Buck Hollow Sporting Goods - click or touch to visit their website Midwest Habitat Company

Filming Question

CurtisWalker

Well-Known Member
I'm sure this has came up before bit I've been searching the threads and haven't been able to find anything.

This fall a buddy and I plan on filming our hunts and with the regulations of "helping other hunters" the question came up.

Do you have to have a tag to film a hunt as long as you are only filming? We will both be bow hunting but if one of us tags out then we'd be SOL. Didn't know if any one could shine some light on this. Thanks
 
I think it's one of those gray areas that are up to your local CO to decide. I called my CO several years ago to ask if my girlfriend at the time could walk with me on deer drives to watch. He strictly said as long as she wasn't aiding in the hunt. Better call your CO, because they may interpret it a lot differently.
 
There is a difference in participating in the hunt and observing the hunt. As long as he does not participate in the hunt he is fine. Now, the definitions of participation and observing are up to the CO. If he had a tag and tagged out I don't see it as any different as filming a turkey hunt while tagged out (as long as you have/had a vaild tag for that season you should be fine).
 
I never ran into the problem while filming hunts with friends, but they always had a valid tag for that season while filming. Probably not a bad idea to talk to the CO for your area to play it safe. I'm guessing with the number of people filming these days it's become more of a common practice rather than aiding in a hunt. It's really fun filming hunts and makes the time in the tree more exciting and fun, but can also become more challenging with double the scent and movement.

As said before keeping that extra antlerless tag is one method of making sure everyone is legal, but depending on the area it might not be possible. Central Iowa where I hunt doesn't have the antlerless numbers with good reason. So this year I'll be going solo with a go-pro for filming just the shot and possibly running another camera on myself in the tree.

Goodluck filming hunts can be a lot of fun!
 
Call your CO or get a doe tag. Your hunting license should be good enough your are trying to kill a coyote but its up to the CO not me or any one else good luck filming
 
Thanks everyone I will talk to the local CO.. We each got a doe tag but being in central Iowa we were limited to antlerless tags and are now sold out
 
For sure call your CO... the local CO told us, carrying a grunt call could potentially "aid" in helping the hunter. I dont know if I caught him on a bad day or what... so for sure call
 
Actually check the regulation book, it has it stated in there about having someone hunt with you. I believe the other party just have to have a hunting license.
 
A few years ago my wife went along on a pheasant hunt with me to videotape our dog working. He was an older lab and I knew he didn't have much hunting left in him. We were on public land near Ankeny. A conservation officer stopped us and asked to see licenses. I was the only one with a gun and we told him she was just following us filming. He did not write her a ticket but he did tell us that she needed a license if she was going to be out there filming so we had to stop hunting.
 
If they are aiding in "spotting" a deer even, they need to have a valid hunting license. Not a tag, but a license.
 
Top Bottom