Legal or not?

[Stein]

It is clearly illegal for deer and elk - doesn't matter what time of day:

Can I use laser sights or night vision devices to hunt?
It is illegal to hunt deer and elk with the aid of infrared night vision equipment or with laser sights (not to include range finders) capable of projecting a beam onto the target while in possession or control of a firearm, bow and arrow, muzzleloading firearm or crossbow.

I still don't know why it would be illegal for recovery w/o a weapon present.  Would I get a ticket for no hunter orange if I recover my animal in the dark w/o wearing orange? I doubt it.

I would give you at least a 95+% chance of getting a ticket.  Hunter's orange is probably the most written, least forgiven ticket there is.  You would have to try to make the case that hauling a deer out was not "hunting" which means you weren't making an effort to harvest a wild animal (paraphrasing the definition).

[Curly]

I agree that you wouldn't be cited packing out an animal while not wearing orange. You are no longer hunting once you've shot and are simply packing meat.

[bigtex]

It is clearly illegal for deer and elk - doesn't matter what time of day:

Can I use laser sights or night vision devices to hunt?
It is illegal to hunt deer and elk with the aid of infrared night vision equipment or with laser sights (not to include range finders) capable of projecting a beam onto the target while in possession or control of a firearm, bow and arrow, muzzleloading firearm or crossbow.

I still don't know why it would be illegal for recovery w/o a weapon present.  Would I get a ticket for no hunter orange if I recover my animal in the dark w/o wearing orange? I doubt it.

I would give you at least a 95+% chance of getting a ticket.  Hunter's orange is probably the most written, least forgiven ticket there is.  You would have to try to make the case that hauling a deer out was not "hunting" which means you weren't making an effort to harvest a wild animal (paraphrasing the definition).

Actually very few hunter orange ticket's are written. It almost always results in a verbal warning.

[Calvin Rayborn]

Nope