Turning in a poacher for points

[seth30]

Well wouldnt your set up make it a little different?  If  your packing a foxpro, face masks, coyote urine vs having a grunt call, and doe piss???

[jackelope]

deer or elk seasons: You may not hunt wildlife during any modern firearm deer or elk season, with any firearm 24 caliber or larger or containing slugs or buckshot for big game, unless you have a valid
license, permit and tag for one of the following: deer, elk, black bear, cougar, mountain goat,
bighorn sheep, or moose

so the way I read this is that you can't carry a rifle bigger than .24 caliber if you're hunting small game, coyotes, etc. You could however carry a .223 or a .204 and hunt coyotes. Who cares if you have a deer tag in your pocket. When I'm deer hunting, I have a steelhead catch card in my pocket too...doesn't mean I'm steelhead fishing.
I'm betting there's more to the story.

[whacker1]

deer or elk seasons: You may not hunt wildlife during any modern firearm deer or elk season, with any firearm 24 caliber or larger or containing slugs or buckshot for big game, unless you have a valid
license, permit and tag for one of the following: deer, elk, black bear, cougar, mountain goat,
bighorn sheep, or moose

so the way I read this is that you can't carry a rifle bigger than .24 caliber if you're hunting small game, coyotes, etc. You could however carry a .223 or a .204 and hunt coyotes. Who cares if you have a deer tag in your pocket. When I'm deer hunting, I have a steelhead catch card in my pocket too...doesn't mean I'm steelhead fishing.
I'm betting there's more to the story.

You are correct.  If hunting coyotes during and open deer season - you must have a varmint rifle below .24 caliber.  Some Game wardens will write a hefty ticket for this.  If I remember correctly it is $350 from others that I know that made the mistake.

[runamuk]

Wait are you telling me when I hunt I can only have the one tag on my person...are you frickin kidding me.....it does not say that in the regs does it? if so I missed it...I get all my tags and licenses and keep them with my cpl,and license so I dont lose any of it and have it in the even I find time to hunt or fish for that matter.......and I used to hike with my rifle sans tags in an attempt to get in shape....not used to carrying a rifle and the thing gets heavy again it is not legal for me to exercise.....its crap like this that gets under my skin you cannot obey the rules there are too damn many of them......

[Bob33]

Wait are you telling me when I hunt I can only have the one tag on my person...are you frickin kidding me.....it does not say that in the regs does it? if so I missed it

Page 72 of the 2010 Big Game Regulations.  As for "only having the one tag", I'm not sure what you mean.  If you are hunting in an area open for modern firearm or deer hunting, and you have a rifle that is legal for deer and elk (.24 caliber or larger), then you must have at least one tag with you for the following: deer, elk, black bear, cougar, mountain goat, sheep, or moose.

That means if you're coyote hunting with a legal deer or elk rifle, during modern deer or elk season, then you must have a valid big game tag with you.

[runamuk]

Wait are you telling me when I hunt I can only have the one tag on my person...are you frickin kidding me.....it does not say that in the regs does it? if so I missed it

Page 72 of the 2010 Big Game Regulations.  As for "only having the one tag", I'm not sure what you mean.  If you are hunting in an area open for modern firearm or deer hunting, and you have a rifle that is legal for deer and elk (.24 caliber or larger), then you must have at least one tag with you for the following: deer, elk, black bear, cougar, mountain goat, sheep, or moose.

That means if you're coyote hunting with a legal deer or elk rifle, during modern deer or elk season, then you must have a valid big game tag with you.

what if I am simply out walking...not hunting at all...when did the game rules become the gun rules?  I know people who own guns and dont hunt seriously this state is f'd up.  Say I am one of those crazy triathalon people who does that thing with the running and the shooting and the skiing....and I have never hunted ever never even looked at the hunting regs and I am out training in an area open to hunting during the season but have no tags and do have my rifle for training purposes....then what?

I am serious because there are laws in this state that ordinary people have no idea exist because they really have no need to know if they aren't participating in the sport of hunting however according to interpretations on this site they are breaking laws they had no idea existed by partaking in another legal sport  if it is this complicated I am probably going to just quit all of it..stick to shooting but now I dont think I can go in the woods with my guns simply to kill stumps without game tags even if I have no intention of going after game....

[jackelope]

Say I am one of those crazy triathalon people who does that thing with the running and the shooting and the skiing....

Biathlons are done with .22LR's.

Page 72 of the 2010 Big Game Regulations.  As for "only having the one tag", I'm not sure what you mean.  If you are hunting in an area open for modern firearm or deer hunting, and you have a rifle that is legal for deer and elk (.24 caliber or larger), then you must have at least one tag with you for the following: deer, elk, black bear, cougar, mountain goat, sheep, or moose.

maybe if you're not hunting, then you're ok. Methinks you're gonna have a hard time if someone sees you walking around with a rifle in the woods during deer season and no tags.

Maybe you should put  a backpack on for weight instead of the rifle. Save yourself some potential trouble or inconvenience.

[runamuk]

Say I am one of those crazy triathalon people who does that thing with the running and the shooting and the skiing....

Biathlons are done with .22LR's.

Page 72 of the 2010 Big Game Regulations.  As for "only having the one tag", I'm not sure what you mean.  If you are hunting in an area open for modern firearm or deer hunting, and you have a rifle that is legal for deer and elk (.24 caliber or larger), then you must have at least one tag with you for the following: deer, elk, black bear, cougar, mountain goat, sheep, or moose.

maybe if you're not hunting, then you're ok. Methinks you're gonna have a hard time if someone sees you walking around with a rifle in the woods during deer season and no tags.

Maybe you should put  a backpack on for weight instead of the rifle. Save yourself some potential trouble or inconvenience.

what if I didn't know.....look I didn't know crap about any of these rules 3 years or so ago and thats because I hated guns and hated hunting and wanted nothing to do with any of it so I didn't need to know any of it.  Do you know all the rules of sailing, and skiing and golf and motocross and eventing and polo and and and if you do not partake in those sports? 
 for the record for my body carrying a rifle all day is nothing like carrying a pack it sits different the weight is in a different place and causes pain in a different way than my pack does my nerve damage flares differently and the only way for me to get used to it is to carry the dang thing......

and because I do not participate in biathalons I know nothing.....so do they need a small game license to carry that when small game season is open?  seriously I wonder about this because the way it sounds carrying rifles require that you have game licenses

[bobcat]

You can carry a gun in the woods anytime you like, for any reason. You just can't be hunting with it, unless it is season and you have the proper license/tags. The right to possess firearms is guaranteed by the 2nd Amendment of the Constitution, and the WDFW cannot take that right away. I'm not sure how the state would prove you were hunting, if you didn't actually shoot something. If you have a gun and are contacted by a game warden, simply tell him you are not hunting. In reality it's likely a situation that will never come up.

[bonecrusher]

No you can't carry a rifle any time you want, at least not legally.

"deer or elk seasons: You may not hunt wildlife during any modern firearm deer or elk season, with any firearm 24 caliber or larger or containing slugs or buckshot for big game, unless you have a valid
license, permit and tag for one of the following: deer, elk, black bear, cougar, mountain goat,
bighorn sheep, or moose"

it says you may not "hunt" it does not say you may not have a rifle. you would have to prove they are hunting. granted you probably could but you could also have it for self defence on your nature walk. I'm not defending poachers here I'm just saying unless its a "guns free" park or wilderness of some sort the second amendment still applies.  

[whacker1]

You can carry a gun in the woods anytime you like, for any reason. You just can't be hunting with it, unless it is season and you have the proper license/tags. The right to possess firearms is guaranteed by the 2nd Amendment of the Constitution, and the WDFW cannot take that right away. I'm not sure how the state would prove you were hunting, if you didn't actually shoot something. If you have a gun and are contacted by a game warden, simply tell him you are not hunting. In reality it's likely a situation that will never come up.

Believable when carrying a sidearm(pistol), but not a rifle.

I also believe this changes when you carry a hunting license (purchase one) and a legal hunting season is going on.

[bonecrusher]

didnt see your post there bobcat, but yeah thats what im saying too

[bonecrusher]

You can carry a gun in the woods anytime you like, for any reason. You just can't be hunting with it, unless it is season and you have the proper license/tags. The right to possess firearms is guaranteed by the 2nd Amendment of the Constitution, and the WDFW cannot take that right away. I'm not sure how the state would prove you were hunting, if you didn't actually shoot something. If you have a gun and are contacted by a game warden, simply tell him you are not hunting. In reality it's likely a situation that will never come up.

Believable when carrying a sidearm(pistol), but not a rifle.

I also believe this changes when you carry a hunting license (purchase one) and a legal hunting season is going on.

second amendment doesn't specify what type of fire arm you have a right to.

[bobcat]

Believable when carrying a sidearm(pistol), but not a rifle.

I also believe this changes when you carry a hunting license (purchase one) and a legal hunting season is going on.

What if someone only owns a rifle, and likes to go for hikes in the woods, but wants protection from bears, cougars, humans, etc?

[runamuk]

You can carry a gun in the woods anytime you like, for any reason. You just can't be hunting with it, unless it is season and you have the proper license/tags. The right to possess firearms is guaranteed by the 2nd Amendment of the Constitution, and the WDFW cannot take that right away. I'm not sure how the state would prove you were hunting, if you didn't actually shoot something. If you have a gun and are contacted by a game warden, simply tell him you are not hunting. In reality it's likely a situation that will never come up.

true seeing as I have only run into a game warden once in the woods and that was driving out and otherwise mainly see them at the office ..

but what I was getting at is the way its talked about here if you are carrying a rifle in the woods it is apparently assumed you are hunting so it is assumed you are poaching if you dont have the requisite tags.  I used to wear orange when riding my horse during hunting season did that make me a hunter   no I did it so myself and my horse wouldn't get shot at......a friend I rode with carried a rilfle and wasn't hunting and another carried a sidearm mostly for defense and in case there was a need to put a horse down.  The only time we cared about hunting season was deer and elk the horses through the trees can look similar to a person all hopped up on adrenaline so we wore orange never even thought about it until now.....