SB 2058 night hunting coyotes

HuntingGriffs

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If you are interested in using scan lights and digital night vision to hunt coyotes and fox please contact your representatives to support SB2058. SB 2058 allows the use of infrared light or other filtered light to be used for the night hunting of coyotes and fox. Thermal and nightvision is currently legal to use however the principal the lower end digital night vision works off of is using infrared light to see. So without the use of infrared your digital night vision is close to useless.
 


labhunter66

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I think they should just standardize all furbearer and non-game firearm hunting. There are no furbearers that currently have a firearms season that are needing substantial protection. Right now you can use thermal/night vision for fox and coyotes but your can't for beaver, raccoons, or others. You can use lights for beaver/raccoons but you can't for fox/coyote. Why not just standardize things and allow all furbearing and non-game animals to be harvested with the use of thermal, night vision, and infrared lights during legal firearms seasons for those animals? You can hunt fox/coyotes with any caliber at night but beaver/raccoon has to be .22 rimfire or .410 shotgun. All any of this does is confuse people so why not just standardize everything.
 

USMCDI

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Not a fan of this proposal, having killed hundreds of coyotes with thermals the past few years I don't think we need any more rules and guidelines on shining critters. It will get abused and guys will be shining deer "looking for coyotes" IMO.
 

Petras

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It will still limit the power of the illuminator to 6v or less. And I hate to say it, but this bill will have no effect on people shining deer and saying they are "looking for coyotes"... if people are gonna shine deer they are gonna shine deer regardless of the rules and regulations... It's not like people are gonna go "oh man it's legal to use lights on coyotes, lets go shine deer"... if they are the type that are gonna do that they would already be doing it because they could just say they are out looking for raccoon and beaver.... The main thing that I like about this bill is that it will legalize the use if IR Illuminators to be used with lower priced NV Optics... Not everyone can afford to go drop 3-10k on a thermal or NV optic that doesn't need IR Illumination.....
 

PrairieGhost

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You can hunt fox/coyotes with any caliber at night but beaver/raccoon has to be .22 rimfire or .410 shotgun. All any of this does is confuse people so why not just standardize everything.
Do that and you will have people shooting at coons in trees with their 30-06.
 


Kickemup

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Not a fan of this proposal, having killed hundreds of coyotes with thermals the past few years I don't think we need any more rules and guidelines on shining critters. It will get abused and guys will be shining deer "looking for coyotes" IMO.

So what your saying is night hunting yotes should be a rich guy sport that can afford a 10000$ scope. If guys are going to shine deer they are going to do it.
 

USMCDI

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So what your saying is night hunting yotes should be a rich guy sport that can afford a 10000$ scope. If guys are going to shine deer they are going to do it.

Not at all, shining lights the day after deer season ends (the day you can night hunt coyotes is usually that next day) is an avenue of approach to poaching, no doubt about it. When are coyotes dumb and when is their fur the best? Within two weeks of deer season, everyone knows that and when would guys be out shining? They would have a legal means to spot deer and hell while we're at it boom! Right now if I look out my window and see spotlights I get in my pickup and go for a drive, and I'm pretty sure everyone else that lives out in the middle of nowhere would too, all I'm saying is not a lot of good things happen after midnight when guns and spotlighting are involved.

As far as owning thermals being a rich man's sport, nope, it's called priorities. Everyone spends money on something that some else thinks is ludicrous, I chose thermals and pulling triggers, to each his own.
 

Lycanthrope

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Y cant you use a standard spot light like people did in the good ol days? If it aint broke...
 

labhunter66

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Do that and you will have people shooting at coons in trees with their 30-06.

I’m not saying that could never happen but it’s not likely and if they did is that such a problem? Right now I can shoot at a raccoon in a tree with a 30-06, just not at night. I think it would be very rare for someone to just go out and shoot raccoons at night with a 30-06. I also am not concerned about people using it as a means to poach deer and also don’t advocate for the use of a unfiltered spotlights. Poachers will be poachers and ethical hunters will be ethical hunters regardless of what the laws are.
 

Kickemup

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Not at all, shining lights the day after deer season ends (the day you can night hunt coyotes is usually that next day) is an avenue of approach to poaching, no doubt about it. When are coyotes dumb and when is their fur the best? Within two weeks of deer season, everyone knows that and when would guys be out shining? They would have a legal means to spot deer and hell while we're at it boom! Right now if I look out my window and see spotlights I get in my pickup and go for a drive, and I'm pretty sure everyone else that lives out in the middle of nowhere would too, all I'm saying is not a lot of good things happen after midnight when guns and spotlighting are involved.

As far as owning thermals being a rich man's sport, nope, it's called priorities. Everyone spends money on something that some else thinks is ludicrous, I chose thermals and pulling triggers, to each his own.

If using infared and night vision is a Avenue of approach to shine and shoot deer then all night hunting should be banned along with thermals. At the most a guy without thermals right now can hunt 15 nights a year. Depending on if there is adequate snow cover and its not cloudy. I'm lucky to get out 5 times a year because of this.
 


labhunter66

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If using infared and night vision is a Avenue of approach to shine and shoot deer then all night hunting should be banned along with thermals. At the most a guy without thermals right now can hunt 15 nights a year. Depending on if there is adequate snow cover and its not cloudy. I'm lucky to get out 5 times a year because of this.

Really, all night travel should be banned. More deer are poached in headlights than any other type of artificial light.
 

Kickemup

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Really, all night travel should be banned. More deer are poached in headlights than any other type of artificial light.

Using his logic of the no infared that's what he says. I love night hunting and dont want to see it go away.
 

Timbuk-2

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I disagree with any expansion of the use of artificial light to hunt furbearers. I would support a total ban on night hunting, can't see any good reason for it.
 

Kurtr

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I disagree with any expansion of the use of artificial light to hunt furbearers. I would support a total ban on night hunting, can't see any good reason for it.

Its way more effective to kill yotes and is fun as hell.
 

labhunter66

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I disagree with any expansion of the use of artificial light to hunt furbearers. I would support a total ban on night hunting, can't see any good reason for it.

Nobody is forcing you to participate. You don’t see any good reason for it but what makes it so detrimental that you want to take it away from other people that enjoy it?
 


Uncle Jimbo

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Why not just introduce a bill that only legalizes the use of infrared illuminators without the portion including lights? My opinion is that the use of red, green, or amber lights will lead to problems. Anyone ever hunted using a red light? A fundamental firearm safety rule is the ability to see your target AND beyond. My experience predator hunting with lights makes following that rule very difficult. I did not feel the practice was safe and subsequently sold my hunting lights.
 

Lycanthrope

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Why not just introduce a bill that only legalizes the use of infrared illuminators without the portion including lights? My opinion is that the use of red, green, or amber lights will lead to problems. Anyone ever hunted using a red light? A fundamental firearm safety rule is the ability to see your target AND beyond. My experience predator hunting with lights makes following that rule very difficult. I did not feel the practice was safe and subsequently sold my hunting lights.

Could just as easily limit the caliber or weapon. Maybe rimfire rifles and shotguns only?
 

labhunter66

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Why not just introduce a bill that only legalizes the use of infrared illuminators without the portion including lights? My opinion is that the use of red, green, or amber lights will lead to problems. Anyone ever hunted using a red light? A fundamental firearm safety rule is the ability to see your target AND beyond. My experience predator hunting with lights makes following that rule very difficult. I did not feel the practice was safe and subsequently sold my hunting lights.

Fox and coyote hunting has been legal for many years without the use of any lights. Does anyone know of a single incident of a nighttime fox/coyote hunter causing a problem? I haven’t heard of any and that’s without the benefit of any light source. I would think some sort of light source would only enhance safety. On the other hand, I know of safety and legal issues that have occurred in virtually every other aspect of hunting. I think apprehension about this activity is more based on irrational fears than any sort of data that would indicate it’s a problem.
 

PrairieGhost

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Labhunter66 I mostly agree with you.
If they allow thermal they should allow red or green lights also. I have never shot a coyote at night, but hope my health gets good enough to do it once. I think the reason they stopped aircraft hunting was so people who didn't have an airplane could enjoy coyote hunting too. When some landowners are still calling animal damage control it means sportsmen ate not maximizing the resource. It's either not enough into the sport or to many landowners not allowing access. Have a $10 night license and hire a couple more wardens.
 

Uncle Jimbo

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Fox and coyote hunting has been legal for many years without the use of any lights. Does anyone know of a single incident of a nighttime fox/coyote hunter causing a problem? I haven’t heard of any and that’s without the benefit of any light source. I would think some sort of light source would only enhance safety. On the other hand, I know of safety and legal issues that have occurred in virtually every other aspect of hunting. I think apprehension about this activity is more based on irrational fears than any sort of data that would indicate it’s a problem.

One reason I believe there have been few, if any incidents at night, is that quality night vision and thermals are far better at allowing the hunter to see and identify his target and beyond. I have first hand experience with these methods and I don't believe my concerns are irrational. This bill will likely pass and only time will tell how it will play out.
 


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