Hunting with an Antique Handgun in NB?

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Moe

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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. We can use any cal rifle for big game as log as it is center fire. I have no plan to hunt big game with an antique handgun. I would love to try small game with one 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 Webley or the like in the woods here?

Thanks.
Moe
 
Got to love some rules. You can hunt moose with a 223, but you can't shoot a coyote with a 243.

I bet if you ask F&W in Fredericton your answer will be a definite NO.
 
petew said:
Got to love some rules. You can hunt moose with a 223, but you can't shoot a coyote with a 243.

I bet if you ask F&W in Fredericton your answer will be a definite NO.
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Yea that foolishness came about to reduce poaching big game. It's intent is that once you tag your deer, or bear that you can't use a rifle that is effective on big game. Yet you can hunt big game here with any centerfire. You could in theory use a JR carbine in 9mm here to hunt moose, bear, deer, but once you get that animal you must use the less big game lethal 223 for your coyotes??? Quite a mess of the hunting regs here. 223 and 22-250 rifle sales here are high for the poachers as you can guess.

I don't even realy plan to hunt with the handgun. I just want to be able to bring one with me to plink or pop a grouse.

Moe
 
No idea on hunting, but if you do plink with a handgun carry double copies of the antique regs, antique status for your gun and know the laws well. Sounds like NB has some very odd game laws.
 
The Regs actually state that you can use a Muzzle Loading Firearm for either small or large game. Get yourself a cap and ball revolver and you should be good to go. Again I am not sure that friendly neighborhood enforcement officer would agree.
 
DHD said:
The Regs actually state that you can use a Muzzle Loading Firearm for either small or large game. Get yourself a cap and ball revolver and you should be good to go. Again I am not sure that friendly neighborhood enforcement officer would agree.
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I am stoked. I think you hit the nail on the head there. Might be looking for a muzzle loading firearm soon. ie. civil war era revolver .

Moe
 
Unless you have tons of money to spend on lawyers and courts , I would avoid the handgun hunting idea with any type of handgun ,antique or otherwise . If caught , you will almost certainly be charged , and then the courts will have to sort it out as a test case...no doubt your firearms license would be suspended , and your firearms seized while the issue worked its way through the court at a snails pace....
 
Gunexpert007 said:
Unless you have tons of money to spend on lawyers and courts , I would avoid the handgun hunting idea with any type of handgun ,antique or otherwise . If caught , you will almost certainly be charged , and then the courts will have to sort it out as a test case...no doubt your firearms license would be suspended , and your firearms seized while the issue worked its way through the court at a snails pace....
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Oh I'm not going to just dump a lot of cash into a revolver and go into the bush. I am going to cover my a$$ first by checking this out with DNR, NFA and the RCMP, and lastly perhaps a few bucks and sit down with a lawyer. It all starts with asking questions here in the community. One issue is getting the accepted definition used by DNR NB of what is a muzzle loading firearm. Weather a cap and ball revolver would be considered one or I would be stuck with a single shot pirate gun.

Moe
 
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Unless there is a specific rule that says no handguns you should be ok. Covering yourself by talking to DNR would be good though. Would be cool if you could get it in writing
 
wbaad said:
Unless there is a specific rule that says no handguns you should be ok. Covering yourself by talking to DNR would be good though. Would be cool if you could get it in writing
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Oh if I do get any positive acknowledgment from an agency, it will be in writing. If it ain't in writing, they didn't say it or agree. I could talk all day to them and they agree you can do this. The second I am done and the phone hangs up, you can bet they would never back up what they said. Written statements for sure.

Moe
 
You cannot plink with any gun in NB outside a legal range. You need a DNR sighting in permit to shoot a firearm in the woods that is not an in season hunting firearm and you need a license for the season if you chose to hunt in to sight in a firearm for the season. Full stop, no discharging of firearms unless you are legally shooting game. I can tell you from experience that you will not get a sighting in permit for any handgun, antique or otherwise, regardless of what the Federal laws says.

I know everyone does it on crown land but if DNR shows and they are of the mood. If you are caught, even on your own land, you will be fined by DNR and go to court and lose the firearm (and vehicle you drove to the place of shooting if not your land). Get a friend with 300 acres and go to the back end with no roads (DNR are lazy as heck) and shoot there. Shoot quickly and clean up all the targets and brass as that is considered evidence of an illegal range.
 
fraserdw said:
You cannot plink with any gun in NB outside a legal range. You need a DNR sighting in permit to shoot a firearm in the woods that is not an in season hunting firearm and you need a license for the season if you chose to hunt in to sight in a firearm for the season. Full stop, no discharging of firearms unless you are legally shooting game. I can tell you from experience that you will not get a sighting in permit for any handgun, antique or otherwise, regardless of what the Federal laws says.

I know everyone does it on crown land but if DNR shows and they are of the mood. If you are caught, even on your own land, you will be fined by DNR and go to court and lose the firearm (and vehicle you drove to the place of shooting if not your land). Get a friend with 300 acres and go to the back end with no roads (DNR are lazy as heck) and shoot there. Shoot quickly and clean up all the targets and brass as that is considered evidence of an illegal range.
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That is f*cked in the worst possible way. Saying that means you basically need an ATT for all your guns, whether it be in the form of "permit to shoot", hunting license etc... jesus.
 
Basically, yes, out of season. But to be fair to the sport, the poaching down here is on an industrial scale. Whole poaching camps under modular tenting have been found in the woods processing a 100 animals a week.
 
fraserdw said:
You cannot plink with any gun in NB outside a legal range. You need a DNR sighting in permit to shoot a firearm in the woods that is not an in season hunting firearm and you need a license for the season if you chose to hunt in to sight in a firearm for the season. Full stop, no discharging of firearms unless you are legally shooting game. I can tell you from experience that you will not get a sighting in permit for any handgun, antique or otherwise, regardless of what the Federal laws says.

I know everyone does it on crown land but if DNR shows and they are of the mood. If you are caught, even on your own land, you will be fined by DNR and go to court and lose the firearm (and vehicle you drove to the place of shooting if not your land). Get a friend with 300 acres and go to the back end with no roads (DNR are lazy as heck) and shoot there. Shoot quickly and clean up all the targets and brass as that is considered evidence of an illegal range.
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You can discharge a firearm that is legal for the licence game your hunting. If you want to target shoot and have a hunting licence valid for the firearm you are using and in a place legal to hunt you can can target shoot with that firearm.

Moe
 
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