Horseback hunting?

[JNRBRONC]

I was wondering if deer hunting from horseback in Iowa was legal. In the 2004 deer hunting regulations, Page 6, Prohibited Devices and activities, it mentions "domestic animals" as being prohibited. I would assume horses fall within this category. I would guess that it is illegal to shoot from the saddle?

 

[teeroy]

a horse is a domestic animal

 

[JNRBRONC]

[ QUOTE ]
a horse is a domestic animal

[/ QUOTE ]
Obviously Teeroy hasn't attempted to ride one of our horses

How do you think I got the bronc in jnrbronc

All kidding aside, I figure if you ride a horse to a tree stand, you leave less human scent. This would be no different from driving an ATV or other vehicle to the stand. Where you get in trouble is shooting from the saddle I would guess. If you can't even ride the horse to the stand, something is seriously wrong with the way the law is written.

 

[Kat]

You can’t shoot deer from a vehicle (including atvs) but you can ride one to your stand, so I don’t think the law means that you couldn’t ride a horse to your stand. If the deer were used to being around horses I’d say go for it.

When I was riding horses in Colorado last year I met a guy from Michigan who was a horse lover and a hunter and he said he would sometimes ride his retired thoroughbred racehorse to bowhunt deer. He said the deer couldn’t outrun that horse and he would shoot them from the saddle like the Indians. I think he was probably full of it...

Anyway, that would be the definition to me of using a domestic animal, also if you had a tame deer or something like that and used it as a decoy.

 

[Shredder]

First of all, shooting from the horse with a bow would be tough to do accuratly.....secondly, who in the heck would want to ride a horse during the shotgun season in Iowa. Bad enough with blaze orange on with the slugs flying, but riding a deer colored animal is just begging to get shot.

 

[JNRBRONC]

I was thinking more along the lines of bow or muzzleloader season on private ground. Also, we have paint horses, so they shouldn't be mistaken for deer. Our horses wouldn't even pass for "pie bald" deer. I will grant you that riding a horse during shotgun season wouldn't be a good idea, private land or not.
Even if they did look like deer, isn't it a sad statement that a person can't ride one during shotgun deer season for fear of getting shot? You know the mantras, positively identify your target, never aim at anything you do not wish to shoot, etc. I wouldn't even go so far as to classify shooting someone on horseback as an accident. Borders more on negligence. Accident or negligent is a moot point if your dead though.

 

[bjkpharmd]

You would have to "miss" the horse though to kill someone so would that classify it as an accident?

I wouldn't want to be a big brown dog during slug season.

 

[Bakes]

Kat,
The guy from Michigan that you met was me. I didn't tell you that I shot the deer from the horse, nobody would believe that. Is what I said was that I usually ride up along side them and jump on them, grab thier antlers or ears (does) wrestle them to the ground and stab them with a Bowie knife. Hey if your going to brag about me, get the story straight eeh!

 

[Kat]

Nonres - the inventor of the new extreme sport of buck wrestling aka buckdogging.

You big he-man stud.

 

[Bingo529]

The Michigan deer couldn't outrun his horse???Wonder what they feed those horses up their

 

[quackmaster]

I know yall already think we are pretty redneck down here in the south, but that is how I grew up hunting. Running beagles and hunting off a horse. Quit doing that about 15 years ago. A deer would typically not run from a horse if you were riding through the woods. As soon as you got off the horse they were gone. It was really fun at the time. Not many people really ride and hunt here anymore, but there are a few.

 

[blake]

Back in the 70’s I had a jumping mule that I coon hunted with for 4-5 years before the bottom dropped out of the fur market. My mule would allow me to shoot from the saddle at treed raccoons without reacting to the noise or muzzle blast. I was using a .22 magnum rifle.

I lived in Wyoming for many years and have hunted elk, deer, and antelope from horseback. I agree that most animals are not frightened when they see a hunter on horseback.

However, I owned a number of riding and pack horse’s. One must have a very special horse under saddle for them not to become frightened when shooting from their back. I can’t tell you how many times I found myself sitting on my backside in the dust watching a bolting horse disappear. You can train them with patience to remain still during and after discharging your weapon but it does take time.

This information has nothing to do with the original question of the legality of hunting from horseback here in Iowa…….but I thought it mite be worth mentioning.