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Carry Pistol While Turkey Hunting?

4K views 17 replies 9 participants last post by  TimSr 
#1 ·
I'm not talking CCW. I'm talking about shooting coyote or wild hog while hunting turkey. (My buddy had coyote answer his turkey call last year.)

The regulations booklet clearly covers CCW, and multiple implements for deer hunting which is logical for hunst with restricted weapons and number of rounds.

I called two regional offices, and got two different answers. One said only one implement while hunting turkey is lawful. Other says there is nothing in the law that prohibits it, but you may get a lot of LEO scrutiny if your calling turkeys with a rifle in your lap, and they don't recomment it on that basis. I'm not trying to be a difficult jerk, but I have seen lots of hog sign in the area I'm hunting in Vinton County, and I'm not inclined to fire turkey shot at a hog or a coyote.
 
#6 ·
I don't know what kind of turkey load you shoot but if a hog is close enough to you to become a danger, I feel 1000% confident my 3.5" #5s will stop a hog in its tracks. I sure would hate that load fired at me at 20 yards!!!!!
Amen to that. I had 2 yotes come to the call last spring...the first one got a 3.5" 2oz load of 6s at about 30yds and the second managed to get away.
 
#9 ·
Seems every time I ask this I am getting routed back to CCW. It is not relevant to my question. I am an accomplished pistol shooter, and I hunt deer with pistol. I am not concerned about defense against hogs and coyotes. That is silly, and paranoid. I am simply trying to find out if I can hunt turkey, wild hog, and coyote at the same time while carrying both a shotgun and an open carry hunting pistol. A 50 yard shot at a coyote or a hog from a shotgun would be unethical in my eyes, but well within my pistol range.
 
#12 ·
seems every time i ask this i am getting routed back to ccw. It is not relevant to my question. I am an accomplished pistol shooter, and i hunt deer with pistol. I am not concerned about defense against hogs and coyotes. That is silly, and paranoid. I am simply trying to find out if i can hunt turkey, wild hog, and coyote at the same time while carrying both a shotgun and an open carry hunting pistol. A 50 yard shot at a coyote or a hog from a shotgun would be unethical in my eyes, but well within my pistol range.
no!!!!!!!!!!!!
 
#13 ·
Seems every time I ask this I am getting routed back to CCW. It is not relevant to my question. I am an accomplished pistol shooter, and I hunt deer with pistol. I am not concerned about defense against hogs and coyotes. That is silly, and paranoid. I am simply trying to find out if I can hunt turkey, wild hog, and coyote at the same time while carrying both a shotgun and an open carry hunting pistol. A 50 yard shot at a coyote or a hog from a shotgun would be unethical in my eyes, but well within my pistol range.
Doubt it... i could see a hog getting away at 50 yards but if a yote does you need to get a new choke tube or load
 
#14 ·
The answer to your question is already found in the OAC.

1501:31-15-10 Wild turkey regulations.
(C) Hunting implements.
(3) It shall be unlawful for any person to possess more than one hunting implement, singly or in the aggregate, to include a firearm, longbow or crossbow while hunting wild turkey.
Source: Lawriter - OAC - 1501:31-15-10 Wild turkey regulations.

You know, a lot of people make a lot of effort to keep Ohio's OAC and ORC in plain language so that you don't have to a be a lawyer to interpret it. Just sayin.

A huge FYI goes out to all, NEVER ever take advice from anyone over the phone, in the field or even in print. Non ignorance of the law is your burden, not theirs. So and so told me blah blah blah is not a defense. You'll get burned and they may or may not be disciplined at your expense.

When in doubt, consult an attorney. Which by the way, I am not, so read the link I provided.
 
#15 ·
The answer to your question is already found in the OAC.

Source: Lawriter - OAC - 1501:31-15-10 Wild turkey regulations.

You know, a lot of people make a lot of effort to keep Ohio's OAC and ORC in plain language so that you don't have to a be a lawyer to interpret it. Just sayin.

A huge FYI goes out to all, NEVER ever take advice from anyone over the phone, in the field or even in print. Non ignorance of the law is your burden, not theirs. So and so told me blah blah blah is not a defense. You'll get burned and they may or may not be disciplined at your expense.

When in doubt, consult an attorney. Which by the way, I am not, so read the link I provided.
Thank you for that link, Dan. It can answer not only this question, but others as well. Most of us rely on the regulations booklet, which is not all inclusive. Its hard for a person to make a case for changing laws when he doesn't know what the law is. Many laws were created with a purpose in mind, that no longer exists, or one that is no longer known which need to be weeded out so as not to be "gotcha laws".

I figure I'll see a lot of turkeys this year since i'll be hunting hogs instead. One thing i miss about western hunting is there were always a lot of species in season at the same time, and you didn't have to pick one.
 
#16 ·
Love this:
Its hard for a person to make a case for changing laws when he doesn't know what the law is.
Some quick civics FYI's. The stuff in the ORC has to be changed by the legislature while the stuff in the OAC can be changed administratively by the department assigned the authority.

That means, the DNR is capable of changing the rules it sets forth like the subject matter of this thread. They can do so without the lengthy legislative process.

If you want to be able to hunt coyotes with a handgun while turkey hunting with a shotgun for example, then get involved in the process and attend open house meetings. Because the DNR is the agency that you need to convince to change it.

Doing nothing gets you nothing you want. Complaining on the internet is about as productive as screaming into a pillow. Yes the DNR does listen and yes we can be a part of managing our own resources.
 
#17 ·
Love this: Some quick civics FYI's. The stuff in the ORC has to be changed by the legislature while the stuff in the OAC can be changed administratively by the department assigned the authority.

That means, the DNR is capable of changing the rules it sets forth like the subject matter of this thread. They can do so without the lengthy legislative process.

If you want to be able to hunt coyotes with a handgun while turkey hunting with a shotgun for example, then get involved in the process and attend open house meetings. Because the DNR is the agency that you need to convince to change it.

Doing nothing gets you nothing you want. Complaining on the internet is about as productive as screaming into a pillow. Yes the DNR does listen and yes we can be a part of managing our own resources.
Amen!
 
#18 ·
Again, Dan, that is great information. I did not know they could change regulations without an assembly vote, and I thought I was pretty knowledgeable about government.

As far as attending the open house meetings, I was unaware of these events until recenting finding it on these forums. I will doing my best to make arrangements to attend. I am a firm believer that you cannot claim something will not do any good, until you've exhausted attempts to make a case. I also am also a believer that a person should not complain without offering a solution. My establishment city council are quite sick of me. ;)

As I've studied this issue more I've noticed the regulations are really sketchy about handgun hunting anything besides deer. I've read and re-read and am now unclear as to whether I've been breaking the law for the last 20 years by carrying a .22 pistol for those "too easy" shots while shotgunning for rabbits and squirrels.

Thanks for your help in steering me in the right direction.
 
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