May as well buy a high fence hunt.

That's kind of a rude response. I guess you are a real hunter cause you killed way more bucks than most of us. If it's legal and he has a tag, what do you care how or where someone else kills the deer he eats. It's a deer. They taste good. Especially if they have been eating flowers. I promise to kill it so it won't go on your property, how about that.

When a deer will walk up to you and beg for treats while youre doing yardwork, its no longer hunting.

I agree. It's a harvest.

Some people are in it for the hunt and the meat, others are in it just for the meat.

Personally, I don't hunt in my backyard, I enjoy going out and hunting with my friends and family out in the sticks and exploring new areas, even though I could easily shoot a blacktail outta the backyard. 

[JakeLand]

I think the discussion is more if it's legal and its your property should you worry about what your neighbors think and I personally say if you want to hunt your own property or property with permission then go for it

[BIGDOG253]

I think the discussion is more if it's legal and its your property should you worry about what your neighbors think and I personally say if you want to hunt your own property or property with permission then go for it

Its legal to hunt my property, but my neighbor is a big anti-hunter and he has come talk to me on multiple occasions while im out shooting my bow to make sure I don't shoot any of his "pets". I made it very clear I have no intentions to kill any of them. Id much rather watch them and take pics from the porch.

[JakeLand]

I get it but if you wanted to hunt your property would you ? Or would you not hunt because of your neighbors?

[fishnfur]

Pretty *censored* of the neighbor to lay claim to wild animals and lay out prohibitions to those he feels might hurt his pets.  Even if I had no intent of killing one of "his" deer, I'd probably play the AH and tell him to keep his pets out of my yard if he didn't want them eaten.   

[DaveMonti]

Pretty *censored* of the neighbor to lay claim to wild animals and lay out prohibitions to those he feels might hurt his pets.  Even if I had no intent of killing one of "his" deer, I'd probably play the AH and tell him to keep his pets out of my yard if he didn't want them eaten.   

I'm the same way on this.  I would probably say something vague like "Oh, don't worry, I won't kill any of YOUR deer" and leave it at that.  But, I don't have to worry about the neighbors seeing me practice.  I can't see any houses from my archery range!

[Bango skank]

So family and I moved in to our house last August so last muzzeloader season 2015 my wife text me saying there is a 2pt and 4pt Bucks laying down 30 yards from back slider door of our house in the 2 acre lot timber so when she text me saying that about the Bucks I left work early I did some quick research and made some calls I found out that in Centralia my house is in city limits and so is the 2 acre lot I talked to a Centralia cop and they said u can shoot archery in city limits but there was some things not to do when shooting but I can't remember the details once I found out u can hunt archery in city limits I called my local game warden asked him what I need to do he said I had to find out who owns the 2 acre lot so I did and I talked to the owner and I was denied to hunt one of those bucks but I learned a lot that year that people are able to hunt archery in city limits but have to get permission first from the lot owner and have the correct tag if I had the green light I was going to buy a muzzeloader deer tag and try to shoot one the bucks with the bow but now I know what to do to hunt city limits

Damn dude, run-on sentence gold medal!

[Bob33]

There are things one has a right to do, but they are not always the right thing to do.