Hunting with a Pellet Pistol in NB?

[Moe]

I know this has been asked a million times and someone will just slam me for asking, but after doing some looking I can't find anything about this subject specific to New Brunswick hunting regs. Our regs here, (as far as I can find) state nothing about handguns. We have a requirement to stick to under .23 cal rifles for small game and varmints. I would love to try small game with a pellet pistol though. Also the ability to just plink in the bush with a handgun would be nice if the mood hits me. So anyone know if I could use a Crossman revolver or the like in the woods here?

Thanks.
Moe

 

[tacfoley]

IMO, hunting ANY live game larger than an ant with a 'pellet pistol' is a distinct no-no.

VERY few 'pellet pistols' produce more than 6 ft lbs - if you are happy to shoot a live animal with that, well, Sir, that's up to you.

tac

 

[Moe]

IMO, hunting ANY live game larger than an ant with a 'pellet pistol' is a distinct no-no.

VERY few 'pellet pistols' produce more than 6 ft lbs - if you are happy to shoot a live animal with that, well, Sir, that's up to you.

tac

Yea totally agree with you. The more I thought about it last night the more I realize that it is just dumb and unethical to hunt with a <500fps pellet pistol. That said in NB if you are caught with an uncased gun in the wild you are hunting in the eyes of the law here. So I would still like to have a pellet pistol with me in the woods for plinking. Any thoughts of if it would be legal in NB.

Moe

 

[762Russian]

My father and I have always carried a Crossman Mk.II pellet pistol with us while out for moose. A fresh partridge lunch or supper really went to make the cold weekends out there enjoyable.

It is a <500fps CO2 model in .22, so while trying to knock a bird out of a tree at range was out of the question, the things are retarded in the fall and will tend to just stare at you at a range of 3 or 4 metres. Headshots at that range were a breeze, and a .22 pellet at what is basically arm's reach carried more than enough energy for a clean kill.

We didn't have it for actively hunting grouse, but when a target of opportunity presented itself at point blank, we had the means to take it without making a ton of noise.

For my regular grouse hunting, it's a .22LR or a .410.

 

[mmatt]

It is legal to use <500 fps air pistols for hunting in NB. Here in an email I got from the Department of Natural Resources last year:

Thank you for your inquiry.

You may hunt small game with an air pistol which does not exceed the 490 FPS regulation provided that you have a legally acquired, valid hunting licence for those species being hunted. It is considered a firearm under NB Fish and Wildlife Act which means that rules applying to powder arms apply to air pistols as well., loaded in a vehicle, 200 metre discharge distance etc. It would be illegal for Migratory waterfowl as it is a single projectile.


Department of Natural Resources /
Ministère des Ressources naturelles
Fish and Wildlife / Direction du Poisson et de la faune
Telephone: 506-453-3826
Fax: 506-453-6699

I use my Crosman 1322 in colder weather and my Crosman 2240 in warmer weather. Both are single shot, bolt action, .22 pistols. The 1322 is the pump version and the 2240 is the CO2 version. The 1322 gets around 470 fps with 12 pumps and the 2240 is just slightly slower. I have taken many small game animals with each, the most memorable being a snowshoe hare from about 15 yards. He was facing away from me so I shot him in the back (cowardly of me, I know ) The pellet severed the spine, passed through the left lung and exited the chest. I'd say they definitely have plenty of power so long as you limit your shots to 20 yards or so.

 

[Tazzy]

I've used pellet pistols for Grouse before. Head shots of course.

My neighbor was having problems with a squirrel that had somehow found its way into his attic. I let him borrow my cheap Beeman P17.

He said that the pellet went completely through the little pest.