Party Hunting Question

[BobT]

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.

I think you're missing the point here. A party is a group that can tag deer taken by other members of the group. For example, I shot a doe this year and my brother tagged it because he had the doe permit and I did not. We were both hunting together.

My brother is also a bow hunter and if he was using his bow instead of his .270 he would not be able to tag it because we would not have been a legal party and I would have taken a doe illegally. It doesn't matter that he also had a firearms tag. The fact that he would have been using a bow at the time and not a firearm makes us two separate parties. We are still hunting together and helping each other out but we are not a legal party and therefore cannot legally cross tag each other's deer.

[pulleye16]

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.

You are correct...the original poster used an incorrect word...since they are not sharing tags or shooting one anothers deer, he is not party hunting. He is rather just hunting with a group of people.

Now if he was sharing tags with with rifle, muzzy hunters, then yes-that would be illegal. He clearly stated that he would shoot and tag his own deer with a bow and would just be accompaning other hunters with other tags...

[BobT]

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....

I see what you're saying.

[Pinusbanksiana]

What i am getting at is that if they are working together to shoot a deer, say driving, pushing or stalking together, that would insinuate a party in the sense of the written rules. Even if they still plan on tagging what they personally shoot, they are still party hunting. It is a question of how the law is interpreted.

[ANYFISH2]

Hey Jack Pine , I think you should think about the second bullet a little more, he is part of a mixed group of hunters, just a seperate party(for tagging purposes).

A "party" is a loose term that the regs had to come with a definition for. Hunters call a lot of things party hunting, that can fall in the definition or out. He is legaly licensed to take deer so he is able to be afield and assist other legally licensed hunters.

This is of my opinion, My understanding has always being if you have a legal license for the game, and season (archery and firearms overlap, obviously both are valid at the same time) you could assist in hunt of the animal regardless of weapon used but could only tag an animal taken with the appropriate weapon.

[BeezeHound]

Pinusbanksiana, No, a "Party" is a group of two or more hunters afield together using the SAME weapon to take a deer. They are not using the same weapon and therefore are not a party, just two guys out hunting together who have to shoot their own deer.

There's nothing that says a bow hunter and a muzzle loader can't be in the same woods at the same time.

[Pinusbanksiana]

Again I still read it as illegal. I can see your point of view clearly, but the way I interpret the law is this way. If they both work in conjunction to harvest a deer for either of them they are considered a party. If they both sit in separate stands and don't try to aid each other in shooting a deer this is perfectly legal and they are considered two separate parties. The question was related to party hunting.

[Pinusbanksiana]

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.

When I read his question I read that he is interested in doing a deer drive. This means they are trying to shoot a deer together. I understand they both can legally tag a deer, but the rule states that they can't work together with mixed firearms and bows. Just like it is illegal for a group to drive deer to a person who has a license when the drivers themselves don't have a license. Taking is defined not just shooting, but pursuing as well.

[BobT]

Quote:

I understand they both can legally tag a deer, but the rule states that they can't work together with mixed firearms and bows.

No it doesn't. It only defines a party as a group of one type of weapon. You can assist in the taking of deer if you are a licensed hunter for that season. Archery and firearms season coincide and both are legally license and both can legally assist each other. For the sake of a defined party where hunters can cross tag, bow hunters are not a part of the party and therefore cannot cross tags with the firearms hunters.

[Pinusbanksiana]

I still think it reads illegal. I am sorry, but thats the way I read it. Call a CO and find out for sure, I could be wrong but I don't think so.

[BeezeHound]

You are right that "taking" is not just shooting, but pursuing as well and in order to do this you need a valid license for the season you are participating in.

Just because they are working together does not qualify them as being a party, they must have the same type of weapon also as clearly stated in the rules. It does not state that because they have different weapons they can't work together, they are just not part of the same party and cannot cross tag which is basically all party hunting is.

[Pinusbanksiana]

Ok, I stand corrected.