Legal firearms for Predators in your state?

rookie7

New member
Hello -

I'm doing a little research.

Here in Georgia we can only use small game firearms for bobcat and fox. Coyotes we can use anything because our State doesn't consider them a game animal.

As far as rifles go we can use any rimfire. Part of this doesn't make sense at all because we can also use a muzzleloader i.e. a 50 cal shooting a 300 grain bullet, but we can't use a .223.

So, I'm gathering information to take to my legislature to try and get the law changed to where we can use a centerfire rifle of .223 caliber or smaller - or really, whatever they will agree to.

If you don't mind, please post your state and the legal firearms you may use to take bobcat, fox, and coyote.

Thank you in advance.
 
In New Mexico, lions are considered differently, so I'll put them up first:

Legal Sporting Arms
Centerfire rifle or handgun; shotgun no smaller than 28 gauge, firing a
single slug; muzzleloading rifle; bow and arrows or crossbow and bolts.
In the Sandia Ranger District of the Cibola National Forest in Units 8
and 14, only bows and crossbows may be used. Electronic calls may
be used statewide.

That specifically rules out rimfires and buckshot.

Protected furbearers:

Protected furbearers that may be taken during open season are raccoon,
badger, weasel, fox, ringtail, bobcat, muskrat, beaver and nutria. There
are other protected furbearers, but their take is prohibited. These include,
but are not limited to pine marten, river otter, black-footed ferret and
coatimundi.

Furbearers may be taken with dogs, firearms, bow and arrows, traps and
snares. Calls, including mechanically or electronically recorded calling
devices, are legal in hunting protected furbearers. Dogs may be used to
take protected furbearers only during open trapping season. There is no
“pursuit or training season” outside the regular open season except for
raccoon.

Anything that goes "bang"

Unprotected furbearers:

Unprotected furbearers are coyote and skunk.

There are no restrictions whatsoever on how you kill these guys; guns knives, hand grenades, big rocks, dogs, whatever works for 'ya.
 
Only predator we have in Indiana are fox n coyotes. We can hunt them with anyking of weapon day and night. would be sweet to blow one in half with a .50 cal bmg!!! Were limited to slug guns and handgun rounds in a rifle wich cartridge restrictions for deer. In michigan its rimefire only at night, but i think rifles are legal for deer, wich makes no sense at all.
 
In the great state of Txeas you can hunt all predators with anything anytime! Anything that the feds will let you own anyway. Same with hogs.
Gotta love a state like that!
 
Quote: Only predator we have in Indiana are fox n coyotes. We can hunt them with anyking of weapon day and night. would be sweet to blow one in half with a .50 cal bmg!!! Were limited to slug guns and handgun rounds in a rifle wich cartridge restrictions for deer. In michigan its rimefire only at night, but i think rifles are legal for deer, wich makes no sense at all.


Comparativly speaking, Indiana has some pretty laid back regs as far as predator hutning goes. Outside of hunting from a vehicle and using explosives, you can do pretty much what you want. God it would be sweet to hunt from a high rig on a vehicle like the texans do.
 
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Like Hideanseekpro says, It's all good in NM except Mountian Lion, they are considered big Game species. I also read in here somewhere that in OK most public land was rim fire only.
 
We are aver the map here. At night we can only use 22lr.,
shotguns up to #2 shot, or handguns up to "38".
No lights except for coon & Possum.That means a TC contender in say, 35rem would be OK, but 22WMR is too powerful in a rifle. Daytime anything goes for rifles & pistols, but shotguns are limited to #2 for fox & bobcat,
coyotes up to FF I think. Except during the shotgun season on deer slugs & buckshot can be used on coyotes only, and only shotguns are legal in the woods those 2 weeks. So I can shoot a fox or bobcat with a 460WBY mag, but no shot larger than # 2. Our bear season is strange too, Can use a centerfire rifle over "23" cal, but no shotguns, and handguns must be 357mag, 41mag, 44mag, and handloaded 45LC.
So I can't use a 12ga slug for bear, but could use a 25/20.
I could post more, but I need a drink now.
 
Coyote, fox, Badger,Prairie dogs anything goes. Bob cat, Mt lion,Linx's,mink Fur barriers must have a trapping license most you can't "Shoot" Lion has a "Gun" season but when you can shoot them you can use anything but a speer.
MONTANA
 
In OKlahoma. I believe you can use what cal. you want as long as it not fully auto. and during deer season you can't have a magazine that holds more than 5 rounds. after deer season you can have what you want. This is for predators.
 
Originally Posted By: mike jonesIn OKlahoma. I believe you can use what cal. you want as long as it not fully auto. and during deer season you can't have a magazine that holds more than 5 rounds. after deer season you can have what you want. This is for predators.

I believe that the restriction only applies to deer hunting with .22 cal centerfire.
If your predator hunting it doesn't apply.

And the mag limit for deer is 7 rounds.

From the deer regs:

Quote:Legal Means of Taking
•Rifles: Centerfire rifles firing at least a 55-grain weight soft-nosed or hollow-point bullet and having an overall cartridge case length of 1 1/4 inches or longer (9mm rifles are not legal). Clips or magazines of all .22 caliber centerfire firearms may not be capable of holding more than seven rounds of ammunition.
 
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Here in SC our night hunting laws really suck, I think the coon hunters voted for these rules.
But on private land in the day time hours you can use what ever weapon you prefer.


http://www.dnr.sc.gov/regs/huntingregs.html


Coyotes and Armadillos
A hunting license is required to hunt coyotes and armadillos, however there is no closed season on hunting coyotes and armadillos on private lands statewide. Coyotes and armadillos may be hunted at night with an artificial light that is carried on the hunter’s person attached to a helmet or hat, or part of a belt system worn by the hunter (50-11-710). Coyotes and armadillos may be hunted at night with a rifle no larger than .22 caliber rimfire, a shotgun with a shot size no larger than size BB, or a sidearm of any caliber that has iron sights and a barrel length not exceeding nine inches. A sidearm may not have a butt stock attached so as to create a longarm. Any weapon used to hunt coyotes or armadillos at night may not be equipped with a scope, laser site, light, or light enhancing device (including night vision or thermal imaging). It is unlawful to have in one’s possession any shot size larger than a BB while hunting coyotes or armadillos at night with a shotgun, and coyotes and armadillos may not be hunted at night from a vehicle, unless specifically permitted by the department.

Coyotes and armadillos cannot be hunted at night on WMA lands but can be hunted during the day on WMAs where coyote and armadillo hunting is allowed.

On WMA lands, weapons used to hunt coyotes and armadillos are limited to the weapon(s) that are allowed for the current open season on the WMA - see WMA seasons listing in the Game Zones (Adobe PDF).

The use of electronic calls for coyote hunting is permitted statewide on private and WMA lands. Dog hunting for coyotes is allowed year-round on private lands statewide. Deer may not be hunted with dogs on any lands in Game Zones 1 & 2. On WMA lands in Game Zones 1 & 2 coyotes may not be hunted with dogs during still gun and muzzleloader hunts for deer or bear. The possession or transport of live coyotes is allowed only by permit from SCDNR.
 
In WV:

Coyote Hunting Regulations

Coyotes may be hunted year round.

Hunting coyotes at night using green, amber or red artificial light is legal from January 1 thru July 31.

Firearms legal for night coyote hunting are shotguns with #4 or smaller shot and rimfire rifles or handguns of .22 caliber or smaller.

During closed small game season, coyotes may only be hunted in open fields. Guns must be cased while being transported to and from the open field.

Electronic calls are legal.

There is no daily, annual or season bag limit.
 
Arizona - Sunrise to Sunset - any lawfull weapon.

Arizona - Daylong - Shotgun shooting shot.

P.S. Arizona does not have "Night" hunting. Just "Daylong" hunting. Use of artifical light is allowed during "Daylong" hunting. Isn't it interesting how we need to word our regulations so not to draw the attention of the anti's?
 
In tennessee you can use shotgun no bigger than T shot. Also which stinks is that during deer season you can not use a centerfire if you are just coyote hunting. So if you are deer hunting and see a coyote you can shoot it with a centerfire but you cant just go coyote hunting with a centerfire during deer season. Rimfire shotgun and muzzleloader only during deer season
 
In Kansas...
You may use any firearm (except full automatics ).
You may also use bow & arrows, and crossbows.
The above statement is direct from KDWP website, & applies to predators & furbearers only.

NOTE: If you are hunting land leased to the KDWP for public, Walk-In hunting, that is marked "Firearms Deer Hunting Prohibited"...only shotguns & rimfires can be used (or the bow/arrows & crossbows)...according to a couple Game Wardens I've talked to in recent years.
These specific areas are usually near housing, hence the rule.
 
Rookie, be careful when you stir the pot with the legislature-it's kind of like taking a legal case before a jury. You never know what result you're going to get. I promise you, there will be those who will twist things around and try to use the opportunity to make a nightime rimfire only law like other states have, then we'll be night hunting yotes with a .17 HMR.

Having said that, I totally agree with the inadequacy of any rimfire caliber for bobcats.
 
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