Is it legal to hunt at night in your state??

Originally Posted By: DesertRamOkay, I'll try.

You can hunt predators at night in New Mexico on private land with the landowner's permission. I believe you must be designated an "agent" of the landowner. You can also hunt on leased state trust land in the presence of the leaseholder. I understand that you can use artificial light and shoot from the vehicle, assuming you violate no other firearms safety laws. I have never done any of this in NM, so I can't say for 100% sure that I'm correct, but based on input from Tony and the Game Warden during the PM Hunt a couple months ago, I believe this to be accurate.


So, I'd like to add to the convoluted, legal mess that is New Mexico. My Local Game Warden said private land, if you have permission, do what you want, lights the truck the whole she'bang. Then I'm perusing the state website and I come across an application for artificial light use to hunt ($15) and is valid for 14 consecutive days. You must also specify what you are hunting and where.

I'm thinking, weird about the application since there is no statutary code on this and I called Sante Fe for clarification. No one can point to a reference as to where they can make me apply or charge me to use artificial light. The Game Warden had no idea what I was talking about.
 
I'm pulling this one back from the grave. My parents have moved back to montana so I'm curious if spotlighting in MT is legal? For both resident and nonresident?

I've emailed and called the fish and game and not gotten definate yes or no. I can't find it in any proclomations so I'm just curious if anyone can help me out here?
 
Spotlighting in MT is legal for varmints. Bobcats can NOT be spotlighted. Land owner permission required, you can spotlight on BLM but be prepared to get stopped by fish and game or sheriff. Most ranchers and farmers will call law if they see a light unless you talk to them(even on BLM). I spotlight all the time around here with very few troubles, but I let the neighboring ranches I am going out.
 
Originally Posted By: BorderdogYou can hunt predators at night in Montana with artificial light but not from a vehicle. Your light can't be connected to a vehicle in any way.

This is not true, your light can be plugged into the vehicle. If it were the case I would have been ticketed several times over the years. Last year there was a talk held at one of the coyote calling contests with fish and game to go over laws and such. It isn't in the regs.
 
Originally Posted By: bullpup44elks-I believe that if you hunt at night on private land you just have to have a signed permission slip from the landowner but you still can't hunt from a vehicle or with a light attached to a vehicle. I could be wrong though.
BP
This is correct. Signed permission isn't required if you own the land.
 
I don't think I can night hunt in Kentucky but I was I could the other day I was calling and saw nothing all day but as I was leaving (it was dark and past shooting hours) I saw 25 coyotes sitting in a field across the street a place I had called earlier!
frown.gif
 
Originally Posted By: SmithSpotlighting in MT is legal for varmints. Bobcats can NOT be spotlighted. Land owner permission required, you can spotlight on BLM but be prepared to get stopped by fish and game or sheriff. Most ranchers and farmers will call law if they see a light unless you talk to them(even on BLM). I spotlight all the time around here with very few troubles, but I let the neighboring ranches I am going out.

What about state land? I found a nice promising little chunk of state land, its. Set right in the middle of private land but it doesn't look like anyone but the ranchers have been through it this winter. I will probably day hunt it but its always good to know
 
Originally Posted By: AZ~RedThat's a big negative in AZ. I think we can hunt coons at night but that's it.

Red was right when he posted that. However, things have changed in the last 2 years in Arizona. It is legal to hunt Lions at night in some hunting units. It is legal to hunt coyotes with shotguns in other units, but only for part of the year. I wouldn't even try to sum it up better than that. If you are thinking about night hunting in AZ set aside a few hours to read the "Daylong" portion of the regs.
 
Mt.Boy there have been changes. I copied and pasted this from the WV DNR web site.

Coyote Hunting Regulations

Coyotes may be hunted year round.

Hunting coyotes at night using any color artificial light is legal from January 1 thru July 31.

Firearms legal for night coyote hunting are shotguns with #2
or smaller shot and rifles and handguns of .22 caliber centerfire or smaller and .22 caliber rimfire or smaller.

During closed small game season, coyotes may only be hunted
in open fields. Guns must be cased while being transported to and from the open field.

Electronic calls are legal.

There is no daily, annual or season bag limit.
 
Originally Posted By: The Big SleepI had this question about WA, glad you asked this so everyone can contribute some more info.

In wa you can only hunt coyote bobcat and raccoon at night when it isn't deer season. I'm not sure about lights or shooting from a truck. I'm trying to find that out.

We should have a hunting regs reference page for every state on here. The state issued regs are usually hard to decipher.

*UPDATE*
I just called fish and game, they were very helpful and friendly.
In wa you can hunt at night except during deer and elk season. You can use lights and shoot from a truck. He said its always a good idea to call fish and game and let them know if you're out hunting at night and where you're at just in case.



This post is almost three years old but in WA you CANNOT shoot from a truck! Lights and night vision are fine, they just can't use your vehicle as a power source.
 
Originally Posted By: the noobieOriginally Posted By: SmithSpotlighting in MT is legal for varmints. Bobcats can NOT be spotlighted. Land owner permission required, you can spotlight on BLM but be prepared to get stopped by fish and game or sheriff. Most ranchers and farmers will call law if they see a light unless you talk to them(even on BLM). I spotlight all the time around here with very few troubles, but I let the neighboring ranches I am going out.

What about state land? I found a nice promising little chunk of state land, its. Set right in the middle of private land but it doesn't look like anyone but the ranchers have been through it this winter. I will probably day hunt it but its always good to know

If there is no public access to the land you have to get permission to cross the deeded land to get to it. If there is public access I still would notify the the ranch that leases it to see if was alright to go, I don't know if it required to contact them, but I would sure like to know if someone was spotlighting on any of our 3 sections of state we lease. Some state lands in MT are bow hunting only, and restricted weapons only. You have to have a state land permit to hunt big game or birds on state land but I can't find anything that says you have to for varmints(non resident you have to have a state land permit). If it is in a Block management program you Do have to get permission to hunt it.

 
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Montana statute classifies predators as coyote, weasel, (striped) skunk, and civet cat (spotted skunk). Predator shooting is not regulated by federal or state law or regulation. Predators can be shot in Montana year-round without a license by both resident and nonresident hunters. A Conservation License, or a state school trust lands recreational use license, is required to shoot predators on state school trust lands. Permission must be obtained to shoot predators on private land.
Copied this off Fish wildlife and parks web.
 
I saw you didn't have Missouri on your list of states who haven't answered but I didn't see anyone from Missouri respond so ill chime in, and if someone did already respond I apologize.

Missouri- You can hunt at night but with no artificial light. Yeah makes sense doesn't it lol.
 
In Arkansas, you can only hunt Possums, Coons, and Bobcats at night, but dogs are required.

Other than that, if you've ever "looked at a light", or wished we could hunt coyotes at night, "you are a deer poacher".
Or at least that's the opinion of our Game and Fish Commission.

So, NO you cannot call and hunt coyotes at night in Arkensaw.

Shayne
 
use of a light on private land with written permission yes
yes if hunting raccoons with dogs
but you can not have any form of light (except for personal safety) and a firearm in your possession on state land or you are spotlighting
generation 3 night vission protrudes no light so it is leagel on blm land or a starlight scope that uses only ambeint light.
i still think its not leagel on state land
in wyoming all the county roads cross state lands somewhere so its possible to get tickited just driving from spot to spot.
 
The only thing California has that is a positive is no season. That is little cosolation though for us deer hunters who are trying to help the depleted deer population since there is a mountain lion living in every canyon here.
 
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