Brand new

[TREESTANDMAN]

It is illegal to harvest a bear over any kind of bait I believe. I'm sure that if a F&G officer caught you hunting over peanut butter he would probably assume you were baiting bear and he could cite you. Hunting over salt on the other hand I doubt would be a problem though even though bears like salt.

[TREESTANDMAN]

Shooting a bear over a gut pile is illegal.

[.270]

i mean an animal that a bear has killed.

[TREESTANDMAN]

Still illegal.

[standman]

I went to the G & F last year and asked that very question. They told me that if it happens naturally in the wild then it is legal. I asked this question because I found a dead cow that a bear was feeding off of, and I asked them if it was considered baiting to hunt over it. They told me that if it died naturally in the forest that it is not considered baiting and is legal. Now I don't know if the law has changed since last year but that is what I was told at the Pinetop Regional Office by a game officer.

 

Brian

[.270]

so it's legal, if you can stand the smell, i guess. thanks for the info. you guys ever kill a bear that's been feedin' on a dead animal? oooooeeeee, you're in for a rude awakening when ya start to take care of it. yuuuuuuuuk. Lark.

[TREESTANDMAN]

You will probably get different answers from different officers on that one. I was told using anything for the purpose of baiting bears is illegal wheather it be a natural kill or whatever.

[standman]

Treestandman, you are probably right about getting different answers from officer to officer. I still didn't hunt over the dead cow, I was still leary about being cited for hunting over bait even though I did get an answer from the horses mouth. I have run into game wardens from one part of the state that require you to have your bow or gun in a case if it is in your vehicle or you will be cited for road hunting, while here in the White Mtns you can carry a weapon pretty much any way you want as long as its not loaded. You would think everyone would be on the same page, yet some laws are interpreted differently by different people. Guess its better to check ahead of time in the area you hunt so not to get into trouble.

 

Brian

[.270]

standman, you say you have to have a gun or bow in a case in your vehicle? but in the white mt's it just has to be unloaded? there is no law in Az. about having a loaded gun in a vehicle in a case or not, except for the concealed weapon deal, period. and a pistol in a holster or any other case cannot be considered concealed anywhere in your vehicle. you can have one in the chamber and the safety off. not a wise thing to do, but it is legal. you can pack your rifle in a gunrack, laying in the seat, drag it from the bumper. whatever you want to do. you can't drive around with the barrel poking out the window or ride around in the back of a truck with your bow or rifle ready for action. but if a warden is telling you have to have your gun in a case and unloaded, he's a liar. some years back there was a new law that was very vague and the way it was written, it was basically against the law to leave your house with a weapon. only way you could hunt was to leave your house on foot or a horse, the way it was written. extremely vague and extremely broad. don't know if it is in the book anymore or not. there were some folks cited for riding quads with rifles and the azgfd got it packed in a painful place. in arizona you can pack a gun just about anyplace, as long it isn't concealed and as long as the place doesn't have a rule against it. i.e. a bank or bar or any private establishment that doesn't allow it. it's a constitutional right, called the 2nd ammendment. and Az., so far, hasn't been one of the states that have written laws contrary to it. you can even carry a concealed weapon with a permit. whoever told you this is really wrong and could be in for heck if they try to enforce homemade laws. so far, luckily, Az. has left carrying up to the discretion of the citizen. as long as you're not stupid about what you're doing and aren't threatening anyone, it's pretty hard to break the law here. if you're out spotlighting and have a rifle, you can pretty much plan on getting your gun confiscated. even tho it is perfectly legal. you can go to the JP and get it back, but it will be a hassle. refer back to the stupid deal. as long as you're behaving in a non-menacing way, not hanging a gun out the window, threatening anyone, etc., you can do pretty much what you want in Az. like i said, just don't be stupid. but if wardens really told you this, they aren't telling you the whole story. i ain't a lawyer, but i know what you can and can't do in this state, and what you're saying is contrary to what the law is. Lark.

[standman]

Lark,

 

It has to do with the road hunting law. The warden said that not having the weapon in a case constitutes the ability to take an animal from a vehicle which is road hunting. It's a bunch of crap but we just agreed with him cause he is by our camp everyday and we didn't want to ruin our hunts by having problems with him. So I went up to the Pinetop office and had the rule explained to me. They told me that it is up to the warden to interpret the law the way he wants. That blew my mind. They told me that different regions interpret the laws different ways. Hard for me to understand why they work that way.

 

Brian

[.270]

it ain't up the warden. laws are quite specific. whoever the warden is is a liar and a jerk. Az. has about the most liberal firearm laws in the country. one of the main reasons to live here. and i ain't some 2nd ammendment crazy either. but hunting rules don't supercede the constitution. a guy can always say he has it there for self defense. when was this? i know a couple years ago there was a big push by the game and fish to stop what they figured was road hunting. i have feelings both ways about it. folks should get out and hunt, if they can. but seeing something from the road shouldn't make it illegal to shoot it. step out of the road, like the law says. i get real yanked off at the truck loads of losers during the early bow season or guys quail hunting from the back of a pickup. write those gusy up. but they were giving folks tickets for having guns in their gunracks and while riding 4 wheelers and stuff. i know a couple guys that got busted and they both prevailed. in fact one of had the game warden come to his house and beg him to give him back the ticket. the guys bro in law is a pretty sharp attorney and they were planning a civil rights lawsuit. anyway, he didn't pay a fine and if i ain't mistaken, even got a little $$$ out the azgfd for fees. it just flat isn't against the law to transport a firearm, and that's what this guy is telling you. the way the state law is written, you aren't considered hunting until you shoot at an animal. from what i've been told, it is this way purposely so that there is a hard definition of what is considered to be hunting so that there is a way other than a warden's interpretation to decide guilt. i'm still gonna pack by rifle in my gunrack. Lark.

[Guest Ernesto C]

I personally will not carry a loaded rifle or shot gun on my vehicle,I have read about several accidents that happened because of this: oh I thought it was unloaded or I thoug I had the safety on etc etc. If somebody is going to ride with me they will have to unload their rifles or shot guns before getting in in my vehicle.

 

Now revolvers we use a empty chamber where the hammer is because this guns have no safety,other type of handguns you should have a empty chamber also if you what to ride with me.

 

Also there some wildlife refuges that in there,your rifle/shotgun must be unloaded and inside a case or they must be disassemble while in your vehicle.

 

Just my opinion,take care.

[25-06]

I second your opinion Ernesto C...Terry Lambeth

[GRONG]

I was under the understanding that if you are knowingly hunting over a bait source for bears, regardless of what it is, it is completely illegal. A guy I know killed a bull elk in 21 a bear was feeding on the remains and another elk tagholder killed a bear off the carcass. As far as I know he didn't get in trouble but you wouldn't catch me ever doing that. Those laws were written in a way that they leave it up to, and to quote Mr. Anderson at the Lake Mary AZG&F office, "the discression of the officer in the field". As a licensed guide here in AZ those wacko G&F dudes would try any which way to "make the big bust" and I'm not even gonna tempt myself to do anything those suckers could see as possibly being illegal. I've seen them try to turn and twist too many things into some big deal to trust any of them. I'm not saying they're all this way but be careful of what you do and say in front of those guys, even if you are just being honest with them in a completely naive way, they'll getcha.

 

Josh

[More D]

Good point Josh!