09-14-2007, 03:10 AM
In the course of planning a hunting trip, it's easy to overlook a lot of things. I've gone hunting and forgotten game bags, knives, matches, clothing, food and various camping gear. I even know a guy who forgot his rifle, another who forgot his ammo and yet another who brought the wrong ammo for the wrong rifle.
But there are a few things we should never forget-- those things that ensure we stay legal when out in the field.
At the top of the list is bring, and reading, the regulations. I won't go into detail on all game regulations and potential violations in this piece, but here are a few of the more common violations and what you can do to make sure everything is as it should be when you go on your hunting trip.
It goes without saying that you need to remember to bring your license. If you received your license in the mail sign it"¦but don't sign the carcass coupon until you kill your animal (more on tagging later) or the landowner coupon until you turn it over to the landowner. You also need to remember to get the necessary stamp(s). For all big game hunters, stamps include one conservation stamp which will cover all licenses. In other words, if you have an elk, deer, small game, antelope and annual fishing license, you only need one stamp. You will need an elk stamp only if you are hunting any of the 26 elk hunt units in the western part of the state. These areas number in the 70s, 80s and 90s. The elk regulations list the specific areas where this stamp is required.
Once you kill your animal, you need to complete the tagging process. This means signing the carcass coupon, detaching it from the license and cutting out the entire wedge for the month and day of the kill. The coupon needs to be left attached to the animal before leaving the site of the kill, but you can put it in your pocket to prevent its loss during transport.
After your animal is taken, you will of course do the necessary field dressing. There are a few things to keep in mind when going through this process. If your license or hunt area requires you to take a specific sex of animal, the law requires you leave evidence of sex naturally attached to the carcass. Leaving the head attached can satisfy this requirement, but this may be cumbersome, especially if the animal has to be packed very far. The requirement is satisfied by leaving the sex organs attached to the carcass. This can be accomplished by leaving the testicles or female organs attached to a quarter of meat. If you want to bone out the meat and put it in a cooler, put a chunk of meat with a piece of hide and organs attached in a plastic bag and keep it all in the cooler with your boned out meat. The plastic bag will keep hair off the other meat while keeping the meat with organs attached from spoiling until you get home.
We also get asked about regulations concerning firearms and vehicles. It is not illegal to keep a fully loaded gun in your vehicle, but just because it's not illegal doesn't mean it's a smart thing to do. There are only a handful of hunting accidents in Wyoming each year, but a disproportionate number of them involve loaded guns in vehicles. In all the years I've hunted, I can honestly say that not having a loaded gun in my pickup ever cost me a shot at a game animal. Still, on the matter of vehicles and firearms, you should be aware that it is against Wyoming law to shoot from a vehicle. This means it's just as illegal to shoot from the seat of your 4-wheeler as it is from the window of your truck. It is also illegal to shoot from, on, or across a public road. This includes the area inside a fenced right of way and the adjacent ditch.
In a typical hunting situation you may be driving down a public road and spot something you want to go after. To do this legally, you must get out of the vehicle and walk off the road and get on the other side of the fence or ditch before shooting. This regulation applies to all land status. Whether the land on the other side of the right of way or ditch is public or private, it is still illegal to shoot from the public road right of way even if you have permission to hunt that land. And unless you have a handicapped hunter permit, it is always illegal to shoot from your vehicle. Game wardens issue numerous citations each year for shooting from vehicles or roadways.
And finally, your hunting license allows you to hunt and take an animal for yourself. It does not allow you to "fill" the tag of another member in your group. Over the years, I've heard many stories of "party hunting," or shooting game for other people. It doesn't happen with any of the people I hunt with, and those that have suggested it are no longer a part of our group.
There are numerous other laws and regulations. While some of the laws might seem a bit convoluted, the laws are there to help ensure fair chase or for wildlife management purposes. Simple things such as firearm or archery requirements, hunting in the proper area and wearing hunter orange all have a place in sustaining wildlife populations and the ethical pursuit of game in this thing we call hunting.
But there are a few things we should never forget-- those things that ensure we stay legal when out in the field.
At the top of the list is bring, and reading, the regulations. I won't go into detail on all game regulations and potential violations in this piece, but here are a few of the more common violations and what you can do to make sure everything is as it should be when you go on your hunting trip.
It goes without saying that you need to remember to bring your license. If you received your license in the mail sign it"¦but don't sign the carcass coupon until you kill your animal (more on tagging later) or the landowner coupon until you turn it over to the landowner. You also need to remember to get the necessary stamp(s). For all big game hunters, stamps include one conservation stamp which will cover all licenses. In other words, if you have an elk, deer, small game, antelope and annual fishing license, you only need one stamp. You will need an elk stamp only if you are hunting any of the 26 elk hunt units in the western part of the state. These areas number in the 70s, 80s and 90s. The elk regulations list the specific areas where this stamp is required.
Once you kill your animal, you need to complete the tagging process. This means signing the carcass coupon, detaching it from the license and cutting out the entire wedge for the month and day of the kill. The coupon needs to be left attached to the animal before leaving the site of the kill, but you can put it in your pocket to prevent its loss during transport.
After your animal is taken, you will of course do the necessary field dressing. There are a few things to keep in mind when going through this process. If your license or hunt area requires you to take a specific sex of animal, the law requires you leave evidence of sex naturally attached to the carcass. Leaving the head attached can satisfy this requirement, but this may be cumbersome, especially if the animal has to be packed very far. The requirement is satisfied by leaving the sex organs attached to the carcass. This can be accomplished by leaving the testicles or female organs attached to a quarter of meat. If you want to bone out the meat and put it in a cooler, put a chunk of meat with a piece of hide and organs attached in a plastic bag and keep it all in the cooler with your boned out meat. The plastic bag will keep hair off the other meat while keeping the meat with organs attached from spoiling until you get home.
We also get asked about regulations concerning firearms and vehicles. It is not illegal to keep a fully loaded gun in your vehicle, but just because it's not illegal doesn't mean it's a smart thing to do. There are only a handful of hunting accidents in Wyoming each year, but a disproportionate number of them involve loaded guns in vehicles. In all the years I've hunted, I can honestly say that not having a loaded gun in my pickup ever cost me a shot at a game animal. Still, on the matter of vehicles and firearms, you should be aware that it is against Wyoming law to shoot from a vehicle. This means it's just as illegal to shoot from the seat of your 4-wheeler as it is from the window of your truck. It is also illegal to shoot from, on, or across a public road. This includes the area inside a fenced right of way and the adjacent ditch.
In a typical hunting situation you may be driving down a public road and spot something you want to go after. To do this legally, you must get out of the vehicle and walk off the road and get on the other side of the fence or ditch before shooting. This regulation applies to all land status. Whether the land on the other side of the right of way or ditch is public or private, it is still illegal to shoot from the public road right of way even if you have permission to hunt that land. And unless you have a handicapped hunter permit, it is always illegal to shoot from your vehicle. Game wardens issue numerous citations each year for shooting from vehicles or roadways.
And finally, your hunting license allows you to hunt and take an animal for yourself. It does not allow you to "fill" the tag of another member in your group. Over the years, I've heard many stories of "party hunting," or shooting game for other people. It doesn't happen with any of the people I hunt with, and those that have suggested it are no longer a part of our group.
There are numerous other laws and regulations. While some of the laws might seem a bit convoluted, the laws are there to help ensure fair chase or for wildlife management purposes. Simple things such as firearm or archery requirements, hunting in the proper area and wearing hunter orange all have a place in sustaining wildlife populations and the ethical pursuit of game in this thing we call hunting.