Homer and Jethro were setting in deer camp when Homer turned to Jethro and said, “It’s illegal to trap mice in Nevada without a license.”
Jethro didn’t know how to respond. He shook his head, smiled weakly and told Homer to lay off the bottle.
No one is sure if Homer was telling the truth or if he was just speaking “Jack Daniels.” Regardless, there are some strange game laws and these are verified.
Hold The Pee
Scent lures and the possible spread of Chronic Wasting Disease is confirmed by Scott Darling who is with the Vermont Fish & Wildlife bureau.
“We banned it here [Vermont] because we are a CWD-free state,” said Darling. “We didn’t feel reassured the deer urine wholesalers could warranty their urine was CWD-free.” Other states, including Alaska, Virginia and Arizona, have banned the use of real urine. Synthetic aromas are still lawful and give hungers a way to entice deer with scents.
Color Impact
It is illegal to shoot an albino deer in Tennessee, but there isn’t a scientific reason to give white deer a pass. William Morris, a Wildlife Resources Agency Law Enforcement Coordinator with Tennessee said:
“It isn’t anything we pushed for. There is no biological reasoning for having it.”
Half-Day Off
Hunters in Missouri have never fully understood the half-day turkey hunting rule. It limits hunters, but what else does it accomplish?
Joe Jerek, spokesman for the Missouri Department of Conservation, said, “We’ve looked at the issue and our season ends at 1pm to give turkeys a break. Spring hunting is more popular than fall hunting so it gives hens a break for nesting and poult rearing.”
Fall turkey hunting, at least in Missouri, doesn’t restrict hunters to half-a-day. Shooting hours, in autumn, are one-half hour before sunrise to sunset.
No Flash
In Montana don’t use any flash photography. The state also doesn’t allow for trail cameras to be used during the season. The devices may be used to scout during pre-season, but once opening day arrives, put the cameras away.
Not Today
Sunday hunting laws can be a touchy subject. Many hunters have some type of strange emotional bond to the topic, but still, do hunters have to lose an entire day of hunting every week?
The laws, established a long time ago for religious reasons, are still on the books in Pennsylvania according to Jason Raup, assistant council for the Pennsylvania Game Commission.
“Sunday hunting is prohibited for deer,” Raup recently said. “It is permitted for other hunting activities, though.”
No Dogs
Rational people would believe states would permit hunters the liberty to track a wounded deer. The same rationale says the state would give permission to use any and every resource to find them. Not in Pennsylvania.
“It is illegal to pursue any big game — including deer — except for fall turkeys,” said Raup.
Legislation has been proposed to change the law.
Swim at Own Risk
Some states have regulations which are ambiguous and read in a way that says it is illegal to shoot a deer standing in water such as a lake, stream or pond. The regs don’t say anything about creeks. Other states don’t allow a hunter to shoot a deer that is swimming, but if the deer is just standing in water, that’s ok.
No one says anything about a deer in flood waters.
Georgia, for example, has deer hunting rules which read:
“It is unlawful to take any deer by any means while the deer is in any lake, pond, or stream.”
Judd Smith, a conservation officer with Georgia’s Department of Natural Resources, said, “It’s open to interpretation. I don’t know if it will become a big enough issue for us to interpret it though.”