Are Two way radios "fair Chase"?

[Maxx]

This questions was raised with some friends, is the use of Two way radios to "stalk" game fair chase? Some seem to think that they are acceptable for general discussion, but not for the "final" stalk on the animal

[mark]

Well, why the heck not???? As long as one guy is not in an aircraft!!

[rishu_pepper]

I think 2-way's makes things safer in the field, if you know where your hunting bud is, there's less chance of an accident happening, whether it be firearm-related or general safety.

[gearjunkierob]

I don't have an issue with it personally and have used them on a number of hunts. Helps to keep your hunting buddies informed of your exact whereabouts as well as adds a bit of a safety net. We generally only turn them on to check in with each other at desgnated times in the day or if we hear a rifle shot.

[Dannybuoy]

I don't have an issue with it personally and have used them on a number of hunts. Helps to keep your hunting buddies informed of your exact whereabouts as well as adds a bit of a safety net. We generally only turn them on to check in with each other at desgnated times in the day or if we hear a rifle shot.
Same here !

[guest]

I may be wrong here but, say your coming down on a beast of a Ram and you cannot see him because of steep terrain, your buddy across the valley then radio's you and gives you specific direction on where the ram is. I think the regulations state that this kind of use is illegal. Whats the difference of this example or spotting from a plane or chopper then immediately hunting the critter. Is it really fair chase then? I think not.

[tooley]

I totally agree, they can be a very important tool in the bush as far as safety goes, and for those of you who think that they are unfair to the animals, then you have never used a two-way radio because they are very noisy and probably do not work in the hunters favor.

[todbartell]

I dont like the idea of a guy sitting from a perch afar, radioing in his buddy to zero in on an animal. To me it is not fair chase. I guess in theory its not much different than shouting and hand signals, but why does EVERYTHING have to be so technical. I am one to talk, I use a foxpro caller, a rangefinder, and a gps...but no radio..yet :D

for safety the radio is an excellent idea, as are sat phones/cell phones. I might take my Blackberry hunting this year, so I can play Brickbreaker while waiting for the critter to show up :lol:

[Vader]

Nothing worse than hearing some hunter asking another if he still had his whitey tag and if he sees the buck does he want him to take it.. Confirming that they are 25 miles apart as well.
Now that's not fair chase and it certainly not legal but I have heard it..
I do use a radio as is quite common in the East Kootenays and damn near mandatory up north on the haul roads near Williston.. but I use it strictly for locating opposing traffic and to call for help.. and after the hunt, some idle chit chat.. Never for the actual hunt.

[M.Dean]

There the cats ass! When i start coming over the Mnt. after a morning hunt, i radio my main squeeze and breakfast is done when i get off my bike in the yard! They are a bit of a advantage, but so is the best part of our gear today! We use them every time were out, we radio back and forth, saves a lot of wasted time guessing what your partners up to. And when it says Good for 12 Km's on the box, cut that in half and divide by 2!!!

[ryanb]

There are no regulations about using a 2-way radio for a stalk. Of course, it's harder if your buddy back across the valley DOESN'T help you with the radio, just like it's harder to use a long-bow instead of a long range-capable magnum rifle. Each is just making use of an available tool, how is one more "fair" than the other?

[boxhitch]

Well, why the hack not???? As long as one guy is not in an aircraft!!Actually, its better if BOTH guys are not in an aircraft :-)

I'm not up on Record Books or Trophy Clubs, but one of them used to state electronic communication during the stalk/hunt is not fair chase.

Yes I do use them for the stalk. Its a tool that allows me to get the job done.

[Wolfman]

I think 2-way's makes things safer in the field, if you know where your hunting bud is, there's less chance of an accident happening, whether it be firearm-related or general safety.


I hear ya on that, Brian.

I was chicken & Rabbit hunting with some buds in the Yukon and radios would have been handy in the tight scrub.

We had groups of dudes out there and not all of 'em exercised proper gun safety. I found that out when a .22 LR whinged past through the branches about a foot ahead of me, followed by: "Sorry dude!"

Maybe radios won't cure people of stupidity, but they sure help! ;-)


Wolfman

[Steeleco]

Outside our pre-arranged check in time, I only click it to see if his was the shot I heard. If you use them to hunt by BRAIL, let you conscience be your guide!!

[gitnadoix]

Its just another fair chase line in the sand, on one side of the line the users, on the other side of the line those that say it aint fair.....but wait whats this another line that behind them saying anything more than iron sights is not fair chase.....and on and on it goes. Some people figure that spreading a pile of alfalfa out on the snow to atract hungry whitetails is fair...?????

[BCrams]

for safety the radio is an excellent idea, as are sat phones/cell phones. I might take my Blackberry hunting this year, so I can play Brickbreaker while waiting for the critter to show up :lol:

Or you can check right into hungingbc.ca :redface:

[rishu_pepper]

for safety the radio is an excellent idea, as are sat phones/cell phones. I might take my Blackberry hunting this year, so I can play Brickbreaker while waiting for the critter to show up :lol:

That's a great idea! I think I'm gonna bring my Nintendo DS this Saturday while making yotes stands. Who knows, they might be interested in video game beeps and sounds? :lol:


We had groups of dudes out there and not all of 'em exercised proper gun safety. I found that out when a .22 LR whinged past through the branches about a foot ahead of me, followed by: "Sorry dude!"


Two words you hope you never hear.. safety first, Mike. I'd never hunt with that guy again


Or you can check right into hungingbc.ca :redface:

I'd check into huntingbc.ca too, but I dunno what one will find at hungingbc.ca. :D Real-time field reports sounds like a blast though!

[480ruger]

if your putting the final stock on an animal using a 2 way radio to comunicate,then you have to be stupid,cause that animal will hear you a mile away yaking on the radio,.. as for safety a really great tool for the back pack.. just my 2 cents

[Gateholio]

I've used radios on a stalk only once.

Yes, it worked, but hand signals and viewing via binos would have worked just as good, without worrying abot *SQWACK..WHERE ARE YOU*:cool:

Is optics unethical?:p

[boonerbuck]

You can always wear an ear piece Gates....sqwack....haha

I used them once to get my ol'man into a group of mulies but besides that I havent bothered. That was about 12 or 13 years ago. He still blew it tho....

[hunter1947]

We use radios ,but only to locate the other person or when we get something down ,thats if we are close enough to connect to one and the other. We also have them for safety. We keep them on vibrate and Private talk at all times. I have never used one to zero in on an animal.

[DWH]

As with hunter1947, we use them on vibrate and private talk and have no problem with noise. That being said, we use them to inform each other of our whereabouts when we stalk apart from each other. When it comes time to closing the deal, the radio is turned off.

[rollingrock]

No, not for stalking. I took a guy out for deer hunting a couple of years ago to my spot. We split about 100 yards apart and moved in the same direction. We moved slow and nice into BT's bedding area where we saw a lot of fresh signs. Then my radio cracked, and he was telling me that he saw a nice grouse in front of him and he wanted to blast it with his 12 ga. As soon as I said no just leave the bird alone, a two point buck with his girl friend jumped out their bed 30 yards away and disappeared in thick stuffs before I could raise my gun.

[Ron.C]

I think for safety sake, they're a great idea, but don't rely on them as a sole means of communication. Just make sure you do some field testing first to make sure you know the range and limitations of your radio's.
I don't think I would want to use radio's in a stalk situation. To me, that takes too much away from the hunt.

[model88]

I actually had a nice mulie buck shot out from under me because of 2-way radios.:cry:

88

[budismyhorse]

there is no doubt that the use of radios and cell phones results in more game being taken.

Like Gatehouse said, you could argue ethics and the use of optics....but as far as recent technology that has changed the way some people hunt and are more successfull.....radios stand out.

Cell service in the Elk Valley is amazing and I know people and have been around when elk are literally swarmed by guys all chatting with cell phones and hand held radios, with dudes at the bottom conducting the whole thing.

There are, however, different degrees to the situation. The elk we shot this september would never have been taken without the use of our hand helds. I was on the other side of the valley from my partner making "lunch plans" on the radio while looking at him through the spotting scope I saw a 6 pt walk bellow him 300 yards down slope, and hour later it was dead. Radios were off the entire time after he took off but there is no way that elk would have died that day if it weren't for radios.

It comes down to personal choice, like using quads, trucks, horses anything really. I know guys who think rifle hunting is completely unethical and should be banned........it takes all kinds!

[ryanb]

As with so many things, as long as it's legal it's fine. You might think it's unfair, but it's certainly not your place to tell someone else off for doing something that is perfectly legal. Yes, it's true the record books have decided, in their OPINION, it is not fair chase, but hand signals are so...

[308BAR]

I find two way radio good to IDing your location however even with the volume turn down low, it could ruin a stalk on an animal.

[Blainer]

Absolutely
Another fine tool.This could bring up the debate regarding binnoculers,spotting scopes,quads,long range rifles,g.p.s.,range finders,feeding charts,ect.
I try to use them all,under the right circumstances.I would opt to turn radio off during a stalk.

[TIKA 300]

Absolutely
Another fine tool.This could bring up the debate regarding binnoculers,spotting scopes,quads,long range rifles,g.p.s.,range finders,feeding charts,ect.
I try to use them all,under the right circumstances.I would opt to turn radio off during a stalk.

Lets throw trail cams in there also ????????

[BlacktailStalker]

Anything legal is fair chase, whether it rubs one guy the wrong way or not.
I think they are great, if one guy gets something down and needs help or just plain needs help for other reasons.

[johnes50]

I've got a couple GMRS radios that we take along. Don't use them much, but they're nice to have 'just in case'.

We were going to get some handheld megaphones with built in sirens and flashing lights, but we got a good price on the GMRS radios and bought them instead.:grin:

[rock]

Essential in the bush can be used in all situations.

[Jelvis]

Two way radios have probably saved more animals from being spotted because they are loud and noisy and I won't turn one on til late in the day. I heard two guys on radios at least three football field lengths away. The guy said you could hear us? I couldn't believe the guy, he thought they were whispering on the phones lol. Jelrado beep beep!

[stroh72]

Personally, when I hunt I leave mine off. We check in every 2 hours or in the event of a shot. Ethically I think of mine as a necessary piece of safety equipment and should be used in whatever hunting situation you choose. I think the use of radio's are invaluable especially when it comes Group and Shared hunts with multiple shooters

[kgriz]

FAIR CHASE???!! Another humerous buzz word these days.....
I love to hunt but I find it hard to believe that any animal that I have killed thinks that the chase was very fair.:biggrin:

[mpotzold]

We use them only for a predetermined chat time(how are things?..) or when there is a shot(or emergency -bear mauling ,got lost, broke my leg, stroke , heart attack!..)