https://oodmag.com/ask-a-co-sight-in-from-a-vehicle/
A reader asks if it's legal to use your vehicle as a steady rest to sight in in this instalment of Ask a Conservation Officer.
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https://oodmag.com/ask-a-co-sight-in-from-a-vehicle/
A reader asks if it's legal to use your vehicle as a steady rest to sight in in this instalment of Ask a Conservation Officer.
Sounds kind of silly to me. If the vehicle is parked with engine off it's basically a big metal stump isn't it ?
Ya, until someone sees a critter come by and takes a pot shot for the heck of it.
to the honest shooter yes however for a poacher its one of those easy excuses when a CO shows up. One of those regs to make it easier for a CO to sus out the criminial verses honest person.Quote:
Originally Posted by longpointer
Just waiting on the question is it legal to use a rifle scope as binoculars?
That's not the way the law works. The loaded firearm in (or on, or leaning against) a vehicle doesn't include any exceptions.Quote:
Originally Posted by longpointer
I think it’s more of a safety issue than anything.Quote:
Originally Posted by werner.reiche
years ago when my dad was alive, he had a heart attach and couldn't walk very far. He set a chair beside the truck and sat in chair with rifle leaned up against truck. CO came along and gave him a warning. Probably only a warning as he could see he could barely get out of chair.
I understand that law as it relates to poaching from a vehicle or the safety issue of having a loaded gun inside a vehicle. My point is if the vehicle is stopped and engine off and you are using it as a rest to steady your aim out in a cornfield or woodlot what's the big deal ? I believe the OMNR can issue special permits for those with certain handicaps that allow them to shoot from vehicles.
So pretend you are a CO and come across the situation you described. How would you differentiate a guy sighting in his rifle or a poacher? Or better yet get a report from someone who has seen someone shooting as you described. If you take the time to set up a safe shooting range then the effort of packing a suitable rest shouldn't be a problem however if you need a quick convenient rest to take a pot shot well.....I feel its one of them rules to make a co's life easier.Quote:
Originally Posted by longpointer
A CO should be able to use some common sense though as well. If I'm sighting in a xbow on a target 30yds away and the bush is 500yds behind. He couldn't tell that I'm not hunting? Used to have an old sport trac with hard tonneau cover. Was ideal height for me. Just need a rangefinder if you wanted to shoot at 100,200,300 and move the truck. Theoretically that is.
Ok, so you have a target staked in the ground at 100 yards, spotting scope set up and multiple loads that have been reloaded. So theres no doubt your target shooting. Anyone see an issue with that? I get the law to prevent the poaching issue but if I can prove Im there to site in only I don't see a problem, but its going to depend on what Warden shows up.
If a person is shooting at an animal off of a vehicle, sitting at a table is not gonna change anything. That person is wired wrong. Considering we are talking out of season, which is when 99% of sighting in is done.Quote:
Originally Posted by Fisherman
The law is clear however it’s up to the officer whether he uses discretion or not. IMO circumstances tell the story.
Here are a couple of true stories about using vehicles as a rest while sighting in high-power rifles:
1) a friend was leaning across the hood of his truck and fired a round… next thing there’s a crease in the hood.
2) another guy was using his lowered tailgate as a rest and blew out his tail light due to the percussion.
Seems like there are better rests to use instead of a vehicle.
X2 -absolutelyQuote:
Originally Posted by Sam Menard
Now there is a good reason not to shoot off your vehicle ! LoL !Quote:
Originally Posted by Sam Menard
Poaching is poaching and most likely done at night with a jacklight with a small caliber gun to keep the noise to a minimum. They usually don't leave a gut pile or shoot on their own property. Mind you there are "haunch hunters" out there too.
I know of a fella who setup a mattress in the bed of his pickup and promptly blew out his ear drums from blast concussion. When it comes to vehicles,people do dumb stuff. We also should know that vehicle vibration can make loaded firearms do strange things,too.
When does a vehicle stop being a vehicle? A junked vehicle in a dump or old house trailer with no axles sitting in a bush used as a blind or a rest is a violation.
“Vehicle” means any kind of vehicle that is driven, propelled or drawn on land or ice by any kind of power, including muscular power, and includes the rolling stock of a railway.Quote:
Originally Posted by tracker
To answer your question, the vehicle would have to immobilized i.e. incapable of being driven, drawn, or propelled.
Simply remove the wheels and you're good to go. One of my favorite blinds is an old canvas tent camper trailer sitting on blocks.Quote:
Originally Posted by tracker
It will be a problem. The loaded firearms / vehicle law doesn't mention hunting.Quote:
Originally Posted by cricket
I hope the CO would be smart enough to realize a rail caboose with wheels still on in a bush is no longer a vehicle.:party:Quote:
Originally Posted by trimmer21
Quote:
Originally Posted by MeghanOOD
Under the Canadian Firearm Act it a violation to have a loaded firearm 'IN', 'ON' or 'LEANING AGAINST' a vehicle. When hunting, if you can get a "Disability Certification," from a physician pursuant to a mobility problem you can get a permit that allows you to hunt from an off-road conveyance (ATV).
You don't stop hunting because you grow old. You grow old because you stop hunting.
- Gun Nut
I have seen some disabled people allowed to hunt from their trucks, boats, and ATVs. When I have enquired with them it was an easy process at the time. As I recall a doctor’s note and a trip to the MNR at the time, it seems it’s different now if you read the hunting regulations.
I remember one retired neighbour always did well before the gun season with a crossbow and ATV.
Note: There is an exception (requires an authorization) to having a loaded firearm in a vehicle or motor boat if a person has a mobility disability and meets one of the following criteria:
1. A paraplegic or hemiplegic.
2. A single (above the knee) lower limb amputation or a double (below the waist) amputation.
3. Suffers severe disability and cannot hunt without the use of a wheelchair or similar means of locomotion. In this case, the hunter must provide a medical certificate stating disability.
Please plan ahead to allow for the processing of requests. To apply for an authorization, please contact NRISC at 1-800-387-7011, Monday to Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.