# Can't be true?



## MrFysch (Feb 9, 2008)

I have been hearing stories of guys getting tickets from the DNR for walking out of the woods in the evening for having a loaded gun. This has to be baloney? If not I have been violating for years for waiting until I get back to my truck before pulling my clip and removing my cartridge from the chamber.


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## feedinggrounds (Jul 21, 2009)

I guess if its after shooting hours....That's going by the books isn't it? Something to keep in mind. I just walk from my blind to my little cabin, unloaded rifle on the porch, I am 1/2 mile behind a locked gate.


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## sureshot006 (Sep 8, 2010)

Please see page 19 of 2019 hunting digest.


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## DEDGOOSE (Jan 19, 2007)

I love the law, what's worse is the folks that load or knock up when they settle in half hour before morning shooting light. Who does that?


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## Spartan88 (Nov 14, 2008)

If it isn't shooting hours its a violation before or after.


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## Macs13 (Apr 24, 2019)

MrFysch said:


> I have been hearing stories of guys getting tickets from the DNR for walking out of the woods in the evening for having a loaded gun. This has to be baloney? If not I have been violating for years for waiting until I get back to my truck before pulling my clip and removing my cartridge from the chamber.


You can't be cocked or loaded unless you're within shooting hours, right? That's how I understand it. My alarm goes off at the end of shooting and I unload them and put the shells in my pocket. No need for them in the gun at that point and no point in risking a fine or worse. I find that a little trickier with the crossbow because I need to get back to the truck to de-cock by shooting my target, but I do hike out with all of the bolts in the quiver. I had a bunch of guys on here tell me that I could cock my xbow at the truck before hours. Dunno if that's right.

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## Horseshoe (Oct 15, 2003)

I'm familiar with it too. I never gave it much thought until I was doing a population control hunt on the Todd Farm refuge. They were handing tickets out to people they caught who put a cap on their muzzle loader before shooting time. Someone mentioned it in the morning meeting or I would have almost certainly done it.


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## atp500 (Feb 6, 2007)

By the book, unloaded before shooting hours and unloaded at the end of shooting hours. As to crossbows, I'm a Hunter Safety Instructor, that's a question that comes up often. The local DNR Officer said as long as there is no arrow in the crossbow it's considered unloaded. The same for Muzzlerloader, just remove the cap and your unloaded.


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## brookie1 (Jan 26, 2011)

(7) Subject to MCL 324.43510, (2) and (3), except during the hunting hours specified in this section and as otherwise provided by subsection (2), a person shall not possess afield a firearm unless it is unloaded in the barrel, or crossbow or a bow and arrow unless all arrows and bolts are placed in a quiver. A person may, to comply with section 4.1(2), kill a down and mortally wounded deer, bear, or elk using an otherwise legal means and may possess a loaded firearm, a cocked crossbow, or bow with nocked arrow only at the time and at the point of kill. Notwithstanding any other provision of this subsection, a person hunting under the authority of a wild turkey license during the spring wild turkey season may load and carry a loaded firearm afield while going to their hunting stand up to one hour prior to the spring wild turkey hunting hours.


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## Josh R (Dec 4, 2010)

This won't affect me at the moment because i don't do it but... Can a citizen open carry after dark? 

It seems like this topic has came up before
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## UPEsox (Feb 2, 2018)

A citizen can open carry but thats likely a firearm that isn't legal for hunting. I was always taught never walk to and from the stand with a loaded weapon, more of a safety thing though.


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## MossyHorns (Apr 14, 2011)

We got checked by 2 CO's last year in Lake County. Checked all 5 in our group and we were all legal.


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## Liver and Onions (Nov 24, 2000)

brookie1 said:


> (7) Subject to MCL 324.43510, (2) and (3), except during the hunting hours specified in this section and as otherwise provided by subsection (2), a person shall not possess afield a firearm unless it is unloaded in the barrel, or crossbow or a bow and arrow unless all arrows and bolts are placed in a quiver. A person may, to comply with section 4.1(2), kill a down and mortally wounded deer, bear, or elk using an otherwise legal means and may possess a loaded firearm, a cocked crossbow, or bow with nocked arrow only at the time and at the point of kill. Notwithstanding any other provision of this subsection, a person hunting under the authority of a wild turkey license during the spring wild turkey season may load and carry a loaded firearm afield while going to their hunting stand up to one hour prior to the spring wild turkey hunting hours.


Last paragraph.
Did not know this. I guess it's because of the noise made by racking in a shell.
Thoughts ?

L & O


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## sureshot006 (Sep 8, 2010)

Liver and Onions said:


> Last paragraph.
> Did not know this. I guess it's because of the noise made by racking in a shell.
> Thoughts ?
> 
> L & O


Same reason many load while waiting in the dark for deer.


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## Lov2hunt257 (Jan 30, 2019)

I hunt my farm, walk out the door to a blind behind the barn, but I still do not load my gun until I am in the blind, and unload in the blind its a safety thing with me !!!!


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## Rasputin (Jan 13, 2009)

So nobody still hunts anymore? Because its dangerous to walk with a loaded gun? Does anyone even know what that term, "still hunt", means? I think these loading time rules are about taking away the temptation to shoot outside hours more than a safety thing. 

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## sureshot006 (Sep 8, 2010)

Rasputin said:


> So nobody still hunts anymore? Because its dangerous to walk with a loaded gun? Does anyone even know what that term, "still hunt", means? I think these loading time rules are about taking away the temptation to shoot outside hours more than a safety thing.
> 
> Sent from my SM-G970U using Michigan Sportsman mobile app


Didnt seem to work this past rifle opener with the moonlight and snow... heard multiple shots well before legal, as did many others on this forum.


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## Huntahalic (Feb 9, 2010)

sureshot006 said:


> Didnt seem to work this past rifle opener with the moonlight and snow... heard multiple shots well before legal, as did many others on this forum.


And well after. I pulled the cap off the muzzleloader at the end of shooting hours on the 15th packed up, walked to my truck. Drove 2 miles home from the property got out and as I'm walking into the barn there was a shot from the 80 behind my house. An hour later I saw lights down the drive coming from that property. The corn was cut the day before and there was fresh snow. Go figure....


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## 22 Chuck (Feb 2, 2006)

Lov2hunt257 said:


> I hunt my farm, walk out the door to a blind behind the barn, but I still do not load my gun until I am in the blind, and unload in the blind its a safety thing with me !!!!


You guys that are so safety conscience--dont your guns have safeties??

I pull the gun from the case when it is lying on the front seat-guess what-that is an unloaded gun in vehicle..

Discretionary power and those fish cops love it.

Regarding the loaded gun after the magicial moment-cant you hunt coyotes after that time.. 
Was at a elk hunters meeting about 10 yrs ago. Questions were about shooting hours. Elk cop said "shooting begins at xxxx AM-BY MY WATCH." Whoopee do.


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## Liver and Onions (Nov 24, 2000)

Huntahalic said:


> And well after. I pulled the cap off the muzzleloader at the end of shooting hours on the 15th packed up, walked to my truck. Drove 2 miles home from the property got out and as I'm walking into the barn there was a shot from the 80 behind my house. An hour later I saw lights down the drive coming from that property. The corn was cut the day before and there was fresh snow. Go figure....


Could be what you're thinking or it could be that they shot the deer 45 minutes earlier, it was badly wounded but not dead and when they found it they put it down with the shot you heard.
It does happen. Shooting after/before legal hours is way more common of course. Especially when we have a little snow on the ground.


L & O


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## Huntahalic (Feb 9, 2010)

Liver and Onions said:


> Could be what you're thinking or it could be that they shot the deer 45 minutes earlier, it was badly wounded but not dead and when they found it they put it down with the shot you heard.
> It does happen. Shooting after/before legal hours is way more common of course. Especially when we have a little snow on the ground.
> 
> 
> L & O


That is true, but I know the group that hunts back there and lets just say they have a history and have had a few run ins with the CO's... Not the first time, I'm sure it wont be the last. The owner of the property has been popped more than once, now he lets others hunt it. Last time baiting was banned 4 different hunters were ticketed on the same property, 1 was the owner.


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## Martin Looker (Jul 16, 2015)

Nobody wants to spend an hour covering a few hundred yards. Still hunting means stopped more than moving and it's fun to do.


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## BulldogOutlander (Oct 1, 2019)

I guess i have been doing things wrong the last 23 years.. WHOOPS


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## Martin Looker (Jul 16, 2015)

The slower you go the more you can see. I've been doing this for over 60 years and still don't have it down perfect.


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## Liver and Onions (Nov 24, 2000)

Martin Looker said:


> The slower you go the more you can see. I've been doing this for over 60 years and still don't have it down perfect.


Your profile shows your age at 73, are you older than that ?

L & O


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## Martin Looker (Jul 16, 2015)

No, but I was 14 three years in a row. No computers way back then.


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## ganzzer60 (Nov 1, 2004)

I get the safety aspect, but the rule is total BS. This is just another DNR attempt to over complicate and pack the rule book. This allows COs to detail sportsmen to death and write a ticket whenever they want. I hunt private property and haven't been bothered, and am thankful for it. If I go to public land again I'll have to hire an attorney to review and provide updates.


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## Martin Looker (Jul 16, 2015)

This is not a new law it has been around for years, maybe you should try reading the hunting guide that you got with your license.


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## onenationhere (Dec 18, 2008)

What if you are attacked by dog man or the Blair witch on your way out ? The shells need to be in your gun at dark not in your pocket


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## trucker3573 (Aug 29, 2010)

What if you have a cpl? Can your side arm be loaded?


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## BulldogOutlander (Oct 1, 2019)

trucker3573 said:


> What if you have a cpl? Can your side arm be loaded?
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


at that point, if it's concealed, it isn't for hunting purposed, but i believe you will still need to have a limited amount of rounds in your firearm. I asked this very question about 10 years ago, so the answer is slightly foggy. hopefully someone will be able to give you a 100% answer on this.


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## Ryan Williams (Nov 1, 2018)

yes you can carry if you have a cpl. You can also load your gun just cant chamber a round until legal hunting hours. Same goes when you are tracking at night. Just chamber a round if you find the deer and need to finish it.


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## snortwheeze (Jul 31, 2012)

BulldogOutlander said:


> I guess i have been doing things wrong the last 23 years.. WHOOPS


Me too and will continue to do so...



onenationhere said:


> What if you are attacked by dog man or the Blair witch on your way out ? The shells need to be in your gun at dark not in your pocket


Because of that !! **** I'm slow in this wheelchair, to easy of a snack


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## kingfisher 11 (Jan 26, 2000)

I love Montana, wish I could get my wife to move......The fact she won't, might make it more appealing!


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## Martin Looker (Jul 16, 2015)

Yes


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## Lov2hunt257 (Jan 30, 2019)

All the bow hunter falling from trees, the accidental shootings every year ya safety is just a bunch of B.S !!!!!


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## November Sunrise (Jan 12, 2006)

sureshot006 said:


> Same reason many load while waiting in the dark for deer.


When shooting hours begin, a skilled hunter will rack a shell into the barrel of his pump gun with such vigor and intensity that it sounds like two B&C bucks smashing antlers. Many a trophy buck have fallen for this deception.


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## sureshot006 (Sep 8, 2010)

November Sunrise said:


> When shooting hours begin, a skilled hunter will rack a shell into the barrel of his pump gun with such vigor and intensity that it sounds like two B&C bucks smashing antlers. Many a trophy buck have fallen for this deception.


Deja vu?


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## bowhunter426 (Oct 20, 2010)

November Sunrise said:


> When shooting hours begin, a skilled hunter will rack a shell into the barrel of his pump gun with such vigor and intensity that it sounds like two B&C bucks smashing antlers. Many a trophy buck have fallen for this deception.


This made my day. Thanks


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## Lucky Dog (Jul 4, 2004)

I just leave my rifle in the blind. Problem solved.


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