hunting coyote with AR15 in mass.

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i plan on doing some coyote hunting with my AR15 .223,
i have my LTC class "A"
heres my question?
can i hunt with a ten round mag? or do i need a 5 round?
how bout a 30,got plenty of them,,
 
im prity sure there it says somewhere that you need a 5 round..i took my 10 apart and made a block for it.
 
Prohibited

Rifles chambered to take larger than .22 caliber long
rifle rimfire ammunition, pistols and revolvers larger
than .38 caliber between the hours of /2 hour after
sunset and /2 hour before sunrise. Weapons other
than shotguns and bows and arrows are prohibited
on WMAs stocked with pheasant or quail during the
pheasant and quail season.



8 Coyote & Fox - Hunting hours end at midnight.
Artificial lights prohibited. Rifles chambered to take
larger than .22 caliber long rifle rimfire ammunition
and pistols and revolvers larger than .38 caliber are
prohibited between the hours of /2 hour after
sunset and /2 hour before sunrise (night time).
Shotguns are allowed (see Shotgun Ammunition,
page 5). Firearms other than shotguns and bows
and arrows are prohibited on WMAs stocked with
pheasant or quail during the pheasant and quail
season. Coyote and Fox must be tagged within four
working days of the end of the season
 
i herd the 5 round rule from my gun shop..ill look into it. those of you who know Clayton. he would give you a hard time for running around in the woods with a 30round mag
 
Prohibited

Rifles chambered to take larger than .22 caliber long
rifle rimfire ammunition, pistols and revolvers larger
than .38 caliber between the hours of /2 hour after
sunset and /2 hour before sunrise. Weapons other
than shotguns and bows and arrows are prohibited
on WMAs stocked with pheasant or quail during the
pheasant and quail season.



8 Coyote & Fox - Hunting hours end at midnight.
Artificial lights prohibited. Rifles chambered to take
larger than .22 caliber long rifle rimfire ammunition
and pistols and revolvers larger than .38 caliber are
prohibited between the hours of /2 hour after
sunset and /2 hour before sunrise (night time).
Shotguns are allowed (see Shotgun Ammunition,
page 5). Firearms other than shotguns and bows
and arrows are prohibited on WMAs stocked with
pheasant or quail during the pheasant and quail
season. Coyote and Fox must be tagged within four
working days of the end of the season

This just says that > than .22 is prohibited at night.

.223 or 5.56 is not prohibited per se.
 
The only reference to rimfire is 1/2 hour after sunset and 1/2 hour before sunrise. Night hunting, NO larger that .22. Day hunting, for coyote the abstracts are silent, therefore allowing it.
 
I will attempt to beat the dead horse here just to stop an otherwise problem if folks go out after dark.

No, 22 MAG is not legal after dark. 22 Long Rifle is specified, not just .22 cal. (As pointed out earlier by others)

I would also not use .17HMR or the like either. But the law seems to be silent on that.
 
I will attempt to beat the dead horse here just to stop an otherwise problem if folks go out after dark.

No, 22 MAG is not legal after dark. 22 Long Rifle is specified, not just .22 cal. (As pointed out earlier by others)

I would also not use .17HMR or the like either. But the law seems to be silent on that.

After dark, I'm going with Hevi Shot. [wink]
 
so is a 10 round mag ok to use?

capacity limits are only in NH and ME. You can hunt with 30 rounders here in MA but one thing to think about is if you run into an EPA having a 30rnd mag hanging out of your gun doesnt really look that good. You can pick up 10rnd mags for cheap money at just about every gun shop. That cleans up the look of the gun and besides if you find your self needing more that ten rounds at once then something went wrong
 
Capacity is not regulated, the size of the round is depending on the hours.

Any questions remain call the EPO's there the ones that will be primarily enforcing hunting laws, and the ones local police turn to for advice on hunting regs.

800 632 8075
 
I had the same questions and heard a lot of the same poor (wrong) answers form local PD, EPO and local DNR officers. I spent the better part of the afternoon one day in discussions with various EPO's from all over the state and never got the same answer twice. I finally came to the conclusion after speaking with a local police chief who has a law degree that in Ma. if the law or regulation does not prohibit the act then technically it is legal. This does not mean that the same uninformed LEO's will not attempt to enforce the law as they have wrongly interpreted it, or that a court would decide against you if a case was made. ( We are in MA. after all)
Three things I hang my hat on though:
1. There is no regulation that refers to a maximum allowable magazine capacity in regards to coyote.
2. There is no regulation that refers to a maximum caliber when hunting coyote in daytime. Go ahead break out the .50 cal!
3. Be wary of the caliber restriction wording as it pertains to NIGHTTIME coyote hunting. Theoretically the use of the wording, "no larger than .22 caliber Long Rifle" could be interpreted as a size something other than caliber, such as overall dimensions for example.
I use my AR, sometimes, but I do try and avoid dogwalkers and birdwatchers whenever possible cause I'm just plain fed up with explaining hunting regs to the local cops. Hope this helps, Good luck
 
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