Night hunting

[35 whelen]

Well at least one province is trying to do something positive

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[elkhunter11]

If for no other reason than public safety, night hunting with firearms should be banned. Not only is it more difficult to identify a potential target in the dark, but you can't see well enough to identify any other people or animals in the vicinity, that could get shot. At least with exempting people from wearing helmets on motorcycles, the risk is with the user, but in this case, night hunters endanger the general public. Allowing people to shoot firearms where they can't see, is as irresponsible as allowing people to operate a motor vehicle on public streets while impaired.

[HowSwedeItIs]

Originally Posted by elkhunter11

If for no other reason than public safety, night hunting with firearms should be banned. Not only is it more difficult to identify a potential target in the dark, but you can't see well enough to identify any other people or animals in the vicinity, that could get shot.

I think it was just a year or two ago a young guy was killed that way over in manitoba

edit: it seems he survived

[Ranets]

Calling spotlighting any form of hunting is absolutely idiotic (which isn't surprising considering the self-entitled source). There are very valid reasons for not hunting at night, the most obvious and important one being SAFETY and secondly SAFETY not to mention that it is completely unethical and for those of us with standards and morales, unacceptable.

[parfleche]

Its about time ! back in the day there were no spot lights ! Therefore they cannot argue that it is a traditional practice, Dangerous to say the least! And if doing it while impaired , all the more dangerous !, assuming it is done in that way. Animals cannot be tracked at night if wounded , very unethical ! Very hard to judge when you are shooting at a couple of eye balls ! Its difficult to go home happy when you have seen a deer run away with the jaws shot off and disappear into the night!
How do I know ? I am from Manitoba I have seen this all to often ! This practice use to be part of my life! NO MORE ! I wish them all the luck in the world !
If it cant be done in daylight its time to go to IGA !

[obsessed1]

Well.....heli hunting at night with NV or thermal with modern sporting rifles aka "assault rifles" should be allowed...just saying.....agree that all other types of night hunting are just dangerous and borderline stupid

[muledriver]

Originally Posted by obsessed1

Well.....heli hunting at night with NV or thermal with modern sporting rifles aka "assault rifles" should be allowed...just saying.....agree that all other types of night hunting are just dangerous and borderline stupid

Sure hope you have your tongue firmly implanted in your cheek, because I can't believe any ethical hunter would say that.

[obsessed1]

Originally Posted by muledriver

Sure hope you have your tongue firmly implanted in your cheek, because I can't believe any ethical hunter would say that.

Ethical hunting has nothing to do with it. we talking about night hunting being safe and making sure your line of fire is in fact safe. Shooting from above with NV allows just that. And don't bother with the ethical hunting crap with me. Heli hunting hogs and coyotes and wolves has been done for years and is every bit as ethical means of dispatch as any other form of hunting when culling. It also looks like fun. If it was legal in canada I'd probably give it a shot.

As for the topic of the op shooting from above with NV is the only way to be certain what's behind your target. Any other method is just dangerous and asking for an incident/accident

[parfleche]

Don,t we now have some so called professional shooters from New Zealand? or somewhere doing just that and getting paid here in Canada? Then again our government is allowed to do anything they want . I really don,t have a problem with culling by chopper PROVIDING that the targets are taken care of ethically with a follow up on the ground! Otherwise it should not be allowed !
Lets face it sometimes there is no other way ! But again this is different than night hunting with lights .
Poisoning rats and gophers is debatable also if you want to talk ethics BUT try and tell that to the fellow that has the problems ! LOL

[muledriver]

Originally Posted by obsessed1

Ethical hunting has nothing to do with it. we talking about night hunting being safe and making sure your line of fire is in fact safe. Shooting from above with NV allows just that. And don't bother with the ethical hunting crap with me. Heli hunting hogs and coyotes and wolves has been done for years and is every bit as ethical means of dispatch as any other form of hunting when culling. It also looks like fun. If it was legal in canada I'd probably give it a shot.

As for the topic of the op shooting from above with NV is the only way to be certain what's behind your target. Any other method is just dangerous and asking for an incident/accident

I guess your perspective on what is ethical and mine are different, and I will just leave it at that. I know we do our activity harm by trying to sell this to the public... it's hard enough as it is, and I don't want to give the anti's any more ammo than they already have.

[catnthehat]

Ethics is a term that gets beaten to death regularly here .
People can't even agree in our own province about what is ethical and what isn't let alone nationally .
What about other countries like England where night Hunting with lights and suppressors from a vehicle is common practise and legal ?
The States has several areas where some animals are hunted with lights as well.
NZ and AUS also have many laws that are not considered " ethical" by many .
Cat

[elkhunter11]

I don't care about the ethics as much as the safety. On your own land, with controlled access, you can at least reduce the odds of shooting something that you don't see, but on public and, or when trespassing, which is where a lot of night hunting occurs, you don't know who might be in the area. Lights don't allow a person to see anywhere near as far as the bullet will travel, so you can't be sure of what might be beyond the target.

[Beeman3]

This needed to be stopped YEARS AGO. I am from Manitoba and what is happening to our moose population is not acceptable. Especially in the SW corner of the province. Farm land moose that had a draw for a number of years with around 20-25 tags. Well those moose are basically wiped out. I do come to hunt elk in Alberta every year and the area we hunt, we typically see a few moose every day. That would never happen in Manitoba. I also think a fix would be to make all hunters licensed. Game only shot in season with no exceptions. Pallister will take some heat on this but I am glad he's got the B@##$ to step up and do something.

[catnthehat]

Originally Posted by Beeman3

This needed to be stopped YEARS AGO. I am from Manitoba and what is happening to our moose population is not acceptable. Especially in the SW corner of the province. Farm land moose that had a draw for a number of years with around 20-25 tags. Well those moose are basically wiped out. I do come to hunt elk in Alberta every year and the area we hunt, we typically see a few moose every day. That would never happen in Manitoba. I also think a fix would be to make all hunters licensed. Game only shot in season with no exceptions. Pallister will take some heat on this but I am glad he's got the B@##$ to step up and do something.

I think this is the crux of the whole issue right there !
Cat

[gtr]

This ban on night hunting was a campaign promise from Pallister, he made in 2016. I live in a municipality that the reeve has been working with other groups to push this ban idea. Seems every fall spot lights are the choice method of killing. More animals wounded, or just left to spoil every year. Sad sight to say the least. As Beeman3 said, the moose population has dwindled close to extinction. Hopefully there is enough political will to get something done.

[West O'5]

Wow,what a buncha Safety Sallys.🙄

I concur that hunting big game at night is unethical,"somewhat" less safe then daylight hunting,and agree that it should be illegal based on ethics and fair chase alone,but have no issue with and would actually welcome with arms wide open the legalization of night hunting for varmints/predators.
Many states allow predator hunting at night,most provinces that have a population of raccoons allow coonhunting at night,which incidentally,I have enjoyed doing on countless occasions,the same basic safety and ethics rules apply after sunset...identify your target,hunt where you have permission,be aware of your backstop/don't shoot in an unsafe direction etc.,etc...

All that said,while AGAIN,I am opposed to big game hunting at night purely from an ethical standpoint,and am in no way advocating the practice of "road hunting"/driving back roads spotlighting big game etc.,I can't support banning night hunting across the board for any and all species.I find it almost comical (if not somewhat pathetic?) to see all of you Safety Sallys rant on about how "inherently dangerous" and borderline insane it would potentially be to allow responsible night hunting....It would be well worth the price of admission and outright hilarious to watch y'all stand on
your Safety Soapbox at a town hall and preach your message to an audience of TX/AZ/SW USA predator hunters....LMFAO,y'all would be most certainly booed off yer pulpit in the first 30 seconds and dismissed as some kinda leftard crackpot,if not outright lynched before you were run outta town.😂🤣
Ya'd likely need a police escort outta town for yer own safety,and probly get a stern warning from the local Sherrif (likely a yotie hunter himself)once you reach the county line to never come back lest he won't be held responsible for your personal well being,hahaha.😝

[elkhunter11]

Originally Posted by West O'5

Wow,what a buncha Safety Sallys.🙄

I concur that hunting big game at night is unethical,"somewhat" less safe then daylight hunting,and agree that it should be illegal based on ethics and fair chase alone,but have no issue with and would actually welcome with arms wide open the legalization of night hunting for varmints/predators.
Many states allow predator hunting at night,most provinces that have a population of raccoons allow coonhunting at night,which incidentally,I have enjoyed doing on countless occasions,the same basic safety and ethics rules apply after sunset...identify your target,hunt where you have permission,be aware of your backstop/don't shoot in an unsafe direction etc.

All that said,while AGAIN,I am opposed to big game hunting at night purely from an ethical standpoint,I can't support banning night hunting acro the board for any and all species.I find it almost comical (if not somewhat pathetic?) to see all of you Safety Sallys rant on about how "inherently dangerous" and borderline insane it would potentially be to allow responsible night hunting....It would be well worth the price of admission and outright hilarious to watch y'all stand on
your Safety Soapbox at a town hall and preach your message to an audience of TX/AZ/SW USA predator hunters....LMFAO,y'all would be most certainly booed off yer pulpit in the first 30 seconds and dismissed as some kinda leftard crackpot,if not lynched before you were run outta town.😂🤣

There is a huge difference between shooting upwards at a racoon in a tree, or at a coyote against an open field on private property, vs driving down a road, shining a light at a moose, and shooting into the woods, or into a slough, with no idea of who or what might be behind that moose. The people under that tree, or set up in that field usually know the lay of the land, but someone that drives miles in the dark looking out of a vehicle , likely don't even know exactly whose property they are looking into, let alone who might be there, or if there are animals grazing in the area.

[West O'5]

Originally Posted by elkhunter11

There is a huge difference between shooting upwards at a racoon in a tree, or at a coyote against an open field on private property, vs driving down a road, shining a light at a moose, and shooting into the woods, or into a slough, with no idea of who or what might be behind that moose. The people under that tree, or set up in that field usually know the lay of the land, but someone that drives miles in the dark looking out of a vehicle , likely don't even know exactly whose property they are looking into, let alone who might be there, or if there are animals grazing in the area.

No argument here...and AGAIN....I am firmly opposed to hunting big game at night based solely on the ethics of it.The safety aspects(and ethics and legality) that you describe in the above scenario are JUST AS ILLEGAL in the daylight as they are at night,ie;hunting without permission,and given the frequency in which that happens in Alberta EVERY DAY in the fall (road hunter complaints are a daily happening here on AO) I can "somewhat understand" the concerns one might
have with allowing night hunting in any form.....ie;coyote hunters driving around blasting away into properties where they don't have permission.....but ya can't fix stupid,and that's already illegal.The basis of your entire argument is disturbingly similar to that of a leftard gun grabber mentality,ie;take something that's already illegal and let's make it even more illegal with redundant laws for problems that don't exist or are already addressed within existing legislation.
1)it's ALREADY ILLEGAL to hunt without permission.
2)it's ALREADY ILLEGAL to discharge a firearm in an unsafe manner and/or with negligence/disregard for the direction of fire

[dicknormal]

Originally Posted by Ranets

Calling spotlighting any form of hunting is absolutely idiotic (which isn't surprising considering the self-entitled source). There are very valid reasons for not hunting at night, the most obvious and important one being SAFETY and secondly SAFETY not to mention that it is completely unethical and for those of us with standards and morales, unacceptable.

Harvesting and who says they're not being safe in the way they harvest and not everyone holds their morale's and ethical standards to the same lofty heights as you do. Calling long range hunting, spear hunting and archery unethical by some peoples standards should be al right with you as well?
Not even our province but wait it could set a precedence and open a gate here better bar the door Kitty. lol

[gloszz]

Originally Posted by elkhunter11

If for no other reason than public safety, night hunting with firearms should be banned. Not only is it more difficult to identify a potential target in the dark, but you can't see well enough to identify any other people or animals in the vicinity, that could get shot. At least with exempting people from wearing helmets on motorcycles, the risk is with the user, but in this case, night hunters endanger the general public. Allowing people to shoot firearms where they can't see, is as irresponsible as allowing people to operate a motor vehicle on public streets while impaired.

Night vision and infrared. People use it in Europe and Texas and I haven't heard of any freak accidents. They also use suppressor a which here an accessory to mass murder.

[elkhunter11]

Originally Posted by West O'5

No argument here...and AGAIN....I am firmly opposed to hunting big game at night based solely on the ethics of it.The safety aspects(and ethics and legality) that you describe in the above scenario are JUST AS ILLEGAL in the daylight as they are at night,ie;hunting without permission,and given the frequency in which that happens in Alberta EVERY DAY in the fall (road hunter complaints are a daily happening here on AO) I can "somewhat understand" the concerns one might
have with allowing night hunting in any form.....ie;coyote hunters driving around blasting away into properties where they don't have permission.....but ya can't fix stupid,and that's already illegal.The basis of your entire argument is disturbingly similar to that of a leftard gun grabber mentality,ie;take something that's already illegal and let's make it even more illegal with redundant laws for problems that don't exist or are already addressed within existing legislation.
1)it's ALREADY ILLEGAL to hunt without permission.
2)it's ALREADY ILLEGAL to discharge a firearm in an unsafe manner and/or with negligence/disregard for the direction of fire

Actually the trespassing laws vary considerably by province. In Saskatchewan, you don't need permission unless the land is posted, or unless you are hunting under treaty rights, and a recent court decision has even brought the latter into dispute. In Saskatchewan, a hunter can drive down the road, see an animal, walk into the field, and shoot the animal, even if it is on private land, and he doesn't have permission And before you start claiming that this is an Alberta forum , so other provinces don't matter, the story posted, is from Manitoba.

[elkhunter11]

Originally Posted by gloszz

Night vision and infrared. People use it in Europe and Texas and I haven't heard of any freak accidents. They also use suppressor a which here an accessory to mass murder.

Once again, in Europe and in Texas, people usually aren't driving around in vehicles past land that they are unfamiliar with, shooting at animals without any knowledge of the lay of the land, or who might be present on that land. And that is how most night hunting seems to be carried out in Western Canada As well, most night hunters in Canada are not using night vision or infrared, they are using spotlights.

[dicknormal]

I'd be a little bit more excited about the NDP ready to finalize the agreement to reinstate the Metis Harvest rights in Alberta than shooting after dark in another Province.

[gloszz]

Originally Posted by elkhunter11

Once again, in Europe and in Texas, people usually aren't driving around in vehicles past land that they are unfamiliar with, shooting at animals without any knowledge of the lay of the land, or who might be present on that land. And that is how most night hunting seems to be carried out in Western Canada As well, most night hunters in Canada are not using night vision or infrared, they are using spotlights.

Then maybe there could be a compromise. Private land only with a thorough walk through with the owner and a signed copy that they are certified to hunt that land. I mean it's an idea. I think Australians hunt at night as well, but I am not positive on that. It would be nice to have the ability to do something like that, but as we all know it is too difficult to police here and too many poachers it seems.

[West O'5]

Originally Posted by elkhunter11

Actually the trespassing laws vary considerably by province. In Saskatchewan, you don't need permission unless the land is posted, or unless you are hunting under treaty rights, and a recent court decision has even brought the latter into dispute. In Saskatchewan, a hunter can drive down the road, see an animal, walk into the field, and shoot the animal, even if it is on private land, and he doesn't have permission And before you start claiming that this is an Alberta forum , so other provinces don't matter, the story posted, is from Manitoba.

I'm well aware that trespassing laws vary from province to province,I'm from NB where it is perfectly legal to hunt on private land without permission unless its posted otherwise so long as you are 400m from dwellings.....similar to SK by the sounds of it?
I was speaking in the context of how night hunting might apply to Alberta.
On that note,I'll go out on a limb here and guess that a lot of the trespassing complaint threads here,and blaming Newfies/Maritimers as being the worst offenders,stems from the fact that a lot of guys move here from back east and assume that things are the same as back home without reading up on the rules,ie;if it's not posted its fair game,which in all fairness,trespassing laws and rules isn't really addressed here very clearly in the hunting regulations.

Originally Posted by elkhunter11

Once again, in Europe and in Texas, people usually aren't driving around in vehicles past land that they are unfamiliar with, shooting at animals without any knowledge of the lay of the land, or who might be present on that land. And that is how most night hunting seems to be carried out in Western Canada As well, most night hunters in Canada are not using night vision or infrared, they are using spotlights.

Actually,it's quite common practice in Texas and other states to drive around predator hunting at night from elevated platforms on the back of trucks,lotsa avid predator hunters down south have specialty built hunting rigs for this exact purpose.
By your own statement,if guys in Texas can do it safely,what makes you think guys in Alberta can't abide by the same etiquette,having permission and familiarity with the land they are hunting etc.?
It's really not a fair comparison to say that "Western Canadians don't do it that way,they hunt with spotlights and without permission".....ummmm....duhhhhh...yea, because IT IS COMPLETELY ILLEGAL TO HUNT AT NIGHT HERE!!The only "rule" for night hunting here is don't get caught night hunting,lol!😂😜
That said....if for instance coyote hunting was allowed here at night,I'm sure that most hunters would be more then happy to abide by the rules and etiquette and trespass laws as they apply to daytime hunting.......or at least with the same rate of compliance as daylight hunting,which if you were to go by the copious amount of trespass complaint threads here on AO every year,you would think that every other hunter in Alberta is a trespassing poacher.🙄

[HowSwedeItIs]

Originally Posted by West O'5

On that note,I'll go out on a limb here and guess that a lot of the trespassing complaint threads here,and blaming Newfies/Maritimers as being the worst offenders,stems from the fact that a lot of guys move here from back east and assume that things are the same as back home without reading up on the rules,ie;if it's not posted its fair game,which in all fairness,trespassing laws and rules isn't really addressed here very clearly in the hunting regulations.

'In all fairness', it absolutely is addressed clearly- number 13 under general prohibitions

http://www.albertaregulations.ca/hun...s/genregs.html

[West O'5]

Originally Posted by HowSwedeItIs

'In all fairness', it absolutely is addressed clearly- number 13 under general prohibitions

http://www.albertaregulations.ca/hun...s/genregs.html

Ok well fair enough....but that is one sentence amongst an entire book that is overwhelming with seasons and rules and whatnot compared to the comparatively simple hunting regs in other provinces....and in all honesty,I'm adamantly certain that there are a fairly high percentage of born n raised Albertans that have never read the regs cover to cover,let alone any newcomers to the province that may already have decades of hunting experience doing things a certain way back home,where "occupied land" may or may not be defined in a completely different manner.
I'm just sayn......when a new Albertan hunts here and sees vast tracts of woodlands or wide open fields and bald ass Prairie without a house to be seen for miles/as far as the eye can see,it's a pretty good bet that he'll think it's ok to hunt there unless he knows the rules aren't the same,which again,far too many hunters,both newcomers and native Albertans,don't read or know the regs as well as they should.If you need any proof of that,simply watch for the numerous almost daily threads every fall asking "dumb questions" when the answers are clearly printed in black and white(or green as the case may be 😜 ) in the annual hunting regs.......people just don't read them for whatever reason,that,or they move here from elsewhere and presume that things are the same as far as trespass/discharge distance etc goes and assume that they already know the answers.

[Norwest Alta]

I don't think the nwt has night restŕictions. I'm not really in favour of it except with one group is allowed to hunt at night we all should.

[elkhunter11]

Originally Posted by West O'5

I'm well aware that trespassing laws vary from province to province,I'm from NB where it is perfectly legal to hunt on private land without permission unless its posted otherwise so long as you are 400m from dwellings.....similar to SK by the sounds of it?
I was speaking in the context of how night hunting might apply to Alberta.
On that note,I'll go out on a limb here and guess that a lot of the trespassing complaint threads here,and blaming Newfies/Maritimers as being the worst offenders,stems from the fact that a lot of guys move here from back east and assume that things are the same as back home without reading up on the rules,ie;if it's not posted its fair game,which in all fairness,trespassing laws and rules isn't really addressed here very clearly in the hunting regulations.



Actually,it's quite common practice in Texas and other states to drive around predator hunting at night from elevated platforms on the back of trucks,lotsa avid predator hunters down south have specialty built hunting rigs for this exact purpose.
By your own statement,if guys in Texas can do it safely,what makes you think guys in Alberta can't abide by the same etiquette,having permission and familiarity with the land they are hunting etc.?
It's really not a fair comparison to say that "Western Canadians don't do it that way,they hunt with spotlights and without permission".....ummmm....duhhhhh...yea, because IT IS COMPLETELY ILLEGAL TO HUNT AT NIGHT HERE!!The only "rule" for night hunting here is don't get caught night hunting,lol!😂😜
That said....if for instance coyote hunting was allowed here at night,I'm sure that most hunters would be more then happy to abide by the rules and etiquette and trespass laws as they apply to daytime hunting.......or at least with the same rate of compliance as daylight hunting,which if you were to go by the copious amount of trespass complaint threads here on AO every year,you would think that every other hunter in Alberta is a trespassing poacher.🙄

Those fellows in Texas, are usually hunting on their own land, or on land that they have permission for, and that they know. They also know where the buildings and livestock are, so they don't shoot towards them.
As to it being illegal to hunt at night in Western Canada, read the article, , some people can legally hunt at night when exercising their treaty rights. That applies in multiple provinces, and it is the topic of the article that this thread is about.

[HowSwedeItIs]

Originally Posted by West O'5

Ok well fair enough....but that is one sentence amongst an entire book that is overwhelming with seasons and rules and whatnot compared to the comparatively simple hunting regs in other provinces....and in all honesty,I'm adamantly certain that there are a fairly high percentage of born n raised Albertans that have never read the regs cover to cover,let alone any newcomers to the province that may already have decades of hunting experience doing things a certain way back home,where "occupied land" may or may not be defined in a completely different manner.
I'm just sayn......when a new Albertan hunts here and sees vast tracts of woodlands or wide open fields and bald ass Prairie without a house to be seen for miles/as far as the eye can see,it's a pretty good bet that he'll think it's ok to hunt there unless he knows the rules aren't the same,which again,far too many hunters,both newcomers and native Albertans,don't read or know the regs as well as they should.If you need any proof of that,simply watch for the numerous almost daily threads every fall asking "dumb questions" when the answers are clearly printed in black and white(or green as the case may be&#128540 in the annual hunting regs.......people just don't read them for whatever reason,that,or they move here from elsewhere and presume that things are the same as far as trespass/discharge distance etc goes and assume that they already know the answers.

What is wrong with people today, born here or not, is it really the case that we can't expect a man to do the bare minimum as far as acquainting himself with the laws of this province? This is a big country, what it takes to practice proper conservation is going to look different based on the ecological context, anybody that would assume that its 'just the same as back home' is setting themselves up to be hammered with fines, and they deserve it