Slug Shotgun vs. Large Calibre Rifle

I asked the question,way back when,of a OHEP instructor who deferred to the OPP whose position was that due to the huge number of hunters taking to the field during the two-week shotgun Deer hunt,it was necessary to reduce the range of firearms purely as a safety factor. The "shotgun only" rule was enacted to facilitate that requirement for obvious reasons,especially,as land was being taken over for development and more and more houses are being built in rural areas. Local municipalities used the by-law process.,but,as such,was incorporated into the various FWCActs which have been enacted by the province over many years.That rule,in most southern Ontario WMU's,is still in force,but,has led municipalities to re-write their by-laws,relying on the provincial legislation as a blanket regulation. For the municipalities,it relieves them of the onus of firearms regulation,save for zoning.
While the shotgun Deer hunt is closed,as long as we have a Black Bear license,we can still use heavy rifles,even in areas where the FWCA clearly states that rifles of .270 or smaller may only be used for SMALL game. Hunting BIG game,such as Bears,isn't restricted and heavier rifles may be used.
It's wierd,but,that's the way the Act is written.

Not sure if I read Trimmer right, but in most of southern Ontario, you cannot use a rifle larger than 275 caliber for ANY game...even bear if you are hunting south of Seven or wherever that line runs. ...You could use a 270 for jackrabbits or bear in southern Ontario however, assuming an open season...

These shotgun only areas where designed back when shotguns were only smoothbore and ammo was not like it was today.


These new shotguns are pretty much rifles, I wonder how long before they are banned.....



Stupid rule anyways because I can use my .243 for all small game and it shoots A LOT farther and flatter than my rifled barrel shotgun

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Originally Posted by huntaway

GW11 hit the nail on the head.
Regulations preventing the use of a rifle.
Which really make no sense when you can take a 270 out varmit hunting but can't use it for deer.

HA

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The varmint hunting I do - coyotes, groundhogs takes place in open fields with open views. I sometimes think a high powered rifle would be good in a open field scenario, in the southern WMU's for the deer hunt. But I think differently where the hunting takes place in hilly terrain close to populated communities, where a proper backstops might be overlooked. I'd be scared to be out if there with the spray and pray hunters during the controlled hunt if there were now allowed to bring out a rifle. All firearms are lethal but take a high powered rifle cartridge distance into consideration and things can get sketchy. IMO.

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Originally Posted by Pat32rf

Not sure if I read Trimmer right, but in most of southern Ontario, you cannot use a rifle larger than 275 caliber for ANY game...even bear if you are hunting south of Seven or wherever that line runs. ...You could use a 270 for jackrabbits or bear in southern Ontario however, assuming an open season...

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Read the guide,again,Pat. There's a common misconception that we can't use big bore rifles for anything,but,if you read the Act correctly,it states,specifically...A person hunting SMALL GAME may not carry or use a rifle of greater caliber than a .275 in the geographic areas of...... It makes NO mention of caliber restrictions for BIG game except for the "shotguns only" restriction for Deer.

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Originally Posted by trimmer21

Read the guide,again,Pat. There's a common misconception that we can't use big bore rifles for anything,but,if you read the Act correctly,it states,specifically...A person hunting SMALL GAME may not carry or use a rifle of greater caliber than a .275 in the geographic areas of...... It makes NO mention of caliber restrictions for BIG game except for the "shotguns only" restriction for Deer.

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Dead on, just verify that there are no municipal restrictions in your area. Some municipalities have shotgun only, or no rifle or caliber restrictions to discharge.

When hunting check both the MNR regulations and your municipal restrictions. For target shooting be sure to check into your municipal restrictions.

With all this info now I am torn on what to do for my second gun! I love rifles but shotguns offer more versatility in terms of what I can hunt and where I can hunt. And then the choice between 20ga and 12ga haha. So much to decide on...

Thanks for all the input gents! If you have more feel free to keep it coming :)

were you live a shotgun will get you thru all the seasons starting with turkeys in the spring and going in to fall with ducks and geese then on to the controlled deer hunt ,in winter you can hunt rabbits birds and yotes . crows and all the rest of the small game stuff .you can shoot trap and skeet with your buddys all year .so a good shotgun with a few barrels and a good 22 or 22winmag should cover you for most of your hunting needs .Dutch

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Originally Posted by arvanlaar

With all this info now I am torn on what to do for my second gun! I love rifles but shotguns offer more versatility in terms of what I can hunt and where I can hunt. And then the choice between 20ga and 12ga haha. So much to decide on...

Thanks for all the input gents! If you have more feel free to keep it coming :)

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Actually,a .22 is indispensable for small game. There's many great makes and models to choose from. As for a shotgun, 12ga. and/or 20ga. depending on your comfort level will be good for small game,upland birds and waterfowl and short range Coyotes,anywhere you hunt. If you add a good slug barrel,it will be good for any big game in the province out to 75 yds. For big woods and,in some cases,dangerous game,anything from .270 to .338 WinMag will deliver very adequate smack-down anywhere in Canada. The fun and great enjoyment is figuring out what you like and what you'll need it for. Buy the very best you can afford....once. It will last you forever and there's something to hand down to future generations.

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Originally Posted by werner.reiche

Some WMUs are shotgun only. Some municipalities limit CF rifle to .270 or less. Some guys own a good shotgun and don't want to buy a rifle for deer hunting only. If you're hunting in the bush, 75 yards is about the longest shot you'll have anyway. Lots of varied reasons.

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God I love where I live
Shoot out my back door. Smack mammals with either a hot loaded 45/70 or 50 AK. God bless freedom
Back to Your question. They ain't made the Sgun that will hold a candle to firepower like that. WFN hard cast. If I can make out his outline I own him