Party Hunting Question

[bowhunternw]

I skimmed through the handbook, but does anyone know if you can mix weapons when hunting together. For instance can someone with a bow license participate in doing drives with someone muzzleloading. We would have to shoot our own deer of course but just wondering if you can hunt together.

Thanks

[Pinusbanksiana]

NO can't do that legally.

[96trigger]

You can still hunt together, but you can't party hunt in the traditional sense, meaning you can't share tags.

[BeezeHound]

Trigger is absolutely right, hunt all you want together just make sure and shoot your own deer.

[BobT]

I've often wondered why the law is this way.

[Juneau4]

So someone doesn't shoot one with a firearm and have an archer tag it.

[pulleye16]

NO can't do that legally.

YES you can do it legally.

[hockeybc69]

What the original poster is asking is absolutely legal.

Nothing says you cant do drives with people using other methods. You just cant use tags to tag deer with other weapons.

[Getanet]

I guess I'm a bit confused. According to the regs book:

PARTY HUNTING

• A “party” is defined as any group of two or more licensed deer hunters

who are all afield; hunting together at the same time; and all

using firearms (including muzzleloaders) or all using archery.

• A mixed group of firearms and archery hunters is considered two

separate parties.

So as long as you're not tagging deer for each other it's OK?

[Bear55]

So as long as you're not tagging deer for each other it's OK?

That is correct.

[Jameson]

I have never fully understood this law. Does it just mean cross-tagging? It doesn't sound like someone with just a small games license could do a drive for a deer hunter:

CO Jim Guida (Brainerd) reports that one group of blaze orange hunters checked in a parking lot was advised that in order to drive deer to hunters, a muzzleloader license is required.

[Bear55]

I would guess as long as everyone had a deer tag and were legal to hunt at the time they could make drives to each other, just not cross tag but maybe I am wrong.

[pulleye16]

The confusing part is the Original poster used the word "party". He's NOT party hunting, just walking with a group of people while both parties are hunting. No one is cross tagging or using another tag.

[BobT]

So someone doesn't shoot one with a firearm and have an archer tag it.

I guess I'm not sure what difference that makes. Whether I take a deer with a bow or a firearm, what difference does it make whether the tag is from the bow hunter or the firearm hunter of the party?

[Jameson]

well, if it's a lottery area and only the archer is permitted to tag a doe it, but a firearms hunter was able to shoot it for them, we could all kiss doe permits for firearms hunters goodbye.

Now for intensive harvest areas, I wouldn't see it as a big deal. But to separate the two areas would add more confusion to our regs.

[harvey lee]

What's wrong with every hunter shooting thier own deer and dumping the party hunting?????

I have never understood the party hunting as typically way too much hanky panky goes on.

[Getanet]

Heaven forbid people actually hunt together and work as a team for their deer.

If I'm party hunting with an open tag I'm not going to post the whole time and make guys do drives for me all day. At some point telling a member of my party that I'll be a driver and allowing them to fill my tag if they get a clean shot sounds like a fairly generous and respectful thing to do.

For some hunting is a group effort and for others its an individual pursuit. There's plenty of room in MN for both.

[reinhard1]

i agree. we have been party hunting since i have been in high school. and that was in the 60's. we share wheather we get one, three [as we did this year] or none which happens also in northern minnesota. and we all share in the cost-food ect. we enjoy being together and is a tradition. most of the time we shoot our own deer anyway. i think most hunters are ethical and honest. good luck.

[luckey]

Below is from the reg book. If you only had a small game lic. you could be in violation if you were driving deer.

Taking defined.

“Taking” means pursuing, shooting, killing, capturing, trapping,

snaring,angling,spearing, or netting wild animals; or placing, setting,

drawing,or using a net, trap, or other device to take wild animals. Taking

also includes attempting to take wild animals or assisting another person in taking wild animals.

[Wanderer]

You do need to have a valid deer license to paricipate in deer taking activities. Read into that any way you would like but we all know what it means.

Good luck out there.

[Pinusbanksiana]

YES you can do it legally.

[BobT]

Quote:

if it's a lottery area and only the archer is permitted to tag a doe it, but a firearms hunter was able to shoot it for them, we could all kiss doe permits for firearms hunters goodbye.

Okay, I can see the lottery doe thing but I'm not quite sure I'm following why doe permits would be eliminated by it.

[Jameson]

Available doe permits for firearm hunters.

Due to the extreme number of does "shot" by archers. We would have overharvest, and other changes would have to be made. Maybe like having archers have to have apply for doe permits, too. Hmmmm, maybe this isn't such a bad idea....

[pulleye16]

YES you can do it legally. No you CANT do that legally! Read the manual, I did.

YES YOU CAN!

You can hunt deer with a rifle with people who are hunting deer with a bow on a drive, in the woods, or in the same stand if you'd like as long as the person with a bow, shoots a deer with a bow, and tags it WITH THEIR bow liscense. I could be walking a field pheasant hunting along with a person walking with a bow trying to take a deer and that would be legal as well.

[Pinusbanksiana]

PARTY HUNTING

• A “party” is defined as any group of two or more licensed deer hunters

who are all afield; hunting together at the same time; and all

using firearms (including muzzleloaders) or all using archery.

• A mixed group of firearms and archery hunters is considered two

separate parties.