Coyote, Night and Day

Gentlemen, is this not a law about CHAMBER size, larger than 22LR?

Correct. Winner winner chicken dinner...


"-Nighttime hunting: During the period from ½ hour after sunset to midnight rifles are restricted to those chambered not larger than .22 long rifle and handguns are restricted to those chambered not larger than .38 caliber. "

Source:
Coyote hunting regulations


This is why .22 mag, .17 HMR, etc are illegal. Because even though the caliber is .22 cal or smaller the volume of the chamber is larger.
 
Man, you couldn’t make a more mean looking wolf. Makes the yotes look like cuddly puppies
Yeah, makes ya realize that furball some guys say was a wolf they saw, Isn’t.

The biggest coy dog I saw was black like this ,and half the size.
 
It's open season until the end of the year (12/31). Yes orange is required. Same requirements as shotgun.

After the year ends Coyote runs until March. No orange required. Rifles okay by day but .22LR or Shotgun only at night until 12:00. There are shot size requirements. You'll have to look them up. I think it's T shot for Coyote which is tough to find.

Muzzleloaders are fine by day but not at night..

regs:
Coyote hunting regulations

From the regs:
"Only shot sizes up to and including FF (.230 inches diameter)."


This is why I was asking about loading shotgun shells:
Anyone reload 12 ga in Worcester area?
 
I'm thinking about asking my state representative to put out a bill to correct this language. I would probably make it something like:

All of Massachusetts will now allow, day or night:
ALL rimfire ammunition
ALL Buckshot (not slugs)
no nighttime handguns larger than .357 caliber in diameter, or bottlenecked handgun cartridges

In addition to the above, from the Eastern Boundary of Worcester County and West will now allow at night (alternative: from 495 West):
Rifles with:
caliber no greater than .224; and case capacity of no greater than 29 grains; and bullet weight no higher than 62 grains


or something like this.
 
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I'm thinking about asking my state representative to put out a bill to correct this language. I would probably make it something like:

All of Massachusetts will now allow, day or night:
All rimfire ammunition
Buckshot (not slugs)
no nighttime handguns .357 or larger, or bottleneck handgun cartridges

I know this is well intended, but please, no. Or at least think very carefully about wording first. The phrase "handguns .357 or larger" does not have a clear meaning and is the whole cause of the issue. Does larger mean length, width, volume, pressure or caliber diameter?

I believe that any law that uses the term "larger" to compare cartridges should be overturned on the basis of vagueness. One solution might be to insert language stating that cartridge sizes shall only be compared on the basis of the diameters of projectiles. That rule would determine that .338 Lapua magnum is smaller than 38 special, which is no sillier than the current rules which find that 22 magnum is larger than 38 special.

And I don't want to think about the definition of bottlenecked cartridges either. Is 44-40 bottlenecked, or does it merely have a slight but distinct taper? In Massachusetts, any words used in definitions are going to be interpreted by non-gun people, so the details matter.
 
I'm thinking about asking my state representative to put out a bill to correct this language. I would probably make it something like:

All of Massachusetts will now allow, day or night:
All rimfire ammunition
Buckshot (not slugs)
no nighttime handguns .357 or larger, or bottleneck handgun cartridges

In addition, from Worcester County and West will now allow, day or night:
Rifles with:
caliber no greater than .224
case capacity of no greater than 29 grains
bullet weight no higher than 62 grains


or something like this.
Again, please don't. A well intended request if it is even considered, will lead to a net loss for most people. The only possibly reasonable request would be to allow artificial light at night. Until that happens, what does it matter which gun you can use?
 
Again, please don't. A well intended request if it is even considered, will lead to a net loss for most people. The only possibly reasonable request would be to allow artificial light at night. Until that happens, what does it matter which gun you can use?

This. Need lights first before anything else.
 
I'm thinking about asking my state representative to put out a bill to correct this language. I would probably make it something like:

All of Massachusetts will now allow, day or night:
ALL rimfire ammunition
ALL Buckshot (not slugs)
no nighttime handguns larger than .357 caliber in diameter, or bottlenecked handgun cartridges

In addition to the above, from the Eastern Boundary of Worcester County and West will now allow at night (alternative: from 495 West):
Rifles with:
caliber no greater than .224; and case capacity of no greater than 29 grains; and bullet weight no higher than 62 grains


or something like this.

Thinking about this. With regard to night hunting restrictions, they are born from MGL, not DFW regulations.

General Law - Part I, Title XIX, Chapter 131, Section 67
General Law - Part I, Title XIX, Chapter 131, Section 68

A more straightforward solution might be a bill to modify those existing sections to replace the existing language, altering them to specify the DFW has full power to set all (including night) hunting restrictions.
 
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Again, please don't. A well intended request if it is even considered, will lead to a net loss for most people. The only possibly reasonable request would be to allow artificial light at night. Until that happens, what does it matter which gun you can use?

How is peeling back restrictions a "net loss for most people"? Going to revisit this soon.
 
Correct. Winner winner chicken dinner...


"-Nighttime hunting: During the period from ½ hour after sunset to midnight rifles are restricted to those chambered not larger than .22 long rifle and handguns are restricted to those chambered not larger than .38 caliber. "

Source:
Coyote hunting regulations


This is why .22 mag, .17 HMR, etc are illegal. Because even though the caliber is .22 cal or smaller the volume of the chamber is larger.
Youre right, but all of the text youve selected refers to rifles and not pistols. Its well understood that a .22lr is pretty much the only option for rifles at night.

Pistol caliber options are much more open ended. After considering it for a while i wouldnt hesitate to use any rifle caliber pistol under .38.
 
Youre right, but all of the text youve selected refers to rifles and not pistols. Its well understood that a .22lr is pretty much the only option for rifles at night.

Pistol caliber options are much more open ended. After considering it for a while i wouldnt hesitate to use any rifle caliber pistol under .38.

There's a shop in Orange, MA, that recently listed a Universal Enforcer for sale. ;)
 
A more straightforward solution might be a bill to modify those existing sections to replace the existing language, altering them to specify the DFW has full power to set all (including night) hunting restrictions.
DFW is out to limit coyote hunting MORE, not LESS.

How about grains of water, or whatever it is that is used to measure case capacity? That, combined with caliber would do it.
 
DFW is out to limit coyote hunting MORE, not LESS.

Why do you think that?


From back in the day, when hunting coyotes in MA began...


"Last April, Massachusetts' seven-man Board of Directors of Fisheries and Wildlife voted 4-3 to end the coyote's protected status and initiate a hunting season this year, concurrent with the fox season, Nov. 1 to the last day of February, excluding deer week in December. No limit was set for the number of animals a hunter could take. Before the board voted, two hearings were held to sample public opinion; no clear sentiment emerged.

Despite the board's actions, it's unlikely that the Massachusetts coyotes will suffer many casualties, mainly because few hunters seem ready to pursue them. "I don't know of anyone who's going after coyotes," says Saville. "Any kills will most likely be the result of accidental encounters. I don't think that I'd shoot one myself."

Besides, Cronin says, "the coyote is such a smart and elusive animal, hunters would be lucky to take 20 a year." In Cronin's view, one additional benefit of the season will be the placation of farmers who lose livestock to coyotes—or to dogs but blame coyotes. He cites the bear, which is a game species in Massachusetts, as an example: "A man may lose a beehive or two to a bear and he won't like it, but he won't get as mad about it as he would if he thought the animal was completely protected.""
 
I'm more confused than ever.

Is it legal in MA to hunt coyote at night with a 9mm AR pistol and a thermal scope?
 
I'm more confused than ever.

Is it legal in MA to hunt coyote at night with a 9mm AR pistol and a thermal scope?


OMG, did you just say AR pistol, thermal scope, legal in MA and Coyote in the same sentence. Asking that question is illegal in Mass.. 😁 😁
 
Thank you bro. Just looking for a sanity check, being sure I didn't miss something. ;)

I'm still in the process of determining a suitable payload. Preliminary testing of a few loads yielded sufficient accuracy out to at least 50 yards. That's from a tripod. I'm using one of these to attach to the tripod head M-LOK® Tripod Adapter
 
Thank you bro. Just looking for a sanity check, being sure I didn't miss something. ;)

Thermal yes, pretty hard to dispute that. AR pistols are probably fine too (probably contentder/encore pistols too). My guess is no warden would be willing to write the ticket as the law is so screwed up it pretty makes anything in pistol format marginally legal.
 
I would say you're ok, but I'm not an EPO. Thermal has nothing resembling an artificial light unless the display on the eyeball end is interpreted as one, 9mm fits inside ' chambered not larger than .38 caliber ' I think. My solution is a Contender pistol in 22 TCM with a 2-7 pistol scope. Illuminated reticle, as well - if EPOs think thermal is artificial light than I should be screwed, too.

I'm not as confident that an EPO wouldn't write the ticket - sometimes the process is the punishment. Depends on the officer.
 
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