http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/20 ... -in-water/Laws vary on shooting deer while they're in water
Ark., Miss. forbid firing while deer are in water
By Bryan Brasher
When deer hunters envision killing that giant buck of a lifetime, they usually picture the deer standing in a green food plot or a beautiful hardwood bottom.
But with all the rain that's pelted the Mid-South lately, many of those food plots and hardwood bottoms are underwater.
That begs the question:
What if your buck of a lifetime is swimming instead of standing?
The answer depends on where you're hunting.
"Tennessee doesn't have a law against shooting a deer in the water," said Chad Harden, a wildlife biologist with the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency. "As long as you're hunting in a safe, legal manner, it's fine."
In Arkansas, where seemingly half the state is flooded, just the opposite is true.
The Arkansas Game & Fish Commission issued a news release last week, reminding hunters that it's not legal to shoot deer in the water.
According to the release: "Deer trying to escape danger may jump into a creek, river or lake and swim to safety. In the water, they are vulnerable and are moving much slower than on land."
So in the Natural State, it doesn't matter if you encounter the biggest buck you've ever seen. If it's in the water, it's off limits.
Swimming whitetails are also off limits in Mississippi.
All of the excess water across the Mid-South will likely force some deer hunters into boats to access their tree stands and ground blinds this season.
Those hunters should also acquaint themselves with the laws based on which state they're hunting.
In Tennessee, it is legal to hunt deer from a boat as long as it's not moving via motorized power.
"Tennessee law says it is unlawful to chase, hunt or kill any wild birds, wild animals or wild fowl from a craft that's propelled by electric, gasoline, steam or sail power," said TWRA's Harden. "A canoe or kayak would be OK if it's moved with paddles and not a trolling motor."
As they are with swimming deer, the Arkansas hunting regulations are a little more stringent than Tennessee's when it comes to hunting from a boat.
Last week's new release said, "Deer may not be hunted from boats on any public waters." That means if you're traveling by boat in Arkansas and you see a big buck standing on the shore, you'll just have to grit your teeth and let it walk.
Arkansas laws also prohibit hunters from "driving" deer with a boat. That basically means you can't use a boat to push a swimming deer in one direction or the other for the purpose of hunting.
If you're crazy enough to try capturing a live swimming deer from your boat in Arkansas, that's illegal, too.
Mississippi law says, "squirrels and game birds may be hunted from a boat if the motor is off and the progress of the boat has ceased." Deer, however, are off-limits to boat hunters in the Magnolia State.