So I watched a you tube video the other night.......

[AKaviator]

I'm not familiar with the laws in Wyoming well enough to say for them, but I don't see any scenario where he would have been legal to shoot from outside his licensed/permitted area, into his area.
But these things can wear you out trying to figure them out. The law makers almost always try to foresee all the scenarios that people can come up with to circumvent the intent of the regulations. Attorney's help with the process. But alas, they can't!

In this guys case, would anyone look at it different based on distance? If he were 10 yards from the boundary when he shot into his area, would it be different if he was 1/2 mile away, shooting into his area?

Different if you were inside his legal hunting area with a valid permit and he shot the buck you were after.

I know that I would not have taken the shot if I were in his shoes.

As a game warden, I likely would cite him, if he shot, and let a judge decide.

As for carrying his rifle, loaded or not, no problem. Almost all of my hunting is done in grizzly country...my rifle is always loaded, unless specifically prohibited by regulation.

 

[Calbuck]

I have a coworker who was ticketed for not reporting a deer that he shot legally in his zone, while he too was in the zone, the animal ran across the unit border before expiring. The ethical thing to do of course is recover your animal. This particular individual was told if he had reported the animal crossing the border and requesting to recover, he would not have been cited. This seems a bit extreme to me, but that is what the GW stated.

 

[bdan68]

Again I can't see any possible reason why it matters. He has a tag valid for the animal in a particular unit, and he shoots an animal in that unit. Who cares if the hunter was standing on the other side of some arbitrary line. The animal was in the unit. Totally legal in my mind. I'm not sure why a game warden would even want to waste time on something dumb like this.

 

[Rich M]

I think what it comes down to is a guy physically hunting while in the wrong unit. he is taking up space in Unit X - glassing spot that a guy with a unit X permit could be occupying.

I never thought of doing that. Could see fine and infraction for it. Also could see a lot of confusion as long range hunter could be say 500 yards inside Unit X while "hunting" Unit Y.

Folks have been known to get in trouble for shooting off fence posts along the roadway inside the unit - I always thought that's why they put em there... Anyway, if that's illegal cause yer 2 feet into the right of way. How is it legal to shoot from within another unit at an animal inside your unit?

This could start a trend and it is one that doesn't need to be started. Could legally use a helicopter or hot air balloon if that is the case.

 

[wy-tex]

Hard back from my GW contact, this has been debated by GWs here in Wyoming and their consensus is as of now it would be legal as long as you do not shoot across private property and the animal is in the area you have a licenses for.

 

[Kevin W]

With Wy-Tex 's post I see nothing wrong with posting the video for all to see as of now it's legal.

 

[mallardsx2]

Very interesting response from the GW.

As far as the video goes: It seems like a pretty standard old fashioned shit show...reminding me of why I prefer to archery hunt.

 

[BKC]

That is really odd, I wonder why those elk were always spooked? That guy has quite the collection of hunting hats/caps.

 

[wy-tex]

The GW I corresponded with forwarded my email to another GW and they concurred. Legal.

 

[HuskyMusky]

to add on to your post...!

a buddy of mine years ago was in I think CO.....but hunting WY....something like the local road I think dipped into CO at that point etc... he was trying to look up the regs etc....for legality about yes similar....having a WY tag....shooting it in WY the correct unit etc.... but from CO....

he ended up passing/not getting a shot, but never could find the exact reg....

 

[JimP]

We used to hunt deer a area in the Utah Book Cliffs that you could only access from Colorado.

One day as we were coming out of the canyon we spotted a small buck and since my nephew wanted a deer I stopped my truck so that he could get out and shoot it. He walked over to a edge of a ravine a short ways off of the road and shot the deer. When I got back to the truck I saw that there was another truck waiting for me to get out of the way so that he could drive up it. I pulled down to the truck and it was a Utah DWR truck. The first thing that he asked me was "Are you hunting?" Now you have to understand that my truck has Colorado plates on it. I told him that I had already shot my buck the day before, he then asked for my license which I showed to him. It was a Utah Lifetime hunting license which gave me a general deer tag every year along with small game and fishing. My nephew and brother in law were now down at the deer and hollered up if the officer wanted them to come up so that he could check their licenses also. The officer said that he would drive down to them since they were on the side of a gas well platform.

After checking the licenses and everything else he mentioned that he usually ticketed a couple of Colorado hunters every year for hunting in Utah up that canyon. He also mentioned that the first thing that he will ask when he sees a hunter is "Are you hunting" and if they say yes he will start to reel them in for hunting in the wrong state.

Over the next couple of years we saw him working that canyon and all he would do with us would be to wave as we drove past him..