# 2 Guns while waterfowl hunting



## Coldwater Charters (Sep 17, 2000)

I seen a question on another site about this. I had an experience on this during deer season quite a few years back. The CO here told me it was illegal to have more then one gun loaded while waterfowl hunting. Is that a Michigan Law or a Federal law. On the other site, it happened to be a woman, couldn't find any mention of this in the Feds site. So I looked and I couldn't find it either. If it is Federal and you could point to the right area to look and find it that would be great and if it is a Michigan Law and not a Federal Law then point me to where it says that, or if it is not a law. Thanks.


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## answerguy8 (Oct 15, 2001)

I'm willing to put money on one gun, federal law. That means no CCW gun either.


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## malainse (Sep 2, 2002)

Only one gun......From the waterfowl guide...

http://www.michigan.gov/documents/02waterfowl_41831_7.pdf

Page 5, left side, under restriction, 4th down.....

"By use or possession of more than one gun for each person in hunting party"


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## H2OFowl'er (Oct 26, 2001)

Michigan it is in the regs, but I too could not find it in the Fed Reg? Reason I was looking was I went on a hunt to TN and they all had two guns. One 12 ga for ducks then a 10 ga for geese....

I thought it would be a fed reg as well but couldnt find anything???


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## Coldwater Charters (Sep 17, 2000)

OK, now does anyone know if that is a federal law also??? Oh, by the way that pdf file was huge. It took almost 20 minutes to looad on my machine. I know it says Joint, but I need to find it in the Federal regs.


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## malainse (Sep 2, 2002)

I could not locate anything in the Fed reg's. Lets see what the boss has to say. Might call US fish and wildlife, law enforcement division and see what they have to say.

http://midwest.fws.gov/level1/law.htm#Michigan

Grand Rapids office 
Phone: 616-942-2381


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## Coldwater Charters (Sep 17, 2000)

Here is a Email I recieved from the Feds. 

Dear Sir,

Thank you for your interest in wildlife conservation.

The Federal Regulations (50 Code of Federal Regulations Part 20) that
regulate the hunting of migratory game birds do not restrict a person from
possessing more than one gun while hunting. You are correct that neither
weapon can be capable of holding more than 3 shotshells.

Please verify, however, the state laws in any location you choose to hunt;
it is possible that state regulations restrict each hunter to the
possession of one gun.


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## boehr (Jan 31, 2000)

Illegal to even have a second gun in possession

3.402 Taking of migratory birds, unlawful acts.
Sec. 3.402. In the taking of migratory birds, it shall be unlawful for any person:
(4) To take any migratory game bird, including woodcock:
(a) With any firearm other than a 10 gauge or smaller shotgun capable of holding no more than three shells. Shotguns capable of holding more than 3 shells shall be plugged with a one-piece filler, incapable of removal without disassembling the gun, so that the total capacity of the shotgun does not exceed three shells. 
(b) With the use of any single projectile shotshell, *or more than 1 firearm for each person.*


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## answerguy8 (Oct 15, 2001)

Your signature line:



> "A particular virtue in wildlife ethics is that the hunter ordinarily has no gallery to applaud or disapprove of the conduct, whatever the acts, they are dictated by their own conscience, rather than that of onlookers."


reminds me of a time, several years ago now, that I was woodcock hunting and got my five bird limit. I continued to hunt till my brit pointed one more bird. I put the gun up and mentally pulled the trigger, then watched the bird fly off to the next thicket. Then I put the gun away and went home.


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## hitechman (Feb 25, 2002)

20 or so years ago my brother-in law and I boated in to some land my father owned on the Pere Marquette River in Mason County (we put in on US-31 and boated (land-locked property) upriver 3-4 miles) to do some deer hunting. We had our deer rifles (cased of course) and spent most of the day hunting. My brother-in law shot a 4 point. We tagged, dressed and loaded it into the boat and started our journey back to the launch. 

It was still light and waterfowl season (no steel shot rules at the time) was still open (ah--the good ol' days). As we rounded the last bend a Canada goose was seen flopping in the water and having trouble keeping its head above water. We boated up to it (made no effort to flee) and I retrieved it from the water (did not chase it). It had a broken wing and some blood spots on its breast. We figured it was shot (the marsh was only a mile or so away and we could hear the waterfowlers shooting) and obviously would not live--so we dispatched it.

Since we both had waterfowl licenses and stamps we figured we could legally keep it.

Well, guess what? As we pulled the boat into the launch we were greeted by a CO. He checked the deer and noticed the goose. He asked for our licenses (waterfowl and deer). After looking at the goose he asked us to uncase our guns. He got very suspicious when we showed him rifles and asked how we got the goose (he figured he has us--and he probably did). We told him the story, and I never saw a guy inspect a goose so closely. He even plucked some of the breast feathers away to inspect the wounds.

To make this long story short--we got warned (no waterfowling while in posession of a rifle), had a few good laughs with him, and he let us keep the goose. At no time did we REALIZE we were doing something illegal until we met him--ignorance of the law is no excuse though. He could have really nailed us both!!

Steve


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