Muzzleloader camp?

[IBspoiled]

We ran into a guy last week and were swapping stories about hunting.  He said his hunting partner had a run in last year with a game warden at his elk camp.  Story goes, they were sitting around after their hunt and he strolled into camp with a muzzleloader.  They assumed he was another hunter.  After chatting for a few minutes he shows them his badge and asks to see their license.  Then he asks to see their muzzleloaders.  The guy said his gun was in his tent.  The warden barged into the tent and found his gun with tape or something over it to keep it dry, wrote him a ticket for that.  But also said he could have written him a ticket for having the cap on it inside his tent.  The questions I have are:  Can the warden legally just barge into your tent in the woods without permission?  Can he give you a ticket for a capped muzzleloader inside your tent?  I'm thinking in terms of if this is your only weapon in camp and you can't have it capped at night, what do you do if a bear comes in?  Tell him to wait while you cap your gun?     Just looking for some input as to what you guys think?  I know having the breech covered is against the rules, but what about the rest?  Also this is how the story was told to us, so as to the validity of it, we are not sure. 

[bobcat]

Neither of those things are violations. The only law close to that is no loaded rifles or shotguns in a vehicle. A tent is not a vehicle.

There also is no law that says you can't cover any part of your muzzleloader to try to keep water out.

[TheHunt]

IF THAT IS TRUE...

The state has no case on this person...

[Sabotloader]

We ran into a guy last week and were swapping stories about hunting.  He said his hunting partner had a run in last year with a game warden at his elk camp.  Story goes, they were sitting around after their hunt and he strolled into camp with a muzzleloader.  They assumed he was another hunter.  After chatting for a few minutes he shows them his badge and asks to see their license.  Then he asks to see their muzzleloaders.  The guy said his gun was in his tent.  The warden barged into the tent and found his gun with tape or something over it to keep it dry, wrote him a ticket for that.  But also said he could have written him a ticket for having the cap on it inside his tent.  The questions I have are:  Can the warden legally just barge into your tent in the woods without permission?  Can he give you a ticket for a capped muzzleloader inside your tent?  I'm thinking in terms of if this is your only weapon in camp and you can't have it capped at night, what do you do if a bear comes in?  Tell him to wait while you cap your gun?     Just looking for some input as to what you guys think?  I know having the breech covered is against the rules, but what about the rest?  Also this is how the story was told to us, so as to the validity of it, we are not sure.

I believe the written in your regulations is something like the cap must be exposed to the elements... The rifle can have nothing intregal to the rifle that might protect the ignition source from the elements.  Putting some thing you have made that is not a permanent fixture on the rifle to protect the cap should not be a violation.  Just as muzzle protection should not be a violation...

Personally, I would call your local enforcement officer in the office and discuss this with him is really in order... even if you have to follow up at the head office...

[JimmyHoffa]

Something doesn't sound right.  I think it is legal to have the barrel covered and the muzzy capped.  In addition, I believe it requires a warrant or consent for the warden to go into the tent. 

[steeleywhopper]

Pretty sure if the guy was not in the "act" of hunting no laws were broken.

[washelkhunter]

He can barge into our tent all he wants; but hes going to probably be crawling out on all four leaving a blood trail and some teeth behind. If hes conscious mind you. 

[D-Rock425]

I think sabotloader is right.  If the cap was covered with tape it would be illegal.

[jbeaumont21]

I'm guessing there is more to the story than the guy was willing to share with you or he may have embellished quite a bit. 

They way I interpret the law is that we can cover the exposed areas as long as the cover is not a integral part of the gun, meaning that it is not permanently attached to the gun. 

If the story is true then one has to consider why the WDFW allows us to hunt in the first place. Is it for the sake of maintaining wildlife population numbers through good conservation and humane harvesting of animals OR so that the WDFW can make a few bucks from ticketing hunters, because the way I see it is if the story is true then the game officer in question has very pore ethics for not allowing the hunter to protect the powder in his gun from the elements (as it is written in the regulations) so that he may humanly harvest an animal.  Just my

[deerslyr]

He can barge into our tent all he wants; but hes going to probably be crawling out on all four leaving a blood trail and some teeth behind. If hes conscious mind you. 

and all of you would probably be suffering gun shot wounds and federal charges.

[JimmyHoffa]

He can barge into our tent all he wants; but hes going to probably be crawling out on all four leaving a blood trail and some teeth behind. If hes conscious mind you. 

and all of you would probably be suffering gun shot wounds and federal charges.

Not necessarily.  There are cases where police have failed to identify themselves correctly and/or violated rights while they have been 'serving justice' and been shot.  In those cases the shooters have had charges dropped.  One of the cases that comes to mind involved police busting into a drug house and some of them were shot/killed.  The shooters went to jail for the drug charges, but all the shooting charges were dropped; the warrant wasn't signed or had expired or something. 

[washelkhunter]

He can barge into our tent all he wants; but hes going to probably be crawling out on all four leaving a blood trail and some teeth behind. If hes conscious mind you. 

and all of you would probably be suffering gun shot wounds and federal charges.

Right. As if we dont pack heat while sitting around the campfire. I dont give a rats ass who you think you are. You come to our door you best be respectfull and on your best behavior. Besides we're old, we dont take chit from nobody. 

[deerslyr]

He can barge into our tent all he wants; but hes going to probably be crawling out on all four leaving a blood trail and some teeth behind. If hes conscious mind you. 

and all of you would probably be suffering gun shot wounds and federal charges.

Right. As if we dont pack heat while sitting around the campfire. I dont give a rats ass who you think you are. You come to our door you best be respectfull and on your best behavior. Besides we're old, we dont take chit from nobody. 

LOL brilliant.

[deerslyr]

He can barge into our tent all he wants; but hes going to probably be crawling out on all four leaving a blood trail and some teeth behind. If hes conscious mind you. 

and all of you would probably be suffering gun shot wounds and federal charges.

Not necessarily.  There are cases where police have failed to identify themselves correctly and/or violated rights while they have been 'serving justice' and been shot.  In those cases the shooters have had charges dropped.  One of the cases that comes to mind involved police busting into a drug house and some of them were shot/killed.  The shooters went to jail for the drug charges, but all the shooting charges were dropped; the warrant wasn't signed or had expired or something.

That isnt the case here obviously if you read the thread. Warden identified himself, "barged into tent" and saw said fire arm. If you shoot a LEO or beat him up after he has identified himself because he didnt have a search warrant or violated your rights be expected to be charged and found guilty. I guarantee it wont be dropped.

[washelkhunter]

So some jerk up in the woods in plain clothes come into your camp and all of a sudden flips out a badge and charges thru your camp without securing permission and we are all supposed to be like uh; ok dude go ahead, we must be guilty of something? The whole OP is suspect anyway. No LEO with any sense or training at all is going to do something like that. You deserve a beating if you try something like that. You want to inspect my tent (home) in the woods you best have a detailed SW stating exactly what you are searching for; if not FU! I dont go looking for trouble; but i sure as hell aint gonna back down from it either.