Their web site says:
"The term Fair Chase shall not include the taking of animals under the following conditions: By the use of electronic devices for attracting, locating or pursuing game or guiding the hunter to such game".
I can think of a few situations regarding the phrase "pursuing game or guiding the hunter to such game":
1) You're on a stalk and a buddy calls you on the radio and says to move to the right 100 yards. 2) A buddy calls you on the radio from 2 miles away and says he just watched a great buck bed - get over here right away.
#1 is obviously not fair chase in my book or according to the Pope and Young club. Is this actually illegal in some states?
Is #2 fair chase according to the Pope and Young definition?
Wireless radios: Using radios to talk to a hunter while making the stalk and guide him into an animal is a violation.
Obviously, there are many gray areas that surround the use of communication devices. Some areas are very clear, like the one mentioned above while others bump up against being unfair. How many times have you been talking to someone on the phone and they said, "I just saw a huge buck walking into the Jones place". You have permission to hunt there so you get your gear and head over. It's very hard to say that scenario would not be fair. #2 fits under that scenario. The same scenario could happen with no phone call. The mail man drives up and says "I just saw a huge buck walking into the Jones place". He didn't use electronic communications but it's the same thing.. That's why it's hard to call #2 a violation.
I disagree that fair chase was abandoned many inventions ago. How we use modern technology determines what is fair and what is not. Each and every bowhunter has to make a conscious decision on whether or not to be a fair chase hunter. How many corners will we cut to be successful?
Organizations like P&Y and B&C are tasked with reminding hunters how to act ethically. As soon as we give up on fair chase, we lose public support and will cease to exist. There are a number of things that you can do that are legal but not considered fair chase by one organization or both.
If you choose to hunt in a manner that is not fair chase but is legal, you have the right to do that. Just remember that any animal taken outside of the rules of fair chase, legal or not, will not qualify to be recognized by the top 2 record keeping organizations.
