.270 Report post Posted September 13, 2004 went to the mt's and did a lot of rifle-less elk hunting. some friends have the early bull hunt and we've been spending a lot of time looking. did some spotlighting 2 different nights. pretty much stayed to the main roads. no rifles. (even though it isn't illegal, but is pretty stupid). anyway, with all the discussion lately about baiting, roadhunting, etc., is it legal to spotlight? there are some new 'game harrasment' laws on the books. could spotlighting be considered harassment? we didn't chase anything around. hardly anything we saw payed us much attention. my question is, with all this "it's up to the game warden" stuff, can they say you're harrassing wildlife when you're spotlighting? anyone have an opinion or an experience with this? saw several other folks out with the one eyed dog too. Az. has some of the easiest rules when it comes to spotlighting, especially when compared to utah and new mex, but i'm just wondering if the wildlife harassment rules could apply? Lark. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
coueshunter Report post Posted September 13, 2004 Lark, I know spotlighting is still legal without guns in your vehicle. I dont know if AZGFD is going to keep this legal in the future but for this year its still legal......AT.... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
.270 Report post Posted September 13, 2004 thanks for the reply. just wondering. there are so many things to consider here. you can spotlight racoons and bullfrogs, but can't take them with a light hooked to a vehicle. driving at night, i see animals frequently, and usually have a gun with me. is that illegal? had a game warden tell me once that it isn't illegal to spotlight with a rifle in the vehicle. he said that you would probably have your rifle confiscated, but would get it back and pay no fine. he said spotlights were a legal tool and carrying a gun in your truck is pretty much legal. combining the 2 made a situation that did raise eyebrows, but didn't neccesarily mean laws were going to be broken. there is a thing called "intent" that has to be proven in most illegal hunting cases. and don't think for a second that i'm advocating spotlighting with a rifle in the truck. doesn't look good for sure, but doesn't neccesarily mean you're attempting to break the law. utah says you can't alter the path of your vehicle to shine the headlights an animal if you have a firearm. if you do, it's the same as poaching. new mex says you're poaching if you are spotlighting and have a gun and can confiscate your vehicle and everything in it. both states have had some major fights over some zealous ticketing. heard one story about a farmer irrigating in new mex at night. was out shoveling in the light of his spotlight and had a .22 in the truck that he'd been shooting gofers with and was ticketed. i see some things happening that worry me, as far as laws and all this talk about it "being up the game warden" whether something is illegal or not really bugs me. and there have a been a couple pretty vague laws inacted lately that seem to maybe give them some real broad authority. i guess what bothers me most is that it seems like game wardens and the usfs cops are sorta running around acting like everyone is a criminal, they just haven't all got caught yet. Lark. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
