caliber restrictions on blacktail deer in wa?
- Thread starter Mak92fs
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testar77
Member
the minimum caliber is .24. They have some requirements for handguns that you will not find in the regs that you get over the counter (if you are hunting with it, not if just a sidearm). It has to do with the power factor of the round you are using, IIRC a really hot .357 and up will work.
Hope that helps a little.
Toby
Hope that helps a little.
Toby
testar77
Member
dangit!!!
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testar77
Member
arrggh
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testar77
Member
oops
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JackOfAllTradesMasterAtNone
Member
To quote the regs online:
http://wdfw.wa.govModern/wlm/game/hunter/huntregs2008.pdf
"Firearm Regulations
Rifles:
Big game, except cougar, must be hunted with a minimum of 24 caliber (6mm)
centerfire rifle. Cougar may be hunted with 22 caliber centerfire rifle. Rimfire rifles are not legal for big game.
Handguns:
Big game, except cougar, may be hunted with handguns with a minimum
barrel length of 4 inches per manufacturers specification, and fire a minimum 24 caliber centerfire cartridge. Cougar may be hunted with 22 caliber centerfire handgun. Rimfire handguns are not legal for big game.
Shotguns:
Deer, bear, and cougar may be hunted with 20 gauge to 10 gauge shotgunsshooting slugs or #1 or larger buckshot. Other big game may be hunted with a 10 or 12 gauge shotgun using slugs. "
There are some rules for power factor as Testar77 says. Basically its up to the game official of the area. Pretty much, if you plug a Deer with a 9mm Glock, you're getting fined. -and will lose the Deer. The rules used to read 750ft pounds of energy from hand gun bullet impacting at 100yds for large game, and 550ft pounds of energy from hand gun bullet impacting at 100yds for Deer sized game. Now that little tidbit of information is in the big regulations books at the regional game offices. What they were trying to do is get anyone with a snubnose .357 to quit wounding Deer.
-Steve
http://wdfw.wa.govModern/wlm/game/hunter/huntregs2008.pdf
"Firearm Regulations
Rifles:
Big game, except cougar, must be hunted with a minimum of 24 caliber (6mm)
centerfire rifle. Cougar may be hunted with 22 caliber centerfire rifle. Rimfire rifles are not legal for big game.
Handguns:
Big game, except cougar, may be hunted with handguns with a minimum
barrel length of 4 inches per manufacturers specification, and fire a minimum 24 caliber centerfire cartridge. Cougar may be hunted with 22 caliber centerfire handgun. Rimfire handguns are not legal for big game.
Shotguns:
Deer, bear, and cougar may be hunted with 20 gauge to 10 gauge shotgunsshooting slugs or #1 or larger buckshot. Other big game may be hunted with a 10 or 12 gauge shotgun using slugs. "
There are some rules for power factor as Testar77 says. Basically its up to the game official of the area. Pretty much, if you plug a Deer with a 9mm Glock, you're getting fined. -and will lose the Deer. The rules used to read 750ft pounds of energy from hand gun bullet impacting at 100yds for large game, and 550ft pounds of energy from hand gun bullet impacting at 100yds for Deer sized game. Now that little tidbit of information is in the big regulations books at the regional game offices. What they were trying to do is get anyone with a snubnose .357 to quit wounding Deer.
-Steve
thanks jack
lol i wasnt planning on using my 9mm....ive hunted whitetail and pretty much every other animal in ohio but im kinda new to hunting deer with rifle...except for crop destruction permits..which you can use anything now i just gotta find a decent priced rifle...hopefully something i can use for deer or elk..so far ive seen more elk i got my trusty 870 still so thats good i guess i wish i hadnt had to sell my 742 30 06 or the 10mm before i moved
...
would 7.62 by .39 with some soft points work for the deer? and do you have to have a max number of rounds? i know someplaces have like a 3 or 5 round max?
lol i wasnt planning on using my 9mm....ive hunted whitetail and pretty much every other animal in ohio but im kinda new to hunting deer with rifle...except for crop destruction permits..which you can use anything now i just gotta find a decent priced rifle...hopefully something i can use for deer or elk..so far ive seen more elk i got my trusty 870 still so thats good i guess i wish i hadnt had to sell my 742 30 06 or the 10mm before i moved
...would 7.62 by .39 with some soft points work for the deer? and do you have to have a max number of rounds? i know someplaces have like a 3 or 5 round max?
JackOfAllTradesMasterAtNone
Member
OMG! LEAVE the assault rifle home! Sorry, personal opinion comes out.
Ok, I'm not aware of a maximum round count in a rifle while deer hunting in Washington. (But I'm not a conservation officer.)
I will say that I would consider the 7.62x39 right about the same as my .44mag pistol regarding its effectiveness on Deer sized game. If you use hunting bullets. Regretfully I do have a friend that has taken Blacktail with an SKS. But at close range. I wouldn't think about taking Mule Deer or even our Whitetail with such a whimpy rifle round. Although we do have some smaller gene pool Deer of each of the three species, we do also have quantities of each of them that will tip scales well over 220 pounds on the hoof and some Muly's that will go near 300 pounds. And getting close to them during rifle season isn't normally an option. A 30-30 is the smallest .30 cal cartridge I would ever hunt big game with. I don't knock the smaller faster shootin rounds, but the 7.62x39 is not a hunting round in my book. It was designed to kill frail humans. Not tougher animals. -By the way, some of the largest state book Blacktail are down in the Capitol peak area south of Olympia.
To be honest, seeing anyone in the field hunting big game, with a high capacity assault rifle, disgusts me. If you can't kill your quary with the 3-5 rounds, (preferably less than that), in your bolt action or even your semi-auto 'hunting' rifle, then you need to improve your hunting and/or shooting skills.
I started my teenagers out on single shot .243win Rossi's and they've both taken Mule Deer and Whitetail does.
You need to send email to the state wildlife director with your 7.62x39 questions:
http://wdfw.wa.gov/about/contact
-Steve
-PS.. Where are you seeing Elk?
Gryffydd
Member
Have you seen people actually *take* more than 3-5 shots at game, or only carry magazines that might allow them to?
Also, the 7.62x39 isn't really *that* far short of the .30-30 or .243, as long as it's used within its effective range, though on big game neither of the others are great long range performers. Also, Corbon makes a 150 gr hunting round in 7.62x39 that has the same velocity as that Remington 125gr.
JackOfAllTradesMasterAtNone
Member
Unfortunately I have.
I don't dissagree. But I feel the line has to be drawn somewhere. All shooters should know the effective range of the weapon/cartridge they'll be using against the game they are persuing.
-Steve
Gryffydd
Member
That is too bad
OK, I was just going off your outrage and frothing mouth
oregonhunter
Member
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the x39 is not equal to the .243
JackOfAllTradesMasterAtNone
Member
Certainly not!
Remington Factory offerings
Again, I just draw the line for the .30cal, below the 30-30. The 7.62x39 doesn't have the best of hunting bullet selection either.
We're getting off topic from what Mak92fs asked. I will lend that my personal opinion is not alone in the woods. A good many hunters and most law enforcement personnel don't look at assault rifles as hunting arms.
Since he's asking about gun regulations when hunting in WA... Do not ever have a rifle or shotgun loaded in your vehicle. Any time. Don't even lean the loaded rifle on the outside of the vehicle. If you have a pistol loaded, keep it on your person and have a concealed weapons permit on you.
I've also linked the contact information so he can ask questions directly to WDFW.
And Mak92fs, I suggest you get the hunting regulations pamplet from any sports shop counter. The 2009 regs aren't available yet, but there's good information in last years printing.
-Steve
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Gryffydd
Member
Who said it was? I just looked over the whole thread and not one person said that.
I would love to find more information on this. All I can find is that it has to be >= .32 caliber and have a 4" or longer barrel. Where/how are you supposed to find the additional regulations?
testar77
Member
Like Jack said in his first post, if they still have the power factor rules (which they did as of a few years ago) they were listed in the "Full" set of regs that is at the DFW station, which I think is in Lynnwood. That would be something I would like to see written in the normal reg pamphlet but hey I don't write em.
Also I couldn't agree more that the SKS's should stay at home when it comes to hunting, I just don't think that the 7.62x39 is adequate (unless you stay within pistol range). If you are going to limit yourself power wise that much, why carry a friggin rifle around, just pack a pistol.
I also wouldn't put the x39 anywhere near the .243 and others mentioned either. But I don't think that the .243 should be shot at deer sized game at much over 100yds either. JMO
And yes I too have heard people take 4 or more shots on animals before too, and that utterly disgusts me!!!
All that said, can a 7.62x39 kill deer? Sure, should it be used as a primary deer hunting round IMHO NO!
Toby
Gryffydd
Member
You would think that if they wanted people to follow the rules that they would make it easier to find out what the rules are... :banghead:
oregonhunter
Member
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- Feb 13, 2007
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- 270
Pick up the phone, you will get an exact answer that way.
testar77
Member
How long have you lived in Washington?????????
That would be Waaaaayyy to logical! It's easier to them to educate you on it while they are writing up the fine!
Gryffydd
Member
Long enough, but although I've been a long time gun nut I haven't had much interest in hunting as I'm a vegetarian. However I married into a family of carnivores and my father in law is a big hunter so I've started paying attention to it. I'm beginning to think they purposely make everything as confusing and difficult as they possibly can. I'm probably going hunting with him this year just so he has the chance at a bit more meat in the freezer
Although he did just have to buy a new one to hold the moose be brought back from Canada...They already publish a huge book of regulations. How hard would it be to add a couple of sentences describing power factor requirements? I think that kind of omission is perfectly appropriate to bitch about. Especially when what they publish specifically addresses requirements for using handguns for big game hunting but leaves that out. It's almost misleading. Why would I expect them to have additional regulations that they didn't bother to print there? It's not like they were running short on space.
JackOfAllTradesMasterAtNone
Member
PBinWA, please don't take what I said out of context.
What I wrote is in the context of 'in the vehicle' regarding the pistol or rifle. I say this because the OP says he's hunted in Ohio, (I did not research Ohio law), and there are several states that allow loaded rifles in vehicles when hunting. Washington is not one of them. If you have a loaded pistol in your vehicle when driving to your hunt area, (or any other time), Open Carry does not apply. Unless it's sittin up on the dash board in plain view, it is then a concealed weapon. I'll bet that a HIGH percentage of firearms violations cited in Washington are from over zeallous conservation officers. I was trying to inform the OP about this so he doesn't do the wrong thing.
-Steve
What I wrote is in the context of 'in the vehicle' regarding the pistol or rifle. I say this because the OP says he's hunted in Ohio, (I did not research Ohio law), and there are several states that allow loaded rifles in vehicles when hunting. Washington is not one of them. If you have a loaded pistol in your vehicle when driving to your hunt area, (or any other time), Open Carry does not apply. Unless it's sittin up on the dash board in plain view, it is then a concealed weapon. I'll bet that a HIGH percentage of firearms violations cited in Washington are from over zeallous conservation officers. I was trying to inform the OP about this so he doesn't do the wrong thing.
-Steve
JackOfAllTradesMasterAtNone
Member
Oh, You've read the fishing regs too? :banghead:
-Steve
Gryffydd
Member
Even when it's up on the dash it's still in a vehicle. There's no mention of it being OK if it's in plain sight.
RCW 9.41.050:
(2)(a) A person shall not carry or place a loaded pistol in any vehicle unless the person has a license to carry a concealed pistol
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