Hunting Coyote in Nova Scotia with .223 while the deer season is open.

rci2950

rci2950

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I was told by DNR over the phone that i cannot posess my .223 rifle when deer season is open but if you look at page 100 of the 2015 regulations it says under "Other Harvestable Wildlife" That i may use a rifle of .23 or smaller from October 15th to the end of March the following year. on Page 98 under "Big Game" it simply states i must use a rifle of .23 or greater for harvesting big game. It says nothing of posession of it.

How would you interpret this? I am going to be hunting Coyote only.

Taken from page 98 of the 2015 Nova Scotia Hunting Regulations

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Taken from page 100 of the 2015 Nova Scotia Hunting Regulations

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Was it a conservation officer or the secretary?

I spoke to a CO last year and he specifically said a .223 was fine for coyote. You can have a deer license and choose to hunt coyotes one day and deer the next as long as deer are in season and you have the proper ammo for the deer. Nova Scotia is probably the worst province to hunt in. The government has used hunting regulations to ban firearms in the woods as they can say someone plinking with a 22 is really hunting without a license.
 
In NS when the seasons overlap like coyote and deer, you can only use the calibers required for deer. Once the season open ends back to your 223 for coyotes until the end of March. This is how it was explained to me from NS DNR. Yes Blackwatch you are correct, in NS you have to have a hunting license to be in the woods with any firearm, even to go clay shooting in the summer you need a Habitat Stamp to have your shotgun with you because technically you are hunting coyotes. NO it does not make sense and the hunting reg. book contradicts itself A LOT but I have contact DNR many times over these very topics and these are the responses I received from them.
 
i find a lot of times they just make things up when you ask them. I was also told that i cannot shoot FMJ ammo at a DNR range which was BS. Thats why i am pushing it with the .223 I bet that person who explained it to you just got the Deer in the Headlights syndrome and said the first thing that they could think of that made sense,
 
DNR just stopped allowing people to shoot restricted firearms at the few public ranges they were allowed before, it just keeps getting better.
 
Other harvestable wildlife on private land with the owners permission otherwise known as nuisance wildlife and you are helping the land owner, otherwise you are limited to coyotes after Mar 31st. The way the stupid book reads you have to read each section and follow the dates.

rci2950- you are probably right, that's why I always email them so I have it writing from an actual officer not the gal at the desk, lol.
 
About 5 years ago I had a conversation with DNR's coyote bio out of Kentville about this very issue. At the time, I had been planning on buying a new centerfire .22 for a dedicated pred rifle. The way the regs were written then, you could only use a centerfire .22 after the close of regular deer season. We talked about the issue and he was very open to what I had to say but also admitted no changes would take place for at least two years. It would take that long just to go thu the system. I had said at the time that maybe it would be simpler to just issue a coyote tag allowing a centerfire .22 and then there wouldn't be any probs enforcing approved firearms for other harvestable wildlife and coyote hunting during the open season for deer. I ended up buying a .243 because by buying a bear lic in september it allowed me to carry it for coyotes from the opening of bear season to the end of march. I'd have rathered a 223 or 22-250. The way I read the regs now, a centerfire of less than .23 cal is approved for coyotes after Oct 15, and any centerfire is approved after the close of general deer season. The absurdity of some regs is frustrating but voice your opinions, it's the only way to get changes. I remember when I could only carry a single shot .22 rimfire with shorts for trapping at that was changed. Change is always possible.
 
BlackWatch said:
DNR just stopped allowing people to shoot restricted firearms at the few public ranges they were allowed before, it just keeps getting better.
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Blackwatch....when did you hear, or who told you this? I remember when DNR's website used to state that all ranges were approved for both restricted and non-restricted usage, but it dosen't show that any more. I know some clubs used to use DNR ranges as their club range.
 
BigUglyMan said:
Aside from the fact that this winter was awesome this place eats ####.
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It can always be worse. Wait till trump gets elected and were 'blessed' with a new load of liberal minded americans.
On the up side, as I said before, change in regs is possible. We don't have to have our firearms cased or locked anymore during the day when driving lol. The biggest change that needs to be made in NS is to get the regs changed as far as having a firearm in wildlife habitat. Right now you can't legally target shoot anywhere other than a range. Tech, you have to have a lic for an open season just to have a firearm in wildlife habitat, and it has to be a firearm that is approved for that season. It's foolish
 
BigUglyMan said:
Aside from the fact that this winter was awesome this place eats ####.
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Yes sir. Myself born there, but I've since migrated to much more sportsman friendly provinces indeed.

The one and only caveat in defense of NS government: How many provinces would actually build/authorize rifle ranges for it's citizens??
(IIRC, about 25 or so, even if they are often only 50/100 meter)

Like I said, one teeny-tiny ray of sunshine, otherwise.................:(
 
What a mess - I literally get in misinformation arguments all the time at ranges discussing these regulations - you need a PHD in Hunting Season / Caliber matching just to be in compliance.

Such a stupid useless law meant to "curb poaching" designed for people who are already breaking about 15 laws to begin with.

It's high time Nova Scotia give law abiding hunters the respect they deserve and simplify this nonsense
 
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