Jason Snyder
WKR
While it is illegal by letter of the law, both for hunting hours and use of artificial light, there is certainly some nuance involved. That said, I’d still be trying to make some phone calls prior to dispatching after dark.
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Usually in the dark you either keep bumping them or find them dead. If it’s down but still alive is unlikely in my experience (takes a lot longer to find them in the dark giving them more time to expire). Either have to break the law or sit down for a short while. That’s a personal decision.Correct, what happens with an animal down after shooting hours but still alive?
What would I do?This popped a question into my head about legality. Say this happens at last night and you approach in your scenario after shooting hours to the elk still moving. What would you do? I know the CO Big Game brochure doesn't cover this but maybe another statute does. What are other states putting out as guidelines in this case?
I've been close to missing the shooting window before so maybe someone has the answer.
Perfectly legal in South Carolina, as it should be everywhere.Why break the law shooting animals at night? The two outcomes are it either dies during the night, or it lives through the night. The former doesn't require your intervention, the latter is clearly illegal (we hate poachers here, right?) and is impossible to defend. Countless "I didn't recover my animal stories" support the fact that zero people know if an animal will die until it actually is dead.
Unload your weapon and lock it down to your pack, or leave it in the truck when playing after hours recovery. That's about as black and white of a violation as can be presented.
Come on, you read his post, and he stated he couldn't find information about Colorado. I posted the information with a source and a screenshot to avoid any hearsay "well my daddy said.." made up "laws" like have been presented in a different thread. You are well-read enough to know that Colorado isn't South Carolina.Perfectly legal in South Carolina, as it should be everywhere.
If you leave a deer here til morning, the coyotes will have eaten it. Even if the temps are low, you won't be eating that deer.
Elk? I'd still blast it.
I know what I would do if the animal was still breathing but badly wounded.This popped a question into my head about legality. Say this happens at last night and you approach in your scenario after shooting hours to the elk still moving. What would you do? I know the CO Big Game brochure doesn't cover this but maybe another statute does. What are other states putting out as guidelines in this case?
I've been close to missing the shooting window before so maybe someone has the answer.
There are sometimes caveats or niche scenarios not outlined in the big game brochure that can make certain situations legal within the broader regulations since I specifically asked about after legal hours. I could not find anything and was asking if anyone had encountered this situation or has some info.Why break the law shooting animals at night? The two outcomes are it either dies during the night, or it lives through the night. The former doesn't require your intervention, the latter is clearly illegal (we hate poachers here, right?) and is impossible to defend. Countless "I didn't recover my animal stories" support the fact that zero people know if an animal will die until it actually is dead.
Unload your weapon and lock it down to your pack, or leave it in the truck when playing after hours recovery. That's about as black and white of a violation as can be presented.