Hunting With 2-way Radios

[cohunter14]

Our group has used 2-way radios for years to help us communicate and know where each other are. I have heard others do this over the years and have heard communications directing hunters towards an animal. I have heard different interpretations on this as far as the legality of it, so I wanted to look into it more. Here is the only thing I found in the 2015 Big Game Brochure for Colorado under \'Illegal Activities\':

21. For two or more people on the ground, in a vehicle or vessel to use electronic devices to communicate information that violates any wildlife law or regulation.

This seems awfully vague to me. Does communicating the whereabouts of an animal violate a wildlife law or regulation? Anyone have any idea?

 

[cnelk]

Derek
Vague for sure.
Most all wildlife agency operates on \'vague and interpretation\' as that generates revenue when it comes to issuing citations.
I cant find the \'regulation\' but YES it is illegal to direct a hunter to game

I too have used 2 way radios just to communicate to buddies, and it has saved many footsteps!
We typically only try to reach to reach other at a pre-determined time i.e. 9am and only for 15 minutes.
If we cant make contact, we wait another hour if needed.

And yes, some hunters use \'code words\' when directing others to elk.
I have heard \'Sally\' and \'Nancy\' when referring to elk.

A conversation goes something like this:
\'Hey Mike! I see Nancy over there across the draw! Lets go over there and say HI!\'

Or..

\'Hey Swede, has Sally stopped by your tree stand yet today? She is looking for you.... she came by my stand but didnt stop...\'

 

[cohunter14]

Interesting...I too have heard people use code words or code names as well. But I find it weird that there is no language in the regs that stipulates that you cannot do it. Without that, I don\'t see how the would issue a citation... :?:

 

[bnsafe]

well whats there and what they issues a citation for is two seperate things. as far as the two way radios, my cousin and i both bought rinos so we could talk, text, send our locations etc. never used them to locate game, but did find him for lunch on the mnt one day after he sent me his location. just dawned on me, if he sent me his coordinates and he was watching a elk would that be illegal as well, or is he just telling me where he is. it gets awfully gray.

 

[F M]

We use them but like Brad we have a time set that we turn them on to see if anyone needs help packing one out.

 

[Billy Goat]

we radio check each other at 10am, then every hour on the hour til dusk, just to see if anyone is hurt, or if somebody has one down and needs help filleting it.

normally voices are a barely audible whisper. its always great when someone talks in \"full voice\", cause you know it means \"I GOT ONE DOWN\".

all that said..... I am rarely able to hear more than one guy, and often cant even hear him, because the radios wont reach over a peak. and peaks are pretty common in elk country.