Your states minimum caliber for big game?

[T3ninja]

As far as Indiana goes. There is no "draw" per say to hunt public or private lands, other than the few hunts that the DNR and state parks put on for deer reduction hunts. Those are usually only a couple weekends or days during the week which they close the state parks to public use and only allow hunters in.

The true "public land" is a complete disaster. I have about 4-5 chunks of public land within about an hour of me, each of which is 6-10,000 acres. Living here, and hunting them a couple times before I had access to private land, I do understand why they do not want "high powered rifles" out there. Some of the folks out here hunting would scare me half to death even with a slingshot. Take a walk through an Indiana DNR deer property and you'll have a hard time looking more than 100 yards in any direction without seeing 5-6 tree stands.

 

[aOWENc]

Wow, you guys in Indiana have a mess, or so it seems. It would be interesting to know how that was developed and what hamster fell of the wheel inside someone's head?! To me it seems they are making public land hunting hard and private land hunting easy. Without knowing the makeup of available lands, could it be if more people hunt private they don't have to police the public as much? This is odd, what a PITA for you guys.

I looked this up and found this (equipment section)

Indiana Deer Hunting Answers

Answers to common deer hunting questions about licenses, equipment, season and bag limits.

www.in.gov

Seems just about every common big game caliber is okay on private, and the list for public is odd. There are capable calibers there, but still odd.

It is a mess for sure. Yes, I would say the vast majority hunt private land in Indiana. High powered rifles just became legal on private 3 or 4 years ago if my memory serves correct.

Up until that point we were only allowed to use slug guns, muzzleloaders, or rifles chambered in handgun calibers. The best part was that you could take your TC encore or other specialty style pistol chambered in high powered rifle cartridges legally, but using a 308 win, 7mm-08, 6.5, etc was illegal if you used a rifle. It has never made any sense at all how these laws were written.

 

[T3ninja]

It is a mess for sure. Yes, I would say the vast majority hunt private land in Indiana. High powered rifles just became legal on private 3 or 4 years ago if my memory serves correct.

Up until that point we were only allowed to use slug guns, muzzleloaders, or rifles chambered in handgun calibers. The best part was that you could take your TC encore or other specialty style pistol chambered in high powered rifle cartridges legally, but using a 308 win, 7mm-08, 6.5, etc was illegal if you used a rifle. It has never made any sense at all how these laws were written.

Haha, don't forget when they first allowed rifles they had to be ".243 or .308" Nothing in between. Lol AND it "must have a barrel at least 16 inches in length" there since fixed that idiocy.

 

[338 dude]

I'm curious what the differences are between the states for the minimum caliber for rifle hunting big game and what would be the smallest caliber you could use to hunt big game in all states that allow centerfire rifle hunting. Could you gents tell me the ones you know for sure that are currently legal minimums?

The ones I know are:
WV: 22 Cal centerfire
VA: 6mm/24 Cal centerfire

In my area of Tennessee well I guess the whole state for that matter anything centerfire is legal for deer

 

[338 dude]

It is a mess for sure. Yes, I would say the vast majority hunt private land in Indiana. High powered rifles just became legal on private 3 or 4 years ago if my memory serves correct.

Up until that point we were only allowed to use slug guns, muzzleloaders, or rifles chambered in handgun calibers. The best part was that you could take your TC encore or other specialty style pistol chambered in high powered rifle cartridges legally, but using a 308 win, 7mm-08, 6.5, etc was illegal if you used a rifle. It has never made any sense at all how these laws were written.

It doesn't make any sense because 99% of the time the people writing the laws do not participate or know very little about the subject that they are passing laws on

 

[Stammster]

Here are the PA rules. These changed over the years, as it used to be any centerfire for deer, and rimfire > 25 cal. There is legislature currently to make > 24 cal for centerfire to prevent AR .223 in the future once semi-Auto rifles are allowed.

I believe elk used to be 27 cal, with no bullet weight requirement.

Small game is different and allows semi auto.

 

[Quintus]

MN is .22 centerfire and up for half the state and Slugs in the other half, with any centerfire pistol allowed state wide. Oddly enough the slug zone is the wide open western half of the state where you could actually see past slug range. The logic was that deer would not stand a chance and be over harvested with rifles in the open space. They have been working to change that to rifles state wide and it may happen as soon as this year.

 

[Murph1951]

In Massachusetts .24 or larger for Bear...Deer is shotgun only so slugs or buckshot . We also have a muzzleloading season and front loader has to be .44 or greater.

 

[Calvin45]

Indiana is quite the joke... try to follow along, this is for deer...

Rifles for PUBLIC LAND: , must fire a bullet .357" or larger with a case measuring between 1.16" min. To max of 1.8"

Rifles for PRIVATE LAND: must fire bullet .243" or larger, minimum Case length 1.16" max of 3" and you CAN NOT have more than 10 rounds in your possession.


Handguns: (for public land OR private) must fire a bullet at least .243" or larger with a minimum case length of 1.16 with NO MAX length. (There is NO mention of ammunition allowed to be in possession with handgun)

"The handgun must not be a rifle that has a barrel less than 18 inches. A rifle with a barrel less than 18 inches is not considered a handgun."——

^^ this is direct from our regulation book. How does one even define this?

So to me, I built a 6.5 grendel with a 15 3/4" barrel and a .300 BO (10") for my public land deer guns, I usually draw a special "reduction" hunt. That's the only time I hunt "public land" per our rules I can literally use my .308 striker pistol or even build any handgun I want chamber it for something ridiculous, let's say .375CT with a 18" barrel and go hunt public land. But, I CAN NOT hunt with a 16" grendel or .300 BO. Common sense is all to uncommon.

And i thought Canada was ridiculous!

 

[Bret GRAVELINE Graveline]

In California the regulations simply state one must use a center fire rifle cartridge, making a 17 hornet legal.

 

[Groot]

.270 is the largest minimum caliber I've seen listed yet. I heard PA man had his Elk taken because he had used a 6.5(Creedmoor I believe). Was reported after a social media post.

It wouldn't surprise me at all. If I'm not mistaken .27 cal is the minimum here for elk as well

 

[RAGGED EDGE]

Out here they O.K.'d the .22 C.F. with at least a 60-grain bullet for deer and pronghorn a couple of years ago. Good move. Anything that helps young'uns get involved make sense. Minimum .243 for the rest. (Wyoming)

 

[derfssor]

Washington, 243/6mm minimum for big game. one of the few things I agree with by WDFW.

 

[scott0303]

NC. Fully auto rifles are unlawful. No restrictions on rifle or pistol except: local laws that restrict or prohibit rifles in some counties. See "local laws" section.