Can I lock the door on my fishouse?

[mnhunter2]

Can I lock the door on my fishouse when I am fishing?

[prospector]

Interested to hear if this is an issue? Crazy world we live in sometimes.

[bowmandan]

South Dakota laws say you are supposed to leave the door unlocked while you are fishing.  Not sure about Minn

[JonPerry]

I lock mine. If they want to come in, they'll knock first.

[Mark Wo]

I would think if you locked it and you found out later you are not allowed to lock it, the State would be in some trouble defending themselves.  I'm not a lawyer, and I didn't sleep in a Holiday Inn last night but consider this.  If you are sleeping on you boat with a below deck cabin, an officer of any type is not allowed to walk onto your boat and then go downstairs without a warrant, or a very good  reason where they thought someone might be in serious trouble or facing death.

I don't see this being and different than an ice house being locked.

Call your local CO and ask them.  Might make a friend in the process.

Mark

Just found this article.  Interesting. 

http://www.startribune.com/ice-fishing-enforcement-behind-closed-doors/83977767/

[PenguinIII]

Thanks for sharing the article!

[Knife2sharp]

Can they enter the house from underneath?  "Hey, I see three lines down here, I came up to see how many people are fishing," - LOL

At what point on public domain does being within an enclosure constitute as private domain?  I would assume the open ice would be the portal connecting the two and they could legally stand at that treshold, jus like peering in a window.

 

[RuttNutt]

Wonder how that works on public waterways? In PA we have a lot of lakes inside State Parks. I don't think it would fly there.

[wirenut45]

Can they enter the house from underneath?  "Hey, I see three lines down here, I came up to see how many people are fishing," - LOL

At what point on public domain does being within an enclosure constitute as private domain?  I would assume the open ice would be the portal connecting the two and they could legally stand at that treshold, jus like peering in a window.

  Knife, your vehicle on an interstate highway would be a good example of this. can they enter without permission? serious question , as i don,t know. guys? wire

[JonPerry]

Car entry is usually not w/o probable cause *but they would be able to impound it to gain entry for search & seizure of drugs, etc.* Most fish houses can be locked from the inside/outside & have a curtain/shade on the windows.  A hard sided fish house is not required to be unlocked when occupied. I don't have a problem inviting them in to warm up, since they pretty much know who's who already & where the fish are biting. That's also much of how they get tips on people bending the rules by talking to the people they meet.

[ice dawg]

Here a fish house is supposed to be unlocked so they can enter without knocking when it is occupied. I told the CO my door will be locked when I go to bed at night. I said it's a choice between knocking on a locked door or opening an unlocked door and guessing what caliber was being pointed at him when the beam from his flashlight hit me. He said he would prefer knocking. As far as I'm concerned, when I'm sleeping I have as much right to a locked door on my wheelhouse as I do on my fifth wheel when camping. Some laws need to be examined and changed IMO.

[amortec]

Yes you can lock your door! The CO Must knock and announce his title. Minnesota Supreme Court ruling on the no knock policy of entry to ice shelters was not constitutional, this ruling was handed down in approximately 2002.
Okay having said that, when the CO shows up tell him or her to come on in! If you can't catch fish with two lines, I really doubt if three or four or five will help! You shouldn't have anything to hide guys

[iamtroyiam]

When I was in my teens, the game wardens wanted to be able to pull the door open and often did! We had our speer house door latched from inside to keep the  wind from blowing it open. The game warden let us have it pretty good over it. There's nothing to hide in a speer house! Now they always knock, even in my portable, they announce themselves and ask me to unzip the door.

[ice dawg]

4:30 am, -65 wind factor and 1/4 mile from the launch when someone began yanking on the door of my Ontario shack. I got a pretty good rear chewing from a CO because I had the door pulled shut and latched because the wind kept blowing it open. This guy walked out from the launch and back again to check my shack. Must have been a real eager beaver.   Told him dorkfish were the only things biting.