hunting in aircraft

bd · Post by bd » Fri Oct 06, 2006 3:47 pm

Any fallout for the pilot for pax shooting at wildlife off the float? Heard it's been done-just curious of course...

phillyfan · Post by **phillyfan** » Fri Oct 06, 2006 5:39 pm

HMMMMM

Rowdy · Post by **Rowdy** » Fri Oct 06, 2006 10:18 pm

Isn't that Illegal?

not sure how you'd get a steay shot either

Mr. North · Post by **Mr. North** » Fri Oct 06, 2006 11:09 pm

Illegal or not, anything that doesn't run away from a noisy bush plane deserves to get shot.

Rowdy · Post by **Rowdy** » Sat Oct 07, 2006 9:20 am

Mr. North wrote:Illegal or not, anything that doesn't run away from a noisy bush plane deserves to get shot.

Too true!

mikegtzg · Post by **mikegtzg** » Sat Oct 07, 2006 5:22 pm

I suspect the provincial wildlife hunting laws would apply. In Manitoba, you can shoot from a powerboat if all movement of the boat from the engine has ceased. Since a floatplane on the water is 'a boat'. I'm sure you can.

AB_Summit · Post by **AB_Summit** » Sat Oct 07, 2006 7:52 pm

Links to Alberta hunting regs...

Click

Item 3 under "General Prohibitions" says it is unlawful to:

- hunt any wildlife with or from an aircraft, or communicate, for the purpose of hunting, the signs or whereabouts of wildlife seen during a flight on an aircraft.

Also Item 13 under "Big Game Prohibitions" says it is unlawful to:

- hunt big game within 6 hours of having disembarked from an aircraft, except for a jet or turbo-propelled aircraft.

EDIT: click on "General Regulations" once you have clicked on the above link.
Of course in other areas of the country the regulations may be different.

desksgo · Post by **desksgo** » Sat Oct 07, 2006 8:45 pm

Mr. North wrote:Illegal or not, anything that doesn't run away from a noisy bush plane deserves to get shot.

Doesn't that include most of you?

McPhoo · Post by **McPhoo** » Sat Oct 07, 2006 11:09 pm

In Alberta I believe it is not allowed and most other places I am sure. They figure that it gives the hunter an unfair advantage to fly around, find the game and then land and go shoot it. Not much 'hunting' to that apparently. As if shooting with a high powered rifle with a big scope wasn't an unfair advantage already

Now, when I was North I flew many a First Persons around finding the Cariboo. Once spotted we'd land a bit off on an esker and the boys would blast em. Gotta have the right blood line to do that

Now here is a story for ya: Some years ago my boss and our Chief Engineer were flying around in the C185 and see this big Moose by a lake. They yank it around and land near the shore. Out comes the birch bark moose call and they call in the big stud. The thing comes crashing through the bush and stands there huffing and puffing a hundred yards off. Boom goes the rifle and when the smoke clears the moose is at a dead run right for the float plane. Franticaly they both load and start firing. They get six shots off before the beast drops dead not ten feet from the floats. They just stood there for awhile and let the heart rates slow down. Took them forever to carve it up while in thigh deep water. Loaded the grisly remains on board and flew home with the goods.

You can bet that was the last time they tried that! I will say though, for the mooses part, he didn't go down without a fight! A warriors death. Honourable by any measure.

Cheers and happy hunting

. ._ · Post by **. ._** » Sun Oct 08, 2006 5:57 am

I could see why they have laws like that.

Imagine some rich hunters that charter a plane. Somehow, they manage to shoot a moose. Then the pilot flies around and says, "Sorry guys, no place to land around here." So they go off, and do it all day. They shoot 5 moose, but can only pick up one. Moose goes extinct in 10 years. (Except in Newfoundland. There are a bazillion moose there.)

Or something like that.

-istp

Driving Rain · Post by **Driving Rain** » Sun Oct 08, 2006 6:54 am

I know an ex MNR pilot who was doing a survey and lost control of the aircraft and crash landed on a Moose. They coudn't charge him though...
The law is clearly written. It forbids hunting from an aircraft but says nothing about hunting with an aircraft.

longjon · Post by **longjon** » Sun Oct 08, 2006 1:14 pm

A similar story to McPhoo flying in a Beaver only with canoe on floats going out for a hunt with all gear aboard. Circle said lake looking for ol Rubber Nose and upon spotting one land and off load gear directly across from the target.

A short time later paddling over toward the area the Moose is spotted close to lake shore and when in range was shot and immediately leps into the water. The canoe wasnt all that close to shore but the ol adrenilin gets going when the lake is shallow and the critter is large and thrashing in your direction. I think the 308 Norma Magnum was fired again for insurance. And it took a full day to get the beast out of the water and dressed. Ah great memories.

There have been regs about shooting game from Helicopters for a while but I heard of a guy slinging in a Argo 6 wheeler into a hard to get place and blasting game and the regs being changed because of it. This could be rumor.

Starsky · Post by **Starsky** » Sun Oct 08, 2006 1:55 pm

AB_Summit wrote:- hunt big game within 6 hours of having disembarked from an aircraft, except for a jet or turbo-propelled aircraft.

Sounds to me like you are good to go as long as you arrive in a turbo beaver or other turbo-prop airplane...

Rowdy · Post by **Rowdy** » Sun Oct 08, 2006 7:42 pm

Starsky wrote:
AB_Summit wrote:- hunt big game within 6 hours of having disembarked from an aircraft, except for a jet or turbo-propelled aircraft.
Sounds to me like you are good to go as long as you arrive in a turbo beaver or other turbo-prop airplane...

IIRC it was a craft that was jet powered/turbine over 12,5... but I'm kinda half in the bag and too lazy to look it up.

1000 HP · Post by **1000 HP** » Mon Oct 09, 2006 11:39 am

I recently asked a Fort Smith local (a smart one, not one of the other 95%), about the rules in the NT. He said it's ok to use an aircraft to spot game in the Territories, but you cannot shoot at the beast from the aircraft either in motion or not. No time restriction though. Based on the latest insurance and fuel costs, I suspect that it's cheaper to buy meat at the store.

bd · Post by bd » Mon Oct 09, 2006 3:23 pm

I just flew out the managing wildlife officer for the area here (in the Territories) and quizzed him because I'd heard conflicting rumors on the issue. Some claimed it was fine to spot the moose from the aircraft so long as you shot em from land, others said you could blast em right off the float. The ENR guy confirmed the latter, you can shoot right out of a boat or off the float or land beside a herd of caribou on the ice and have- atter there too. Only restrictions being no helicopters and no communicating from an aircraft to a vehicle on the ground (ie: a boat) the whereabouts of game. That all pertains just to the YSM area of the Territories, other parts of Canada are decidedly different.

hp, when we gonna see you?? I'm gettin the boot on the 15th, just finished the last float trip today-gotta have steak and beer nite before we all header out.

Spruce Moose · Post by **Spruce Moose** » Mon Oct 09, 2006 5:22 pm

istp wrote:I could see why they have laws like that.

Imagine some rich hunters that charter a plane. Somehow, they manage to shoot a moose. Then the pilot flies around and says, "Sorry guys, no place to land around here." So they go off, and do it all day. They shoot 5 moose, but can only pick up one. Moose goes extinct in 10 years. (Except in Newfoundland. There are a bazillion moose there.)

Or something like that.

-istp

True enough. My great uncle, way back in the day, used to take rich americans who came up here to get a moose out in helicopter. More often than not, they shot it from the chopper, landed and tied it on then flew back to the airport with the moose hanging from a rope.

I'm not sure if it's illegal in NF now or not. Either way, no one would ever know if you did happen to pop one from the chopper.

Cat Driver · Post by **Cat Driver** » Tue Oct 10, 2006 2:22 pm

I first got my present wife in the cross hairs hunting in an aircraft.

It was an Austin Airways DC3 enroute from Timmins to Great Whale River via Moosonee and Ft. George.

longjon · Post by **longjon** » Tue Oct 10, 2006 5:25 pm

CAT did you know an Austin employee named Steve Beattie?

I imagine a lot of guys went through Austin but just thought Id ask

Cat Driver · Post by **Cat Driver** » Tue Oct 10, 2006 5:32 pm

No I don't know him.

The last flying I did with Austin was in 1972.

Daart · Post by **Daart** » Tue Oct 10, 2006 8:15 pm

I know Steve, nice guy.

hunting in aircraft

hunting in aircraft

Hunting in the NT