Quote:
Originally Posted by -JR-
a wild life cop was there and asked what we are hunting for . We said nothing ,just carrying one gun for protection as we were just scouting for opening morning . She said that is considered hunting if you are carrying a riffle.
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Yes, it's an interesting interpretation, to say the least. The reality is that you don't really need to be hunting in order to legally carry. For instance, what if you were just target practicing? Or shooting coyotes with permission of the landowner? Writing a ticket in that case is an awful stretch.
I had something similar happen once... We were parked at a spot where we were in the process of setting up tree stands on a property that we had permission on. The F&W truck blocked us in and then the officer came up and asked us if we were hunting.
Although the season was open, we weren't actively hunting, but we did have our rifles along (encased on the back seat of the truck). So we told the officer that we were setting up stands and weren't currently hunting.
The officer then asked if we had firearms in the truck, to which we said yes.
"Then you're hunting," the officer announced.
We produced our licenses and then had a good chat, but I just can't get it out of my head that the officer made quite the jump to his conclusion.
I mean, I get it, it allowed him the opportunity to check out our paperwork, and don't get me wrong - I'm glad that he did. I deplore poaching, and I'm thankful that he was checking.
But honestly, he could have simply asked.