Can I accompany someone while they're hunting?

Pyd you have a reason to be cautious. But anybody who just wants to go along on a hunt with friends or family to see what it's like shouldn't worry about it in my opinion

That's how I and everybody I know first experienced the sport. No call, no gun, just watching what's going on.

And yeah Ontario is great, haters gonna hate ;)
 
s I mentioned earlier in the thread, I have brought a few people along from time to time. Always in a blind though. kids, a lot. Some people are just curious and tag along for the experience, some are interested in the sport. All of them liked it, with the exception of one, couldn't get it through his head was quiet was supposed to be.
I have a ladder stand that fits me and 2 of my kids, one of which has his licence now though.
I personally think Bringing someone along is a great idea, whether successful or not it is always a good experience.
Edit.. A year or so ago we did A pheasant release, bought a bunch of birds and a large crew of us parked in the field and planted them one at a time, let the dogs work them then shoot on the flush. We had a lot of kids there too. The MNR showed up just on time to see the kids poised over the birds for pictures. They asked if the kids participated, of course the answer was no. They did not pursue it. So not all my my hunts with tag along have been in a blind. All the adults licences were collected then returned, guns inspected as well.
 
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Here is the deal. It is illegal to have someone accompany you on a hunt without a liscence because technically they are hunting too. But it all comes down to the discretion of the CO. And whether or not he believes that you are simply a mere bystander.
 
Yeah it's ridiculously paranoid to be worried about anything if you don't have a gun and are not obviously assisting in the hunt. I know many ppl who have done this. Total non issue. It would be extremely rare, even unheard of for you to get charged and I would say impossible for that charge to hold up in court. They are out there looking for obvious idiots, no license, drunk, shooting over heir limit, using a restricted firearm ect...
 
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The answer is NO read what the ministry thinks hunting is you find it in yor regs if your caught doing any of them you can be charge
 
Your not hunting, pursuit is not hunting. Its observation and enjoyment of nature. You can even carry personal protection, most typically take a back packer shotgun of some sort if in dangerous country. Only becomes hunting when you participate in the actual taking of the animal. Accompanyment is very legal.
 
Eagleye said:
This is asinine to the extreme. No firearm, not hunting, period.

A court would have a hard time convicting an accompanying person who had no firearm in his possession of "hunting".

Just go, enjoy yourself. Don't let the fearmongers influence your decision.

Regards, Dave.
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Yup. I can go for a walk in the woods during hunting season with out a rifle and it is not hunting. Why would it suddenly become hunting because my walking companion has a rifle?
 
They are out there looking for idiots, and there are plenty of them from what I have seen. They wont be bothered by you if you decide not to be one of them.

Your friend has a hunting license, PAL, using a non-restricted firearm, is hunting in season? You are in a place where it is ok to hunt and discharge a firearm? You are sober? You are going to be polite and reasonable if approached by a Conservation Officer? As another poster said you could even carry a backpacker shotgun for wildlife protection if you wanted. You just cant shoot any game or obviously engage in aiding in the hunt. I did this myself before I had my hunting license. Seriously, don't worry about it... but if you like it, go and get your license!
 
This debate is bordering on the ridiculous. It's more an indictment of Ontario's anti-hunting/anti-gun bias than anything else. If I wanted to accompany my buddy on his hunt I'd take my camera along and tell any CO who asks that I was an amateur wildlife photographer. Now prove otherwise.
 
Come on now guys, if you don't have a rifle how can the CO say youre hunting.... and .....its illegal to make a false statement to a CO.:p
 
Conservation Officers really don't care about your innocence.

Fine line between actively pursuing wild game to that of being an innocent onlooker especially when you accompany your hunter/buddy in the same vehicle. Good luck with that one! Your being in the same vehicle constitutes enough probable cause.
And most conservation officers really don't care about your explanations or even if you really were just an onlooker or even if there's only 1 firearm found. You do not have to be in possession of a firearm to be considered as "pursuing game".
They will just say "go plead your case to the judge".
 
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I stopped in to the local CO's office 3 years ago to ask them the same question as the OP did in his post.

I was told that as long as the friend wasn't pushing the push, (we were deer hunting) it was just fine. The CO was pleased that a newbie was getting out into the woods to see what hunting was all about.

Some people here need to relax and give the CO's a little more credit. The ones I have met have all been respectful and professional. At no time have any of them been "out to get us". Having said that, our group follows the rules and hunts ethically.

Eagle eye's post nailed the correct answer.
 
X-man said:
This debate is bordering on the ridiculous. It's more an indictment of Ontario's anti-hunting/anti-gun bias than anything else. If I wanted to accompany my buddy on his hunt I'd take my camera along and tell any CO who asks that I was an amateur wildlife photographer. Now prove otherwise.
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You guys need to relax on the Ontario hate, most people here from Ontario are saying it's fine; we did this and everybody we know did this to discover the sport.

There's just a few people here "fearmongering" nitpicking the wordage of laws to imagine fictional worst case scenarios.
 
Every one knows ontario sucks compared to the western provinces. If all my family wasn't here, i would be gone so fast that i wouldn't bother wiping.

Any ways me and another have both stated that we asked the fish cops and it was green light have at er . This thread can die now
 
hawk-i said:
Come on now guys, if you don't have a rifle how can the CO say youre hunting.... and .....its illegal to make a false statement to a CO.:p
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The pursuance of fish and game species is clearly explained in any hunting summary as such that you are considered to be pursuing your intended prey using a vehicle be it a car, truck, ATV, snowmobile,boat motorized or not, and even a bicycle. It matters not at all what your preference may be. You are also considered to be pursuing game even if only with a camera and hiking poles. Should you be carrying a knife, the length of the blade and configuration all come into play here.You would have to present a very convincing story as to why you were seen to be following a deer's tracks for example or had a radio or cell phone communication with others in your group or not.
Now let's say for example that a C.O. discovered you and a companion taking a breather in the woods and the situation turned very obviously amorous by the C.O.'s observations and clearly your actions were not that of pursuing any wild game species, and so, well, define "wild" here as it pertains to this context only and you likely will not be asked for anything other than if your or your partner's actions were consensual. I say this not to be a smart ass but to simply clarify one point here. In many cases when you see a C.O. he is likely accompanied by a member of the Prov. Police which has been a standard practice for quite some time now as the police are there as a back-up to the C.O. as C.O.'s for many years were not taken seriously by many hunters. I know this for a fact as I have personally heard some hunters while all liquored up to imply "if they were caught doing anything illegal by a C.O., that C.O. would just disappear".
Hey not my words.
This is the clear response to the C.O's actually having more powers than the police to detain and arrest you in most provinces.
I would never condone such a mindset either verbally or otherwise. NEVER!
But C.O.'s DO in fact encounter individuals with such a disregard for his fellow man or woman and many have in the past taken to physical exchanges and worst case scenarios, doing the unthinkable with the officers. No bull, no exaggerations. Just fact!
Drunken or stoned hunters or fishers can be some of the most dangerous of offenders. Then there are the poachers who illegally sell fish and game on the black market.
Do you really think they will come along peacefully when ordered to do so by a C.O.? If you do, please GET REAL!
This is just one reason why conservation officers can be perceived as heartless, but I for one would not want their job for twice their pay!
I personally have witnessed the violence that comes with the job.
Mutual respect goes a long way here.
Take my word for it.
 
hawk-i said:
Come on now guys, if you don't have a rifle how can the CO say youre hunting.... and .....its illegal to make a false statement to a CO.:p
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there is much more to "hunting" than just taking the shot to kill the animal that is being hunted. You had better learn that!
 
...asked this years ago of my co's and recently again here in mb...as long as they aren't carrying a gun or assisting my hunt in any fashion they're good to go...no sense in getting paranoid, but then again, in 40 years of hunting here i've only seen 2 co's...best move to a remote region if you don't want to be paranoid i guess...
 
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