Newbie Needs Help
 

Hello everyone,

When do I know that it is okay to take out my rifle when I go out hunting?

I just passed my hunter's ed course. I do not have any friends or family that are hunters or even own guns. I have called CDFW in hopes of getting this question answered but they usually transfer me to another line and I just get voicemail.

Huh? I have no idea what that question means!

It is ok to take your rifle out when it is the hunting season. When you buy your license you will get a digest of seasons and bag limits with the license. Some seasons may or may not allow rifles, some require shotguns. To tell the truth, I am suspicious that you may be a troll because if you passed your hunter education course you should know the answer to the question you ask. If this is a legitimate post, I suggest you join a sportsman's club and meet people who hunt and learn from them.

We would probably need more specifics to answer your question. What state you would be hunting in could determine some of the answer. Also, where you're hunting, for what, etc. Congratulations on passing your Hunter Ed.

most states have shooting hours, you can carry your rifle to your hunting position but just don't shoot till legal hours, in my home state of wv its 1/2 hour before sunrise till 1/2 hour after sunset.rifles must be cased while in a vehicle till legal hunting time, outside a vehichle you can carry your weapon (loaded if ya like) but can't shoot till legal hunting hours.
RR

Some places like Ontario Canada requires transport in a vehicle unloaded in a case and if it is before or after legal hours the rifle needs to be carried in and out of the woods unloaded in a gun sock or soft case.

Some of the answers show how much difference there is between the states. Here in MI you can't even lean an unloaded weapon against a vehicle or lay it on the tailgate of a truck while you're getting ready to put it in a case. When I go to Wyoming it's just the opposite in that you can carry a loaded gun with one in the chamber in the passenger compartment! That's why I posted that I had no idea what you might be talking about, especially not knowing what state you live in.

I would think that sort of thing would be covered in the hunter safety class.

I thought that also but you never know. Some of the hunter safety courses are now only one day and there's a lot of material to cover.

I had a weird instructor for my Hunter's Ed course. Half of the class was rants on unrelated topics and the other half was videos. The online portion of my Hunter's Ed course didn't cover it.