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dry riverbeds are NOT public property

Kelly - the public has access up to the high water mark (meaning the 'bank' and not the 'flood line') of the state's defined MEANDERING streams. Meaning the public can hunt/trap the banks of the said rivers, camp on sandbars, etc. And there are only a few defined as MEANDERING as pointed out in previous posts.
All other NAVIGABLE streams have different rules. The public can basically float/portage them, but does not have bank access, nor should they be walking the bed of the waterway. The key is not all navigable streams are considering meandering. There are actually very few in fact. Not sure if that helps clear it up, or just makes it more confusing!!!
 
My opinion is that there are few people who are going to utilize the "meandering stream" clause to sit along the waters edge waiting for deer to drop "below the high water mark" so that they can shoot them.

That seems like an extremely low probability hunting strategy to me. IMO, the majority of people are more likely to exploit these regulations to access land they have no right to be on.

I thought that a person couldn't shoot "on or over" public waters, but I guess that is only for rifles. Slugs seem to be exempt, maybe ML's, too.


But these are just my views.
 
If it is incidental to boating, floating, or fishing, it is fine on non-meandered streams (most all of them). If it is meandered, it is ok to camp on sandbars, hunt (if legal in that area), and is considered state land. It does not matter how much water is in the creek during normal flow. That is for meandered streams, so you don't camp above the bankline on someones ground adjacent to the stream or river. There is no grey area as far as jumping in a non-meandered creekbed, walking down the creek with private property on both sides. The reason it makes me upset, was the fact someone put a ladderstand up 10yards from one of my stands right in the creekbed. I was told by the land owner to take it, but that would make me a thief.
 
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