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So obviously it's illegal to discharge a firearm in Toronto, but if:
1. I am the holder of a small game license and
2. Use a bow, crossbow or some other non-firearm (safely) and
3. The thing I'm hunting is in season and
4. I'm on my own property
Can I hunt rabbit, raccoon, squirrel etc. in Toronto?
Alternatively, how fast would the cops get called?
:party:
When we lived in the wilds of Scarborough the township was a Crown Game Preserve. No hunting anything. When I fired a shotgun or center fire rifle I would often see a yellow police car cruise by within 30 minutes. Our neighbour about 1/2 mile north of us was opposed to hunting..... Always figured it was her calling the cops..
that was about 1963.....north of Finch, east of 48
Is there an open season for those species in that unit?
No discharge of firearms does not only refer to "guns". You would have to read the bylaw for the definition of firearm used. In Vaughan no discharge of firearms describes and includes bow, air rifles and even slingshots. All thats left is well maybe baseball bats.Quote:
Originally Posted by krypplephite
There is... YesQuote:
Originally Posted by blasted_saber
The Toronto bylaws I found seem to only ban the use of bows in parks.Quote:
Originally Posted by finsfurfeathers
I'm wondering if anyone knows any different?
Got time on my hands so doing your homework. So far City of Mississauga has a nice right up. Part II Definitions defines Bows as long bow, cross bows, compound bows, and recurve bow. Firearms: any barreled weapon,spring gun, air gun,paintbal gun, air soft gun, and slingshot.Quote:
Originally Posted by krypplephite
Part VII - Exemptions
line 17 There are no exempitions that allow discharge of bows and firearms for the purpose of hunting.
I know it not toronto (seems hard to read through toronto bylaws). However you got to figure if Mississauga prohits discharge of firearms for hunting got to be the same for Toronto.
A- If this was my property, I'd be hunting it everyday based on the information that you have provided!Quote:
Originally Posted by krypplephite
Open season for specific game animals in a WMU means you have the green light to harvest those species, and I am sure they don't expect you to catch them with your bare hands!!!
B- The part of your post that I have highlighted in red colour doesn't make sense. Refer to your own point #3.
[QUOTE=Hawkman;679076]A- If this was my property, I'd be hunting it everyday based on the information that you have provided!
Open season for specific game animals in a WMU means you have the green light to harvest those species, and I am sure they don't expect you to catch them with your bare hands!!!
QUOTE]
You think it would be that simple. In Vaughan according to the regs there is an open season for rabbit however the bylaw states no discharge of firearms which they define a gun, air rifle, bow, and even slingshots....so ya I guess they expect you to use your hands.:silly:
LOL FFF.
I have read, mostly understood, and played by the rules in the past ~30 years!!! However, at this point, if I owned the same property as the OP has described, I'd hunt it daily regardless of what the regs suggest. Heck, I'd even go to the authorities and obtain written exemptions to whatever rules exist on MY property which happens to be in the middle of a WMU with open seasons!
Hate to admit it, but sometimes you shoot first, ask questions later. Bows and pellet guns will not make loud noise or raise any neighbourly concerns. My only concern however, would be a wounded animal running onto someone else's property - or worse, a road nearby...
I hear ya but its one thing to do what you want on the back 40 of the middle of nowhere another when your in Toronto. Too many nosey neighbors that can't mind their own business.Quote:
Originally Posted by Hawkman
They worse advice someone can give is on the Internet. If they discharge by laws indicate no discharge you can hunt with your bare hands only. Was invited to hunt at a property backing on to dundas valley and checked the by laws in hamilton so passed on they property as it was in a no discharge area. Remember every hunter is out there and gives other hunters a bad rap when they break the law and get caught. You my friend in TO will get caught and charged and pay a fine. Good luck.
Pellet guns in town is dangerous, people think they are toys and treat them as such, but there are people out there missing eyes who know they are not. Don't be stupid, there is a reason not to shoot in a city.Quote:
Originally Posted by Hawkman
Interesting topic, I just stumbled upon! I hope it's okay if I chime in late.
A couple of people have suggested that you could use your hands to hunt, but is that really true? I'm sure there are many home owners in the GTA that would pay good money for the pelt of a raccoon that has been throwing garbage around and leaving droppings all over, but I assume that you can not use your hands, knife, hatchet or a spear to hunt unless it's explicitly allowed by the MNR because they are responsible for ensuring humane harvest. You can't always "drop-down" to a hunting method of lower lethality - for instance, there are minimum calibers for some game, and bows require broadheads and minimum draw weights. From the hunting summary about Raccoons: "You can only use a .22 calibre rim-fire rifle chambered for the following cartridges: .22 short, .22 long or .22 long rifle." obviously out of the question in a city. Besides, if you use a knife or spear, or even a rock, you may have a weapons offense to deal with, and that could affect your PAL even if it's not a gun offense. Even if one could win such a case, one could lose their house due to legal costs, and it's not a good way to advance hunting in Ontario.
You are, however, explicitly allowed by the MNR to harvest some turtles and frogs by hand, and maybe there are no by-laws against falconry in the city for black squirrels. I still wouldn't do it in the city, however. If the police are not 100% sure that what you're doing doesn't break a particular law, it seems to be within their discretion to charge you and let the courts figure it out.
Cheers
Cast out a carrot with a strong little single hook and real in when caught, then you can use your hand method to finish it off :-)
What about 22 subsonic rounds.. They are nice and quiete...Quote:
Originally Posted by wongstein
As far as I can tell blowdarts, throwing sticks, and slingshots are not explicitly forbidden. Neither are spears.
The .22 restriction on Raccoons is for night hunting only. Believe me, for a humane kill you don't want to stretch the range of your shot, and this is the one time I really like a semi for a quick follow up shot.Quote:
Originally Posted by topher
Blowguns( the thing you shot the darts out of) are PROHIBITED in Canada. Sorry but slingshots are not allowed under the discharge by-law. Two strikes...Play ball.Quote:
Originally Posted by Salmonid
So.. All those years I made a pea shooterr out of a pen in school to shoot substitute teachers with.. I was breaking the law?Quote:
Originally Posted by Snowwalker
The letter of the law YES. You have in fact been using a DANGEROUS and PROHIBITED WEAPON to commit ASSAULT WITH INTENT TO CAUSE BODILY HARM.:scream:Quote:
Originally Posted by topher
Quote:
Originally Posted by Snowwalker
AW Crap!!
"Alternatively, how fast would the cops get called?"
If it's most parts of Toronto, give it 5 mins.....
If it's North Rexdale where I grew up, the neighbours will think it's just another "drive by shooting" and just dismiss it as another day in the neighbourhood...........just kidding.
Bottom line, you can't discharge any firearm, bow or pellet gun w/o running the risk of a neighbour being concerned and calling the police. And if that happens, you'll be wasting a lot of your time being questioned. It's not worth it.
We aren't even discussing the fact if you are in your legal rights to hunt a species without using a firearm, how long it would take for the OSPCA to come knocking on your door. One has to remember what happened to Dong Nguyen when he killed those raccoons in his backyard. While using a shovel probably wasn't the wisest of moves, I don't think it would have mattered what he used to dispatch those animals, he would have gotten a visit regardless.
For whats its worth and I am not chiming in specifically to the legality or illegality (speak with the right authority).
In my neck of the woods there is archery hunting, yet a no discharge. Bows do not automatically fall under no discharge (check your muni)
I also know that if one has problems with nuisences such as Raccons, one must pay a "relocator" somewhere between $400-$600.
I also know said relocator can only move them up to 1km away, making my $600 problem, my neighbors $600 problem the next night.
So, if I were inclined to hunt racoons in my neck of the woods, Id look at the above and conclude its not a good idea. Further if I was inclined to hunt squirrels that live in the city, I'd wonder why, as I personally wouldnt want to eat them.
afaik, Toronto has the same/similiar by-laws with respect to nuisances.
Archery I'm sure does not fall under no-discharge in TO, else Im sure this place, a place I used to go as a wee child carrying my bow (unencased) to on the TTC is still open.
http://www.archerytoronto.ca/Toronto-Archery-Range.html
So if it were me.
Given one can still use the range at the science center, Id conlude bows are not covered by the no discharge.
However, I would not hunt even if the regs say theres seasons within the wmu for the above reasons and more.
I guess is in theory if bows are ok within the city, one might try to hunt WTs in the Don Valley.
Not a good idea.
I've seen a few fine WT's in Don Valley and have often wondered as to whether they can be hunted. One got hit by a car up on Lawrence and DVP.
Even if legal, I'd think twice about getting one though - imagine dragging it up to the parking lot , kids shouting "mommy, mommy, look, he killed Bambi"
on the other hand, might be a nice lesson for cityfolk and would help thin out the herd.
lastly, I don't know about the meat - they use pesticides on those lawns.
So really your stuck with the art of falconry
Hopefully your falcon doesn't slam into a building.Quote:
Originally Posted by oaknut
Well i believe there are several factors including how many acres you have and usually you need twenty to shoot in a residential area. Also in your bylaw a bow could be classed as a firearm it is in other towns like vaughan woodbridge
well if ya give it a google a chinaman in markham or scarborough one of the two got charged for killin a dirty ol coon with a pellet gun...personally. id get a havahart trap than put it in a barrel of water
I'm not sure if this thread is dead but you could hunt with a "rabbit stick" or throwing stick, completely legit way of hunting and I don't think you can get charged for discharge of a stick :) boomerangs are also used around the world as hunting tools, a spear could probably also be used, there are many different ways to hunt other than modern methods there's also the "death star" two pointed sticks wrapped together at the middle thrown kind of like a frisby. The law is kind of iffy on this as it says no discharge of firearm and then doesn't say what is considered a firearm, so a slingshot could be technically used notice the technically but I would still keep it on the down low.