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BwanaDave
01-26-2005, 11:05 PM
Having looked through this years hunting regulation synopsis Im still not sure whether it would be legal to hunt bunnies with a high power air rifle in the Chilliwack area on private property. Eastern cottontails are schedule C wildlife and can be killed at any time anywhere in the province with no bag limit as long as you hold a hunting licence if they are not causing property damage or you are off your own property hunting them. The hiccup is that a pellet gun is considered a firearm and Im not sure if you can discharge a firearm shooting a single projectile in the local tree farm fields around here. I'd really like to know before I lay out the cash to pick up a nice air rifle and start knocking on doors for permision to hunt. I'd appreciate it if anyone has any information or has tried this avenue to extend their hunting season in the past. Thanks
BD

Blacktail
01-27-2005, 09:35 AM
You have to find out what the municipality considers legal hunting means and whether or not you can discharge a pellet gun.
Under the federal firearms a pellet gun is only considered a firearm if it can propell a projectile over 500 FPS but under the provincial Wildlife Act for hunting purposes a pellet gun regardless of its rating is considered a firearm.

From what I can gleen from the regs it would be my opinion that you first find out from the municipality what the bylaws are and then find out if the area where you want to hunt is in a single projectile ban area where you can only use a firearm with shot.If it is not so designated and the municipal bylaws prevent it then it would be a no go.If the bylaws are silent and outside the single projectile ban area then I would say happy hunting.

Schutzen
01-27-2005, 08:27 PM
BD

Phone the local C.O. then your mind will be at ease one way or another.

BwanaDave
01-28-2005, 10:24 AM
Thanks guys,

I actually looked up the municipal firearms bylaws online at the city of chilliwack website and am ok where I plan to hunt. Went out an shot 2 cottontails at a friends farm yesterday and both had torn skin around their necks, thick yellow pus ,crusted hair and small white / yellow spots on the liver. I also found one lying in the blackberries with no apparent gunshot wound ,the yellow pus around its head and stone cold dead. Ive snared/ shot a lot of varying hare / jacks in my day but am a relative newcomer to eastern cottontails. Is this a common sort of thing? I didnt eat either rabbit but did clean them to look at the livers/ internal organs. Im a little leery of eating them and am hoping that someone here has heard of this or has experienced this and can explain it to me. Neither rabbit acted strangely and both were shot by slowly walking beside the blackberry bushes and peering in to spot them.

BD

Blacktail
01-28-2005, 07:35 PM
sounds like they have been poisoned in some way

3kills
01-29-2005, 05:09 AM
dont a lot of rabbitts cary some sort of disease??? could that be it???

YukonJack
01-30-2005, 02:35 PM
I'd get one into the Wildlife folks...might be something new or devious goin' on. No problem at all with our Island Eastern's. Never seen anything like that!

steelheadSABO
01-29-2008, 07:57 PM
you can shoot their but i think its limited to 500 fps

Grantmac
02-03-2008, 09:59 PM
Why not get a bow? It's definately not a firearm and many non-hunting savy folks seem to prefer their image. Plus it's makes the hunting that much more fun!

tomahawk
02-03-2008, 10:19 PM
Is the air gun going to humanely kill the rabbit regardless of whether its legal or not?

VanIsle
02-04-2008, 10:15 PM
Thanks guys,

I actually looked up the municipal firearms bylaws online at the city of chilliwack website and am ok where I plan to hunt. Went out an shot 2 cottontails at a friends farm yesterday and both had torn skin around their necks, thick yellow pus ,crusted hair and small white / yellow spots on the liver. I also found one lying in the blackberries with no apparent gunshot wound ,the yellow pus around its head and stone cold dead. Ive snared/ shot a lot of varying hare / jacks in my day but am a relative newcomer to eastern cottontails. Is this a common sort of thing? I didnt eat either rabbit but did clean them to look at the livers/ internal organs. Im a little leery of eating them and am hoping that someone here has heard of this or has experienced this and can explain it to me. Neither rabbit acted strangely and both were shot by slowly walking beside the blackberry bushes and peering in to spot them.

BD

Be very careful with a possible diseased rabbit. It could very possibly be
Tularemia (http://www.beaglesunlimited.net/rabbithunting_tularemia.htm)

Pete

Mr. Dean
02-05-2008, 03:03 AM
I'd get one into the Wildlife folks...might be something new or devious goin' on. No problem at all with our Island Eastern's. Never seen anything like that!


you can shoot their but i think its limited to 500 fps

Talk about a rising of the dead!
There's 3 complete years between these two quotes/posts.

I'm thinking that these bunny's have all died from natural causes by now.

switchback
03-24-2008, 08:03 AM
We have the cotton tails on vancouver Island but I have never seen anything like that.

Trailmaster
03-24-2008, 09:04 AM
The spots on the liver is a disese that the cotton tails can carry, I been told when ever you hunt them look at the liver, you will see it there first.

duckhunt
01-27-2009, 06:08 PM
if your airgun shoots over 500 fps you cannot shoot it in the fraser valley, I have shot rabbits with my pellet gun which shoots 495 fps, i've shot them behind the shoulder and in the head and never had one move after, just use pointed pellets. when my grandpa had a farm across from the tynhead hatchery My dad taught me how to shoot with a pellet gun and hunt rabbits and starlings,that farm was the best place to hunt rabbits, fields with thick blackberry bushes and forest and the serpentine river running through it. also some pheasants around that I heard cackling in the distance.

30-378-magnum
01-27-2009, 07:13 PM
Is the air gun going to humanely kill the rabbit regardless of whether its legal or not?

a177 or 22 cal around 1000 fps will put bunny to sleep with a good head shot

Sideofabarn
01-27-2009, 07:20 PM
I have no idea about rabbits in North America, but it sounds a lot like the symptoms of myxomatosis. Regardless, I'd not eat them, and maybe hand the carcasses over to the CO and maybe the ministry could tell you what it is. At worst, they may run some tests...

Mr. Dean
01-28-2009, 01:16 AM
Bwanadave started this thread in January 2005.
He no longer is an active member.

The replies are reminiscent of a person walking down the road, talking too, and answering him/herself. :lol: :lol:




Pretty funny stuff!

mrdoog
01-28-2009, 01:22 AM
"The replies are reminiscent of a person walking down the road, talking too, and answering him/herself."

Much like most of Jelvis's self answered, never ending threads.

Mr. Dean
01-28-2009, 01:36 AM
But on this one..... There's NOBODY listening! :smile: :lol:

Singleshotneeded
03-01-2009, 05:15 PM
:smile: Hey Mr Dean, BwanaDave may have gone the way of the dodo, but there are probably other members living in the area that might appreciate the info... Maybe he ate one of those diseased rabbits?:shock:

boxhitch
03-01-2009, 09:37 PM
But on this one..... There's NOBODY listening! :smile: :lol:Its a ploy to catch those hitting the 'new posts'.
damn

Rackaholic
03-03-2009, 08:34 PM
I'd actually be interested in hearing some more info about Cottontail Hunting in the Chilliwack Area with an Air Rifle.
1. Is it legal to hunt with a PAL rated Air Rifle in the FV?
2. Where should I look for the bunnies and at what time of the day?
3. feel free to add any other info that you might have about this.

Thanks

steelheadSABO
03-04-2009, 08:40 PM
set snares its way easier

Rackaholic
03-05-2009, 04:41 PM
set snares its way easier

Oh come on...

Where's the fun in that?

Rackaholic
03-14-2009, 10:36 AM
I'd actually be interested in hearing some more info about Cottontail Hunting in the Chilliwack Area with an Air Rifle.
1. Is it legal to hunt with a PAL rated Air Rifle in the FV?
2. Where should I look for the bunnies and at what time of the day?
3. feel free to add any other info that you might have about this.

Thanks

Come on... Anyone?