Open Carry Pistol while Hunting...

[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Open Carry Pistol while Hunting...

Posted: 10/26/2006 10:05:50 AM EDT

If you are open carrying a pistol while deer hunting are they going to consider that a hunting weapon or is there a grey area as far as open carry and hunting? The hunting regulation say the pistols need to have 5.5" barrels (FP to end of barrel).

If I'm walking in the woods during gun season open carrying my pistol and have my backtag on, am I hunting with an illegal gun? Does that change if I also have a rifle with me? What if I don't have a backtag on?

I'm looking to carry my pistol, but obviously I want to make sure I'm doing so legally.

Thoughts?

Posted: 10/26/2006 11:25:57 AM EDT

[#1]

Quoted:
If you are open carrying a pistol while deer hunting are they going to consider that a hunting weapon or is there a grey area as far as open carry and hunting? The hunting regulation say the pistols need to have 5.5" barrels (FP to end of barrel).

If I'm walking in the woods during gun season open carrying my pistol and have my backtag on, am I hunting with an illegal gun? Does that change if I also have a rifle with me? What if I don't have a backtag on?

I'm looking to carry my pistol, but obviously I want to make sure I'm doing so legally.

Thoughts?

Got a small game license too?

Posted: 10/26/2006 11:49:01 AM EDT

[#2]

Not currently, but one can be purchased.

Posted: 10/26/2006 12:41:59 PM EDT

[#3]

Quoted:
Not currently, but one can be purchased.

Thats the easiest way around any BS. That way as long as the barrel is between 4 and 5.5 inches you covered. Nothing says you can't carry a pistol for small game and a rifle for deer, I do it all the time. Yah you can always say you carry the pistol for personal protection or whatever, but it would probably be a hard sell.

Posted: 10/26/2006 2:39:50 PM EDT

[#4]

Quoted:
Yah you can always say you carry the pistol for personal protection or whatever, but it would probably be a very hard sell.

Fixed. If you're wearing orange and a back tag, I suspect you'll have a very difficult time convincing the warden you're not hunting. Best to avoid any problems. It's one of those situations that even if you win, you lose.

Posted: 10/26/2006 2:48:27 PM EDT

[#5]

Quoted:

Quoted:
Not currently, but one can be purchased.

Thats the easiest way around any BS. That way as long as the barrel is between 4 and 5.5 inches you covered. Nothing says you can't carry a pistol for small game and a rifle for deer, I do it all the time. Yah you can always say you carry the pistol for personal protection or whatever, but it would probably be a hard sell.

So techincally, I can small game and deer hunt at the same time? Or I'm just technically small game hunting with my rifle/pistol, and happen to have my orange & backtag on so I don't get shot.

Posted: 10/26/2006 2:51:11 PM EDT

[#6]

AFAIK you can hunt both at the same time. I've done it. It seem whenever I'm deer hunting I only see squirrels anyway

Posted: 10/26/2006 3:11:35 PM EDT

[#7]

If the barrel is 5.5" or longer you will have no problem with just a deer license. Knowing the DNR in my area, I wouldn't feel comfortable carrying a pistol with a shorter barrel "for small game". But the warden where I hunt is the one that got caught on a guys game camera dumping corn on his bait pile, then wrote him a citation for too much bait on the pile. She still has her job...

Posted: 10/27/2006 6:48:03 AM EDT

[#8]

Quoted:

Quoted:
Yah you can always say you carry the pistol for personal protection or whatever, but it would probably be a very hard sell.

Fixed. If you're wearing orange and a back tag, I suspect you'll have a very difficult time convincing the warden you're not hunting. Best to avoid any problems. It's one of those situations that even if you win, you lose.

I don't know about very hard, if you packing a pistol while you have a rifle it's a little easier to say the pistol is for self defense. If ya got no rifle then yah it would be hard to say that.

Posted: 10/27/2006 6:48:04 AM EDT

[#9]

The barrel is not 5.5", it's a Glock 23.

We own private land that we hunt, and I have never seen anyone from the DNR on our land mostly because we don't have any roads along our property lines. The chances of me running into the DNR are slim, but I want to make sure I'm legal incase it does ever happen. If that means purchasing a small game license, then that's what I'll do.

Posted: 10/27/2006 6:49:51 AM EDT

[#10]

Quoted:
The barrel is not 5.5", it's a Glock 23.

We own private land that we hunt, and I have never seen anyone from the DNR on our land mostly because we don't have any roads along our property lines. The chances of me running into the DNR are slim, but I want to make sure I'm legal incase it does ever happen. If that means purchasing a small game license, then that's what I'll do.

Thats the most BS free way to go about it.

Posted: 10/27/2006 8:12:02 AM EDT

[#11]

I'll never be able to find it... but I had an e-mail from the DNR way back when asking if I could have an unconcealed pistol with me while bow hunting as protection against whatever. I don't remember specifying that my Glock 20 did have a 6" barrel... but the end statement was that ya, I could have the pistol on me while bowhunting. Now I can't remember if they said anything about having a small game license on me (I've always used Sportsman license...so I don't think I even would have asked).

Posted: 10/27/2006 10:41:49 AM EDT

[#12]

I think it would be easier to claim a pistol for protection when bow-hunting because it isn't the time of season to use a gun on a deer. I think the ticket you would likely get carry the pistol during gun season is for hunting with an illegal weapon (ie. the pistol).

What is a Sportmen license? Is that a license that covers you for all types of hunting?

BTW - a Glock 20 would not have a barrel longer than 5.5" unless you had an aftermarket barrel or barrel extension.

Posted: 10/27/2006 4:35:01 PM EDT

[#13]

Quoted:
Best to avoid any problems. It's one of those situations that even if you win, you lose.

Always thinking like a JBT, Glenn

(No, I still won't tell you what I'm hiding in my trunk)!

Back on topic...

What Glenn and Photoman said.

This could also be a grand time to justify a G24 or 35.

Posted: 10/27/2006 6:26:26 PM EDT

[#14]

Quoted:
If you are open carrying a pistol while deer hunting are they going to consider that a hunting weapon or is there a grey area as far as open carry and hunting? The hunting regulation say the pistols need to have 5.5" barrels (FP to end of barrel).

If I'm walking in the woods during gun season open carrying my pistol and have my backtag on, am I hunting with an illegal gun? Does that change if I also have a rifle with me? What if I don't have a backtag on?

I'm looking to carry my pistol, but obviously I want to make sure I'm doing so legally.

Thoughts?

I called the DNR last week to ask the same question...The answer i got from the warden was that you can carry any pistol aslong as it is not concealed, and you have a primary weapon on you. You also can't use it to to shoot the deer at all... NOT even to finish the deer off if needed. (when i called i asked if i could carry my 4" xd service model on me while deer hunting if i had my rifle on me. His response was he asked me if i wanted to carry it for personal protection, then made reference to the shooting's from 2 years ago... that's the response i got from him.) so carry all you want and if it makes you feel better and call the DNR yourself and get the same response so if anything comes up while your out then you can atleast you called.

Posted: 10/30/2006 11:56:21 AM EDT

[#15]

Quoted:

This could also be a grand time to justify a G24 or 35.

HAHAHA, funny you mention that as I was pricing them out for this very reason. Problem is that I'm not really a fan of the fullsize Glocks, and I'd like a 9mm for my next pistol, which means it will probably be something else besides a Glock.

Posted: 10/30/2006 12:23:46 PM EDT

[#16]

Quoted:

I called the DNR last week to ask the same question...The answer i got from the warden was that you can carry any pistol aslong as it is not concealed, and you have a primary weapon on you. You also can't use it to to shoot the deer at all... NOT even to finish the deer off if needed. (when i called i asked if i could carry my 4" xd service model on me while deer hunting if i had my rifle on me. His response was he asked me if i wanted to carry it for personal protection, then made reference to the shooting's from 2 years ago... that's the response i got from him.) so carry all you want and if it makes you feel better and call the DNR yourself and get the same response so if anything comes up while your out then you can atleast you called.

Great info to know, and I was thinking this would be the best way, but I wanted to check here to see how others have gone abot it... I'll call my local warden to see if I get the same response.

Posted: 10/31/2006 3:57:14 PM EDT

[#17]

Quoted:

Quoted:

I called the DNR last week to ask the same question...The answer i got from the warden was that you can carry any pistol aslong as it is not concealed, and you have a primary weapon on you. You also can't use it to to shoot the deer at all... NOT even to finish the deer off if needed. (when i called i asked if i could carry my 4" xd service model on me while deer hunting if i had my rifle on me. His response was he asked me if i wanted to carry it for personal protection, then made reference to the shooting's from 2 years ago... that's the response i got from him.) so carry all you want and if it makes you feel better and call the DNR yourself and get the same response so if anything comes up while your out then you can atleast you called.

Great info to know, and I was thinking this would be the best way, but I wanted to check here to see how others have gone abot it... I'll call my local warden to see if I get the same response.

Good idea on calling... atleast then if for some reason you do get hassled in the woods you can atleast say YOU called. Good luck

[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Open Carry Pistol while Hunting...

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