weapon-mounted light on a deer hunting rifle - against regs?

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ez bake

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Just curious as I've shifted some optics around and put a new scope on one of my ARs that I usually train with to put it into deer mode so my oldest could use it (in case he wants to hike and hunt like I tend to do and not drag around his heavier bolt gun).

It's still got a weapon mounted light on it and I'm sort of thinking of using it for a night shoot coming up (and I'm lazy enough that I really don't want to remove it if I can get by with leaving it).

I know the regs list spotlighting and such, but I usually carry a flashlight into the woods (not for spotlighting) so I can't see where this would be an issue.

Am I wrong?
 

DanB

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Another situation of you could, but should you.

If a Game Warden sees you with that their first thought will be to put two and two together. Rifle+mounted light = Spotlighting.

Save yourself the headache and just remove the light. Not a whole lot of effort to remove and reinstall the light.
 

stewball

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I had a Surefire grip with a light on my Xbow and decided to put a regular VG on it instead. Better safe than a huge fine and whatever headaches come with it. Hope your son gets a big ol' buck.

Stew
 

ez bake

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Yeah - I was already thinking that an over-active imagination and a Game Warden was probably a bad thing to press my luck with, but I know a few of the GWs around here and there's actually a few of them that aren't scared of "evil rifles" which is cool. I also hunt for the most part on private land and don't care what my weapons look like as long as they (and I) are both legal no one can say anything to me.

Meh, I'll yank it if for nothing else than to remove the weight and not cause a disturbance with any of the local GWs - I know their jobs are stressful enough with all the idiot poachers around, so I'm not looking to make things any harder on them.
 

bettingpython

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Just curious as I've shifted some optics around and put a new scope on one of my ARs that I usually train with to put it into deer mode so my oldest could use it (in case he wants to hike and hunt like I tend to do and not drag around his heavier bolt gun).

It's still got a weapon mounted light on it and I'm sort of thinking of using it for a night shoot coming up (and I'm lazy enough that I really don't want to remove it if I can get by with leaving it).

I know the regs list spotlighting and such, but I usually carry a flashlight into the woods (not for spotlighting) so I can't see where this would be an issue.

Am I wrong?

Remove the light, several years ago my ex brother in law had a rifle and shotgun seized when they were out four wheeling at night. They were using a handheld spotlight light the trail, game warden seized the rifle and shotgun and ticketed them.

My EDC light is the same as what is mounted on my rifle, I intend to remove not just the light but the mount as well so there can be no confusion that I had any intent to spotlight in the morning when walking in.
 

ez bake

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If I were a GW and a guy had a light on his weapon.....ticket.

Hahaha - light's been off the weapon for a while now so I don't have to deal with it:

[Broken External Image]

[Broken External Image]

But I still don't see that just having the light equates to a ticket unless there were reports of spotlighting or some sort of proof that I was using it to break the regs.

Like I said, I'm not pushing the issue - I know better than to question the authority of a GW who has more than his share of crap to deal with.
 

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