Grouse hunting from a motor vehicle?

[gurkster]

I have always walked while grouse hunting. However, this year I am hoping to take my dad out and he is unable to walk for a long time. We will probably drive spot to spot and do some short walks at each stop. That said what are the gun laws while in the truck driving the forest roads? What about on an ATV? Cased unloaded guns, must be away from the vehicle, vehicle turned off, etc before shooting???

[cribbageboy]

Page 17 of your regs....

Under the following circumstances a person may transport unloaded, uncased firearms (excluding pistols) in a motor vehicle including ATV's:

-While at a shooting range with permission.

-While lawfully hunting on private or public land or while traveling to or from a site the person intends to hunt or has lawfully hunted that day.

Firearms must be transported unloaded and cased:

-Within Anoka, Hennepin, or Ramsey counties.

-Within the boundaries of a home rule, charter, or statutory city with a population of 2,500 or more.

-on school grounds.

-as otherwise restricted in game refuges, shining or night vision laws.

[cribbageboy]

In other words...If you're not in city limits or in the tri-county metro area, you can drive in your truck with your UNLOADED shotgun across your lap as long as you are "going to or coming from the hunting site". Of course you still can't shoot from the vehicle though.

[gurkster]

Thanks guys. That is what I was looking for.

[TooTallTom]

I think you still have to be a minimum distance away from a motor vehicle before shooting if you're grouse hunting. You might want to just open up your regs to the small game section and re-read them. I need to do that this year. (Probably every year, truth be told.)

[TRZ II]

Best way to shoot grouse from a truck is to use the running boards, and have a slow approach.

[cribbageboy]

As far as I know and have read, there is no minimum distance you have to be away. Just as long as you aren't sitting/standing in it/on it.

This kind of reminds me of a conversation I had with a CO a couple years ago. He was telling me that as long as no cars were coming, I could ground pound a grouse on the yellow line of a highway. The regs don't touch this subject at all. Only how you can't shoot "on, over, or across" a highway "at a big game animal or a decoy of a big game animal"

[Freddy1]

I just went through the regs expecting to find; vehicle must be off & you must be 20 feet away but it just says, shooting from a motorized vehice is unlawfull. And no reference to shooting over an improved road. Well, I guess that clarifies things. That means the CO will interpret the intent of the law depending on the situation. Just hope you don't catch one having a bad day.

[reinhard1]

i dont know why anyone would even hunt from a vehicle unless there is a physical condition that prevents that person from normal movement or walking capabilities. shooting down or accross any road is dangerous as far as i'm concerned. as far as i can see it's not legal to hunt from any motorized vehicle.

hunting is all about being out in the fields or woods. there are many trails and old logging roads to walk on if it's too difficult for a person to walk in the woods. i didn't read all the post but am making this comment from the title of the thread.

i had a guy who i proccessed a deer for who had a very difficult opperation from having cancer. he showed me the scars on his chest which started from his neck down to his belly button and across his belly. he said he got a permit from the dnr to hunt from his vehicle which he parked in a small opening in the woods. i can see something like that, but a perfectly healthy person should get out there and enjoy our great wilderness. good luck.

[cribbageboy]

Not saying you guys were pointing any fingers, but I just wanted to clarify that I don't "road hunt" or have any intention of doing such a thing. 100% of my hunting is done on foot, and I try to avoid trails at all costs as well. Nor have I ever shot anywhere near a road. It's reckless and dangerous.

I was more just pointing out how we have a reg book every year with 100+ pages, yet they still leave loose ends like these. Luckily they continue to make room to print up an entire page on how to release a domestic animal from a body grip trap.

[Matt Breuer]

Here we go again....

If a bird is up picking gravel while I'm going from trail to trail, I will not pass it up! Will you?

The "x amount of feet from vehicle" and the "vehicle must be turned off" rules went bye-bye when the ATV riders lobbied a few years back. Now you jus thave to open your door and have 1 foot on the ground basically...

[reinhard1]

we had similiar disscution about the fishing regs earlier in the year. hopefully they get things more clearly defined. good luck.

[DanH]

Maybe the DNR should consider having a special hunt day dedicated to drive by shooting. They could call it “Take a gang banger Grouse hunting.” day.

[muc33]

Interpretation is varied on many topics. It really depends on the CO that you may encounter. Why not err on the side of caution? Is there a grouse in the world worth the hassle? Lets not get a fight going in here, lets just accept that the rule is up for interpretation, that of which none of us have a say... it ultimately comes down to the CO's interpretation. Have fun, hunt safe!

[matthothand]

..But it's not up for interpretation. The regs tell us what we need to know and Matt B just summed it up. It really frustrates me that people can't comprehend the hunting or fishing regulations.

[cribbageboy]

I understand them perfectly, and so does every CO in the state. Doesn't change the fact that there is still discretion on the CO's half... Although "discretion" and "interpretation" are two different things.

[Johnny_Magellan]

Nobody commented on DanH's reply. Now that's a good one. Drive-by grouse hunting...

We got into a particular area a couple weeks back to walk some trails up towards Orr. I couldn't believe how many people were just driving real slow with the windows down and calling that hunting. I could see if you spot one while you're driving between spots. But, we saw the same vehicles doing "laps".

Pretty sad. Maybe if they had a handicapped plate or tag hanging from the rear view mirror?

[reinhard1]

that is sad indeed. i know it's too late now, but next time if you see this call the tip hotline or the local sheriff or CO and give the location you are at. good luck.

[LakeDocktor]

that is sad indeed. i know it's too late now, but next time if you see this call the tip hotline or the local sheriff or CO and give the location you are at. good luck.

Not that I'm for this in any way, but from the details he provided, how is this breaking the law? To me there is a difference between immoral and illegal. Tying up the TIP line or hounding a CO that already has a lot responsibilities in the large territory they cover doesn't help anyone....

[DRH1175]

Yes agreed what was said guns can be un cased and unloaded but to legally shoot. You must get out of vehicle and walk to the bird. I am quite annoyed by a couple people where we lease land. There is a grandma and grandpa that take their grandson grouse hunting in chi. He sits on front of Atv and grandpa drives. When a grouse runs out on trail he than shoots them. They told is the haunt seen too many this year. But shot 56 last year this way on this same stretch last year. Not only illegal but sure good way to teach grandson. And very unsafe! It is. one thing to see a grouse, get off Atv load your gun and then go hunt on foot. But to me shooting off of moving Atv is so wrong. When I grew up we actually hunted grouse on foot with a dog. This is so much more productive imho. What the Atv has done to change hunting.

[djlong]

I was up north towards Ely this weekend. I don't know if it was the spot I was hunting or the nice weather but there were more people out then I have ever seen. By far, I would say atleast 70% of the people were road hunters. I was having lunch by a main gravel road and within one hour, I counted 22 cars and trucks with windows down going super slow. I really don't care if people want to road hunt but it seemed that the birds had been educated enough to stay off the roads. I did very well walking in the thicker cover off the roads and paths. I think what bothered me was seing so many people with kids not walking. When I was growing up, my favorite way to spend the day with my dad was walking through the woods in hope of a bird getting up. I guess now its driving around with the gun ready and shooting them on the ground. To each their own...

[reinhard1]

nobody said anyone is breaking any law, but you cant determine that without checking the situation out. calls are made all the time with supicious behaviour wether its to a police officer or a CO. the way he described it with "the windows open" to me warrents a call and especialy making a few trips in the same area. that "may" be an indication of possibly wanting to shoot from the vehicle itself. good luck.

[gooty]

"oh no, that guy has his window open, better call TIP"...thats ridiculous. Absolutely ridiculous.

[BigRock]

I second what gooty posted. I drive around frequently with the window down while hunting, just to get some fresh air. Is that illegal? I think not. If a hunter is seen firing a gun out the window of a vehicle at a bird, by all means call in on it. CO's are busy enough this time of year, with large areas of the state to patrol as it is, without wasting time chasing people doing legal things while out in the field. Use some common sense before picking up the phone. This isn't rocket science.

[varmithtr]

I'm with Gooty. I can't even imagine being a CO and getting a call from a tourist saying "there is someone driving slow in the woods with their windows open and you better come check them out, they may be thinking about shooting out the window."

That would be about equivalent of calling the sheriff for every suspicious (in the eyes of the makeshift detective) looking car parked outside a bank.

Everyone with a cell phone thinks they are saving the world. Personally, I think the world was better before them.