Game Enforcement checking arrow weight?

[Drifterat]

Has anyone really ever had an officer check your arrow weight while hunting in the field? What do they do break out a digital scale and weigh the arrow, then hook up a draw weight scale and check your bow? How does this go down?

[carpsniperg2]

i have not been but know 4 diffrent people that have been check. i am betting by your post you have been reading some of the other posts going on and are maybe a little worried about your setup 3 did not get tickets 1 did. they do have pocket scales that they will use to check bow and arrow weights to make sure you are legal. the law is the law it does not matter what you or i think of the law. but it must be followed or you risk a ticket/losing license etc somthing all should be aware of. its kinda like hunting with a 22 not legal

[Lowedog]

That is the first  I have ever heard of anyone being checked.  I would wager that a good number of archery hunters are clueless to this regulation. 

[Drifterat]

Carp, I figured you'd poop out a post that was questioning my setup. Right out of the gate you ASSume that I shoot light arrows and am worried about getting caught.   Couldn't be farther from the truth. Thanks for questioning my integrity and hunting ethics.

My set up is fine and like I asked earlier I am curious to hear from someone that has had it happen. Not second hand I had a buddy who had a buddy who got checked and yada yada yada...

Checking the draw weight is what really concerns me. Do they draw the bow? Do you? Do you/they nock an arrow? If something malfunctions and the bow dry fires and breaks is the state liable?

I hunted for years with a .44 mag revolver and not once did I ever have an officer want to know if my loads met energy minimums.

[billythekidrock]

I have heard of a couple guys getting checked back at the rig.

[Special T]

I think it is kinda like getting fined for too much tint on your windows... Your can get the ticket but it is dam tough to prove!

[carpsniperg2]

so you know me that well and figured i would poop out a post man thats funny right there!

"Not second hand I had a buddy who had a buddy who got checked and yada yada yada..."

now your the one ASSume-ing i said i know 4 diffrent ones. you are poking in the dark with your guess of "buddy second hand yada yada yada!" i was standing next to 3 of them when it happened  

[blackveltbowhunter]

I am curious how they measure bow draw weight? Do They have one of those draw force scales that measure as you draw they bow? Do they have to be calibrated? ( like radar guns etc...). How about the arrow scale? Was it just a random check?

[carpsniperg2]

the ones i have been around have a handscale  "think it was cabelas brand" it was green they draw the bow with. then they have diffrent arrow scales. one had a digital scale in a little case. the other had a hanging "traditional scale" one time was random the other was because of a phone call about us hunting "ie crazy lady" that had the people i was with checked. most times i don't think they will mess with you. but if they are looking to write a ticket. then they will check about everything they can. or if you are a a$$ and asking for it i am sure they will check

[whacker1]

gotten checked to make sure that we had #11 or musket caps, not 209 and that we were shooting lead bullets (prior to copper being legal), so I can only assume that they would check arrow weight and draw weight for archers if they so fealt the desire to do so.

[blackveltbowhunter]

Thanks for the info Carp. It seems to me alot of guys are aware of the law, most pro shops I have been in actually inform customers if they are gonna be using the setup for hunting. But I hear alot of guys are riding right on the wire, just a couple grains over or a pound heavier on draw weight. I wonder if they have any "fudge" factor built in, it would seem contesting a ticket would be fairly easy if they have nothing to prove the scales are accurate, or calibrated on a regular basis. I personally prefer to shoot way heavy arrows to soak up bow noise and energy, increase KE and momentum, cut down on wind drift, and basically blow through their intended target.

[carpsniperg2]

No prob!!! I like to help as most on here know!!! i agree with your thoughts on the heavy arrow as well. Also yes i bet there is a good chance you could get out of the ticket if you were only under by a few grains or over by a pound or 2. kinda like a radar gun i guess. f you get a ticket for going 1-2 mph over the speed limit. most times i don't think it will stick because of margin of error. but the one  guy i was not with,but know very well. that got the ticket was way way under. he shoot almost the same draw weight as me. he shoots 80 i shoot 83 with my normal hunting bow. his arrow should have been 480 grains per the law. but his arrow was only like 375g so he knew it was coming and did not fight it. he got a ticket for it and just paid it from what i understand. he does not like to talk about it

[JackOfAllTrades]

Checking the draw weight is what really concerns me. Do they draw the bow? Do you? Do you/they nock an arrow? If something malfunctions and the bow dry fires and breaks is the state liable?

I hunted for years with a .44 mag revolver and not once did I ever have an officer want to know if my loads met energy minimums.

Yeah, when they had the minimum energy levels for pistol, I was told by an officer that my 44mag revolver wasn't powerful enough for Elk.  Now, it wasn't scientific, but I touched one of my 300grainers off at a small stump 70yds away with iron sights. I asked him if he'd ever seen a 44mag Super Blackhawk recoil that much.  He had me repeat my question because his ears were ringing too much from my worked up hot load that smashed that stump and blew out much of the backside.

He said to have a good hunt.  

For Bows, I couldn't see why any ethical hunter would want to shoot light arrows on big game. The increased potential of the injured animal getting away would not be worth the risk.  Yeah, I know there's been a lot of game taken with the .22 shot to the head, but you're looking at a higher potential of a precision shot with a rifle. (not that I endorse hunting big game with a .22, and not that I discount some of the accurate archers)

I sort of look at the bow draw weight and arrow weight as sort of a check like that of making sure we're not using trebble hooks in a single barbless hook river. But I think it's a valid question of 'who pulls back the string', since damage can be incurred if not done properly. If I'm on the first day of my hunt, and something happens to my equipment because of a check like this and ruins my hunt, I'm apt to go to court with the state. Anyone heard of something like this happening?

-Steve

[carpsniperg2]

good points, jackofalltrades!!! now that you said it, it is alot like a gamie making you reel in your line to check to make sure there is no bard on your hook if it is not supposed to be there. if you are legal nothing to worry about! and only takes a sec to do as well. as far as them messin up your stuff. i think you are right as well if something happened to your bow. If it was there fault and they messed up you bow because of there check. then i would be taking them to court as well. i am very touchy about my personal rifles and bows. grated i have a lot of guns that everyone shoots as well as bows that clients use. so i am use to the idea of something happening to them. but my personal bow or rifle i don't like anyone to mess with and. in the case of a bow scale. i think if you asked to use it yourself and draw the bow back. they might not mind you doing it. there is not much of a way to mess with the result when they are watching you draw it back. in my case they might thanks me. there is a few gamies around that i don't know if they could pull back my 83lb xforce

[whacker1]

good points, jackofalltrades!!! now that you said it, it is alot like a gamie making you reel in your line to check to make sure there is no bard on your hook if it is not supposed to be there. if you are legal nothing to worry about! and only takes a sec to do as well. as far as them messin up your stuff. i think you are right as well if something happened to your bow. If it was there fault and they messed up you bow because of there check. then i would be taking them to court as well. i am very touchy about my personal rifles and bows. grated i have a lot of guns that everyone shoots as well as bows that clients use. so i am use to the idea of something happening to them. but my personal bow or rifle i don't like anyone to mess with and. in the case of a bow scale. i think if you asked to use it yourself and draw the bow back. they might not mind you doing it. there is not much of a way to mess with the result when they are watching you draw it back. in my case they might thanks me. there is a few gamies around that i don't know if they could pull back my 83lb xforce

I am pretty sure that I would have a hard time drawing 83lb