A reader recently raised an excellent question. He had read that it was illegal to carry a firearm during a ‘Bow Only’ hunting season. He was concerned that there was an apparent contradiction in Arizona law regarding legal open or concealed carry for self protection and the prohibition of carrying a firearm during a ‘Bow Only’ season as published in the hunting regulations enforced by Arizona Game and Fish. Essentially, he wanted to know if he still had the right to carry for self protection in the field if he was hunting during a “Bow Only” season.

The original game regulations that Game & Fish came out with did prohibit hunters from carrying a firearm during a “Bow Only” season. I believe that the original intent of this regulation was to prevent poaching. While this was well intentioned from a game management point of view, they may not have considered the current reality of life in our Arizona wilderness areas.

In the southern part of the state, the number of armed smugglers moving people or drugs across the border has made things quite dangerous for anyone in the wilderness, but especially so for anyone that is unarmed. In other parts of the state, there have been incidents where hikers and hunters have been threatened by armed individuals when they accidentally wandered into areas being used for the cultivation of illegal drugs.

While the Game & Fish rule still stands, the commission has announced plans to change this provision in the next revision cycle. In the meantime, an “enforcement directive” has been issued that tells the Wildlife Managers not to write tickets for this offense.

One word of caution - I would recommend that the handgun not have a six inch barrel with a scope on it or the Wildlife Manager might question the purpose of the handgun and why it is being carried.

If you want to see the original rule and the vote of the commissioners on the directive you can check out the two links below. On the first link, scroll down about half way and you will see the article on the Archery hunter being able to carry for personal protection. The second link will take you to the minutes where the issuance of the “enforcement directive” occurred.

http://www.azgfd.gov/h_f/highlights/highlights_0602.html

http://www.azgfd.gov/inside_azgfd/documents/120905CommMtgMinutes.pdf