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I'm looking for some clarification on the regs for this one. Can I go out hunting small game with a 12GA over .223 at anytime or do I have to possess a license for any big game that is in season at the time? My assumption is that if bear season was on from Sept. 1 - Nov. 30 I would only be able to hunt small game after Nov. 30 with this gun unless I had a bear license...
Yes you can assuming local bylaws say it's OK. However this is basic information and you should look it up in the regs.
You may use the 12ga barrel,only,for small game with shot shells smaller than #2 lead and you must not be in possession of rifle shells during an open gun season for Deer,Black Bear or Moose unless you carry a license to hunt the big game species which has the open season (ie:spring and fall Black Bear hunt). Don't forget your blaze orange vest and hat.Quote:
Originally Posted by mweid
Be careful, you cannot have a rifle while hunting that is over 400 ft-lbs, it does not say anything about the ammo. Werner ran into a CO when walking around with his 444 Marlin and a pocket full of 410 2 1/2" bird shot going after grouse before the deer season and was lucky that he also had a bear license.Quote:
Originally Posted by trimmer21
Feel free to use the .223/12ga combo gun for small game when there is no open gun season for big game or if you have that big game license. The chamber is what matters, not what you have in your pocket.
Yep,Werner got lucky that day. He could have been pinched just for "carrying". The situation the OP mentioned is a "gray area" that's open to interpretation by Police and CO's when encountering hunters with O/U combos. As long as the hunter has no C/F ammo in his/her possession and the shot shells are proper size,it's difficult,if not impossible for law enforcement to lay a charge when using a O/U shotgun/rifle combo. Be found using anything else and get your wallet out.Quote:
Originally Posted by Fox
So how is that different than using a 410 shell in a 444 Marlin? No CF rifle rounds on his person but he is still potentially going to be charged.Quote:
Originally Posted by trimmer21
It should be possible to have a chamber adapter, there are some in 32 that fit in a 30-06 or 303 Brit, they should be legal but you are still in possession of a rifle chambered in a caliber with more than 400 ft-lbs of energy, therefore you are hunting with one, the same way as Werner's 444.
Couldn’t you have the 223 in the gun for a coyote?
Do .410's fit in a .444? I guess there's always a wrinkle. The regs tell us what we can use. Waver from it even a little bit and someone will have some 'splainin' to do.Quote:
Originally Posted by Fox
Not when there is a big game season openQuote:
Originally Posted by dilly
2 1/2" 410 shells fit well in a 444 Marlin, the shot sprays but I have heard of enough people who use them on grouse that they must work well enough at close range.Quote:
Originally Posted by trimmer21
I was told that the rule follows the chamber of the gun, I always loved the idea of a combination gun but I think outside of an area that you would have a big game license anyway it would be almost impossible to use.
The rules are a little nuts, I went north to visit family and wanted to hunt grouse and woodcock. I always like to have some slugs and or buckshot in my bag when going well off the beaten path alone, just in case I break a leg or something like that. Anyway, the moose season was open and so was the bear season, well a couple years back they decided to add a deer season that overlapped that same time as well. I had a deer hunting license already so no need to buy anything else to be legal, although, if I was stopped by a CO and searched I would have had to explain to him all of the stuff I just wrote here, even though I was sporting a SxS 16ga, not a moose gun.
Not much explaining needed fox.. show him a deer license and tag. No more questions.Quote:
Originally Posted by Fox
Why would a CO search you , or better question would be, why would you let them search you, unless of course you were under arrest ????Quote:
Originally Posted by Fox
I wanted to use my combination gun to hunt turkeys and have the option of using the rifle barrel to dispatch the occasional coyote that shows up. The local CO said "No".
They would have no right to search my bag outside of thinking I was hiding something, some of them think everyone is evil.Quote:
Originally Posted by rick_iles
When you are walking around during moose season with slugs on your person they may ask more questions, but an open season now for deer gives me that legal option.
Local CO is incorrect. Nothing in regs speaks to this for turkey. Some murky restrictions exsist for big game, but turkey season and coyote seasons are open in many areas in Ontario simultaneously. Can’t use the rifle on the birds. If you do and get caught red handed or through evidence in the bird, you are in trouble. If you were out with a valid turkey tag and also taking care of coyotes under your small game license, I can’t find anything that says you can’t. A CO,s hunch isn’t enough. I would ask for specific regulations in this situation.Quote:
Originally Posted by ninepointer
Right......the Act says “use” when mentioning firearms permitted for turkeys. If the wording was “carry” or “possess” then you would not be able to use your combo gun. But that’s not to say you won’t be charged. I’ve seen some very strange interpretations of the law by COs in the past...Quote:
Originally Posted by dilly
The issue though is that is who this guy will be dealing with.Quote:
Originally Posted by dilly
A hunch may not be enough for a charge to stick but it may be enough for a charge to be laid and then you have the fun of taking time off work to go to court.
Agreed. Some civil and respectful discussion would be in order if an issue were to arise.Quote:
Originally Posted by rick_iles
I asked the MNR via their wesite a few years ago, about using my Savage 24 during turkey season to take coyotes that come in to the decoys. Here is the answer I received:
"Thank you for your question. Yes, you may use a Savage 24 for hunting wild turkey provided that you are not using the rifle component. This means that the .222 component must be unloaded while hunting wild turkey. If you were to see a coyote and switched to hunting coyote, you could load the rifle and use it to shoot the coyote."
Apparently you can't be hunting for turkey AND coyotes simultaneously (I'd better speak to my decoys.....). This approach could work in a blind, but I wouldn't want to risk the movement if sitting out in the open.
In my area, I saw more coyotes than deer in deer season, and more coyotes than turkeys on my cams this turkey season.
I still think it would be a judgement call on the COs part, if you are coming out of the bush with a pack with turkey decoys in it and rifle ammunition along with your shotgun ammunition they may start to ask you questions.Quote:
Originally Posted by Lenny
Yep,especially,when a rifle is not necessary to dispatch a Coyote coming into Turkey decoys. Turkey loads do fine job on 'yotes.Quote:
Originally Posted by Fox
It’s always a matter of interpretation with any Leo.Quote:
Originally Posted by Fox