Shooting grouse while big-game hunting - experience of noise on big game?

OK, flogging a dead horse here. Ignoring the whole "noise" issue (which is what I asked about), too many people said that it was not legal to have a 22 LR rifle and a rifle for moose/deer/bear at the same time in Ontario. So I emailed the MNRF.

Their reply

"For the scenario you provided, it would be legal to carry multiple firearms at the same time as long as you have a licence for each species and the season is open for all the species your hunting in that specific Wildlife Management Unit. You could have both or as many firearms loaded at the same time. "

and

"To your specific questions, if you have a valid licence to hunt deer/moose/black bear and a valid small game licence, you may carry any firearm belonging to the class of firearm the deer/moose/bear season is open for (subject to the preceding paragraph) and carry the 22 rim-fire for small game. There is no restriction on the number of firearms you may carry, nor on how many can be loaded. It makes no difference what kinds of firearms they are, provided that each belongs to a class of firearm allowed during the pertinent open season."

So, I will print their reply and have it with me, but I suspect that I will be bringing a 22 rifle with CCI Quiets on my moose hunt.

Source:

Natural Resources Information and Support Centre
Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry
300 Water Street
Peterborough, ON K9J 3C7
Tel: 1-800-667-1940 / 1-800-387-7011
TTY: 1-866-686-6072
NRISC@ontario.ca

YMMV - not meant as legal advice in any way.
 
wasa said:
OK, flogging a dead horse here. Ignoring the whole "noise" issue (which is what I asked about), too many people said that it was not legal to have a 22 LR rifle and a rifle for moose/deer/bear at the same time in Ontario. So I emailed the MNRF.

Their reply

"For the scenario you provided, it would be legal to carry multiple firearms at the same time as long as you have a licence for each species and the season is open for all the species your hunting in that specific Wildlife Management Unit. You could have both or as many firearms loaded at the same time. "

and

"To your specific questions, if you have a valid licence to hunt deer/moose/black bear and a valid small game licence, you may carry any firearm belonging to the class of firearm the deer/moose/bear season is open for (subject to the preceding paragraph) and carry the 22 rim-fire for small game. There is no restriction on the number of firearms you may carry, nor on how many can be loaded. It makes no difference what kinds of firearms they are, provided that each belongs to a class of firearm allowed during the pertinent open season."

So, I will print their reply and have it with me, but I suspect that I will be bringing a 22 rifle with CCI Quiets on my moose hunt.

Source:

Natural Resources Information and Support Centre
Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry
300 Water Street
Peterborough, ON K9J 3C7
Tel: 1-800-667-1940 / 1-800-387-7011
TTY: 1-866-686-6072
NRISC@ontario.ca

YMMV - not meant as legal advice in any way.
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Good on you for doing your own research on the legal distraction that came up.

I don't moose hunt, but I do bow and gun hunt deer. Bow hunting obviously I want to be as close to invisible to all senses as possible.

In the gun season I have shot coyotes at least twice while shotgun hunting. Obviously we had a coyote problem in the area at the time but it didn't seem to affect our deer hunting but this was farm country, not up north. A few years ago it was near the end of the week and a doe walks out to me and I shoot her. Another doe walks out 5 minutes later and I shoot her. Checked the they both were down and walked to the top of a knoll to call my buds that we had deer down. Hang up from calling him and I see a buck moving in from like 150 yards away following the does I just shot. I had to make another call to say we were tagged out and to get their arses over here.

Sounds like you have a good group to hunt with wasa. Enjoy !
 
Just so everyone here is aware,the Ontario regulation requiring small game hunters to be in possession of big game licenses during open seasons does NOT apply in WMU's south of the French-Mattawa Rivers where small game caliber restrictions apply (.275 or less). Please see pg.91 of The Summary for details.
 
Trimmer 905 said:
Just so everyone here is aware,the Ontario regulation requiring small game hunters to be in possession of big game licenses during open seasons does NOT apply in WMU's south of the French-Mattawa Rivers where small game caliber restrictions apply (.275 or less). Please see pg.91 of The Summary for details.
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But only during bow season if I'm reading it right.
 
if there's a vote, the chickens and coyotes get a pass if I have a big game tag in my pocket, 99% of the time, the 1% is unless on forestry roads to and from and chicken gun in the truck, I did buy a packrifle that weighs 1 lb for sheep hunts and even bought the swage thing that uses nail gun to propel lead balls from main rifle but eh...just wasted my money really and sold them with rifles or separate or maybe even have kicking around actually (.270 and .270 wsm...old guy made them so likely hard to get now), I think if spent a lot of time up high then I'd drag the packrifle around for camp meat, pretty tough to beat a 1 lb take down carbon thingy and those cci quiets at 700 fps
 
Pocisk said:
But only during bow season if I'm reading it right.
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If you’re hunting big game in a bows only season you can only have archery equipment on your person or in your vehicle. No other firearms allowed. Not even a bird gun. (A pellet gun is allowed though). Strange rules in Ontario.
 
Trimmer 905 said:
Just so everyone here is aware,the Ontario regulation requiring small game hunters to be in possession of big game licenses during open seasons does NOT apply in WMU's south of the French-Mattawa Rivers where small game caliber restrictions apply (.275 or less). Please see pg.91 of The Summary for details.
Click to expand...

Trimmer 905 said:
.....or to hunters with a valid small game license hunting wolf or coyote during an open season for Deer,Moose,Elk or Black Bear. It's important to read the entire paragraph.
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Uffff ..... here we go again ..... When are you going to stop spreading wrong information?

Some people really need to work on their reading comprehension ....
 
0faustus0 said:
Uffff ..... here we go again ..... When are you going to stop spreading wrong information?

Some people really need to work on their reading comprehension ....
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Whatever you say,Your Honor. Have it your way. It sure reads cut and dried to me,but,what do I know after spending a lifetime in law enforcement?
 
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A couple of years ago I shot a buck at my apples with a 223. I left to go get the truck, and returned about 20 min later. There were four deer, 3 does and a buck standing around the dead deer eating the apples. So in my experience, noise doesn't seem to deter them for very long.
 
wasa said:
Ok, trying to get back on track..... I am asking about noise and scaring away game.

I am actually talking about small game hunting, and ONLY small game hunting around the camp. So, no one is planning on carrying multiple firearms. Example - while Buddy A is boiling water for coffee or making supper/lunch, Buddy B takes his 22LR or 410 and starts walking around looking for grouse. I suspect we will be big-game hunting within a couple km of camp but it's possible that it will be further away.

One guy is saying he comes back to camp for lunch. He plans on walking around with his 410 during his "lunch hour" (not carrying his centerfire rifle).

No one is planning or is anticipated to break any rules or regulations.

Since Ontario allows deer/moose/bear to be taken with a slug from any shotgun (including 410) (see Summary of firearms restrictions for hunting in Ontario for verification) I suspect that the guy bringing his 410 will have some slugs with him.


I personally am not a fan, and all of the deer/bear hunting I have done with my dad & friends I've always said no shooting/hunting small game. I know it is legal to shoot a grouse with a 303 British or 7mm Mag, but I have no intention of doing so. I am debating on bringing up a 22LR or a shotgun to hunt at times I'm in camp.

This website https://earinc.com/gunfire-noise-level-reference-chart/ indicates that a 410 is comparable to a 20g and a 12g for noise.
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Hunt away. The moose will not care. I've seen moose and deer not care even when being shot at.
 
Testing out my 12 gauge. Semi with buckshot onto a 14ft pile of logs out the back 40 beside my A.G.land. 2 bucks smaller bucks bedded up on the other side..
Didnt care in the world about the gun fire. But walking out spooked them when they saw my presence..
Not exactly bush deer.. used to sounds I guess
but have had many ceasefire at the range due to critters not caring
 
0faustus0 said:
Scent is a non issue .... if you know how to play the wind ... :)

Lets say you haven't showered or changed clothes in two weeks ... you can be 3 meters or even 50 cm downwind of a deer .... and it will not know that you are a human !!!

Scent only travels in one direction ... with the wind ...

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Although I agree with you on most, scent can play games. Or maybe it is the wind that plays games....ie.thermals.
 
I have always hunted grouse while travelling to/from hunting areas for targeted big game species. While I may not shoot any when I am where I am hunting the big game, this mostly because the I have my big game rifle in my hands, and the 22 or shotgun is back in the truck...although, when I am bowhunting, there is always an arrow or two with a SGH in the quiver for grouse.

Funny thing about hunting with rifles...after downing a moose, caribou, mountain goat, or a whitetail, there have been many instances over the years where another bull, billy, or buck will show up within a hundred yards of where we are field dressing a downed animal to see what is going on.
On another occasion while out elk hunting, the wolves started howling. We answered and called a beautiful black wolf in and shot him. While we were skinning that wolf on the back of the ATV trailer, 3 cow elk came out and started feeding within 75 yards of us, and didn't care that there were 3 of us standing there talking and working at the task at hand.
 
OK........Two cases that I was part of
#1--cow shot from a canoe and 5 minuites later a bull was noticed standing 100 yds away. It was taken as well.
#2--bull and cow spotted. Bull was shot and cow had to be scared away as no cow tag was had.
I don't think shots bother them much but if you are hunting moose then only shoot moose until the meat pole is full.

Bill
 
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