Is it Illegal to hunt while walking through the woods? That sounds crazy to me.
In Louisiana, if you are walking along a recognized road, with a loaded rifle (or shotgun) during hunting season, you can be cited for hunting within 50 feet of the centerline of the road. Recognized roads are just about anything that has two parallel tracks that are not on a someone’s farm.
While this may sound unreasonable. I can kinda understand. In the old days, when deer were really scarce, the only productive method to deer hunting for most was to hunt with dogs. The dogs would be turned loose in a patch of woods and hunters would be stationed along a road opposite of the patch. Well people use those roads for transportation and getting a bullet intended for a deer though your windshield while driving along can be somewhat disconcerting.
When we had our farm at Downsville, Big groups of dog hunters, would congregate with loaded rifles just across the road. Did not feel our picture windows would do much to protect our then toddler aged son from stray bullets as he played in our living room. So, I tend to agree.
Funny part of the story. They were sitting out on the road waiting for their dogs to chase deer that might be coming from the east, I would head out to my little patch of woods and see plenty of deer (jsut to the west) but, the area was heavily fenced on the road side and protected on the opposite side by a large area of private, posted land so the dog hunters never could access it.
Me, I hunt in the woods on a private tract, but since I have to walk along a logging road, to get to the hunting area, I carry my heavy revolver, depending on my Conceal Carry license for protection against the stray hog I might cross paths with and my hunting rifle unloaded (and usually cased)