[VIC] Laws regarding loaded rifles in state forests

[Jakotay22]

Before asking, I am aware that I should get in contact with authorities, but I would also like some opinion/experience.

For those of you who often visit state forest with rifles, do you follow walking tracks although it is illegal to shoot from roads etc?

I am still new to hunting in state forest and I would like to know how other people go about it.

Thanks for your responses, I hope for some useful advice and not a bashing lol

[bladeracer]

Before asking, I am aware that I should get in contact with authorities, but I would also like some opinion/experience.

For those of you who often visit state forest with rifles, do you follow walking tracks although it is illegal to shoot from roads etc?

I am still new to hunting in state forest and I would like to know how other people go about it.

Thanks for your responses, I hope for some useful advice and not a bashing lol

I consider walking trails to be "public areas", so no, unload whenever you're around trails and never shoot toward them.
There was a glitch in laws a few years back when they changed the wording of something to not allow firearms to be used in "public areas", except that state forests are "public areas".

[Oldbloke]

Yeh, you must not shoot on or over 4x4 tracks or roads.

The reality is it happens all the time.

Not sure about very minor walking tracks.

[bladeracer]

Strangely, my brother just emailed me about some mates of his that are arguing about the legality of shooting from a road...in a national park

[YoungBuck]

Can only share my experience as I regularly do forest shooting.
On 'human' trails and dirt tracks that 4x4s could use the rifle is completely unloaded. I only use these sorts of tracks to get to 'non-public' areas and otherwise stay well away from them. If there is any grey about the rules of shooting on them I err on the side of caution and be very safe about it, especially with the possibility of bumping into a ranger.

'Animal' trails is a different story...

[Oldbloke]

From the GMA hunting booklet. Seems clear to me. I assume dissused tracks would be OK.

GMA shooting on tracks.jpg (79.72 KiB) Viewed 1631 times