Help with Nova Scotia coyote egulations

l.denison

l.denison

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So I was flipping through the regulation booklet last night to see what i could find about hunting some coyotes, and this is what i found. . .

Page 17 states. . .
Other Harvestable Wildlife
No bag Limit, open season for coyote, January 1st until December 31st

Page 46-47 states. . .
Other Harvestable Wildlife
1. While hunting “Other Harvestable Wildlife” you may possess:
• a shotgun loaded with shot
• a bow and arrows with or without a broadheads;
• a crossbow and bolts or arrows with or without
broadheads; or
• a rim fire rifle of .22 calibre or smaller or a muzzle
loaded rifle of .40 calibre or less from October 15 to
the last day of March of the year following.

2. After the close of the open season for hunting deer , until
March 31 of the year following, a person may while hunting
coyotes use a center-fire, rimfire or muzzle loaded rifle or
shotgun with slugs or ball.

3. Anyone who holds a valid hunting licence may, during the
open season for big or small game, hunt “Other Harvestable
Wildlife” with any weapon or ammunition permitted during
those open seasons.

So does this mean you can only use a shotgun from April 1st until October 15th?? Also with the "no rifle below .23 caliber for big game" rule does this mean you can't use the .22 centerfires (.223,.22-250....ect) for coyotes at all?? Would a .22 WMR or .17 HMR be enough gun under 100 yards?? Any help would be great, thanks in advance!
 
No, after the end of March until October 15th you could in addition to shotgun loaded with shot also use a bow or crossbow; sorry :)

After the close of deer season until the end of march you could use your NR .223; "other harvestable wildlife" are not "big game."

While rabbit hunting with my 22LR I would not hesitate to take a high percentage head shot were the opportunity to arise, not that it would with all the noise of thrashing through the bush. A high percentage head shot means to me, obviously everybody is going to have a different comfort level, a shot I can put into a three inch diameter group at least nineteen times out of twenty. At the typical distances I have observed coyotes (from blinds or stands while deer hunting, 40-60 yards) that means a stationary target with either a good rest or a solid sitting position with both elbows firmly planted.
 
Atlantic_shootist said:
No, after the end of March until October 15th you could in addition to shotgun loaded with shot also use a bow or crossbow; sorry :)

After the close of deer season until the end of march you could use your NR .223; "other harvestable wildlife" are not "big game."

While rabbit hunting with my 22LR I would not hesitate to take a high percentage head shot were the opportunity to arise, not that it would with all the noise of thrashing through the bush. A high percentage head shot means to me, obviously everybody is going to have a different comfort level, a shot I can put into a three inch diameter group at least nineteen times out of twenty. At the typical distances I have observed coyotes (from blinds or stands while deer hunting, 40-60 yards) that means a stationary target with either a good rest or a solid sitting position with both elbows firmly planted.
Click to expand...

Thanks, because when I asked the guy at the DNR office this morning, I said "So can i hunt them with a rimfire, can i use a centerfire rifle aswell?" and he said "As long as you have a bear or deer licence you can use a "high-power" rifle" so this lead me to believe the same ".23" rule applied even after deer season, thanks again for clearing that up!
 
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If, for example, you shoot a deer on the first day of deer season, or during the bow season, the only way you can hunt coyotes for the rest of deer season with a center fire rifle is if you buy a bear license. You can not carry a center fire rifle during big game season without a valid license and tag.
Why we can't buy a license for coyotes and hunt year round with a .22 center fire amazes me.
 
ron hilchey said:
If, for example, you shoot a deer on the first day of deer season, or during the bow season, the only way you can hunt coyotes for the rest of deer season with a center fire rifle is if you buy a bear license. You can not carry a center fire rifle during big game season without a valid license and tag.
Why we can't buy a license for coyotes and hunt year round with a .22 center fire amazes me.
Click to expand...

My thoughts exactly!
 
Each year new regulations get added to and can cause a little confusion. However one thing I will say, our DNR seem to be making things as smooth as possible for everyone. They realize 99% are law abiding and therefore the regs should reflect this. I remember when after Deer seaqson you could only use a shotgun with shot not larger than .24" or AAA for coyotes, so I sold my heavy barrel Sako .222Remington, blah only years later to find that........ Then came centerfire smaller than .23 and bullet weight of 55grs or less. Then they realized ,..may as well let em use their deer rifles,..... so now we can use any centerfire and bullet weight for Coyotes till March 31st. Now we can also carry OOBuck, remember it says " a shotgun loaded with shot" for other harvestable wildlife, not like in years past, "a shotgun loaded with shot not larger than AAA"........ If you've been in the game long enough ,you can just add the "newest reg" every year to your memorized list. Although I still got to go back to the booklet. Last year I figured I try my M-14 for Coyote during the winter and not thinking was going to use my 762NATO FMJ ammo. I remembered that in a game habitat, non expanding is prohibited at all times. But checking through current Reg summary, I don't see any mention on FMJ ammo. The Widlife act itself still states no Military type non-xpanding ammo, and this would be referred to in any legal matter, but I don't see any listing in summary. Can anyone help.
 
I agree the Regulations keep getting better, i wish that they would list "other harvestable wildlife" and coyote instead of grouping them together, and let us use .22 centerfires for coyotes, then let us hunt coyote year round with the .22 centerfires with the exception of big game season, this would keep people form shooting big game with the .22 centerfire, i have no doubt something of this nature will come in the future as the coyote problem keeps getting worse, but we shall see. . .
 
I agree with year round coyote harvesting, center-fire style. This is why our herd will never reach those plateau years like the mid 50's and then mid 80's. I feel what we have is what we are getting, controlled by the new predator, first trapped here in 1976 IIRC. With more urban sprawl, and more and more posted land, the reduced population of Deer will live and frequent close to population and farms, leaving us crown land hunters with the short end of the stick back in the bush so to speak.

When a herd in this small province reached 250,000, they had to feed everywhere. With less than 50,000, they can pick and choose, and laying near a farmers field with a stream close by till evening seems like where I would be if I were a deer. When the herd peaked in past years, every small shoot was browsed early in the fall in nearly every new chopping. Now you can go the whole season and not see Deer resorting to that type browse earlier in the fall, that was reserved for winter time hardship. This tells me the population has stabilized at a much, much lower number than I was spoiled with 30 years ago, and Wild.E.Coyote will ensure it stays that way. Most likely nothing we can change now, except enjoy the predator hunt instead.
 
I had a conversation with the coyote bio. at Kentville this spring regarding centerfire rifles. (I was hoping to see regs changed to allow centerfire .22 cal's all year)
Both he and another bio. there at the office both felt that there was no reason that it shouldn't be allowed but that there were no proposed changes for the upcoming hunting season. (which there wasn't) They also said that my request would carry more weight if it was made through one of the hunting orgs. (I've given up on them)
Hopefully we'll see a change for next year. For now, just buy a bear stamp and your good with say a .243 from mid Sept till the end of March.
 
caper587 said:
I had a conversation with the coyote bio. at Kentville this spring regarding centerfire rifles. (I was hoping to see regs changed to allow centerfire .22 cal's all year)
Both he and another bio. there at the office both felt that there was no reason that it shouldn't be allowed but that there were no proposed changes for the upcoming hunting season. (which there wasn't) They also said that my request would carry more weight if it was made through one of the hunting orgs. (I've given up on them)
Hopefully we'll see a change for next year. For now, just buy a bear stamp and your good with say a .243 from mid Sept till the end of March.
Click to expand...

I did just that, its our only option, but atleast it gets me out in the woods, thanks and happy hunting!
 
RememberTheSomme said:
Each year new regulations get added to and can cause a little confusion. However one thing I will say, our DNR seem to be making things as smooth as possible for everyone. They realize 99% are law abiding and therefore the regs should reflect this. I remember when after Deer seaqson you could only use a shotgun with shot not larger than .24" or AAA for coyotes, so I sold my heavy barrel Sako .222Remington, blah only years later to find that........ Then came centerfire smaller than .23 and bullet weight of 55grs or less. Then they realized ,..may as well let em use their deer rifles,..... so now we can use any centerfire and bullet weight for Coyotes till March 31st. Now we can also carry OOBuck, remember it says " a shotgun loaded with shot" for other harvestable wildlife, not like in years past, "a shotgun loaded with shot not larger than AAA"........ If you've been in the game long enough ,you can just add the "newest reg" every year to your memorized list. Although I still got to go back to the booklet. Last year I figured I try my M-14 for Coyote during the winter and not thinking was going to use my 762NATO FMJ ammo. I remembered that in a game habitat, non expanding is prohibited at all times. But checking through current Reg summary, I don't see any mention on FMJ ammo. The Widlife act itself still states no Military type non-xpanding ammo, and this would be referred to in any legal matter, but I don't see any listing in summary. Can anyone help.
Click to expand...

From the Nova Scotia wildlife act. (the book is a summary)
Prohibited weapons
81 Every person is guilty of an offence who uses or possesses, in a wildlife habitat, any

(a) automatic firearm;

(b) prohibited or restricted firearm, except under the authority of the Criminal Code (Canada);

(c) firearm which has been altered to operate as an automatic firearm;

(d) bullet of a tracer or incendiary type;

(e) arrow equipped with an explosive type of head of any description or tipped or carrying any poison or drug of any description;

(f) full metal cased non-mushrooming or non-expanding bullet or ball; or

(g) item prescribed by regulation. R.S., c. 504, s. 81.
 
As far as I know the Maritimes is the only place in Canada where you cannot shoot a coyote in the summer with a rifle. This is because our backward thinking DNR thinks that everyone would be deer hunting in the summer if we let them carry rifles. The truth is that the guys who would shoot deer in the summer are shooting them anyway regardless of the regulations.
+3.
 
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