Hunter Tip: How to Safely Cross a Fence With Your Firearm

You may encounter many things while out in the field for your hunt – including man-made obstacles like barbed wire fences – and it's important that you know how to cross them safely.

Coming across land boundary lines or even fences within the same property is a common aspect of hunting. When simply walking through the woods or a field, crossing a fence isn't necessarily hazardous. However, the risk of danger or a potential hunting accident increases when crossing over or under a fence with a loaded firearm. 

As part of our effort to help hunters stay safe in the field, we teach about good firearm safety in our online Hunter-Ed courses. Keep reading to learn a crucial aspect of being safe with a rifle in the field: crossing a fence with your firearm. 

How to Cross a Fence With a Firearm

In the heat of a hunt, slowing down to cross a fence safely can feel like extra steps you don't need to take – especially if you're a seasoned hunter. However, tripping or moving too quickly can cause you to drop or snag your weapon and accidentally discharge it while going over or under a wire or wooden fence. 

We don't want you to miss a shot for an animal you're tracking or cause you to arrive late at the spot you selected to set up your blind. However, missing a shot opportunity and arriving safely at your spot to start your day is more important than skipping a step or moving in a way that could cause an injury. 

Crossing a Fence When Hunting Alone

If you encounter a fence when you're hunting alone, follow these steps:

1. Unload your firearm.
2. Protect your muzzle.
3. Place the firearm under the fence, pointed away from you.
4. Cross the fence without damaging it.
5. Pick up your rifle, reload, and check the safety again.

The safest way is always the best way to cross a fence, even if it takes a few extra minutes. 

Also, never clip a wire on a fence or damage it to get across. If there's no clear way to cross (or you shouldn't cross a fence you encounter), find another way to get to your hunting area or pick up the trail of the animal you were tracking. Leave every fence exactly as you found it before you arrived. 

Crossing a Fence With a Hunting Partner

If you hunt with partners, crossing a fence is similar to crossing it alone but with a few additional things to remember. These steps include:

1. Unload the firearms, pointing the muzzles away from each other.
2. One person gives the firearms to the other person.
3. The person without the firearms crosses the fence first (taking care not to damage it).
4. Both firearms are handed across the fence to the first person who crossed.
5. The second person crosses the fence safely.
6. After both hunters are safely across, return the firearms to the proper owner. Be sure to verbally acknowledge you have control of the firearm (with a "thank you" or "got it") before the other person lets go!
7. Turn back to back, check the safety, and reload.

Then enjoy your hunt!

Get more insights into crossing a fence with a firearm by watching the video below. 

Make Sure You Have Permission to Cross

Before crossing a fence line, make sure you have permission from the landowner. 

If you're on public land, a fence may not be a boundary line. If you've scouted the land before arriving, you'll understand the boundaries. So, just make sure the fence isn't the boundary line between one property and another. 

However, if you come across a fence that clearly notes the end of one landowner's area and the beginning of another (or if you're not sure), make sure you have a way to see land boundaries and landowner contact information. An app like HuntWise provides clear, up-to-date land boundary information and phone numbers for landowners. You can contact them before you arrive to make sure you have permission or reach out when you're in the field and come across a fence line. 

Learn More About Hunting and Firearm Safety With Hunter-Ed

Crossing fence lines safely with your firearm is only one critical aspect of hunter safety. Hunters must know how to load a rifle correctly, how to stay within the safe zone of fire, and what to do if the barrel becomes clogged. 

We cover these topics (and many more) in our online, state-approved hunter education courses. So, as you plan your next hunt, make sure that having your safety certification is on your checklist. Hunter-Ed makes it easy to take your course and exam online so you can learn and get certified anywhere! 

Find the course for your state, and start learning. 

Originally published October 9, 2015. Content updated August 21, 2023.