Spotlighting?!?

H

HAMMER1DOWN

New member
I have heard from a couple of educated people that spotlighting is illegal in all 50 states??? I'm not sure about that but i do it quite frequently in the winter months for jack rabbits.. its just way to much fun who else here has heard of the legality and or does it.. I could care less if its illegal or not i have fun:)
Thanks,
Bones
 
Spotlight hunting for hogs is legal in some states IIRC possibly texas is one... But to just spotlight game with no gun may or may not be legal depending where it is at... No gun and light hunting is legal in florida with the one exception of coons with dogs. You are allowed to load one .22 rimfire or a .410 shell into a gun at a treed coon and light him up for the shot... Otherwise no light and gun use is allowed.

Brent
 
Well see up here in the big sky country i use either a .22rf, my .17hmr, my AR-15(.223) or my 12 gauge and me and a buddy get into a truck and we take turns with the spotlight once one gets a rabbit then he gets the spot and tries to find one for the other to shoot. Lots and lots of fun
 
To be caught spotlight hunting in florida could cost you your ride, your weapons, your spotlight plus fines and court costs but tuffest is the fact it is a felony which strips your gun rights away...
Brent
 
as far as i know coyotes are the only game here in WV that can be taken while using a spotlight, and this season is 6 months long. for yotes you can use no larger rifle than a .22 rimfire and shotgun with loads no larger than #4 shot. so far as deer, i know that it is illegal. obviously, for raccoon you can use flashlights.
 
You may not care if it's illegal but if you get caught you will.

And know this too............ In recent years a great number of states, yours is most likely one, have signed on to what is known as the "Wildlife Compact". In a nutshell what the Compact says and does is it binds the various state members in recording and honoring other member states recorded violations.

The effect this has on miscreants is that if you get caught and your hunting privaleges are revoked or curtailed in your home state other member states will not let you get a license either.

There are other provisions too but this is the major theme.

Go ahead and be a screwup. Do it in a open way. Flaunt it. Please get caught! Then either learn the law and follow it, or if you don't like the law work to get it changed.

We hunters have enough trouble with the PETA types without clowns who call themselves hunters making us all look bad.

And this just occured to me..............do you eat the rabbits? Bet not.......
 
It sounds like you are in tune with a couple boys out here. They got caught with 20 racks(not even big ones) They admitted they were all from spot lighting. They also said they only did it because it was fun, and new it was illegal. They even admited to using a .17hmr. One said he had plans for going to school to be a Game Warden. I am guessing that is not happening now.

Do yourself a favor and check the law. Also look up the punishment:eek:

By the way in Indiana, it is legal to spot light from a vehicle. BUT if you get caught with a weapon in the vehicle at the same time, YOU ARE IN DEEP DOO DOO.

Lonny
 
illegal to spotlight for DEER here while in a vehicle or on foot. if you have in your possession any weapon capable of killing deer. regardless if the weapon is cased,uncased,loaded or unloaded. or even if it is locked in a compartment not accessable from the inside of the vehicle. so if i wanted to take a ride out in the boonies at night and look for deer. i can't take any weapons,guns or bows.

you can however use handheld lights here, while hunting on foot.

for coyote,fox,raccoon, and opossum hunting only.

with a special hunting permit (cost is $2.00) for coyote and fox,only with a shotgun loaded with nore more than 3 shells,10 and 12 ga only,using #4 fine-T size shot.

raccoon and possum,a shotgun loaded with no more than 3 shells loaded with no larger than #4 fine shot,.22 rimfire loaded with no more than 3 .22 shorts, and must hunt with hounds(dogs).
 
Some folks aren't too bright.

They break the law, flaunt it, and even post it on the internet.

One tip to a game warden will get them busted, too. Do ya suppose anyone has sent a link to this thread to the law in Montana? Oh, I doubt they'd try to use this post (although they might). They'll just watch you until they see you doing it.

Here in Arizona, I know one game warden who likes to go sit high on a mountain at night with a spotting scope and binoc's. He watches for spotlighters in the lowlands, and has another warden down low that he guides in to the law breakers.

Of course, spotlighting isn't illegal here if you don't have any guns or weapons in the vehicle. They check them out though, and they bust a lot of slobs that way. I know he does, because he's been doing it for years, and if it didn't work then he'd be doing something else.
 
I came home from my lease near Del Rio and got home with a couple of big big coolers full of pork. It was about 0100. I then had to drive about 20 more miles after dumping the coolers at home to go for some chipped ice as I was just too tired to mess with them. Truck full of guns, ATV in the back. Blood all over the sides of my truck from dragged, pushed up hogs into the bed on lease. Got my ice and a Pepsi and headed back home. Texas Hill country kinda back roads. Noticed a vehicle following me most of the way from the ice house. Made a turn onto RR 32 and the lights came on. License and CCW permit taken. What did I do sir. Mr. texfar, do have any loaded weapons in the vehicle. Yes sir and gave location in vehicle, 4 handguns. Please step from the vehicle for our safety. No problem officer, what have I done. By then there were 3 Comal County sheriff vehicles coming down the hwy and I then noted that I was stopped by a game warden. There were reported shots on RR32, have you discharged a weapon recently. Ah, yes about 6 hours ago on my lease. Long and short of it, under the watchful eye of the sheriffs, they started going over the bed of the truck with a fine tooth come looking for deer fur, had me start unloading rifles from truck, about, 6 I think. I then started to get a bit short, but polite, and told the game warden that if he would follow me home, I would show him the hogs and we could all get some sleep. They agreed and We all went in convoy to my house, and when I sprung open the lid of the coolers, it was "Man that is some fine looking hog". Both officers were totally polite at all times and then explained that there were a lot of poaching/spotlighting reports on RR32 as of late and my vehicle fit the perfect profile, as explained above. Both thanked me for my cooperation and apologized for keep me up then gave me their cards in case I needed their services. Bottom line guys, as stated in other posts, you are not only spotlighting, in Texas, but poaching if on public road or land that ain't yours, and that my friend IS a felony in Texas now I believe. Bye Bye, CCW, Bye Bye all rights to firearms, hunting, range shooting.....all of it. I spot light on my own property almost every night when home on rotation for yotes and other critters,legally but NEVER game animals, . It ain't worth it. I really was not put out by the stop, other than being really tired and respect the job these guys do. I had done nothing wrong and it was yes sir, no sir politely to them for all requests. Got busted as a teen in the 60's for spotlighting rabbits, but that is another story and I learned from it. sorry about the long post but thought it might open up SOMEONE's eyes here.
Ken
 
wont this be an instant forfeit of any firearms in the vicinity? maybe on your own land clearing pests its ok, i dont know, but other than that...no comment on spotlighting.

around here they have occasionally set up fake game off the road so that nite hunters could stop, lite em up, and go to jail.

they have culled deer where i live late at night with lights but that was sanctioned.
 
Legal in Texas to spot non-game animals at night on your own property or lease where you are an agent of the land. Nice time for a hog round up as they love to rape, pillage and plunder the planted fields at night. Yotes are prime night time victims to my rifles when I can get them to come. We have a big problem with both above animals in and around the area where I live in Texas. Oh, with the exception of possum and yotes, I eat what I shoot. Never shoot rabbits as they do me, my property and livestock no harm. Try some coon stew sometime....Yum Yum. They are always trying to turn my chicken coop into a MacDonalds. Oh, the foxes are thicker than rabbits this year for what ever the reason and they ain't day time shy anymore and are going after free range chickens and such.
 
It's not unwise, in Texas, to know the phone number of the local game warden and notify him if you're going varminting via spotlight. Or, call the sheriff's office and let them know the area you'll be working. (I'm mostly thinking of the more rural counties.)

Doesn't hurt to let nearby ranchers know, for that matter.

No point in "lighting up switchboards". :)
 
In MI theres certain times you can shine deer and such from a vehicle.But hunting from a vehicle is a big no no.Coyotes and other predators you can shine and hunt with lights and night vision just not from a vehicle.
 
In NY it is legal to spotlight without a firearm in the vehicle. However the DEC has waged a war on poachers, and actively baits for poachers, then arrests them.
However, I am rather against spotlighting myself. Too many spotlighters that I've seen, do this without permission, driving slowly over highway speed roads, their attentions turned towards the side of the road, spotlighting private land. Its gotten so bad in the 'dacks that farmers post signs begging people to not spotlight their land, and some have gone so far to ban hunting on their land. This last part being a shame, because, as a general rule the farmers often encourage hunters to come on their land, and will even purchase tags to give to hunters for encouragement. However, these people have been destroying what used to be a great deal.
 
Spotlighting, a felony.:eek: Did'nt know that. That's kind of extreme considering the very real possibility the GW can make a mistake on that one. I think they should charge you w/harassment of wildlife,trespassing,poaching,shooting from a public road,endangerment, fine for taking a deer according to it's B/C score, that will be a very big fine and they should take your lisence for a couple of seasons. They will probably be able to get the redneck for DUI too. What if one of the previous posters did not have the pig in his garage to show the GW. Say he had given it away. In Texas I don't know if it's legal to light pigs during deer season but I don't do it, too much gray area for confusion. I do spotlight them on occasion in the off season.
 
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Hammer, you need to find out if its legal and follow the law or be prepared to meet the consequences. To blatently call out you don't care if its legal or not calls your ethics into serious question. Not saying anything rude here, just trying to show you the facts.

Had a similar incident to texfar on SR441 in Fl after a night of experiencing Brent's passion: hog dogging with currs and a pit. Kinda frustrating after a long night of running after dogs/hogs, but looking back, the Ranch Sherriff was polite and we did look like a bunch of ragamuffins all muddy, dressed in camo, at night, on a lonely road in the middle of nowhere with a plethora of weaponry. The situation was readily quelched when he couldn't find a spotlight.

In terms of LEOs baiting poachers, I've seen that too, west of my hometown with a deer decoy we nicknamed "Timex". I mentioned this story on another thread, but long story short, most of us knew where they liked to set up and a couple friends in high school went out there after a football game, snuck up on old Timex in the dark, and tackled it. The LEOs turned the spotlights on them and gave them a good scolding and sent them on their way to be picked up by the dropoff vehicle. Those LEOs must have busted a gut after they left, but every year they got a good number of poachers shooting at Timex.
 
publius, it is not the spot lighting that is the felony, it is the poaching. You light it up and kill it, if it isn't on your land, it is poaching.....that is the felony.

Art...totally agree. When I am on the lease, The land owner is notified and the ranch forman. They in turn notify the local law; and land owners as to who is there and when. My land owner is a retired Customs Agent (operator) and everyone who knows who is who. I also (very importand) have a document that says I am an "agent" for the land owner. So whatever call I make is in his name while on the property. Have caught three illegal poachers and disarmed them. What happens after that is not my concern. Have passed on a couple of lots of AR boys. More guns than me and by myself. Good advise Art.
 
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