An Airplane Stole My Coyotes!

[CoryTDF]

Ok first let me start by saying that I’m not trying to start a huge internet battle I just want some answers. Yesterday I was out coyote hunting in an area that I go to quite often. In the past few months I have noticed that calling has been less than productive. Well, on this day I stopped into talk with one of the farmers whose land I hunt and as we are talking a small yellow Super Cub plane lands in the field across the road. The pilot gets out and comes over to us. Not wanting to keep him from business I bid the farmer farewell and commented as I walked away that we were going to go get some coyotes. Well the pilot says “hey that’s what we are out doing” I laughed and said man I wish. He walked over to me and said “no seriously, we shoot them with shotguns” I was like  “What? Are you government guys? Is that even legal?” he told me that as long as you have land owner permission and that you are doing pest control for the farmer it was. Now I’m not a hundred percent on this but I thought that you could not hunt anything within 24 hours of flying??? I have heard of government guys doing this from helicopters but not just your average Joe from an airplane. Anyway, he was nice enough and said he would stay away from where I wanted to go but then proceeded to tell me that he got 13 coyotes over the weekend! No freaking wonder the hunting has been slow. Don’t get me wrong if it is legal I think it would be a blast to go up in a plane and shotgun coyotes but it does kinda suck that now my hunting is going in the pooper because of this type of hunting. What are all your thoughts?

[bobcat]

My thought is I would add him to your Coyote Madness team!   

[denali]

USDA preditor control would be my guess.  -   sorry you still have to sit on the frozen ground and call them one at a time 

[Caseyd]

I think the flying rule only applies to big game

[CoryTDF]

USDA preditor control would be my guess.  -   sorry you still have to sit on the frozen ground and call them one at a time 

Guy told me he is not on governemnt contract nor does he work for them. He is just a guy who likes to shoot dogs.

[bearpaw]

I'm very sorry to hear your honey hole is getting arial pressure, that's a bummer for you. 

If it was me I would try to find another good area, there are plenty of yotes in WA.

I can't imagine the guy would openly tell you about it if it was illegal. If legal I think it's great they are thinning them out, send them up to Stevens County. 

Almost forgot, I agree, get him on your team....

[bobcat]

I really don't believe it's legal but I wish there were more people out there doing it! There is a law that you can't hunt on the same day you were airborne, except for a commercial flight, but that only applies to big game.

But there is also a law (look at #5, page 70) that says "using aircraft, boats, or motor driven vehicles to pursue, concentrate, or harass wildlife is prohibited."

Maybe this doesn't apply, because coyotes are not a protected species? I'm not sure. But they are still "wildlife".

I think you need to read the actual RCW or WAC that applies to answer this question.

[CoryTDF]

I'm very sorry to hear your honey hole is getting arial pressure, that's a bummer for you. 

If it was me I would try to find another good area, there are plenty of yotes in WA.

I can't imagine the guy would openly tell you about it if it was illegal. If legal I think it's great they are thinning them out, send them up to Stevens County. 

Almost forgot, I agree, get him on your team....

Thinning them out is right i just want to get my ish. He was a nice guy and like you said i dont think he ould just come out and tell me if he was not on the up and up. I sure would like to get up there and try that some day.

[C-Money]

They fly our farm in Oregon and blast coyotes, but it is Fish & Wildlife that does it. They even let us know how many they kill most of the time. As far as civilians blasting preditors from an aircraft,  .

[bearpaw]

maybe bigtex can weigh in, i bet he knows the answer.... 

[GoldTip]

It's a coyote, personally I don't care how they get killed, as long as they do it legally.  My bet is that he is with USDA wildlife control, he just wasn't telling you that.

[JohnVH]

if your curious, contact the game dept. I thought it was a no no also, Im a pilot and have had people ask me to do this and I turned them down.

[LittleJohn]

The land I hunt in Yakima gets flown every late winter before the calves drop. Perfectly legal!! I call the land owner before I make the drive from the west side. Been going on for years. Its pretty cool to watch, It totally screws the hunting, but the farmers save allot of calves.

[CoryTDF]

if your curious, contact the game dept. I thought it was a no no also, Im a pilot and have had people ask me to do this and I turned them down.

Tought about that but i dont want to get anybody in trouble. It's coyotes they need to die! if it was anyting else... i just dont want to get this guy into trouble he was nice enough and i really could care less if he shoots the crap out of those nasty little critters. The only thing that i'm bummed about is that there are less for me to shoot.

[bearpaw]

The land I hunt in Yakima gets flown every late winter before the calves drop. Perfectly legal!! I call the land owner before I make the drive from the west side. Been going on for years. Its pretty cool to watch, It totally screws the hunting, but the farmers save allot of calves.

    just wished I was doing it... 

[bearpaw]

Cory you should have asked to ride along.... 

[CoryTDF]

Cory you should have asked to ride along.... 

I did in a way. I asked how much he charged to take poeple. He just gave me a dismissive laugh.

[LittleJohn]

I was told by the land owner that quite a few of the cattle farmers pitch in and hire the pilot, plane, and gunner. Guy I talked to uses a 10 gauge semi auto with buck shot. Said its like shooting fish in a barrel. They usually fly it before the breeding season, and the calves drop.

[iusmc2002]

I know a coworker that paid around $150 to go heli hunting in Oregon.  He and his friend switched off filming it, but I can't find it on youtube.  It was private land and they had a blast (pun intended).  He brought a semi- 10 gauge, and his buddy brought an AK.  Sounded like fun!

[JohnVH]

$150 to ride in a heli is cheap, they rent for $250+++++++ an hour

[Austrian Hunter]

$150 to ride in a heli is cheap, they rent for $250+++++++ an hour

  I paid a $1000 an hour to fly a golf course 

[flinger]

Vehicle=any means in or by which someone travels or something is carried or conveyed; a means of conveyance or transport: a motor vehicle; space vehicles
Is it legal to shoot from a vehicle Moving or not???
Loaded Firearms in a Vehicle
It is illegal to carry, convey, transport, possess,
or control a loaded shotgun or rifle in or on any
motor vehicle. A rifle or shotgun containing shells
or cartridges in either the chamber or magazine, or
a muzzleloading firearm that is loaded and capped
or primed is considered loaded

[Caseyd]

Time to go to Texas 

http://www.cedarridgeaviation.com/2011HeliHogPhotos.html

[bigtex]

Airborne hunting is a federal offense under the Airborne Hunting Act. However there are some exceptions to this federal law: "shall not apply to any person if such person is employed by, or is an authorized agent of or is operating under a license or permit of, any State or the United States to administer or protect or aid in the administration or protection of land, water, wildlife, livestock, domesticated animals, human life, or crops, and each such person so operating under a license or permit shall report to the applicable issuing authority each calendar quarter the number and type of animals so taken."

http://www.fws.gov/le/pdffiles/Airborne%20Hunting.pdf

So basically the animal must be doing some type of damage in order for a permit to be issued. I know Texas just recently made it legal to hunt pigs from the air because of the damage they have been causing. So it is 100% a damage issue, not just a "hey i wanna go coyote shooting today" thing. Also in WA, coyotes as far as commercial damage/trapping goes are managed by the US Dept of Agriculture.

[Special T]

Well if i saw some hedge hopper blasting away with a 12 ga I sure as heck wouldn't call it in!

[bearpaw]

I was told by the land owner that quite a few of the cattle farmers pitch in and hire the pilot, plane, and gunner. Guy I talked to uses a 10 gauge semi auto with buck shot. Said its like shooting fish in a barrel. They usually fly it before the breeding season, and the calves drop.

I bet it was a gov shooter that cory ran into, otherwise why would the guy land and come talk to the landowner. 

I know a guy who does this gov work in Montana for many years now, they fly a couple days a week wherever they get sent. He says it's a blast, (pun intended).

[high country]

Bud konkle is my hero. Wolf shootinist sumbitch out of a super cub ever to live.

[Special T]

I know there is a guy out of othello that does that. (gov control gunning)

[MtnMuley]

You got what was coming to you for messing around in my yote area!

[JJB11B]

Hey Cory was that out on Dunham's place?

[Jerry malbeck]

Totally Legal , Sorry for the Bad news .

[CoryTDF]

Not going to say where it was john...... ya  DB! Then all of HW will be out there with the plane! As far as callin him in i was not going to do it wither way. It's nice to know that he was on the up and up if i ever track him down again i'll try and hitch a ride.

[Gringo31]

They do it around here every year, usually around late Feb early March.  They average about 7/hour.  Last year they flew the property line (where I hunt) one afternoon and decided to go back to where they had a little better hunting the day before

[Swag]

I spoke to a friend of mine who is a usda control agent. they are runing a ariel gunning program this year but they're currently only working in the washtucna kolotis area. they have heard of this pilot that you are speaking of doing some of his own gunning, he told me that as long as he has the land owners permission it is perfectly legal because he is acting up on the owners be half.

[BOWHUNTER45]

My thought is I would add him to your Coyote Madness team!   

MINE 

[Axle]

"shall not apply to any person if such person is employed by, or is an authorized agent..........

hmmmmmm, Agent Axle at your service. 

[400out]

Not going to say where it was john...... ya  DB! Then all of HW will be out there with the plane! As far as callin him in i was not going to do it wither way. It's nice to know that he was on the up and up if i ever track him down again i'll try and hitch a ride.

sounds like he should be easy to find  maybe not catch    

[Bob33]

Vehicle=any means in or by which someone travels or something is carried or conveyed; a means of conveyance or transport: a motor vehicle; space vehicles
Is it legal to shoot from a vehicle Moving or not???
Loaded Firearms in a Vehicle
It is illegal to carry, convey, transport, possess,
or control a loaded shotgun or rifle in or on any
motor vehicle. A rifle or shotgun containing shells
or cartridges in either the chamber or magazine, or
a muzzleloading firearm that is loaded and capped
or primed is considered loaded

Fyi boats are not considered motor vehicles, so not everything that moves under power is.

[WARHORSE]

oh i hate my job i gotta wake up go to the airport fly around and shoot coyotes all day dang i wish i just and a normal job 8-5 mon - fri sittn at a desk all day 
lol sign me up!!!! i would work for way less then minamum wage!!!

[400out]

Vehicle=any means in or by which someone travels or something is carried or conveyed; a means of conveyance or transport: a motor vehicle; space vehicles
Is it legal to shoot from a vehicle Moving or not???
Loaded Firearms in a Vehicle
It is illegal to carry, convey, transport, possess,
or control a loaded shotgun or rifle in or on any
motor vehicle. A rifle or shotgun containing shells
or cartridges in either the chamber or magazine, or
a muzzleloading firearm that is loaded and capped
or primed is considered loaded

Fyi boats are not considered motor vehicles, so not everything that moves under power is.

under it's own power! If you kill the engine on a boat then firer then it's a no no but if it's stoped and or is drifting then you ok.

[Bob33]

Vehicle=any means in or by which someone travels or something is carried or conveyed; a means of conveyance or transport: a motor vehicle; space vehicles
Is it legal to shoot from a vehicle Moving or not???
Loaded Firearms in a Vehicle
It is illegal to carry, convey, transport, possess,
or control a loaded shotgun or rifle in or on any
motor vehicle. A rifle or shotgun containing shells
or cartridges in either the chamber or magazine, or
a muzzleloading firearm that is loaded and capped
or primed is considered loaded

Fyi boats are not considered motor vehicles, so not everything that moves under power is.

under it's own power! If you kill the engine on a boat then firer then it's a no no but if it's stoped and or is drifting then you ok.

The point is that a boat is never a "motor vehicle".  If it were, you could never had a loaded gun on it, even when stopped.