Uncased gun after legal shooting times

[catman71]

I have always heard that if you sit in your deer stand until 1/2 hour after the sundown time listed in the rules that you need to case your gun for the walk out. Why can't I find this information in the rule book? What section is it under? If it is in there I'm going to start wondering about my reading ability.....

[Mr Special]

I've never heard of that. If that is true, then I've and everyone I know has been breaking the law. That would require us to carry are gun cases into the woods with us at all times, in the morning also.

Tell us if you find out the answer

[JEV]

I've heard the same thing. I've read the regs and I don't see it in there anywhere. It states that as long as you have a legal big game license you can posses a firearms outdoors during the season. It does not state that the firearm has to be cased, unless in a motorized vehicle.

JEV

[Guest]

It used to be stated clearly in the regs several years ago. I guess I never looked for it since I learned, and understood that it was a law. I only assumed it is still a law. This would be a very good question to ask a CO... could save many of us a ticket.

I used to carry a gun sleve with me when I was younger to put my gun in once I got near the road.. 12 - 16 years old in the woods at dark would tend to get this young guy(at the time) a little paranoid For some reason the flashlight alone didnt make me feel very safe.

[korn_fish]

I am with all of you on this. Thought it was the law as well. I just carry a gun sleeve and make sure the gun is unloaded. For bowhunting, I also have a small packable cloth case. I frequently get up in my stands a couple hours befor shooting time...take a cat nap and have my cell phone alarm in vibrate mode to wake me up 40 minutes prior to shooting time. Thats when I will hoist the gun in case, or bow in case up into the stand. If there are deer around and you dont want to go down and possibly burn the stand off, I just wait until it is dark enough and case everything up and lower it down.

I did have a CO try to get me for bowhunting after hours once. Bow was on the ground and cased so he couldnt do anything. This was 2 years ago. I had to thank the CO for running the deer off as it was a full moon and the deer would have been there for hours and I had to do the #2 really bad Much better for him to spook them off then me coming out of the tree.

[Hotspotter]

I'm all for following the rules, but I think we need a rules book that is quite a bit more explicit these days.

Case in point, last year, one of the members of our party was constantly monitored/checked-up on by the CO after he shot two deer. We party hunt, and the CO said that from his stand, he had to be able to see orange from another member of our party. Good thing my uncle hadn't climbed down from his stand! The CO crawled up there to confirm. Now where in the rules does it state that?????

The next day, the same CO said that he had to be within yelling distance, not just eye-shot, but ear-shot as well! Does walkie-talkie communication count?

Clarification please!

Joel

[catman71]

i sent the DNR a e-mail from thier HSOforum with this exact question. I am unsure of the rules so i will not cut and paste the response but it pretty much said you can leave the woods without a case. I'm assuming unloaded is best but it didn't say that. BTW if you e-mail the DNR a question from the HSOforum they do a great job at responding as it usually only takes a couple of hours.

[lawdog]

jnelson,

I think the most common interpretation of a party now after a few court cases several years ago is that you have to have be able to have voice contact with the members of the party (without radios which are illegal to aid in hunting big game) so that you can advise them of the need to tag an animal. This has been a contentious issue with citations and the DNR's interpretation in the past. Used to be a lot looser than it is now.

[Froggy4371]

J Nelson,

I do not know if you were kidding or not but do not use a walkie-talkie. Big No No I know of people being busted for doing that. 1 of them was Babe Weinkleman last year or the year before that. Even if you are just trying to get someones attention for a deer tag. Big No No.

Froggy

[Guest]

Walkie talkies (sp?) are perfectly legal as long as you are not using them to aid in the taking of game... That Babe Winkleman thing I believe it was his wife on the radio stating *I am kicking the deer up out of the bedding area now* while on a deer drive..

NO.. that is not legal. Calling your hunting partner to tell them you got a deer, need help dragging a deer out, lunch in a half hour, need help.. whatever... perfectly legal as long as you are not using a communication device to aid yourself or anyone in the taking of game.

Radios are a good safety device for hunting parties.. accidents happen, people get lost, etc.

[Neiko]

From what I remember when I read it years ago you had to have it cased a half hour after shooting hours or 1 hour after the sun went down.

[Hotspotter]

Man....this is what I mean about the interpretation of these rules.

Thanks for the clarification of the party hunting question lawdog.

As for the walkie talkies, I understand it the way "that guy" does. We hunt in an area divided by a highway, with two parties so to speak. 3 or 4 guys on an 80, and 2 on a 40. We check up every 2 hours to confirm how many deer are down so as not to go over our limit. We are very careful not to mention even what we've been seeing out in the woods....could be interpreted as "taking of wild game."

I could say I saw 2 deer that morning in the hayfield, and my brothers would know through years of experience that those deer if not gone already, would be heading towards a certain stand. We keep the talk only to how many deer are confirmed dead, gutted, and tagged. I think that's not only defensible, it's responsible. It allows us communication without walking over and disturbing fellow party member's hunts.

Is this ethical? Is this legal, even if unethical? I don't know?

Joel

[jbell1981]

About the 2-way radios I asked the dnr the same type of questions, I will post my question and their responce.

me:

I know that the regulations indicate that 2-way radios can not be used for taking game. I was wondering if we can have them in possession during the firearms deer season. If we can have them in possession we would like to use them for things like asking for someone in the party to help with a downed or wounded deer, to use them to let others in the party know when we are heading back to the vehicles and using them between vehicles.

Bottom line I guess is, if we can have them in possession, what can they be used for and what can't they be used for. Some clarification of this would be greatly appreciated.

DNR responce:

Radio's, Cell phones any communication devices can be had and used to keep in touch, for emergency use, to tell someone your cold your going in, etc. They can not be used to assist in taking game, such as, a deer is coming your way, I'm walking the woods towards you from this way, etc. Assisting in taking game is the key. If used that way, no, for none assisting activities, no problem at all. Good Luck Hunting. Kevin

[Froggy4371]

Thanks for the response to the 2-way radio issue guys. I was just expressing what I had asked a CO at one time and he explained that the only thing that it could be used for is emergency and things like "I'm going in" and stuff like that. He said I you could not even say I have one down can you come and help. or things like that but I am sure it will all be intrupitation of the law by each CO.

Froggy

[bucks-n-ducks]

I don't see how they can make you case you gun if you are not in a vechile. If you want to, you could be out hunting fox all hours of the night during rifle season....I'm pretty sure there is no way they can make you case your gun up on the way to your truck, even if it is 2 hours after legal shotting time.

Bucks-n-Ducks

[jbell1981]

Froggy, I think that it would be fine to use it let someone you need help with a downed deer. You are not using the radio for taking the game, you have already taken it.

[rogrod]

The cased gun after sundown is an old rule. It is no longer in the reg book. You don't have to have your gun cased after legal shooting time but is should be unloaded. If it is loaded you are still hunting.

[lawdog]

I think a lot of CO's would say help with tagging/gutting/dragging is help taking the animal. Its all part of it, and PARTICULARLY if you use it to say you need a tag, I KNOW our CO would say that's illegal and I'd prosecute that one too.

[jbell1981]

I see your point on the tagging issue lawdog, but I would argue about gutting and dragging.

[ChuckN]

The way I see it, gutting and dragging a deer, calling for help....that's not assisting in taking a deer. The deer is already dead and it's "taken"...

Assisting in taking a deer is doing drives with use of radios, notifying hunters of deer in the area, movement updates...that's a no-no.

Tagging communications...I can see that as a no-no.

[Froggy4371]

I agree is if you are asking for a tag then you are streching the law to fit the party hunting rules. I also agree that you should be able to call for help gutting or dragging but I just was trying to curb people from using them so they do not get in trouble. I do not use them but just because someone does use them does not make it wrong. We really do not need to use them in our area since we are close enought that I just walk to my brother and tell him to come and help. (trust me I get the better end of the deal since he does not get near as many deer as me!!!)

Froggy