This is exactly my opinion.
I am riding an ATV. Not hunting. It is illegal to have a loaded gun and discharge from an ATV.
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Guess the key word is the term "searching".
My Interpretation if the FWCA is you can't use the vehicle to physically interact with the animal however searching for an animal is allowed so not pretenent to the question at hand.
Searching for is covered under the definition of hunting and thats what is used for the determination.
So driving to your hunting spot with no intent to stop and kill game.... not hunting. Cruising a loggingh road looking for game with the intent to kill it ....hunting.
From the ORVA… occupier” includes,
(a) a person who is in physical possession of the land, or
(b) a person who has responsibility for and control over the condition of land or the activities there carried on, or control over persons allowed to enter the land,
even if there is more than one occupier of the same land; (“occupant”)
So to simplify, when a CO stops you on your ATV and asks if you are hunting, you say NO. If I'm driving a trail and come across a moose and its going to stand there and wait for me to get off the machine, get the gun out of the boot, and load the gun it can wait for me to throw my orange hat on to, which is always hanging off the handlebar anyway.
In my case I was hauling a deer on the back rack of the quad going down an old rail way bed. We own both sides of the tracks and had hunter orange coat on and black helmet. Camp lane way was about 300 yards away. Didn't get charged, but was still considered hunting(gun on front rack unloaded in case) thats why I spray painted the helmet for the rest of the week lol
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The big difference is, you are basically driving to your hunting spot. It will depend on where and what you are doing. Like I said, cruising cuts looking forward moose with an ATV….you are hunting, by definition….
This is the same discussion every year, I figured CO Critchlow’s response would solve the issue….but apparently not !!
I take zero chances...despite the yelling, hootin' and hollerin' or what the other guys say at camp....I wear my hunter orange thong just to be on the safe side.......