# Is it ok to park your RV on public hunting parking lots? Answer in post 65



## 6Speed (Mar 8, 2013)

I'm waiting on Pescy before I reply to this silly one...


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## textox (Jan 30, 2020)

Rob you should check Dan Infaults "Hunting Beast" video on you-tube and see how he hunts public and uses other hunters to his advantage to kill impressive bucks.And for whatever it's worth a parked motorhome with a generator running doesn't mean occupants are camping ,maybe they were making coffee,. and it is a motor vehicle


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## aacosta (Dec 18, 2015)

Wait until gun season, that place will be packed with campers. People get the permits. Some good spots in bow season. Scout more and then scout more.


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## StatGeekRob (Feb 1, 2018)

According to the MI DNR, the definition of camping is:

Camp" means: *set-up/ place and occupy a tent, tent-type camper, travel or house trailer*; sleeping in any type of vehicle or water vessels moored off State land, or sleeping in any other manner. “Dispersed camping” is special by-permit camping away from a designated campsite,

An RV set up on site is camping according to that definition (note the semi-colon that separates that phrase from the next one). The sleep requirement that some have referenced is associated with a car or boat, not a tent or trailer. I suspect likely to prevent the same issue of people overnighting where they shouldn’t be in an auto, and since they cannot disallow a parked car, they wrote in the sleeping bit.


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## miruss (Apr 18, 2003)

Petronius said:


> the person using it must have their name and address, complete Michigan driver’s license number, or DNR sportcard number permanently on the stand.


wrong it says the owner of stand !! Email the dnr and show what they say when you ask this qeustion!


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## Petronius (Oct 13, 2010)

StatGeekRob said:


> According to the MI DNR, the definition of camping is:
> 
> Camp" means: *set-up/ place and occupy a tent, tent-type camper, travel or house trailer*; sleeping in any type of vehicle or water vessels moored off State land, or sleeping in any other manner. “Dispersed camping” is special by-permit camping away from a designated campsite,
> 
> An RV set up on site is camping according to that definition (note the semi-colon that separates that phrase from the next one). The sleep requirement that some have referenced is associated with a car or boat, not a tent or trailer. I suspect likely to prevent the same issue of people overnighting where they shouldn’t be in an auto, and since they cannot disallow a parked car, they wrote in the sleeping bit.


But RV is not specified. A tent, tent-type camper, travel or house trailer is specified, but not an RV.


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## Sasquatch Lives (May 23, 2011)

I came upon a similar scene a few years back. A public land hotspot with room for one car. I pull up early am and there is a camper there illegally I can smell bacon frying and they have generator running. Hunted a different area that morning but that afternoon slipped in a back way behind them and came upon what I thought was one of them laying dead in a logging road. As I approached and asked if he was ok there was no response. I nudged him with my foot and he moved and groaned, OK this dude must have had a heart attack or something I think but I smell whiskey and realize the damn guy is passed out drunk way back in the woods! Went to another spot. I wonder how long that dude layed out there cause I assume his buddies were all hammered too. THis was about 2 hr.s before dark so maybe he spent the night out there?!?!? Haha


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## Chriss83 (Sep 18, 2021)

StatGeekRob said:


> Thanks guys. I do appreciate some of the advice given. Nevertheless some of you think that since it’s public land, anything and everything goes. Camper where it’s not legal? Ok. While we’re at it, what other laws/rules are there that we don’t feel like abiding by? Guns during archery season? Have at it! It’s public land, so “if you don’t like it go elsewhere,” right? See… it’s a slippery slope.
> 
> I am not expecting special treatment here. If a guy legitimately beats me to a public spot, by law and as a sportsman, it’s his spot. Heck, in Michigan he’s even legitimately allowed to use a Treestand that Another guy legally hung there if he wants. Is that good practice? Not in my book. But it’s perfectly legal.
> 
> ...


IT IS LEGAL. IT IS CALLED DISPERSED CAMPING. CALL IT IN AND THEY WILL TELL YOU THE SAME.


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## B.Jarvinen (Jul 12, 2014)

As has been ‘stated’ - State Game Areas have their own rules.

SGA land is slightly different than parcels that are part of a particular State Forest, which is where you can disperse camp wherever you wish for 14 days via posting a free permit.









404







www.michigan.gov


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## MossyHorns (Apr 14, 2011)

miruss said:


> wrong it says the owner of stand !! Email the dnr and show what they say when you ask this qeustion!


The WCO says the USER'S name must be permanently written on the stand. The HD is wrong and not all CO's know the actual law. They really need to correct the HD to reflect the law in order to stop misleading hunters.


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## aphess223 (Aug 1, 2001)

Petronius said:


> I'm surprised this jacjass hsasn't found his camper destroyed by now.


I will not do something like that, I will report it to the RAP Hotline
I would rather be on that side of the Law.


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## shaffe48b (Oct 22, 2019)

In that area of the state I'd start knocking on doors of private land owners at least for deer hunting


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## Carpenter Bill (Jan 27, 2018)

Enough of the bs,go hunting and stop the crying. Ur not going to kill a deer on the internet. Lol try looking up bona z farms,he was one of the biggest farmers around there. He was having hunters pay him for access to farm for hunting. It was very cheap .good luck


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## Nostromo (Feb 14, 2012)

MossyHorns said:


> The WCO says the USER'S name must be permanently written on the stand. The HD is wrong and not all CO's know the actual law. _*They really need to correct the HD to reflect the law in order to stop misleading hunters.*_


Where would be the fun in that?


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## wildcoy73 (Mar 2, 2004)

StatGeekRob said:


> Thanks guys. I do appreciate some of the advice given. Nevertheless some of you think that since it’s public land, anything and everything goes. Camper where it’s not legal? Ok. While we’re at it, what other laws/rules are there that we don’t feel like abiding by? Guns during archery season? Have at it! It’s public land, so “if you don’t like it go elsewhere,” right? See… it’s a slippery slope.
> 
> I am not expecting special treatment here. If a guy legitimately beats me to a public spot, by law and as a sportsman, it’s his spot. Heck, in Michigan he’s even legitimately allowed to use a Treestand that Another guy legally hung there if he wants. Is that good practice? Not in my book. But it’s perfectly legal.
> 
> ...


not once have you shown he was in the wrong.
and from what I gather your in a state game area, where camping is allowed in parking area.
just printed my permit so we can pull the rv in for rifle season. and will include 4 trucks.
all legal in state game area.

Sent from my SM-N986U using Michigan Sportsman mobile app


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## brushbuster (Nov 9, 2009)

StatGeekRob said:


> Not trying to pick a fight here, but the text I pasted above was copied directly from the MI DNR regulations page. So are those not really the rules, or is it the case that a free permit that anyone can get nullifies them?
> I ask because I don’t have my own land, leases are pricey and damn near impossible to find, so I am dependent on public land for hunting. If guys can legally claim the land as their own, how is this public?
> 
> And yes… I could have gone in before these guys and set myself up.They’d be pissed, blow out my hunting area when they walked in later than me, and who knows what they’d do to my truck in the lot right next to”their”camp site?


Nothing prevented you from parking there and walking back to where you hunt.


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## Forest Meister (Mar 7, 2010)

StatGeekRob said:


> According to the MI DNR, the definition of camping is:
> 
> Camp" means: *set-up/ place and occupy a tent, tent-type camper, travel or house trailer*; sleeping in any type of vehicle or water vessels moored off State land, or sleeping in any other manner. “Dispersed camping” is special by-permit camping away from a designated campsite,


Since this tread seems to have digressed into some rather fine points of interpretation, how about popup blinds? Mine sure look like a tent, I set it up/place and occupy it, and sometimes I even fall asleep in it. FM


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## Chessieman (Dec 8, 2009)

OH OH FM, did you get a camping permit for that popup?


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## Forest Meister (Mar 7, 2010)

Chessieman said:


> OH OH FM, did you get a camping permit for that popup?


Ahm, er, ah, kinda like, well, I, ya see, its sorta.... Oh Yah, I remember now, I only set it up on private land. 😂 FM


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## Nostromo (Feb 14, 2012)

Forest Meister said:


> Since this tread seems to have digressed into some rather fine points of interpretation, how about popup blinds? Mine sure look like a tent, I set it up/place and occupy it, and sometimes I even fall asleep in it. FM


Don't worry they didn't forget about you. They have a whole different set of rules for hunting blinds.


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## jatc (Oct 24, 2008)

My goodness, just hunt and don’t worry about it.

SLP public rule of thumb: If you find good sign in August/September, more than likely you aren’t the only one that looked at that spot. Often times guys hunt the same areas every year and don’t scout it, they just show up during the season and hunt areas they’ve had success in the past. It takes a year or two of hunting a particular area to understand the human pressure element of the area. That’s just how it rolls on public land near large population areas.


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## Sasquatch Lives (May 23, 2011)

The area I hunt has similar things happen. I have found that finding a logging road or fire break back behind where the campers are can be a good spot for seeing the bucks those guys blow out of there when they are drunkenly walking around the woods. One of my best spots was a logging road with another road that broke off it at a 90 degree angle. This was a little over a quarter mile behind where the campers were. I could sit at the junction of the logging trails and see down all three for over 100 yds.s. In the mornings I would see deer slipping out of there when those guys went in and sometimes you could catch them coming back into that area right before dark as it was a feeding area.

Can be frustrating to see other people in the woods but remember they are pushing a lot of deer that otherwise would not be moving. I ALWAYS take a stand during gun season public not only to reduce the chance of getting shot but to see deer others spook by me.


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## Chriss83 (Sep 18, 2021)

If you are that upset over seeing people camping and hunting. I'd suggest saving money to buy. A lot of land. Dispersed camping is legal. You do not have to be there or sleep there at all times. People are going to hunt your spots. Fact of life. It isnt your land or parking spot. It can get frustrating but either learn something from it or buy some land and give up on state


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## B.Jarvinen (Jul 12, 2014)

Isn’t there a new-ish DNR effort/website for matching hunters to private land owners (farmers) who want someone to hunt their property?

I passed through Norvell the other day. Looked like an awesome area to hunt. Perfect pastiche of Agriculture and cover habitat.


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## StatGeekRob (Feb 1, 2018)

*Here's the answer from MI DNR who responded to my email inquiry:*

"It is lawful to camp in State wildlife and game areas, Sept. 10 to May 15 and a camp registration card needs to be posted at site. This information provided on the back of Game Area maps and is considered dispersed camping."

This response was signed by:

Dennis Tison, Wildlife Biologist
Michigan Department of Natural Resources
Waterloo Wildlife Office
13578 Seymour Rd
Grass Lake, MI 49240


So there you have it. The regs that I saw on the website must be outdated or don't account for the camp registration.


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## jatc (Oct 24, 2008)

StatGeekRob said:


> *Here's the answer from MI DNR who responded to my email inquiry:*
> 
> "It is lawful to camp in State wildlife and game areas, Sept. 10 to May 15 and a camp registration card needs to be posted at site. This information provided on the back of Game Area maps and is considered dispersed camping."
> 
> ...


Good for you going to the source for clarification rather than just continuing to bash guys that actually were doing nothing wrong and spreading bad info in the process. Stand up post quoting the letter that shows your initial reaction was incorrect and you can accept it


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## 22 Chuck (Feb 2, 2006)

Regarding the above post:

So I notice a blind in the woods, non ID'd. I decide to set in it. Along come Deer Cop and says "why isnt your blind ID'd?" What do I say when he asks the question??


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## skipper34 (Oct 13, 2005)

Tell him the truth. You saw that the blind was illegal and decided to use it anyway.


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## alaska86 (Sep 29, 2010)

22 Chuck said:


> Regarding the above post:
> 
> So I notice a blind in the woods, non ID'd. I decide to set in it. Along come Deer Cop and says "why isnt your blind ID'd?" What do I say when he asks the question??


Petronius mentioned Wildlife Conservation Orders in post #40. He will probably clarify it.


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## protectionisamust (Nov 9, 2010)

I wish they sold permits for parking lot x, y and z so when folks camp there and leave their trash is left behind, they would get a ticket delivered to tgem. It disgusts me whats left behind at these patking lots and wonder why stuff cant be tracked better to hold people accountable for littering. 

Sorry, the camp story reminded me all the crap ive seen left in these lots after their deer camp.


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## shaffe48b (Oct 22, 2019)

protectionisamust said:


> I wish they sold permits for parking lot x, y and z so when folks camp there and leave their trash is left behind, they would get a ticket delivered to tgem. It disgusts me whats left behind at these patking lots and wonder why stuff cant be tracked better to hold people accountable for littering.
> 
> Sorry, the camp story reminded me all the crap ive seen left in these lots after their deer camp.


That may serve as a deterrence for some but many people are just going to not register and trash the place potentially leading to the person who did register getting blamed for it.


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## Martin Looker (Jul 16, 2015)

We have lots of these parking areas up here and lots of people use them to dump large trash that their trash pickup won't take. Lots of leaves and brush from yard clean up every spring. Right now several of them are weekend campsites but the trailer stays there all through deer season.


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## StatGeekRob (Feb 1, 2018)

So while on this subject then... Let's assume you pull up to one of these state game areas and there's a camper there with at least one truck, so you're pretty sure that the guys are either inside the camper, or in the woods. Let's also assume that it's darn early, and you think they're probably still in the camper.

Do you knock and try to coordinate where you're heading in vs. where they want to go? Or just walk in and hope that they don't blow your hunt? I know some of the younger guys out there like to hike back in 10,000 miles, but I'm not that guy. I go into where I've seen sign when scouting, and a nice climber tree, and I set up. Not always that far off the path either, as I often see sign on the path, so I know that deer walk them.

I hesitate to knock on a camper. I don't know the guys, and not everyone I meet is all that friendly to be honest. I suppose if there are lights on, it's a little less likely they'd be pissed at a stranger interfering with their pre-hunt rituals...


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## brushbuster (Nov 9, 2009)

StatGeekRob said:


> So while on this subject then... Let's assume you pull up to one of these state game areas and there's a camper there with at least one truck, so you're pretty sure that the guys are either inside the camper, or in the woods. Let's also assume that it's darn early, and you think they're probably still in the camper.
> 
> Do you knock and try to coordinate where you're heading in vs. where they want to go? Or just walk in and hope that they don't blow your hunt? I know some of the younger guys out there like to hike back in 10,000 miles, but I'm not that guy. I go into where I've seen sign when scouting, and a nice climber tree, and I set up. Not always that far off the path either, as I often see sign on the path, so I know that deer walk them.
> 
> I hesitate to knock on a camper. I don't know the guys, and not everyone I meet is all that friendly to be honest. I suppose if there are lights on, it's a little less likely they'd be pissed at a stranger interfering with their pre-hunt rituals...


If you just have one stand location you might be dissapointed. Im in the same boat as you. I have a parking area that could become a campsite, However, I have several stand locations that is accessed by the parking area, so if i get over run i move. I'm an old guy that goes way back and chances are i wont see a soul.


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## brushbuster (Nov 9, 2009)

A good idea is to map out your area. I have onx map app for my phone. everything gets recorded on my hunting area map. all access points from the road. All blinds, access trails and stand locations from other hunters are recorded. my access trail in. My stand locations. bedding areas. food sources. deer trails. anything that dictates deer travel. Its at tool that is invaluable to me for the public areas i hunt.


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## StatGeekRob (Feb 1, 2018)

Yes, I have OnX and use it pretty much as you describe. I don’t leave stands in the woods, but I have marked trees that I think are good climbers, creeks, places I’ve kicked out deer, etc..


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## sparky18181 (Apr 17, 2012)

StatGeekRob said:


> *Here's the answer from MI DNR who responded to my email inquiry:*
> 
> "It is lawful to camp in State wildlife and game areas, Sept. 10 to May 15 and a camp registration card needs to be posted at site. This information provided on the back of Game Area maps and is considered dispersed camping."
> 
> ...


A wildlife biologist gave an opinion. Maybe she s right or maybe not. Personally I d like my response from the parks division or maybe even better the law enforcement division who would actually enforce it Just My Opinion


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## StatGeekRob (Feb 1, 2018)

sparky18181 said:


> A wildlife biologist gave an opinion. Maybe she s right or maybe not. Personally I d like my response from the parks division or maybe even better the law enforcement division who would actually enforce it Just My Opinion


I was surprised to see the title of the person who responded, but that was the response I got from the DNR generic email address. I have never emailed them before, so I assumed that they multitask…


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## DirtySteve (Apr 9, 2006)

StatGeekRob said:


> So while on this subject then... Let's assume you pull up to one of these state game areas and there's a camper there with at least one truck, so you're pretty sure that the guys are either inside the camper, or in the woods. Let's also assume that it's darn early, and you think they're probably still in the camper.
> 
> Do you knock and try to coordinate where you're heading in vs. where they want to go? Or just walk in and hope that they don't blow your hunt? I know some of the younger guys out there like to hike back in 10,000 miles, but I'm not that guy. I go into where I've seen sign when scouting, and a nice climber tree, and I set up. Not always that far off the path either, as I often see sign on the path, so I know that deer walk them.
> 
> I hesitate to knock on a camper. I don't know the guys, and not everyone I meet is all that friendly to be honest. I suppose if there are lights on, it's a little less likely they'd be pissed at a stranger interfering with their pre-hunt rituals...


I think you are way over thinking this. If you are finding sign on a good run that is close to a human used trail and you like the spot just hunt it. If they are using a trail that is near a human created trail/path you or the next guy going down it really isnt going to matter. Especially during the rut. If deer were spooked by that trail they wouldnt have sign in the area. 

If you are looking for some state record behemoth you are probably starting in the wrong place to begin with regardless if that camper and hunter is there. Whatever deer were there are still going to be around.


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## StatGeekRob (Feb 1, 2018)

DirtySteve said:


> I think you are way over thinking this. If you are finding sign on a good run that is close to a human used trail and you like the spot just hunt it. If they are using a trail that is near a human created trail/path you or the next guy going down it really isnt going to matter. Especially during the rut. If deer were spooked by that trail they wouldnt have sign in the area.
> 
> If you are looking for some state record behemoth you are probably starting in the wrong place to begin with regardless if that camper and hunter is there. Whatever deer were there are still going to be around.


Yea... I tend to overthink things. Thanks.


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