Question about road hunting

[elkoholic]

Is driving around, looking for something to shoot, hunting? Disabled/handicapped hunters aside, it is an illegal activity that seems to be practiced by hundreds here in Montana and apparently condoned by FWP as there is no enforcement of current laws. Current laws state that it is unlawful to hunt from a motor vehicle, hunt from a roadway open to vehicular travel, shoot from or across a roadway or from the ditches of said roadway. Because of the miles upon miles of Forest Service roads many people just drive the roads in search of game. It begins with turkey and bear seasons in the spring and continues in the fall with grouse, deer and elk. Most of the hunters lucky enough to draw a moose tag fill that tag illegally by driving around in search of something to shoot. Personally, I believe that this practice is unethical, which is true simply by being illegal, but even if legal would be unethical. I have heard many stories from road hunters that make me want to scream. Two such stories, that were well documented in the local newspaper, concerned trophy class moose that were taken while road hunting with an outfitter. Both of those hunters along with their outfitters should have been prosecuted. Alas, FWP did nothing. These people are nothing more than poachers. Just my point of view. What is your take on it?

[fly]

I have heard that some people drive around on high trucks "hunting". They stop the vehicle, stand up and shoot. Not my style but hey - if it's legal then so be it. There are also the high fence hunts - legal but not my style. I feel we as hunters get enough back lash from the anti-hunting community to point the finger at anyone abiding by the law. I guess the only real ethics violation I could see within the law would be wounding an animal on purpose to watch it suffer instead of trying to kill it cleanly. Same goes for letting an animal walk at 30 yards and then fire an arrow at 100 yards just to see if you could hit it. Legal, but not ethical.

[Rhino]

Here in MS it's unlawful to hunt within 100' of any county, state, or federal highway/road. It's also unlawful to hunt from and motorized vehicle while it's underway. Don't see much of that going on here at all. They do enforce these laws here.

[MUDRUNNER]

We road hunted ditches in South Dakota a few times for pheasants (it is legal to road hunt small game there.....not from a vehicle of course), but that is quite a bit different than big game. To my limited knowledge I don't believe it is legal to road hunt big game anywhere. Even if it was it wouldn't be my cup of tea.

[Ravin R10 man]

Pretty sure in texas ON private game farms/ranches they do this, I would check first Im not sure, but Most states road hunting public roads is not allowed period.

Hogs, I say anything goes jmo

Edited April 26, 2016 by Mathews XT Man

[Turkeygirl]

I've seen similar stuff on some of the hunting shows but they are on ranches/farms. Around here it is illegal to discharge a firearm from a vehicle or roadway. But I know it happens more often than not during deer season...at night. Several years ago was watching a herd of deer a field adjacent to our property. Almost dark, last day of season and kaboom! Drove up the road, caught a truck speeding off and a blood drag mark from the field to the roadside. I do think it's unethical and unlawful to shoot like this - it's poaching and unsafe. Now if you are just driving around scouting and looking for deer, that's not an issue.

[wtnhunt]

Not legal here to hunt from a vehicle, but the law has changed to allow shooting from no road licensed vehicle, atv's and farm equipment are legal. Dunno that I would deliberately hunt from my 4 wheeler for deer though, I typically am on foot everywhere on our property during deer season unless going to check my cows or retrieving/recovering an animal.

We hunted with Steve Beilgard on a large ranch Wyoming and we rode and glassed from his truck on that private property to look for deer and antelope, but then got out and stalked closer and hiked some to higher vantage points.