MT youth hunt gun question

[Trucker]

I'm a Non Res hunter that has been hunting in Montana for 15 years. My son turned 12 this year and am bringing him out for his first chance to find a buck to shoot. My question is am I aloud to help him carry his rifle out in the field. If he gets tired or we get in some rough terrain where I feel it would be better for me to handle the rifle. Is that legal?

The other thing is that I drew a buck tag for unit 652-50 so I can not hunt in another unit during the season so I don't want someone to think Im hunting in a place I'm not suppose to if I am helping him by carrying the gun once in a while if needed for safety reasons.

thank you
Craig

 

[Ben Long]

I'm not a game warden or a lawyer but I think you're fine carrying your boy's gun. Any warden with a lick of sense would understand. You can't shoot the deer for him, but you can help him carry his rifle. Good luck!

 

[mtmuley]

Another angle, hope I don't offend. My father did not and would not carry my rifle. Different times maybe, but his feeling was if I was man enough to kill, I could handle the rifle alone. I've never carried either of my kids rifles. mtmuley

 

[----]

I can't think of any situation in Montana where it's illegal to carry a rifle in rural Montana. You can hike around in full camo during the elk rut in the Elkhorns with a rifle slung over your shoulder and you're not breaking any laws.

Good luck to you and your son.

 

[Rooster52]

Make his experience as good as you can.If carrying his rifle sometimes or some of his gear helps him enjoy his hunt ,then go for it. Cannot believe there would be any laws broken.

 

[HalfAce]

Legally, I don't know the answer to your question, but I don't think it should be an issue if you carry his rifle. Not many people would go looking for a buck in a general unit if they had a 652 permit anyway, so if someone calls you on it for carrying his gun, just show them your permit.

Good luck to you guys this season, let us know how your hunt goes.

 

[HuntMT16]

So to answer your question, it depends on how technical you want to get. The definition, by state law reads: "Hunt" means to pursue, shoot, wound, take, harvest, kill, chase, lure, possess, or capture or the act of a person possessing a weapon, as defined in 45-2-101, or using a dog or a bird of prey for the purpose of shooting, wounding, taking, harvesting, killing, possessing, or capturing wildlife protected by the laws of this state in any location that wildlife may inhabit, whether or not the wildlife is then or subsequently taken.

So technically speaking if you are carrying your son's rifle in an area that you cannot legally kill a deer (or during the youth only hunt) you could be cited for it because you are in possession of a weapon. If you are using the scope to look at a deer while your carrying the rifle, your probably going to get a citation. Other than that, I do not personally see a Warden issuing a citation to someone who is carrying their son's rifle. Most Warden's have children of their own and understand what your doing, or if they don't have children of their own, they have enough common sense to understand what is going on. I'm sure that next year when my daughter is hunting, I will at some point be carrying her rifle and won't hesitate to do it. I will certainly make sure though that I am not doing anything that a Warden could mis-interpret for me getting ready to shoot a deer.

Hope that answers your question. Best of luck to both of you, particularly your son!

 

[Trucker]

Thanks. I don't plan on carrying it or helping him but if for some reason there is a need I want to be ok.

 

[whiskeydog]

people always want to get so technical...there is no problem at all carrying a rifle for you kid! if you want to get technical, then if you have a tag for another unit in MT then you also have a MT hunting/conservation license which means you can legally shoot a coyote anywhere and any time...so there's you reason for carrying a rifle.

 

[fishing4sanity]

I don't care about the rifle, you're fine helping him, I just hope you have to help him pack out a nice ol' buck. Good luck!

 

[Gerald Martin]

Is 652 any different than other limited mule deer buck units? You are not allowed to shoot a mule deer in any other district, but you can shoot a whitetail in any district even if you draw a special permit. That would make it legal for you to carry a rifle for yourself or for your son. Of course, if you kill a whitetail buck, you can't shoot a mule deer.

 

[MooseCaboose]

If anyone asks, you are coyote hunting