Radio Telemetry?

[PLAINSHUNTER]

Hi all, I grew up bird hunting in the Mid-West before moving to SW WA a little over 10 yrs ago.  The last few years I've been slowly learning how to hunt larger game here on the West side as my kids are now old enough to get involved. 

Anyway, I was out scouting and driving forest roads last week in the GNP.  I was pretty deep in when I passed a vehicle driving the other direction.  I could see the driver was in camo but no Discovery Pass showing (required in that area).  Granted, he may not have known one was needed however signs are posted regularly throughout the area.  I continued on.  Later that day as I was driving out, I passed the same vehicle only this time he was pulled over and out of his car.  In his hands he had what looked like a large antenna.  I waved as I passed and he nodded.  This happened next to a creek at the bottom of a drainage.

I guess I'm a little slow because my first thought was "hmm, no cell coverage down here and radios must not work well either so this is the method he and his fellow hunters use to communicate"  Never seen that before.

Then last night I was re-reading the WDFW Regulation Pamphlet for the 1000th time (they sure don't make it easy for a guy who wants to always do the right thing) when I saw -

14. Radio-telemetry equipment
(WAC 232-12-045):
It is illegal to use radio-telemetry
equipment to locate and hunt wildlife
with transmitters attached to them.

No doubt I've read that before but that's when it hit me that what I saw earlier in the week was this happening!  To give the guy the benefit of the doubt, could it have been anything else he was doing?

I guess it just didn't register in my brain at the time because that just seemed so outlandish.  If his equipment was any good, that would almost be better than hunting from a helicopter!

This forum has been a wonderful resource for me and thank you for any input! 

[heronblu]

Next time get the license plate and report it.

[Grizman]

What kind/color was the PU? 

[PLAINSHUNTER]

Next time get the license plate and report it.

Now I know!  Will do.

What kind/color was the PU? 

Assuming PU means pick-up?  It was a sedan - I'm sure it wasn't but body style was very similar to the old Chevy Citation, Silver/Grey I believe was the color

[Bob33]

What is GNP?

[bobcat]

Could have been some sort of biologist.

A Discover pass is not needed on National Forest. It's only needed on state land, and even then it doesn't need to be visible unless you are parked.

[HighCountryHunter88]

Report him for what? They use telemetry to track all sorts of critters birds, bats, mammals all sorts of stuff. Not to mention coon dogs or beagles

[PLAINSHUNTER]

What is GNP?

Sorry meant GPNF - Gifford Pinchot but to correct myself, at the time I saw him we were on DNR land. Just North of Silver Star mtn which borders GPNF. 

Could have been some sort of biologist.

A Discover pass is not needed on National Forest. It's only needed on state land, and even then it doesn't need to be visible unless you are parked.

You are correct.  See above, my mistake, we were on DNR land at the time, bordering the GPNF.

[Wazukie]

It may have been a "Cell" booster he was using.  A lot of the Firefighters use them.

[heronblu]

Report him for what? They use telemetry to track all sorts of critters birds, bats, mammals all sorts of stuff. Not to mention coon dogs or beagles

My opinion is, that it doesn't hurt to report suspicious behavior. If it turns out to be a biologist then great, but on the off chance that it is a poacher its better to pass that info along. Rarely are you going to come across someone actively poaching an animal, its the weird behavior that gets reported that leads to further investigation and eventual conviction or simply education. Our game animals are too important to me to live by any other code.