Taking your dog with you while road hunting

[thebuckshow]

So Nait, your driving in the bush... going really slow so your dog can smell things in the woods as you drive by them... and he barks... you didn't see what he barked at, but you decide to jump out, assuming (and by assuming, I mean hoping) it was a bear. You walk into the woods, and just so happen to stumble on a bear and shoot it. First off, I don't think anyone would be able to prove that actually happened, if they saw it, and if they saw it, I don't think anyone would beleive it anyways. So I would say that scenario would have to be legal, seeing as that the dog did not accompany you on the "hunt". Driving in your vehicle with a gun, ammo, and tags does not mean you are hunting. Most guys on here drive to work everyday with all of that in their vehicles. If they also happen to have their dog in their vehicles on the drive, does that all of a sudden become hunting? Or illegal in some way?

[Jimboy]

Originally Posted by nait hadya

you didn't answer the questions so i'll go on a bit of a tangent.

If your driving dear hubby around looking for game you are assisting in his hunt. If you are spotting game for him you are assisting in his hunt. Being old and fragile he probably needs help dragging,gutting etc,that would be assisting in his hunt.

All ready established that driving around in the truck with an uncased weapon
looking for game is hunting.

nope

[Tony_S]

Originally Posted by Nait Hadya

they have superior senses can alert you to the presence of game.

Soooo....by your logic and interpretation(which I believe is Bu...uhm, nonsense)

Nait is sitting in his kitchen one morning, drinking coffee and reading the morning paper and Pookie, his teacup Shih Tzu runs into the kitchen, up to the window and lets out a whimper. Nait turns his head to look out the window only to see THE world record Whitetail buck, 50 yards out. He's eating apples out of the tree, oblivious to the world.....BUT.......Pookie was an accomplice! He alerted Nait to the presence of game! Nait can only let out a big sigh and go back to the morning paper....
Damn that Pookie!

[emrich-55]

Nait is sitting in his kitchen one morning, drinking coffee and reading the morning paper and Pookie, his teacup Shih Tzu runs into the kitchen, up to the window and lets out a whimper. Nait turns his head to look out the window only to see THE world record Whitetail buck, 50 yards out. He's eating apples out of the tree, oblivious to the world.....BUT.......Pookie was an accomplice! He alerted Nait to the presence of game! Nait can only let out a big sigh and go back to the morning paper....
Damn that Pookie![/QUOTE]


This exact thing happened to me last week but it was a B&C moose.

HAHA, one of the funniest posts i have read. Thanks for the morning laugh.

[Nait Hadya]

Originally Posted by thebuckshow

So Nait, your driving in the bush... going really slow so your dog can smell things in the woods as you drive by them... and he barks... you didn't see what he barked at, but you decide to jump out, assuming (and by assuming, I mean hoping) it was a bear. You walk into the woods, and just so happen to stumble on a bear and shoot it. First off, I don't think anyone would be able to prove that actually happened, if they saw it, and if they saw it, I don't think anyone would beleive it anyways. So I would say that scenario would have to be legal, seeing as that the dog did not accompany you on the "hunt". Driving in your vehicle with a gun, ammo, and tags does not mean you are hunting.....

don't have to drive especially slow for him to locate "game".

don't have to see what he barks at,he's a trained bear hound.

don't care about proving,poachers are the only ones concerned of proving.

I said I was bear hunting,say.... driving lease roads, not HWY-1A, guns,ammo,hound,trackers,everything. my intent is to hunt bear,without releasing my hound from the truck.

so,the hunt only happens when i step out of a vehicle,onto lands i can legally hunt on, load a weapon,follow a track or setout in the search of said game. i can search for game 24/7 in the truck or atv using any means without evoking the wildlife act,based on your opinions.

you should do some reading on hounds and their abilities. now that SRD has said,according to an expert,no one with a hound in their truck is hunting, i don't expect to have any issues anywhere in alberta.

don't think the law was written in regards to a ****zu, has srd has exempted any canines based on breed. if so,that is not written in law.

[buckbrushoutdoors]

Nait back away from the bong and gather some common sense. Going off on some make believe tangent is not what the OP asked. I'm really glad you posted pictures of your truck I soon hope to meet you!

[jaylow?]

Originally Posted by Nait Hadya

a hound locating a track by scent is hunting,in it's purest form. senerio ..as we drive along he's looking for bear with his nose, im looking for bear with my eyes,guns in the truck,bullets and tags in my pocket....why does that not meet the definition of hunting and accompanied by,or does it.

is this what you did or are we still talking about the op? what the hell are you even talking about anymore? did you do this?

[super7mag]

Originally Posted by buckbrushoutdoors

Nait back away from the bong and gather some common sense. Going off on some make believe tangent is not what the OP asked. I'm really glad you posted pictures of your truck I soon hope to meet you!

You summed up well what I was thinking as well. Getting a little paranoid Nait.

[happy honker]

Is the o/p bear hunting with a bear hound?
Sounds like an old man with his dog along for company ?

If anything like my dads dog, he's probably in the back seat sleeping and farting when dad spots a deer/chicken .

[Nait Hadya]

Originally Posted by happy honker

Is the o/p bear hunting with a bear hound?
Sounds like an old man with his dog along for company ?

If anything like my dads dog, he's probably in the back seat sleeping and farting when dad spots a deer/chicken .

didn't say,why would it matter if they were? the law speaks directly to hunting big game and canines,nothing else.

[curtisb]

Grab the gun, grab the dog, grab the old man and go for a drive.
Wish him luck from the fellas on the AO forum!

If I had any advice...
I'd say shoot a small one, and make sure it's closer to the road than too far - because unless you've got a big dog and a pulling harness the old fella may struggle getting the meat home to the deepfreeze.


DO NOT listen to a word Nait said (this would be a constructive thread if the mods deleted every single one of his posts...), leave the conspiracy theories in politics, where they belong, and pretend you didn't read them lol.

[happy honker]

In defence of Nait....that law could probably use a bit of clarification or revision.
I understand why the law in in place and agree with that.
I would certainly hope that discretion and common sense by the officer would come into play.

My dad road hunts deer with his old lab for company.
He's a road hunter now because after years as an iron worker his knees are bone on bone, walking is no longer an option, but he still burns to get out and hunt.

Good luck to you and your dad. I'm sure he greatly appreciates you driving him around.

[Nait Hadya]

careful of those opinions that have hidden agendas. i talked to so and so, got a letter from yada yada, guy on the web said i could do it....LMAO

[KegRiver]

Actually Nait may be right about this. Although I doubt that F&W would make an issue of it given the scenario presented in the OP. At least I don't think the ones I know would.


The letter of the law suggests otherwise however.
To quote the regulations pamphlet;

It is unlawful to:
4. be accompanied by a dog while hunting big game

I find nothing there about it being permissible if the dog is actively assisting or not. With the exception of Cougar hunting.

The written statutes may clarify the matter but for most hunters, the regulations pamphlet is what we use therefor it seems that the safest course is to leave the dog at home.

When in doubt and all that,,,,,

[dieselboy20]

Originally Posted by Nait Hadya

careful of those opinions that have hidden agendas. i talked to so and so, got a letter from yada yada, guy on the web said i could do it....LMAO

Been awhile since you shot something Nait? I suggest you get out and get some fresh air and stop being an internet politician....

[pickrel pat]

not sure i would chance it...... fish cop has a bad day and charges you..... go to court and the judge is not a hunter and dispises hunters......big azz fine and lost hunting priveleges.......big grey area here folks. Nait may be on to something here.

[flygirrl]

Originally Posted by KegRiver

Actually Nait may be right about this. Although I doubt that F&W would make an issue of it given the scenario presented in the OP. At least I don't think the ones I know would.


The letter of the law suggests otherwise however.
To quote the regulations pamphlet;



I find nothing there about it being permissible if the dog is actively assisting or not. With the exception of Cougar hunting.

The written statutes may clarify the matter but for most hunters, the regulations pamphlet is what we use therefor it seems that the safest course is to leave the dog at home.

When in doubt and all that,,,,,

The way I see it is that the dog is in the truck. Once the deer/animal is down you are no longer hunting and unless someone or f&w saw the dog actively engaged in the hunt than it would be very hard to prove. We never allow her out of the truck to run around unless the gun is in the case and locked up in the work box.
I think there is a point as stated above and on a bad f&w day there may be a ticket, I think if it ever went to court it would be thrown out. Am I willing to chance it, yup.
Thanks for all the ideas though, even nait hadya although he rambled on like he has old timers disease .

[rugatika]

Didn't read all the posts in here. I called Fish and Wildlife about this last year when we were elk hunting, and got a call back from a CO. As long as the dog is in the truck, or on a leash if you need to let her out to do her business....no worries.

Sounds like this is one thing all CO's that quite a few members have talked to agree on...unless we all just happened to talk to the same CO.

[Nait Hadya]

amazing isn't it, how someone who poses a question suddenly becomes an expert.

so,we have various opinions from CO's that if out of the vehicle,it should be leashed.

we have had various accounts of guys riding into their backcountry camp on horseback,with their weapons and the pooch tagging along. still not hunting,,,still not accompanied.....LMAO

the fact that you have not been charged does not impy your legal,just that we aint caught you yet....LMAO

Nothing illegal about your dog going into hunting camp with you....again, from the head of enforcement in Alberta.

[Nait Hadya]

Originally Posted by rugatika

....I called Fish and Wildlife about this last year when we were elk hunting, and got a call back from a CO. As long as the dog is in the truck, or on a leash......

.

[flygirrl]

Originally Posted by Nait Hadya

amazing isn't it, how someone who poses a question suddenly becomes an expert.

so,we have various opinions from CO's that if out of the vehicle,it should be leashed.

we have had various accounts of guys riding into their backcountry camp on horseback,with their weapons and the pooch tagging along. still not hunting,,,still not accompanied.....LMAO

the fact that you have not been charged does not impy your legal,just that we aint caught you yet....LMAO

There is only one thing I am an expert on and that is being female. As far as everything else goes it is my opinion only.
As far as being leashed, not.
I was told the dog has to be actively participating in the hunt to be considered hunting or accompanying you. Unlike some people i did contact f&w about this issue and i do consider them the experts on the subject. And you AIN'T going to ever catch me because me dog AIN'T hunting with me.

[Nait Hadya]

Originally Posted by flygirrl

....as I do not trust these guys on a bad day.....

.

[Salavee]

Just don't have a dog with you if you are hunting Big Game on foot or off an OHV and you are good to go. However, three Blueticks in the truck may look a bit suspicious and will likely draw a couple of questions. Cougar in season being the exception.

[flygirrl]

That's right, I don't, and your splitting hairs. Will be interesting if we were charged, will cost F&W lots to prosecute because I would take it to the limit. Yes, i do know it will cost me, there is always a cost. Will let you know though if it does happen.
Anyway, was out driving the dear old fart around this morning with the mutt and spied this one looking at us.

[flygirrl]

THE Culprit

[Salavee]

Originally Posted by flygirrl
....as I do not trust these guys on a bad day.....



That's kinda fuuny. .. but perhaps it's not a simple matter of trust .

Most CO's are pretty good guys. but even good guys can have bad days. Some individuals they often deal with are far from pleasant and go to no end to aggravate a simple situation.. making for a bad CO day. Often the anwser for these individuals is a ticket for some type of infraction that would otherwise be ignored or at worst a warning being issued. Whether or not the ticket is paid or a Court appearance is scheduled (even with little or no chance of a conviction), a message has been sent. For all the time and expense involved for the offender in dealing with the infraction - win , lose or draw, some CO's are determined to get thier point across..
Everyone has heard the stories of needless tickets, "bogus" charges and so on. No doubt some are true. I'm thinking most are warrented.
Does anyone have any CO Horror stories they would like to share ?

[walking buffalo]

Well done Fly.


Coco performed Grizzly bear watch while we quartered and hiked this guy out of the bush a few days ago. The bull was killed at 7pm, it took us until 4 in the morning to get it all out.

She wasn't "hunting".


A short while ago, I ran into a Grizzly boar about 500 yards from where the moose dropped. Having the dog stand guard while we prepped the moose in the dark made a huge difference in mental comfort and safety, Instead of constantly watching over a shoulder (not that it would do any good in pitch black) or stopping work to listen for danger, I could just focus on the task at hand. If anything suspicious came near us, the dog would have let us know.


Without having the dog along for the recovery, there is no way this moose would have been retrieved that night. Instead it would have been gutted and left until the next morning, with the very high risk of losing the meat to wolves or black and grizzly bears.

Thanks for the help Coco.

[Rovin]

Originally Posted by flygirrl

THE Culprit

I take my 2 labs while hunting deer. I also carry a shotgun and a rifle. When I go for a walk with the rifle, they stay in the truck. I carry a shotgun when i let them out of the truck. This is upland bird hunting!!!!!!!

[flygirrl]

Really for the most part I have found most CO's to be polite. As F&W officers. Only had one C O ask me for picture ID one day while fishing, I produced my fishing license and asked him were in the regulations does it state that I need picture ID . He went back to his vehicle and left. Another time CO again said he would confiscate all bait from the kids at Medicine Lake, I told him he needed to read up on his Reg's before he tried to enforce it, he came back and apologized . And no I don't trust rules that are left up to interpretation. We all see things different and we all have an opinion on things, some more than others. But this is for another thread Salavee.