PA Small Game Regulations

Reminds me of the Demise of Small Calibers thread we've had go around a few times.

Here I am with a pristine S&W 16-4 that I bought to have a little more oomph than a 22lr and now the rules went and changed. Probably changed a few years ago and I didn't notice. That 32 mag down loaded was going to be my easy on the ears answer to shooting squirrels with a hand gun. This also rules out the 30-30 and a reduced load.

Regulations
Arms & Ammunition: 1) Manually operated and autoloading shotguns with a
capacity of no more than 3 shells in the chamber and magazine combined; 2)
Manually operated rifles and handguns less than 23 caliber; 3) Muzzleloading
rifles and handguns 40 caliber or less and shotguns; and 4) long, recurve and
compound bows and arrows. Single-projectile ammunition, or fine shot pellets no
larger than No.4 lead, bismuth-tin, or tungsten-iron, or No. 2 steel. Note: Rifle and
handgun caliber restrictions do not apply when hunting woodchucks. While hunting
small game during the bear or muzzleloader deer seasons, the only rifle or
handgun that can be used is a 22 caliber or less rimfire.

So, how much are ya asking for it? Gianni

Pa. can be strange regarding guns, hunting laws, etc. When I was there I mostly objected to the aux. game wardens during hunting seasons. Called them a dollar a day wardens. Most from my experiance were unqualified, and had a Barny Fife mentality. Do they still have the flintlock only for muzzle loading deer season? Always thought that was a crock also!
1Shirt!

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Originally Posted by 1Shirt

....Do they still have the flintlock only for muzzle loading deer season? Always thought that was a crock also!
1Shirt!

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Yes, still flintlock only for the late season. They still require open sights (no aperatures either). Over the last 15 years that I have muzzle hunted the regs have been a mixed blessing. They have kept an arms race from starting with all the new guns out there, but I myself wouldn't mind a nice traditional sidelock. Last year I hunted with a guy who missed on two different occasions; his eyes just can't play the open irons game anymore, he would surely have benefited from the ability to use an aperature. A few years ago they did start to allow maxi balls; I don't know anyone who switched though, guns are sighted with round balls and every body has a box of them to use up.

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Originally Posted by MT Gianni

So, how much are ya asking for it? Gianni

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I don't know for sure...... but I have the box, it's never been holstered, and it probably only has 100 rounds through it. :-)

Lobby the Bozos to change the rules! Your .32 isn't any more dangerous shot up into a tree than a .36 cap 'n' ball revolver. Get your state rifle and pistol association involved. It shouldn't take much to bend the ignorant (not "stupid", "ignorant") bureaucrats.

Regards,

Stew

PA game laws are terrible. The game commission is made up of a bunch of "do gooders" and such which does nothing to support the sport for the most part but does drive away hunters, imho.

I'm in Pee Aye too. we get some really strange laws. dont even try to figure them out....well.....if you do, maybe 'splain 'em to me ;-)

Yep, I am stuck here in the Commonwealth of PA:roll: . Each year the game commission thinks up more new rules to regulate fewer and fewer hunters, hunting smaller areas. Like any true government agency, they know how to beat a dead horse. I target shoot alot, but no more hunting for me.:Fire:

Slughammer,

Aperture sights on flintlock rifles will be legal this coming season. My 66 year old eyes will gladly be switching to a peep soon. You can verify this on the PGC website.

I used to hunt squirrels, etc. with cast bullets in a 30-30 Contender carbine. I believe the caliber restrictions went into law about 3 years back. Trouble for me is trying to read the regs printed among all the advertising in that mini-encyclopedia they issue with our licenses.

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Originally Posted by Steelbanger

Slughammer,

Aperture sights on flintlock rifles will be legal this coming season. My 66 year old eyes will gladly be switching to a peep soon. You can verify this on the PGC website.

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Thanks a bunch! I did verify at the PGC website and this is a very welcome change.

If you guys think it's bad here in PA, try NJ.

Bureaucracies rule, not necessarily wisely. I do like the traditional rules on ML though. I hunt mostly flint, no matter the season. Here in NC, ML was just an excuse to kill more deer for another week. It will take twenty more years to turn around from "plenty deer" to "big deer". I laugh heartily at the three pellet guys and inlines at the range not knowing s from s about the theory and practice. I always ask, the same idiots, do you do your 300 WSSM in 30 grain jumps too? Like $2 a shot? Many couldn't measure powder if their lives depended on it. BvT

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Originally Posted by slughammer

Regulations
Arms & Ammunition: 1) Manually operated and autoloading shotguns with a
capacity of no more than 3 shells in the chamber and magazine combined; 2)
Manually operated rifles and handguns less than 23 caliber; 3) Muzzleloading
rifles and handguns 40 caliber or less and shotguns; and 4) long, recurve and
compound bows and arrows. Single-projectile ammunition, or fine shot pellets no
larger than No.4 lead, bismuth-tin, or tungsten-iron, or No. 2 steel. Note: Rifle and
handgun caliber restrictions do not apply when hunting woodchucks. While hunting
small game during the bear or muzzleloader deer seasons, the only rifle or
handgun that can be used is a 22 caliber or less rimfire.

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In line 1 it says manually operated and autoloading regarding shotguns but then in line 2 it only talks about manually operated rifles and handguns without mention of autoloaders.

So in PA you cannot use an autoloading rifle or handgun to hunt small game?

I lived up there 3 years around Beaver Valley and enjoyed the bird hunting and great fishing. I got married up there in 1977 and still have the same wife LOL Her family hunts up around Cook's Forest.

I remember feeling strange deer hunting and wearing a large hunting license in a plastic sleeve on my back like an automobile license plate LOL The thing was BIG!

What really surprised me was that a lot of the state game lands were on reclaimed strip mine areas and they were loaded with grouse and huge deer. Shot quite a few pheasants there too. Beautiful areas for the most part too.

I'll be back up visiting my wife's family up around Ellwood City and Zelianople the last week in July.

bill

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Originally Posted by KS1911

In line 1 it says manually operated and autoloading regarding shotguns but then in line 2 it only talks about manually operated rifles and handguns without mention of autoloaders.

So in PA you cannot use an autoloading rifle or handgun to hunt small game?

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That is correct. Therefore I own a single six and a 617 for hunting and play. I would rather use my Mark I. (Oh well, with hunting and competition I justify twice as many guns.)

Same autoloader restriction for deer and bear too. Only autoloader allowed for deer is a shotgun in the special regulations area only; but you can't hunt deer with your 1100 in the mountains.

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Originally Posted by KS1911

In line 1 it says manually operated and autoloading regarding shotguns but then in line 2 it only talks about manually operated rifles and handguns without mention of autoloaders.

So in PA you cannot use an autoloading rifle or handgun to hunt small game?

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That is correct. In PA, we can not use a semi-auto 22 to hunt squirrels or a semi-auto rifle or pistol to hunt anything.

In my opinion, the most stupid rule is the one for hunting crows. We can only hunt crows on Fridays, Saturdays, or Sundays. The only other things we can hunt on Sundays are foxes and coyotes.

We have a separate fish and game commission. Right now, we are dealing with two pack of idiots. They should be combined. At least then, we would be down to one pack of idiots.

We have a flintlock only season after Christmas. We also have a muzzleloader season for a week in October that caplocks and in-lines can be used.

Yep, if you plan on hunting in this state, You had better read and reread your manual you get each year with you new licenses! Some of the changes are so subtle, that you can "innocently" violate the law and end up with your name in the local paper--embarassed!!! I'm sort of like lastmanout, I shoot at my bench, but I really don't do much hunting anymore. (Actually, I don't know if my bench is Game Commission approved...)BCB

It must be 25 years since I hunted PA and even back then the wardens could not interpret their own laws. I knew of guys that were stopped for something minor and the wardens would tell them they didn't know and had to check. They would take names and addresses and if something was wrong, they sent a ticket by mail.
They were so stupid that when the first compounds were made legal, they required that you removed the string at the end of shooting time and before putting it in your car. Can you imagine a compound with the string off??? If you used one, you had to break the law and hope they didn't stop you.
From all of what you say, it has gotten a lot worse so I, for one, will stay home.
I belong to a shooting club in PA and listen to the gripes and all the work they do to try to get changes. They can't change a thing, politics at work where the people that pay them have no say.
There are still areas of PA full of tiny, malnourished deer and other huge areas where you will never even see a deer. Farmers shoot them all year and complain in hunting season that there is nothing to hunt.
I have to put some blame on the hunt clubs and the people that live in PA too.

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Originally Posted by 44man

Farmers shoot them all year and complain in hunting season that there is nothing to hunt.
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Huh, farmers in Michigan do that too....puzzling is it not?