Just wondering if a fox came into my stand would it be legal to harvest it with the bow? Also would that make is so I couldn't take a deer in te same day?
Can I legally take a red fox while bow hunting?
YAMA
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On WMA's you'll save a bunch of stocked pheasants and turkey poults. Keep the tail for your kids bike and have a skull for the collection. I hate seeing fox stalk pheasants and turkeys but yet don't mind them stalking house/feral cats.
It used to be no shooting fox during fall bows early September season ... I think last year or the year edited they changed it saying you can now shoot a fox at all times that you are deer hunting.... Again- that's just what I remember off the top of my head- don't trust anyone but the digest when the time comes.
If I were to want to take a fox I would double check prior to shooting..
If I were to want to take a fox I would double check prior to shooting..
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Read the nj fish and wildlife digest from the front cover and everything in between to the back cover .
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Read page 62, that's where most of the regs are such as using a dog and things like that. But as said before you can shoot one while deer hunting as long as it's a zone open already for deer hunting. And if you shoot a deer and that's the bag limit for the day you can't shoot a coyote after.
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I just went over the regulations better. If you are bowhunting between 1/2 hour before sunrise to 1/2 hour after sunset you may kill a fox from Sept. 13 until March 14th, in regulation sets 4-8. If you are hunting in a zone controlled by regulation seta 0-3 you may kill a fox from Oct. 4 through March 14th. If you want to hunt AFTER sunset until BEFORE sunrise you need a special permit and the season dates are different.
Not saying that's wrong, but can you then explain page 62 where it restricts the deer seasons (not zones, this limits seasons) to permit ML, permit SG, and 6-day?
That's what I don't understand. Under the Small Game info, yeah, it talks about what you said, but then p62 restricts it to certain seasons. I don't get it.
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^ look where it says dates on page 62. Where it says special permit season. Under normal deer hunting seasons you can shoot them without permit. If you want to use larger shot than 4 ,hunt at night or use muzzleloader on days that aren't for deer hunting you need the permit.
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It basically comes down to if your hunting deer with a deer legal weapon you can take a coyote or fox while hunting deer.
That's what I thought, until I read page 62 which explicitly says its only allowed during 6-day, permit ML and permit SG.
I sent an email to DFW to ask. I have to believe you can incidental harvest at least yote during all deer seasons. I asked them what page 62 is trying to say (why do they only mention those three deer seaons but not Fall Bow, Winter Bow or Permit Bow?).
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Not sure where you are looking on page 62 but I'm looking at the chart. It has 3 separate dates, one for bow only, one for firearm bow, and one for permit.
Right, you are looking at the actual coyote-fox season chart (that is, if you explicitly are going out for hunting yote/fox - this chart tells you when you can do that), which is different from what the OP is asking about - he's asking about incidental harvesting of yote/fox while deer hunting (which the chart on p62 doesn't address). It might be confusing because that charge under the first column mentions DMZ, so you'd think it was talking about incidental, but that's only telling you when you can start hunting yote/fox with bow (i.e. you can start hunting yote/fox early [sept 13] only in those DMZs open for early fall bow deer hunting, but that isn't regarding incidental; that's for actually when you can start targeting yote/fox).
What I'm looking at is the paragraph of words on the page - read under the paragraph under "Coyote and Fox, General and Special Permit Seasons" (last column on the right) where it discusses incidental harvesting. And its there it *seems* to restrict incidental during permit ML/SG and 6-day. Again, I'm not sure what that paragraph is saying, but at first read, that's what it seems to me. I'll post what DFW say when I get their answer.
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This is exactly how I read it also. I am curious to what DFW has to say.
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I think your looking into it way to far,it says nothing about not being able to hunt it those days you mentioned and if you continue down to page 64 on top left talks again about incidental days. Also in the chart on 62 in the notes it says muzzleloader may only be used incidental to deer hunting during nov8-mar14. Otherwise you need the coyote permit and have to hunt strictly coyote in the permit regs
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Holy Crud...READ the explanation above the chart on page 62 that you mention, THEN TURN THE PAGE AND READ THE REST ON PAGE 64...then go to PAGE 65 AND READ THE ENTIRE BREAKDOWN AND EXPLANATION INCLUDING THE NOTES....YES YOU CAN. Like someone else mentioned, read it cover to cover. No need to reinvent the wheel.
Well, as I suspected, it isn't as clear cut as some think it is. Even the DFW guys don't seem to be sure. Here's what their response is. Notice the Game Code he quotes specifically DOES NOT INCLUDE Fall Bow, Winter Bow, or Permit Bow as I mentioned earlier - this is exactly what I read in the digest, page 62.
Notice he said he will forward to the digest people, because I think he, too, sees the contradiction in some of the charts and the game code.
I will send a message to the law staff as Paul recommends in his email to me and see what they say. I"ll post any response I get.
Notice he said he will forward to the digest people, because I think he, too, sees the contradiction in some of the charts and the game code.
I will send a message to the law staff as Paul recommends in his email to me and see what they say. I"ll post any response I get.
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No need for old digest ..notes on page 65 say "Deer hunters may harvest coyote and Fox during all open deer seasons with restrictions as specified under Small Game Hunting, coyote and Fox, page 62"
Then turn to page 62 under Coyote/Fox Season to the right below the Special Permit Season it says:
"Other than incidental to deer hunting"
It appears you are reading into it as the "also" you are referring to is those in addition to what is mentioned above such as 6 day, permit muzzleloader or permit shotgun
Anytime you are hunting for deer you can take a coyote or Fox
Then turn to page 62 under Coyote/Fox Season to the right below the Special Permit Season it says:
"Other than incidental to deer hunting"
It appears you are reading into it as the "also" you are referring to is those in addition to what is mentioned above such as 6 day, permit muzzleloader or permit shotgun
Anytime you are hunting for deer you can take a coyote or Fox
Since the digest isn't clear, I just went to look for the actual law - the actual Game Code that the DFW email mentioned. I found it in the current 2013-14 Game Code - its N.J.A.C 7:25-5.19(b):
I don't get that - I thought we want coyotes gone? You'd think they would explicitly allow it at least during all open deer seasons in the Game Code - if someone can find it, post it here.
I did a search for "coyote" and didn't find anywhere else that it covers incidental coyote (or fox for that matter) harvesting while deer hunting - this appears to be the only place it is mentioned. It talks about trapping and harvesting if causing damage and incidental during turkey hunting, but I can't find anywhere else where the actual Game Code law itself talks about incidental during deer. The only place I see is where it is limiting it to those three permit firearm seasons.
I don't get that - I thought we want coyotes gone? You'd think they would explicitly allow it at least during all open deer seasons in the Game Code - if someone can find it, post it here.
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