Hunting Washington Forum

Big Game Hunting => Out Of State Hunting => Topic started by: EmeraldBullet on August 19, 2016, 07:31:35 PM

Title: Dream Hunt, might be illegal?
Post by: EmeraldBullet on August 19, 2016, 07:31:35 PM: I know Washington doesn't allow you to hunt from aircraft (in fact, if you were air born, you aren't allowed to hunt big game for the rest of that day).

Do any states allow hunting from an aircraft? I don't wanna be the guy that circles a heard of animals in a heli and whipes them all out. BUT, my little bro got his pilots license for hot air balloons and I was thinking it would be pretty neat to shoot a grizzly from a balloon in Alaska or something like that. Anyone know offhand if this type of hunting would be legal in any state? I know I need to do my diligence but I was wondering if it's even worth investigating further or just write it off. Thanks for the help.
Title: Re: Dream Hunt, might be illegal?
Post by: JimmyHoffa on August 19, 2016, 07:36:54 PM: hogs in Texas
Title: Re: Dream Hunt, might be illegal?
Post by: Special T on August 19, 2016, 07:37:29 PM: Hog hunt in TX and some other states... don't think you can kill coyotes that way here. Arial gunning of wolves WAS commonplace in AK. Semi autos out the plane window helped the moose population a bunch.
Title: Re: Dream Hunt, might be illegal?
Post by: bigtex on August 19, 2016, 07:42:52 PM: It's actually a federal law (Airborne Hunting Act). Basically the law says shooting any bird/fish/animal from an aircraft is illegal. The law then allows for some exceptions such as for the protection of life, crops, property, etc. This why some states allow airborne hog hunting.

Even though it's a federal law it is up to each state to authorize the activity. The state then has to report the authorization to the US Fish & Wildlife Service.
Title: Re: Dream Hunt, might be illegal?
Post by: Special T on August 19, 2016, 07:45:39 PM: @bigtex was that one of the contributing factors in outlawing Arial wolf hunting in AK?
Title: Re: Dream Hunt, might be illegal?
Post by: bigtex on August 19, 2016, 08:01:48 PM: Quote from: Special T on August 19, 2016, 07:45:39 PM
@bigtex was that one of the contributing factors in outlawing Arial wolf hunting in AK?
One of the exceptions in the federal law is that airborne hunting can be legal for the protection of wildlife (as well as crops, property, etc.) Alaska ran with it as a "wildlife management" activity for the protection of wildlife. Where Alaska screwed up in the PR world is they let regular citizen hunters partake in the "wildlife management" activity. That gave the animal rights groups a ton of steam. It wasn't the Alaska Fish & Game biologist going up and shooting wolves (for the most part), it was citizen hunters. So that's why these groups said it's not a "wildlife management" activity but just plain old airborne hunting.
Title: Re: Dream Hunt, might be illegal?
Post by: EmeraldBullet on August 19, 2016, 08:31:16 PM: Thanks guys, good to know. Seems like a pipe dream unless I get a special permit.
Title: Re: Dream Hunt, might be illegal?
Post by: EmeraldBullet on August 19, 2016, 08:33:26 PM: I have to also say, seeing the videos of peeps killing entire packs from a circling helicopter was pretty distasteful. Not hunting at all. More like exterminating.

Difference between a balloon and a heli or plane is the limited horizontal control. I guess the law though doesn't take anything like that into account. You only get more regulations no matter what you do, never less. Anyone here think 2 generations from now people will be able to fly a balloon or fire a rifle, I sure don't think they will...