Originally Posted by
linus72
Regarding the AT in particular, isn't it a federally-protected corridor for hiking and something like a mile wide of protected woods around it?
Hunting is permitted along about half of the AT. According to the ATC:
Hunting regulations vary widely along the Appalachian Trail. Although the A.T. is a unit of the National Park system, it traverses many different types of public lands—including parks, forests, refuges, and game lands.
Hunting—with the proper state licenses—is PERMITTED along approximately 1,250 miles of the Appalachian Trail through national forest lands, national recreation areas, and on state forests and game lands. Although a concerted effort is made to identify land types on official A.T. maps, it is seldom easy while on the footpath in several states to determine which jurisdiction you are walking through, except at boundary signs. Both hikers and hunters are advised to “know before you go.”
Hunting is PROHIBITED along approximately 900 miles of the Trail through national parks (like Shenandoah and the Great Smoky Mountains), most state parks, and on lands acquired by the National Park Service (NPS) exclusively for the Appalachian Trail and still under NPS administration—indicated on the outside edges by A.T. corridor boundary signs. Hikers should be aware that the protected corridor is often narrow, averaging about 1,000 feet wide.
Even in areas where hunting is prohibited, hunters on adjacent lands may not know that they are near the Trail. Hunters may inadvertently cross onto Trail lands or unknowingly fire toward the Trail.