a Story recently related to me second hand from a Wyoming F&G officer and a federal Ranger who were sitting in the Fed's Vehicle watching a herd of Elk near the federal Elk refuge (#77)

They are sitting there and they see a hunter stop in his pickup truck on the legal access road and pull a mountain bike out of his truck and proceed to fasten flat (2 dimensional) Elk decoys, one to either side of the bicycle and proceed to ride down the "Recovery road" (where it isn't legal before 2pm to drive a motorized vehicle...

As this guy is riding towards the Elk herd the two enforcement officers are feverishly thumbing though their copies of the Wyoming regulations handbook...

Well this guy literally rides into the elk herd stop, slowly lay his bike down, and proceed to kill an elk with a crossbow... from about 15yards....

The two officers look harder in the regulations and finally look at each other in silenent puzzlement because between them they can't find a single thing that is actually illegal about what they have both just witnessed...

Ethical? open question.. but legal...

It definatly shows more imagination....

Bizarre? Absolutely.

One of the officers is still kicking himself for not having any kind of video recording device or there would be video of the event on YouTube

AD

Archery hunters use the same technique for antelope here in SD. They make a 3D moo cow decoy. They get inside and walk up to the antelope. The inside is spacious enough to draw and shoot their short axle to axle length bows.

I have not heard of them mounting these decoy/blinds to any form of transportation......yet.

Typical game wardens. Somebody is having fun and might actually have a successful hunt so it must be illegal. They should have set down the law books and enjoyed the show.

"Ethical: Open Question" Really? It seems the guy used legal methods to shoot an elk. I see it as thinking out-of-the-box. Would be kind of dangerous though.

Going by your description only, I fail to see anything illegal or unethical about his actions.
Here in Ak. he would have been cited - ya can't use a crossbow but he could use a decoy.
Bear in Fairbanks

quote:

Originally posted by smarterthanu:
Typical game wardens. Somebody is having fun and might actually have a successful hunt so it must be illegal. They should have set down the law books and enjoyed the show.

I know someone that uses a cow decoy for hunting.
I told him that the first thought that went through my mind,was him being ravaged by a love sick bull.
It was worked 4 or 5 times so far.

quote:

I know someone that uses a cow decoy for hunting.

strangely.....I use one to hunt snow geese.....and it works....

A novel way to use a decoy....I might try that one some day. It's a good way to get shot in rifle season though. About three years ago a bowhunter here was shot by a rifle hunter.

I agree that the officers seemed pretty interested in finding a way to charge the hunter. Hell we've been using decoys and similar methods for hunting for THOUSANDS of years in north America.

the chef

The game wardens job is enforcement of the game laws, so when one of them witnesses something that is way out of the ordinary or their knowledge in that area is lacking, it behooves them to check to see what the law is regarding the situation.

Now as far as ethical. I say if it was legal, then why not.

In high school I did a similar thing. I painted card board cut-outs of a Ford Bronco then mounted it to my mt. bike. I rode down the beach at Spring Break and the chicks piled in. It was great!

Perry

quote:

In high school I did a similar thing. I painted card board cut-outs of a Ford Bronco then mounted it to my mt. bike. I rode down the beach at Spring Break and the chicks piled in. It was great!

I take it they were all blondes?

I have threatened on more than one occasion to make a couple of cardboard cutouts of an ATV and record the engine noise. Hang the cutout from suspenders and play the engine noise and the deer where I hunt would let you walk up to them and stick the barrel in their ear.

Awesome....

It would be legal in Alaska during gun season.

quote:

Originally posted by vapodog:

quote:

I know someone that uses a cow decoy for hunting.

strangely.....I use one to hunt snow geese.....and it works....

When I worked in Nebraska, we did the same thing.

Tried it on a deer hunt once, and got pretty close until I realized the gun was in the truck. Game warden about laughed him self sick.

interesting approach

If he didn't break any laws, then it's legal.

Regarding the manner in which he took the elk: If he can wake up and look himself in the mirror and be proud, great! Fine with me even if that's not how I would have done it.

It's all about having fun, gang.

quote:

Originally posted by txhunter77:
The game wardens job is enforcement of the game laws, so when one of them witnesses something that is way out of the ordinary or their knowledge in that area is lacking, it behooves them to check to see what the law is regarding the situation.

Now as far as ethical. I say if it was legal, then why not.

The "tone" of the story was that it was something they had neither seen or even considered before, so they had to look it up...

Afterwards they had a good chuckle over it.

But yeah that's one thing I was thinking, that some "Mr. Magoo" city hunter was likely to shoot him....

AD

Sounds like the hunter had is act togather and kiled his elk.

Hard to believe the wardens didn't arrest him first, take the animal, destroy it and then try to figure out a way to charge him with something...even if they had to make it up. Thats more typical these days.

Very cool and imaginative. Thanks for sharing the story.

We need that mans name? He had the plan, the initiative and he carried it out with a clean shot. What more could you ask for? WELL DONE...

quote:

Originally posted by SMACK!!!!:
We need that mans name? He had the plan, the initiative and he carried it out with a clean shot. What more could you ask for? WELL DONE...

+1.......

When I lived in CA I drew a M/L tag for Tule Elk and a local told me to get an appliance box and paint it up to look like a cow.DFG had no issues with it.I killed my Elk in 4 hrs. of opening day.Works very well indeed.

quote:

Originally posted by calgarychef1:
A novel way to use a decoy.... It's a good way to get shot in rifle season though.

Which is why it MIGHT should be illegal. Often game laws have to protect those that are too stupid to realize what they do might put themselves in danger....ethical--without a doubt IMO, I too think it's creative also, as well as a little goofy--interesting that his weapon of choice was a crossbow...wonder if it was gun season.....

Man I would have LOVED to have watched that go down haha!

Lucky he wasn't shot

Sounds pretty smart if you ask me and I can't see anything ethically wrong with being creative.

I love the imagination used.
Bikes are however considered motor vehicles when traffic laws are concerned.
But why bust the guy for doing things around the law.

I do wish those guys had a camera.
Frank