Bringing an adult non hunter observer on a hunt?

[TPK]

The regs are VERY clear on this point. NO he can not "help" during the hunt, that includes glassing the cut blocks and helping identify animals. Makes NO difference if he has a firearm or not, if he's "helping" and does not have a license he's breaking the law. Once the hunt is ended, animal on the ground, yes he can help with game retrieval and processing/gutting.

[TPK]

They would have a difficult time making those charges stick, especially if he had no hunting weapons on him. A dude out for a hike is allowed to direct his binos where he wants, unless he happens to be hiking by a sorority house during their lingerie, pillow, tickle fight night.

The "Dude" is not on a hike, he's accompanying hunters on a hunt.

[E.V.B.H.]

The regs are VERY clear on this point. NO he can not "help" during the hunt, that includes glassing the cut blocks and helping identify animals. Makes NO difference if he has a firearm or not, if he's "helping" and does not have a license he's breaking the law. Once the hunt is ended, animal on the ground, yes he can help with game retrieval and processing/gutting.

Your are wrong on this point. If he does not have the intention to capture or kill himself he can do everything but pull the trigger. I've talked to a co about this because I had a friend who wanted to come as well. No problem, he said your friend could even carry a shotgun for bear defence, but if he was carrying a scoped rifle it would look suspicious. Lot of people carry open sight or shotguns for bears with no hunting licence, as long as you have your pal if not supervised than this is totally legal.

[hare_assassin]

The "Dude" is not on a hike, he's accompanying hunters on a hunt.

This is true, according to the law.

The same is true about kids accompanying on hunts, without a licence. People break these laws all the time. The kid is involved in the hunt, even if it is just "hey kiddo, keep your eyes open for ______".

Do this with a kid under the age of 10, and you are committing an offense, according to the regs.

Like I said earlier, it is up to the CO whether he/she wants to enforce it.

I know all kinds of people who take their youngsters hunting without a licence and I don't judge them for it. But I have told them what the law says.

Me, I waited till my girls were 10 years old and then bought them the $7 licence. Really not that difficult to comply with the law, IMO.

[Sofa King]

Your are wrong on this point. If he does not have the intention to capture or kill himself he can do everything but pull the trigger. I've talked to a co about this because I had a friend who wanted to come as well. No problem, he said your friend could even carry a shotgun for bear defence, but if he was carrying a scoped rifle it would look suspicious. Lot of people carry open sight or shotguns for bears with no hunting licence, as long as you have your pal if not supervised than this is totally legal.

don't believe what a co tells you.
like cops, they all have their own interpretation of the laws and their own view on what they'll allow/ignore.
one may say it's fine, the next may nail you to the wall.

[E.V.B.H.]

The point is, the regs say you are only hunting if you have the intent to capture or kill. If you don't you are not hunting. Plain and simple. You can look and point out stuff to the person who has that intent all day long.

[Cookie1965]

The way I interpret the rules, is that in order to be hunting one needs to either intend to kill or capture the wildlife or be in possession of a firearm. If I bring an unlicensed companion with me he is neither intending to shoot or in possession of a firearm. I have been pulled over by COs while with unlicensed people and the question hasn't even come up. I was in possession (cased on the back seat of my truck) of more firearms than I hold licenses too.

[Sofa King]

personally, I'd have no problem with it.
thinking back, I've done this.
I took a friend along on a hunt.
he had never experienced hunting, he's an outdoor nut, insane with fishing.
so he came along, excited as all hell.
as I was driving in to the cut where I planned to hike, I spotted a deer just as we were getting to the end of the road.
it was way, way off to our left, just hugging the edges of the trees.
I parked and we got out.
I glassed him and confirmed he was a 4 point.
he was small though, and it was very early in the season, so on most circumstances, I would have let him walk.
but he was mega-excited and really, that's why I brought him, so he could experience a hunt.
so I made the decision to take the deer, I grabbed my rifle and took a seat in the cut behind a big stump.
it was a 400 yard shot and I was going to need a solid rest and some time to get settled.
while I was preparing for the shot, he watched through the binos, to see it all up-close.
the shot rang out and the deer collapsed in it's tracks.
and it all unfolded right before his eyes, zoomed in with the binos.
he said it was the coolest thing he had ever seen.
but I guess technically, some would say that was breaking the law.

[E.V.B.H.]

As a side, you can be carrying a gun for defence without a licence. Lot of people around here do that, in fact this summer a guy had to shoot a grizz at about ten feet with a 45-70 lever. It was reported by him, he doesn't have a licence but does have his pal, no action was taken against him because he didn't break any laws.

[coach]

The regs are VERY clear on this point. NO he can not "help" during the hunt, that includes glassing the cut blocks and helping identify animals. Makes NO difference if he has a firearm or not, if he's "helping" and does not have a license he's breaking the law. Once the hunt is ended, animal on the ground, yes he can help with game retrieval and processing/gutting.

Can you quote where that is in the regs? Seems completely ridiculous IMO - particularly when there is every effort being made to increase hunter recruitment - including a proposed new category of license for people wanting to try hunting.