Deer Hunting Calibers in ONT

There are certain areas in Southern Ontario where the max calibre is .275". but in most of those areas you can't rifle hunt deer anyway.
Basically, anywhere you can rifle hunt, you can use the .44 Mag. You may also use the .223 Rem.
 
Kilo Charlie said:
There are certain areas in Southern Ontario where the max calibre is .275". but in most of those areas you can't rifle hunt deer anyway.
Basically, anywhere you can rifle hunt, you can use the .44 Mag. You may also use the .223 Rem.
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I don't think is correct, but is common belief in Southern Ontario.

From page 79 of the Fall 2017 - Spring 2018 Hunting Regulations

A person hunting small game may not carry or use a
rifle of greater calibre than a .275-calibre rifle, except a
muzzle-loading gun, in the geographic areas of Brant,
Chatham-Kent, Durham, Elgin, Essex, Haldimand, Halton,
Hamilton, Huron, Lambton, Middlesex, Niagara, Norfolk,
Northumberland, Oxford, Peel, Perth, Toronto, Waterloo,
Wellington or York.
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I have carried one for several years. But as others will confirm, keep your distance reasonable.

IE under 100 yards.

It may work beyond that but we are respectful hunters.
 
tbrwlf said:
I have carried one for several years. But as others will confirm, keep your distance reasonable.

IE under 100 yards.

It may work beyond that but we are respectful hunters.
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Erring on the side of being conservative is the way to go, but the .44 Mag is a 150 - 175 yard cartridge. 2" high at 100 yards and you're zeroed at 150, still with plenty of energy and penetration to kill a deer with 240 gr pills. No question that where it excels is at brush hunting range, but it's still very capable well beyond that.

Standing off hand with irons at 100 yards, on a 9" plate, rapid fire. Off any sort of rest 150 yard hits on a deer's vitals should be a gimme.

 
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SuperCub said:
Depends on where you want to hunt. You might want to get a copy of the regs and see for yourself.
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Sorry, I should have been more specific.

I hunt deer in WMU-56 where rifle hunting is permitted;
I've been using a scoped .308 for many years, but want something in a bush gun that's lighter, more compact and hits hard inside of 100yds.

I just wanted to know from a regulation perspective if the .44 mag is permitted in Ontario for deer.

Many thanks for the info to date, looks like the answer is yes.
 
kodiakjack said:
Yes, but is there a rifle season for deer in any of those counties listed?...
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mastermind said:
To the best of my knowledge, at least in the local regions i am familiar with, there is no rifle season for deer. To confirm please refer to the Ontario Hunting Regulations

https://dr6j45jk9xcmk.cloudfront.net/documents/5040/hunting-regulations-e-final-aug23.pdf
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flashman2 said:
There is not. Anything higher than WMU 84 is bow or shotgun only.
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Sorry. My question was rhetorical. I was just pointing out that the restriction being for “small game” is inconsequential, because there’s no rifle seasons for anything else anyway.
 
kodiakjack said:
Sorry. My question was rhetorical. I was just pointing out that the restriction being for “small game” is inconsequential, because there’s no rifle seasons for anything else anyway.
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Though it does result in the absurd situation of being able to shoot coyotes with a .270, but not being able to shoot deer with a .44 Mag... plus misunderstandings of where and what it applies to have probably sold more .270s than Jack O'Connor.
 
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