Trad Gang

I have never thought much of the idea of using 2 way radios while hunting.  I like hunting alone, and even when I do join other hunters, we usually separate and meet at the truck later.  Also, I admit to feeling uneasy - where legal, would the use of 2 way radios be considered unethical, possibly giving us too much of an advantage?

My young son has been hunting with me for several years now and until this past weekend, we always sat together.  On Sunday we sat close together bowhunting for deer and turkeys, but a flock of turkeys wouldn't come close and we were running out of time - I decided to try and make something happen.  I put my son in a good spot and circled around to push the turkeys close to him.  It took maybe 30 minutes and what I didn't know was that a spike buck had fed up behind him and was 20 yards away and closing when I pushed those turkeys to him.  Of course they were spooked and they took that little buck away with them, just at the wrong time.  I thought, if we had radios, he could have called me and told me to hold off for a while.  I want him to get a kill so bad, but later on the drive home I began worrying that use of the radios in that situation wouldn't be very "fair".

Any thoughts, pro or con, regarding the use of 2 way radios while hunting, if legal?

We use Garmin 120 GPS/Radios while hunting.  But not for game location.  We use them at the conclusion of a hunt to find each other. (GPS marks locations when the send key is pushed) And to establish a rally point.

Mike

I have never heard of 2-ways being illegal, but I am not an expert.

Do you both have cell phones?  Or he can borrow your wife's.  I like the use of the text messaging when hunting with buddies.  Super quiet.

Mike

I concur with Wingnut. We use them for Safety purposes too.

I wouldn't feel very comfortable with the radios but each needs to make their own choice. I do use game cams, gps, sat images tree stands and carry a cell phone with me. I have also text messaged coordinates to my partners and messages such as going back to camp,how many we did or didn't see etc. We have never used them for a coordinated drive.

Jeff:
That's why they call it "HUNTING". When you add radio's its elevated to killing!! And in some states two-way's are illegal for the purpose you discribed.
Bob

Check your game laws   :readit:  .  If I remember the regulations, they are illegal in some places (like Ohio or PA).  We use them here in NY more for possible emergencies or a major change of plans.  I have seen groups use them during gun hunt drives (not my style    ).

They don't get a lot of use, but nice to have.

I Have used them a couple times while hunting. There a Nice Item to have, Just Check your Game Regs concerning them!! Here In Michigan It is legal to have them but not legal to use for the taking of game (IE) Hey joe a big buck is headed your way, get ready, The Turkeys are moving east through the orchard so get over there. That kind of thing is NOT Legal!! Hey joe was that you shooting? Did ya get one, Stop heading this way, so you don't spook this deer. Those things are legal in Michigan.
 As Long as you are not giving a person an Advantage with the radio it is legal here. If I understand the laws correctley.
 The Bad thing in Michigan is it is NOT Legal to use ANY Electronic Devise for taking Game, Except for Predator's Then you can use electronics Calls & Decoy's & Lights.
The Bad part is the sport shops can SELL any kind of call Electric deer calls, turkey calls, elk calls its ALL legal to sell!! But if you get cought in the woods with it you will be arrested, fined & lose your hunting privliges! Just don't understand how it's legal to sell but not legal to use.!!!

Funny story.  One of my friends is expecting any time soon.  The father is an avid hunter and they are both going to the cabin they have.  There is no cell phone coverage in the area, but the 2-way radios work.  He is carrying one so she can call if they need to head to the hospital......

Illegal in KS for giving any information whatsoever about wild game while in pursuit, except for coyotes.  If you're using them here, it would be hard to explain their usage/possession while hunting with this law even if it were totally innocent, so most don't chance it.

In WI it is illegal to use them to assist in locating or taking game.  The situation you describe is probably kind of borderline as to how much the radio would have assisted.  And that's where the problems come in.  So many grey areas on what is or isn't assisting.  And so easy to cross the line without even thinking about it.  It's just natural for anyone to say whatever pops into their head without thinking about whether it is legal to say that or not.
"There's a buck coming your way"
"I'm going to head back for lunch and I'll walk through the wooods toward you"
Those are just a couple examples of what seems simple conversation could easily be interpreted as a violation.

We do use radios on occasion, but generally leave them off and have a prearranged time to check with each other on what the plans for the rest of the morning might be.  Most times I end up forgetting to turn it on when I'm supposed to  :knothead:

I always give one to the largest buck in our area. That way I know where he is and can help him avoid someone else!! (Sorry, I couldn't resist).

Tim

I never thought I would use them untill my wife wanted to start hunting, she wanted to gun hunt deer, so I sat with her for 2 seasons trying to teach her what I could about, deer and hunting them. I pretty well missed 2 years of hunting during the rut to sit with her during our November gun season. After taking a few deer and becoming fairly comfortable sitting in a stand by herself, I decieded to bow hunt nearby, within a mile or 2. But I purchased a couple raidos. We will set a time to check in,like 10 am or something, and if I think I hear her shoot it is agreed that we will turn on the radios after she does shoot, and again at dark. To make sure she is ok and all, or if she needs any help. Other than that the raidos stay off. In my mind it does not provide any advantage other than allowing my wife to hunt alone, and for me to be able to also hunt, and with peace of mind.

Just for sake of discussion: Where legal, how does the use of radios differ from using flagging signals or hand signals of some sort as mentioned on a sheep hunting thread?  If I yelled to you across a ravine "A buck is heading your way" would it be any different?  To some degree I think we are Techno-phobic (or Techno-odio) yet here we sit on a cyber connection trying to learn how better to hunt, ironic.  In VA radios are legal and we use them to keep in touch with each other.  Their use to alert other hunters can be over rated and the downside is the talking/movement can alert deer to the hunter's prescence.  They can be useful in a man-drive but the driver can always yell or signal some more archaic way than radios.  It may not be your style but I think they are a valid tool for safety and to coordinate plans.  I feel they will be very useful once my kids are old enough to hunt without me in their stand.

all depends who is hunting with me. sometimes you get a guy that wants to talk a lot and that is now way to hunt. when i use them we usally agree to a certain time, turn the radios on and see if anyone saw anything. i have not used them yet this year and it is refreshing not to use them however they do have their place.

QuoteOriginally posted by Talondale:
Just for sake of discussion: How does the use of radios differ from using flagging signals or hand signals of some sort as mentioned on a sheep hunting thread?  If I yelled to you across a ravine "A buck is heading your way" would it be any different?  To some degree I think we are Techno-phobic (or Techno-odio) yet here we sit on a cyber connection trying to learn how better to hunt, ironic.  In VA radios are legal and we use them to keep in touch with each other.  Their use to alert other hunters can be over rated and the downside is the talking/movement can alert deer to the hunter's prescence.  They can be useful in a man-drive but the driver can always yell or signal some more archaic way than radios.  It may not be your style but I think they are a valid tool for safety and to coordinate plans.  I feel they will be very useful once my kids are old enough to hunt without me in their stand.

Our law says "by radio or  other mechanical means ".  I suppose that could mean flagging as well, though it would be tough to convict unless they could prove a premeditated intent to do so.  Pretty vague, but I think they want it that way as a catch all.  I think the real purpose is to give game a fair chance.  With a radio, you could communicate without disturbing or alerting the game; yelling would.  When you think about how far technologies have come, it could be real hard for rangers/wardens to catch someone violating the law.  Where they used to (and I'm sure they still do here) monitor public use radio frequencies during hunting season with scanners, it is much harder for them to catch folks with cell phones, text messages, and email devices like BlackBerries and Iphones, these days.  Due to the poor ability to catch anyone and enforce the law nowadays, I think the law is antiquated.    ;)

Let me rephrase my question to read "Where legal..."

I never pack radios.. But I do carry a signal mirror,..

If I remember correctly, Georgia law states that it is illigal to use radios in the persuit of game.  I had a DNR agent tell me that ther ewas nothing illigal about carrying a radio for safety orcommunications after the hunt as long as you did not use it in the persuit ofgame.  Now I am suretha every DNR agent will have a different take on this.

THe main thing is to know your states regulations, and abide by them.  

Also, I assume since you were hearding turkeys toward your son that turkey season is open in NC during the Fall.  Not so in Georgia.  Spring Turkey hunting only.

My hunting buddy and I used to use the headsets with voice activated transmission.  We hunted about 100 yds apart and would tip each other off if something was moving.  We were hunting out of tree stands so we were not "persuing" game.  The DNR agent told me that would be borderline and it would cepend on which DNR agent I asked.  He said it would have been OK with him.  His take was that you could not use them on a deer drive.

QuoteOriginally posted by Jeff Holchin:
I have never thought much of the idea of using 2 way radios while hunting.  I like hunting alone, and even when I do join other hunters, we usually separate and meet at the truck later.  Also, I admit to feeling uneasy -

I read the last sentence above and think you answered your own question Jeff, and knowing you I believe that it will mean much more to both you and Daniel when you do it your way......

As for me, they are illegal here to use in assisting to take game, and if they were legal I don't see where I would use them....

David

Ive used them for years, never to aid in the actual hunt mind you.  They are really good when my wife makes a kill (she wont dress a deer) or at the end of a morning hunt to notify party members you are going to be walking in. I find them great for the safety and general communication aspect. As mentioned before many states have laws governing the use of 2 way radios so make sure to check local regulations before considering their use.

I would never use them to aid in the hunt, personally I like to take my chances and pit my skills against the .

I use them. Back when I hunted with a buddy, we'd just check in every now and then at predetermined times, just to see how things were going or where are we going to meet for lunch. Now I hunt with my 13 year old son who is sitting in his own treestand away from mine and I want to make sure he's OK. We chat back and forth and tell each other what's going on around our stands. He got a deer last year with his bow and hearing him relay the excitement to me was priceless.

I usually hunt alone.  My wife knows where I park.  I leave one in the Jeep and carry one with me.  She knows to look for that radio if I don't show up.  

Safety only for me, but on the rare occasions that I humt with others we sometimes use them to keep in touch.

Occaisionally someone will get on there with a comment like "two does coming your way", but usually they never make it to the other person, so I'm finding them not very useful in taking game.  

But I see them as invaluable as a safety tool.

Marvin

We seem to have gotten into whether it's legal or not and what would be legal vs illegal use. The question seemed to be more about fairness and ethics. I would say that if it is legal to use 2-way radios while hunting, you'd just have to ask yourself that question, and not base your ethics on other's opinions. It's what you do when nobody's watching, after all, isn't it?

That said, I'd have no problem using a GPS/radio like wingnut is talking about, if I were in unfamiliar elk country. Let me hunt quietly, but get ahold of me if you need help or something.

I think we'll use the radios for safety and to check in at designated times, once we begin regularly hunting away from each other.  The GPS/radio combo seems perfect for such use, especially in big country.  

For the example I gave, we were hunting in Ohio, but I hunt enough states that such use would be legal in some and illegal in others.  Tom is right - I wouldn't even consider it if it was illegal, I was asking about "fairness".  As much as I want to help my son get his first bow kill, I wouldn't feel right or fair using the radios as I described.  I guess hand signals or a whistle could be used for the same purpose, but I wouldn't mind because of the lack of an electronic advantage.  A fine line, no doubt.

My son is learning that "hunting the hard way" often means lots of fun/close encounters and not a lot of killing.  At his age, I was more interested in a kill than the overall experience, to be honest.  Sooner or later, it will happen if we keep getting close encounters.

Thanks for the input.

I use them when I hunt with my buddy John. If we go in an area pig hunting and we decide to go somewhere else it does`nt take an hour to find one another. Of course we hunt on the ground and cover a lot of ground.Also if one of us gets lucky during the hot months we can get back together to trail and dress the critter quickly to keep the meat from spoiling.RC

Another thought. John and I also will hunt the swamp for pigs and deer. If we get to a cane thicket we`ll split it and owl hoot if we jump critters that are headed to the other side. Not a lot of difference in that owl talking and a radio.

We use radios here in NY on drives for years and whle hunting all day with buddy on the other side of woods. Never gave it any thought till now and after reading reasons for being illegal in some states, hasn't changed my mind.
Hunting with my son this year for the first time u better believe we will have radios.
Anyway didn't Indians use sound to drive animals into netted traps?

The use of 2-way radios is not legal in Ohio for hunting. There is no mention of cell phones to my knowledge, though.

I carry my cell phone with me when I hunt, but have never used it in a hunting way.

I started carrying it when my wife was days away from giving birth, incase she went earlier than expected.

Not to hijack the post, but I'm wondering.
How many of you that use GMRS radios have the FCC licence that is required by law to use them for what ever reason?

We use them to keep each other awake!

Dan

In Ontario we are allowed to party hunt. In other words if you have filled your tag you can hunt with me and fill my tag as long as we are out there in same vacinity and have direct communication. So, that law says we have to have radios or another direct means of communicating such as cell. We use them all the time for safety reasons and above.

weve used them for YEARS! in the mountians of North Alabama its a lot easier to talk on radios than goin TO where the other person is.

i dont know WHY yall would think its unethical. is telling your buddy where a big _____ (insert animal you hunt here) is via mouth any different than on a radio?
we sue them in case someone kills a deer and needs help, or if one moves by one of us and towards another hunter we can give a heads up. and to see when you coming out, or what you want for breakfast, a number of possibilites for them...


to me, its just another tool that makes hunting easier, and safer.

one of our buddies has had a heart attack some years ago and in case he needs us, he can get a hold of somebody.
last year towards the end of the season we called for him, no answer. we had heard him shoot, but nothin else. me and dad sat at the truck for about 20 minutes before we wen to where he was hunting. when we got there he was looking for a deer and had left his radio in his pack that was in his pop up blind. he got a cussin over that. scared the hell out of us cause we thought somethin bad had happened.... (btw, he missed the deer)

My hunting partner and I only use it when we want to meet up or if one us got one. Other than that, it's mostly for safety purposes.

-Yaak