What is your definition of road hunting?
a3dhunter
9/15/07 6:34pm
I spent 12 days in unit 80 of Colorado hunting elk back when the season opened and one of the things I saw that really upset me was a different kind of road hunter.
Now, I have heard a lot about road hunting and people usually meant driving along until they saw something and then getting out of the vehicle and shooting whatever they were hunting. Some people frown on this and it isn't the way that I like to do things, but for some people they grew up hunting that way.
What I saw was a Chevy flatbed truck with a toolbox on the back that had a kid, maybe 14 or 15 years old, sitting on the toolbox with an arrow nocked while the Dad (or whoever) drove them around on the dirt roads. I saw this same truck doing the same thing on two different weekends and my wife saw another pickup with the same thing going on.
For those that hunt Colorado, you know that you even have to have your bow cased for transport on an atv(although I saw plenty who didn't even do that). It seemed to me this was the equivalent of riding along with a loaded firearm. I never once saw a game warden in this unit and only saw one US Forest service worker who was actually hunting himself.
How many of you have seen something similiar?
Is this what we have to look forward to?
What is the law concerning this type of behavior in Colorado?
Now, I have heard a lot about road hunting and people usually meant driving along until they saw something and then getting out of the vehicle and shooting whatever they were hunting. Some people frown on this and it isn't the way that I like to do things, but for some people they grew up hunting that way.
What I saw was a Chevy flatbed truck with a toolbox on the back that had a kid, maybe 14 or 15 years old, sitting on the toolbox with an arrow nocked while the Dad (or whoever) drove them around on the dirt roads. I saw this same truck doing the same thing on two different weekends and my wife saw another pickup with the same thing going on.
For those that hunt Colorado, you know that you even have to have your bow cased for transport on an atv(although I saw plenty who didn't even do that). It seemed to me this was the equivalent of riding along with a loaded firearm. I never once saw a game warden in this unit and only saw one US Forest service worker who was actually hunting himself.
How many of you have seen something similiar?
Is this what we have to look forward to?
What is the law concerning this type of behavior in Colorado?
14,570
Not sure what CO laws are on that, but I agree with you. Like a loaded weapon, should be ticketed.
These types of folks really chap my rear. How can they call themselves hunters in ANY sense of the word?
Is there any real difference if you drive around, wait till an animal steps into the road, and then hit the gas in an effort to hit it? Would you call THAT hunting? In my opinion there is little difference between the two.
The worse part? The adults driving the rigs are passing this kind of c**p along to thier kids. TEACH THE KIDS RIGHT AND SHOW THEM WHAT THE ESSENCE OF HUNTING REALLY IS!
Get off your rear ends, get a pack, and get away from the roads. That's real hunting!
FYI: I'd take thier license plate number and turn them in the first time I had the opportunity to.
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D. Off - Highway Vehicle (OHV) Weapon Restrictions during Big Game Seasons
1. All firearms, except pistols and revolvers, carried on an OHV during deer, elk, pronghorn or bear season must be fully unloaded (both the chamber and the magazine) and fully enclosed in a hard or soft case (no scabbards or cases with open ends or sides). All bows carried on an OHV during any deer, elk, pronghorn or bear season must be fully enclosed in a hard or soft case (no scabbards or cases with open ends or sides).
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In addition:
4. Hunting with rifles, handguns or shotguns firing a single slug, or archery equipment is prohibited within an area fifty (50) feet on each side of the center line of any state highway or municipal or county road as designated by the county. In the case of a divided road or highway this shall include the entire median area and the fifty (50) feet shall be measured from the center line of both roads.
Additionally, it's illegal in CO to hunt from ANY motorized vehicle, even if it's off an established road. Therefore, even if it WERE legal to have an uncased bow in the rig, it's illegal to hunt from that rig.
As to the law, I know it is not against the law to transport your bow without a case in a vehicle. Weapons do not have to be cased while in a vehicle and you can have shells in a magazine of a rifle while in a moving vehicle, as long as you don't have a shell in the chamber and are not on a highway or in town. Every game warden I have ever talked to said as long as you were on a dirt road outside of city limits you were okay to have shells in the magazine (in Colorado).
The issue concerning me more was the lack of instilling the proper ethics into the child that grows up hunting this way. :>/
Yea, you pretty much said what I've been reading. As long as you are not on a county-maintained road you are OK....BUT, you cannot hunt FROM your rig. Bottom line, they were breaking the law anyway by hunting from thier rig.
Maybe if the kids saw thier dad/uncle/brother or whoever was driving get busted for it they would learn a very good lesson.
o and by the way Hawk i never knew we had to censor out crap. opps wait i mean c**p.lol
Of course, your friend would have been eligible for a handicap exception permit. Each state has thier own regulations pertaining to the physically challenged and most have special permits to hunt from a motorized vehicle, amongst other types of permits.
For example, both NONYA and Elkaholic here at Muleymadness are allowed to use a crossbow or bow-loc in regions where they are normally not allowed.
cuase if they all thaught like us then I'd find 10 people in my holes and hot spots everytime I went out. so thank yor lucky stars for lazy people who keep the big deer just over the next ridge.
Also, it is possible to convert a roadhunter. When I met my husband his family mostly roadhunted, sure they made a few drives and the like, but mostly drove the roads. Heck, they didn't even have slings on their rifles.
But, when he started hanging out with me he started walking, and gained a whole-nother appreciation for what hunting really is.
Since then he has put down the rifle and picked up a bow just so he can spend more "one-on-one" time with the deer and elk.
Last year about this time some kid posted a pic of a 30 in Mule deer he got by riding along in the truck looking for deer. It was a real nice one, even had a picture. I said that he was roadhunting , in a very polite way...of course. He disagreed saying it isnt road hunting if you get out of the truck and off the road. I let it drop then.
Dude, if your riding around on a 4 wheeler or in a truck looking for deer, jumping out and shooting it is ROADHUNTING .....plain and simple ain't no doubt about it.
I do like bigbuckcrazy's attitude though, may just take on that way of looking at it myself...
I disagree with any type of road hunting. Get out of the damn vehicle and go look for them on foot. Hunters with disabilities are the only subject to this rule.
Having said that, I will now wait for the opposing opinion :what-do-u-think
:>/
Mark