I fondly remember an afternoon hunt with my brother on a fall day in the mid-nineties. I had been settled in my hunting blind a mere hour when I heard the “bloop” from my cheap two-way radio. “The big 9-pointer is headed your way”, my brother whispered. “He’s cutting across the corner of the grain field.” I promptly exited my stand, made my way through the brush lining the field, and settled in.
Let’s just say, the rest is history.
We still reminisce about that hunt – the day one of us was finally able to catch up with the particularly elusive whitetail buck. Well, two of us…
Like in most parts of life, communication is essential. Being outdoors is no different, especially for big game hunters. From navigating rough landscapes to calling for help in dire situations; checking in with family to tracking an animal. While smartphones have assumed a prominent role in such situations, they’re not always dependable. That’s why two-way radios have remained popular for so long. Of course, GPS systems are common as well.
Many mobile big game hunters rely heavily on radios – or “walkie-talkies” as some still call them. They can not only be life-changing, but life-saving. Their interactional abilities render them very popular in backcountry settings.
Idaho for example, offers such backcountry settings for hunters and, like in most other states, radios have been popular for years in the Gem State. Having had the legality question of radio use in the state posed to me, I found myself researching the topic. The seemingly simple task quickly turned into a more cryptic affair. After exhaustive internet searches, reading Idaho Fish and Game regulations, and simply asking around – all garnering little or no info, it appears that radios may be used during Idaho hunts – as far as I can tell, for about any purpose.
The fact of the matter is the topic is unclear in more states than just Idaho. Internet searches on the matter mainly lead to message boards where it’s hard to separate facts from opinions.
For many hunters, two-way communication devices are essential gear.
Fair Chase
The modern hunting climate has changed dramatically over the last three decades, largely due to technology and hunting gear improvements. However, at the forefront of this change, is the rejuvenated concept of fair chase. It dominates campfire banter, social media, and more and more, North American hunting and outdoor policies. The Boone and Crockett Club defines fair chase as;
“The ethical, sportsmanlike, lawful pursuit and taking of any free-ranging wild animal in a manner that does not give the hunter an improper or unfair advantage over such game animals”.
For years, many hunters have used radios specifically to locate and ultimately harvest big game animals. Like with wireless trail cameras, the Fair Chase peanut gallery has chimed in in some states. More and more there are cries to forbid the practice.
While it can be ambiguous what types of radio use are deemed illegal, at a minimum, one thing is clear. The practice will likely disqualify the entrance of any game animal into Boone and Crockett records; a good thing to keep in mind next time you are your hunting partner sets eyes on a trophy class deer, elk, or other game animal.
Good Reasons for Hunting with Two-Way Radios
There are righteous hunting uses for radio communication. Things that come to mind fall into the health and safety area. Requesting help associated with injury or illness comes to mind, as does using a radio for help when lost.
Heck, even some state fish and game departments include communication devices on their hunting checklist. Arguably, this suggests they are considered essential gear. So, there must be some good reasons to pack them before heading out to call in the next bull elk.
Most, if not all states acknowledge that two-way radios are necessary for dealing with emergencies such as severe weather, injury, and directional challenges in backcountry settings.
He Said-She Said
The law is more obvious in Montana, where Montana Fish and Game allows for emergency radio use, but forbids them to be used as an unfair advantage. Specifically, the regulation reads, “The use of two-way electronic communication is prohibited:
“(a) while in the act of hunting game animals or wolves to aid in the taking or locating of live animals.”
At least it’s spelled out.
What about the states where the rules are extremely vague, even buried?
I’ve done safari-style hunting in Texas on some big properties. Admittedly, in some cases, information on particular game animals has been shared over two-way radios with other hunting parties traversing the same property.
My assumption has always been that the outfitter wouldn’t be employing the method if it were illegal. Therefore, to date, I’ve never asked, mainly because I’m confident in the outfitters I use.
This leads to the burning question, “Can the nature of the radio use employed be proven one way or the other?” Though radio waves can be observed and monitored, and many two-way radio frequencies are open and accessible to about anyone, there’s still no guarantee anyone will check. Are the messages even being monitored? Who’s to say radio-toting hunters aren’t discussing dinner plans for the evening or simply checking in?
So, whether legal to locate or harvest an animal or not, at the end of the day, it’s likely the hunter’s word against anyone charging them with using a radio to help in such an act.
An Issue of Ethics?
When the legal uses for radio use during hunting are clear, it’s a no-brainer. Abstain from using your devices to share information aimed at locating and harvesting an animal. When it’s unclear, there is arguably a limit all hunters should consider regarding radio communication. Indeed, put in every effort to understand the law, but when unsure, do a little self-examination about your motives and true feelings about the concept of fair chase while in the moment.
Perhaps in the meantime, more state laws around radio use while hunting will crystalize. The ability to prove it one way or the other is tenuous at best. Perhaps, it’s time to, in the absence of clarity, choose independently our threshold for radio use.
Texas hunting code of ethics says it’s considered unfair chase (unethical) to use illegal devices for attracting, locating, observing, or guiding a hunter to game for a shot.
So, it’s unethical. Is it illegal?
A variety of other hunting devices that directly aid in attracting or locating game animals are legal in many states.
That is, are radios considered illegal devices for hunting in Texas? What about the legal wireless trail cameras and deer feeders that help guide hunters toward game in the Lone Star State? Something has to give.
So, did my brother and I break the law on that fair 1990s Texas autumn afternoon? I’m not sure, but it was unethical according to Texas Parks and Wildlife’s current list of hunting ethics.
So where do we go from here? At the end of the day, do your darndest to continually read up on the topic in the areas you hunt. After that, you might want to dust off the old moral compass. It can be as useful in the woods as a skinning knife, binoculars, or… a two-way radio.