State Laws on hunting with airguns.

[Hal4son]

The "hypothetical interpretation" is they were talking about a PCP when they wrote "compressed air rifle" in the rules.

They didn't say any "airgun". They say "compressed air rifle". I'm sure you can see how a bunch of bigwigs on the State Game Comission may not have their airgun vocabulary down correctly. It's not a stretch to imagine by "compressed air rifle" they meant a PCP.

By your interpretation a Daisy Red Ryder is a "compressed air rifle" that fires a .177 projectile. Would it be legal to hunt mountain lion or audad in New Mexico with that? What would your "hypothetical interpretation" of our law be in that case?

I'm fairly certain a springer is fine to hunt squirrel and grouse. But I'm going to ask anyway....

A Daisy Red Rider does not compress air. The BB is directly pushed out of the barrel by the spring. OTOH a spring piston gun uses the spring to push a piston to compress the air which fires the projectile. Much like a bicycle pump or an air compressor used to charge a PCP compresses the air, you are using a piston to compress air. The difference is your PCP has an on board storage tank.

Both fire compressed air. i.e. both are airguns.

By the rules in NM, you can't use a Co2 powered gun nor that Red Ryder.

ETA- Don't knock my old Red Ryder. In my youth, I knocked a Right to Left crossing goose out of the air with one steel BB to the noggin. One of the most memorable shots I've ever made and my first real success at wingshooting.

 

[Bedrock Bob]

A Daisy Red Rider does not compress air. The BB is directly pushed out of the barrel by the spring. OTOH a spring piston gun uses the spring to push a piston to compress the air which fires the projectile. Much like a bicycle pump or an air compressor used to charge a PCP compresses the air, you are using a piston to compress air. The difference is your PCP has an on board storage tank.

Both fire compressed air. i.e. both are airguns.

By the rules in NM, you can't use a Co2 powered gun nor that Red Ryder.

ETA- Don't knock my old Red Ryder. In my youth, I knocked a Right to Left crossing goose out of the air with one steal BB to the noggin. One of the most memorable shots I've ever made and my first real success at wingshooting.

I suppose my analogy was lost in detail.

I should have asked if you consider my .22 cal HW springer legal for mountain lion instead of a Daisy Red Ryder.

I'm sure you get my point even though our conversation seems to dwell in minutia.

The only thing for certain is neither one of us has the answer. We can only assume. We can debate what New Mexico law means until we are blue in the face. None of it amounts to a hill of beans. Only the NMDGF interpretation of that rule matters and neither one of us has any idea how they may interpret it.

I'm headed to the office now to ask the question....

 

[Hal4son]

I suppose my analogy was lost in detail.

I should have asked if you consider my .22 cal HW springer legal for mountain lion instead of a Daisy Red Ryder.

I'm sure you get my point even though our conversation seems to dwell in minutia.

The only thing for certain is neither one of us has the answer. We can only assume. We can debate what New Mexico law means until we are blue in the face. None of it amounts to a hill of beans. Only the NMDGF interpretation of that rule matters and neither one of us has any idea how they may interpret it.

I'm headed to the office now to ask the question....

It sounds like any 22 cal Springer is legal in NM for mountain lions. Given the space and time, I could kill a mountain lion with a springer if that was at hand. Although that would never be legal up here and as such none of the mountain lions that I've killed were with an air gun.

It's not difficult to imagine a realistic and legal scenario that would make airgunning a cougar likely and possible in the state of NM.

 

[Bedrock Bob]

It sounds like any 22 cal Springer is legal in NM for mountain lions. Given the space and time, I could kill a mountain lion with a springer if that was at hand. Although that would never be legal up here and as such none of the mountain lions that I've killed were with an air gun.

It's not difficult to imagine a realistic and legal scenario that would make airgunning a cougar likely and possible in the state of NM.

Okey dokey.

 

[Bedrock Bob]

I have had a phone conversation with a NMDGF manager at the office. He was not a game warden. Here is what he said...

The Game Comission has heard a lot of public input on hunting with air rifles. There is some disagreement about it. They wrote a rule to allow it for some small game. It is a bit ambiguous and is left to the individual warden to enforce as he sees fit based on the situation.

As far as he knows there have been no court cases or letters of interpretation written. So the officer is free to interpret that rule as he sees fit. He dosent know how the wardens may interpret it in every case.

He told me i didnt need to worry about the springer. It would never be questioned for squirrel and grouse. As far as he knows the term "compressed air rifle" is not specific to PCP's.

As time goes by there will probably be more specific airgun rules drafted by folks that know the terminology. But for now that is all there is.

 

[Hal4son]

Okey dokey.

Did we find out if springers are airguns?

Did the knowledgeable officials in NM need to look to someone else for a qualified answer?

Probably got it put into next years agenda with scheduled meetings and public hearings on it.

ETA- posted while you were posting above. Sounds like a standard politician with a non binding answer.

 

[Bedrock Bob]

Did we find out if springers are airguns?

Did the knowledgeable officials in NM need to look to someone else for a qualified answer?

Probably got it put into next years agenda with scheduled meetings and public hearings on it.

ETA- posted while you were posting above. Sounds like a standard politician with a non binding answer.

I'm sorry the results of my conversation with the NMDGF didn't live up to your expectations.

It did however satisfy my curiosity! They told me exactly what I wanted to know! They were polite, knowledgeable and did the best they could to answer my questions.

 

[dv8eod]

It sounds like any 22 cal Springer is legal in NM for mountain lions. Given the space and time, I could kill a mountain lion with a springer if that was at hand. Although that would never be legal up here and as such none of the mountain lions that I've killed were with an air gun.

It's not difficult to imagine a realistic and legal scenario that would make airgunning a cougar likely and possible in the state of NM.

Look up Jim Chapman. I believe he did it in one of his articles on airgun hunting. IIRC, they were using dogs and it was treed. I don't remember the caliber, though and my memory ain't what it used to be. That goofball from American Airgunner went after a bear with a Hammer when he had the only one that worked.

 

[Bedrock Bob]

I don't know what this stuff is, but if you had enough you could wash a hog with it.

- Bedrock Bob

 

[JaceSpace1369]

You might want to get the person’s name who provides the answer. Then the guy in the field might be more accepting of the interpretation. BTW, I have never seen any regulation that differentiates Airgun types.

In Florida you may hunt Turkey with Airguns of .20 and up, but said airgun may only be of the PCP variant. The same goes for deer, you may hunt deer with .30 minimum, but it has to be with a PCP.

Taking game

Taking game

myfwc.com

It's not stated on the site but I remember that we could take Gators with .30 PCP's as well, not sure if that has changed.

 

[Coinwa]

I suppose my analogy was lost in detail.

I should have asked if you consider my .22 cal HW springer legal for mountain lion instead of a Daisy Red Ryder.

Having actually killed a Mtn. Lion (via spot and stalk, not out of a tree)… I wouldn’t want to go near one with a big PCP, let alone a springer (even if they are capable of killing a moose in .177)… legal or not!

 

[Bedrock Bob]

In Florida you may hunt Turkey with Airguns of .20 and up, but said airgun may only be of the PCP variant. The same goes for deer, you may hunt deer with .30 minimum, but it has to be with a PCP.

Taking game

Taking game

myfwc.com

It's not stated on the site but I remember that we could take Gators with .30 PCP's as well, not sure if that has changed.

How far do you figure you could kill one?

Off the boat no problem. I saw Pork Chop do it with a rimfire on Swamp People.

Off the boat at range in the water???

 

[JaceSpace1369]

How far do you figure you could kill one?

Off the boat no problem. I saw Pork Chop do it with a rimfire on Swamp People.

Off the boat at range in the water???

A gator? If you hit the 1in spot you behind their head I would "guess" you could take them out at 50yds no problem. They usually get taken out with 22rim.

They have a soft spot back there that's a kill switch. It's pretty a matter of how precise are you.

In regards to deer, I heard of somebody taking a deer at 110 yd on his property with a 25 caliber gauntlet. Shot him in the dome and it was lights out.

 

[Bedrock Bob]

I really like the idea of an airgun on a boat. Shooting across water is tricky. Range is difficult even with a rangefinder when you are on that flat surface. Its a completely different hunting environment.

The weather has cooled considerably here. It's time to go to the lake and shoot off the boat with my springer. Before it's all over I might have a deck mounted PCP.

I could shoot me some gators bro. I'll settle for frogs and turtles for a while. By next spring I may need to hunt some reptiles in the swamp.

 

[JimNM]

As both cavallo reservoir and elephant butte are state parks, I would suggest you don't do that without also checking with the state parks department
I'm not just a stick in the mud bob, I'm in the mud the stick is stuck in!

 

[Bedrock Bob]

As both cavallo reservoir and elephant butte are state parks, I would suggest you don't do that without also checking with the state parks department
I'm not just a stick in the mud bob, I'm in the mud the stick is stuck in!

Actually Caballo is only State Park from KOA south. The State park ends at the buoy line.

The bayous from Seco north to Gordon Rd. are an outdoorsmans paradise. All Bureau of Reclamation.

So never fear!

I have a long and checkered history with the old LEO at Caballo. We used to dig for gold in the Caballos. He had some serious alcohol and anger issues. He's long gone but the culture still remains. I don't do ANYTHING at either lake that could set them off. If I had a nickel for every time Totsie Williams dismissed my case I would be shooting a TX200.

 

[crittahitta]

The state of NY has a list of small game animals and fur bearers, up to coyote... Only air gun requirement is 600fps minimum and .17 or larger. So technically a 760 pumpmaster is all that's needed, Lol. Yeah right...

You will need a license to hunt. There's a bunch of other regulations that have to be known, and how those are interpreted and by whom and where... I won't even get started. For smiles and grins, I sent the NY DEC an email to clear things up and have their official standings on specific matters (in print). Waiting for reply, only been two years or so...

I’m from NY too. If you ever get a reply I would love a copy of it to read.

 

[beerthief]

I think there should be a Mandatory minimum 60 day jail sentence for Trophy hunting plus a hefty fine. I have found a large headless deer carcass in the woods , What a waste !
Yeah i know off topic .

 

[N2 Shooter]

Ohio is very clear.

 

[JaceSpace1369]

I really like the idea of an airgun on a boat. Shooting across water is tricky. Range is difficult even with a rangefinder when you are on that flat surface. Its a completely different hunting environment.

The weather has cooled considerably here. It's time to go to the lake and shoot off the boat with my springer. Before it's all over I might have a deck mounted PCP.

I could shoot me some gators bro. I'll settle for frogs and turtles for a while. By next spring I may need to hunt some reptiles in the swamp.

There's more than enough Frogs to gig down here too, both neuisance Cane toads and safely edible frogs too.