Legal Question...

It's legal to hunt hogs at night with spotlights, too.

But it's always wise to contact the local GW and advise him of your plans beforehand, especially during deer season.

I would think the same approach would be prudent here.

Sounds like a blast, if you can do it!

I wanna know what paperwork you have to have to be able to carry a silencer. You must be a high ranking officer or a federal arms dealer! Seriously though I would really like to know how to obtain paperwork to get a silencer.

Is that a Walther P22, Ive seen these combos for sale online but there suppresor isnt a real suppresor. I will contact you and find out a little more about it though.

From the TP&W website:

Firearms
Game animals and game birds may be hunted with any legal firearm, EXCEPT:

white-tailed deer, mule deer, desert bighorn sheep, and pronghorn antelope may NOT be hunted with rimfire ammunition of any caliber.
shotguns are the only legal firearm that may be used to hunt Eastern turkey during the spring Eastern turkey season (see County Listing). Rifles and handguns may not be used to hunt Eastern turkey.
pellet guns and other air guns are NOT LEGAL.
fully automatic firearms are NOT LEGAL.
firearms equipped with silencers or sound-suppressing devices are NOT LEGAL.
a shotgun is the only legal firearm for hunting migratory game birds and lesser prairie chicken (see Definitions - Legal Shotgun).

I took the "not in possession" of from Kyotee1's post, but yes it is the same as the issue of having a firearm in your possession during Archery Only season.

Even though you are planning on shooting hogs with it, your main purpose of being there is to hunt deer, hence the regular deer rifle.

You will also notice I suggested checking with the GW.

If copying this out of the TP&W Outdorr annual is not good enough so be it.

I just think that most GW's are not going to "Buy Into" the idea that you have a gun, with a device that is clearly defined as illegal for hunting native Big Game, in the stand with you, along with your regular rifle, when your main intention is hunting deer.

I think you need to check with the GW in the area yopu are hunting and then get back to us with his answer.

Sorry if I am coming across confrontational, but at least 3 people have posted that hunting big game with firearms equipped with sound suppression devices is illegal in Texas.

I really believe a GW is going to have a problem with this anyway it is looked at.

With this one, as with having a rifle in your bow stand during archery only season, the letter of the law says it is illegal, and the intent of the law is that it is illegal.

If you want to hunt hogs with the gun and you have the paperwork, from what I am reading on here and in the Outdoor Annual then go for it.

But just as with guns during archery only, if you have any intention of shooting a deer, while you have that gun with you, your going to end up with a ticket. JMO.

I know you are not trying to be confrontational CHC... it's just your nature

The best thing to do is check with GW and make sure... and I will do that and let you and everyone else know what they say.

But... you said... "With this one, as with having a rifle in your bow stand during archery only season, the letter of the law says it is illegal, and the intent of the law is that it is illegal."

The letter of the law DOES NOT say it is illegal. It says it is illegal to hunt game animals with these guns. I have said before and will say again I have NO intention of hunting deer with the supressor. Why would I? Why not just shoot them with the 300 RUM? That's why it would be in the blind with me too.

I don't want to run off all the deer by wearing out the hogs with a loud ultra mag and that is a pretty good reason to want to do what I was thinking.

I don't see how anyone would not understand my intention there. If a deer walks up and I want to shoot it I use the gun that is legal for it. If it's hogs, then I kill them quietly.

I play by the rules with what I do so I don't loose my guns. If I was a poacher and was to take deer with suppressors I sure would not be having this conversation.

Anyway... it says you can't take game animals (deer) with those guns and I would not do that, so I don't see the problem.

The gun in bow season thing clearly states that you can not carry one unless you have a CHL. States it must be in the truck or back at camp. They don't say that at all with this issue. That's why it's different.

First, I don't seriously think that you will ever have a GW walk up to your stand and check.

Secondly, it is going to come down to the GW and how zealous he or she may be about enforcing the law.

I just think that being in possesion of both a regular rifle and a rifle with a sound suppressor on it, and having a dead deer in the back of the truck/strapped to the 4 wheeler/hanging in camp is going to be problematic at the least.

In all actuality I hope you are right in your assumption.

On the flip side of that, I would not want to be you if you are wrong, because how will a possible felony game law violation affect your ownership of those sound suppressing devices?????

Does the possible consequences of the one scenario out weigh the fun you would have shooting the hogs?

Good Luck.

It will all come down to what the attitude of the gamewarden and possibly the judge. Technically, the have the burden of proof but, if you get someone who wants to make an example out of you--then the law is vauge enough that you could be in for serious trouble. Just because the law is poorly written dosent mean that they will cut you any slack. Just to be safe I wouldnt risk it. Im not a lawyer but my best friend is and he said that it would be questionable as to if you would win, because how are you going to prove that you didnt intend to shoot a deer with that rifle?

JJH.. you misunderstood what I was trying to say. It does clearly state you can't have a gun during bow only season UNLESS you have a CHL... if you do, then that trumps that law and you are fine.

The persona of suppressors is "Hollywood" and "he has to be up to no good" attitudes. While infact overseas it is very common for rifles and even shotguns to have suppressors on them due noise constraints. You can buy a "can" overseas for next to nothing b/c they require people to use them. Here they want $600 & up b/c they require a little paperwork to obtain. Your neighbors would probably thank you for it b/c you won't wake them. I don't personally see any benifit to hunting with them other than not upsetting your neighbors and scaring off the "game" animals you want to fill your freezer with.

I personally think that any black gun is bad for our hunting image.. And then you add a "mobster hit man style" silencer to it.. And it makes it that much worse. I personally think that the only guns needed for hunting are antique single shots.
geez Greg.. Why do you have to start topics like this?

the black gun thing is bad? man, I agree get rid of those ugly black stocks on your senderos, and every other rifle. give me a break

You have a screw on compensator on the ar when the suppressor is not on there? if so use the suppressor while in the stand if the pigs show and if you need to shoot a deer as well use your intended rifle for that. when leaving the stand take off the suppressor and relace it with your compensator. this way if you are even checked it shouldn't even become an issue. i would say this would be no different than if you were leaving the lease or ranch in possession of you suppressor and a game animal of any kind even if you have a stack of hogs and a unsuppressed rifle with you and you are pulled over and checked. you would still have to hope that the GW is a reasonable person which i have heard many times aren't and just plea you case. my take and my .02

Lefty,
I do hope you know I was joking... Every gun I own is black..

Should anyone wish to do what I have described above I would suggest you call your local game warden and talk with them before you do it. I just did and had a good 10-15 min talk with a real nice guy.

I know you all want to know the outcome, but the conversation I had with him and the details of it will remain between us. Sorry to disapoint

Hmmm,
Come on Greg... give us a hint..

As a owner of NFA supressors/firearms like Greg is talking about, I can add a few words. I see no reason and no law in the TP&W handbook that would prohibit shooting hogs and other non game animals would be illegal at any time. It not illegal and I hunt hogs suppressed often, along with quite a few other hunters here in N. Texas. I have hunted them with machine guns as well.

In many countries, suppressed hunting is a common courtesy to other hunters in the area. Unfortunately, here it usually automatically implies 'illegal poaching of deer at night'.

How many of you wear earplugs out in the deer stand? It's nice to shoot multiple hogs and not be deaf when you are done.
If you were on the next lease over from me and you were hunting hard for that big buck would prefer:
A) Me to shoot at a pack of hogs 5x with a .300 Win mag
or
B) Me to shoot at them 5x with a supressed rifle


I can see a situation if you are standing over a dead deer with a small caliber hole in it and a suppressed AR in your hands- so don't put yourself in that type of situation. Calling the game warden to inform him of your intentions is fine too but keep in mind that the game warden is going have something to talk about at the coffee shop when he leaves. That could come back to haunt you as the small town local people just might not understand your desire to be a legal and law abiding hunter. If I wanted to poach deer or shoot them at night I sure wouldn't have spent the thousands of dollars obtaining my suppressors/NFA weapons legally, too much to lose for me.....

You are funny CHC. Let me put it to you like this. I was neither told I could nor could not do what I want to do.

In order to use suppressors you have to have paperwork approved by the ATF, which we do. The GW wants me to call him when we head out this Friday so he can come out and meet us and make sure everythihg is in line and we have all of our ducks in a row before he tells us we can or can not do it. Sounds like a fair request to me.

There. Hope that is not as much of a answer for you.

well you can not have that gun in the deer stand with you and a deer rifle in the stand if you do you are going to have to convince the game warden you are not deer hunting with it and you are using it for pigs. It like when you go duck hunting you can not be in poss. of any lead shells at all you you will get a ticket for each lead shell you have.

Greg- "I should have been a lawyer"
BS - you couldn't afford the cut in pay..