22Plinker

I took the PA online course which is $19.50 (NY is $22.75 i believe)... printed out the certificate and went that day to get my NY hunting license. No need for the in person class. Not sure if that will hold true after tonight though.

Doc has a point that I was not specific to the otherwise in how i worded my question and I am thankful he answered it blunt and honest. I honestly did "mean" the killing of animals that are normally killed for food such as deer, rabbit, pheasant etc but he brings up a point I never really gave much thought to...simply because it never dawned on me. Without turning this thread into a debate of which animals are worthy of life or not I would like to just say thank you to everyone that replied. There are DEC officers that patrol my area very often so I think I'll mention the pheasants to him next time i run into him. For those of you who are more knowledgeable regarding the law, let me ask you this: Is there a specific law or code that specifically says that animals can only be killed for specific reasons? I remember reading that a reasonable effort must be made to acquire shot game, but I assume that is meant to deter someone from sitting in a stand and shooting at deer until one drops at his feet so he won;t have to track it down. Is there anything that specifically says you can't go out in the woods and say... hunt down the red squirrel just because its not native? English sparrow? Starling? I'm not planning on doing anything of the sort, just asking because if it turns out to be just some young dumb teens out killing for the thrill of killing I would feel more comfortable saying something if it were a matter of legal notice rather than just my own opinion.

@Doc - those are good points and personally I completely understand the concept of nuisance control. My local ATV club gets beaver permits every summer because they build dams and flood out county trails. My first take this season was a red. Head shot that tore off his face and front leg. You are right there is not a lot to them but after being browned and slow cooked they are decent. Personally i suggest cooking them not quartered until the meat falls off the bone.

My son and I have been out quite a bit these last couple weeks doing a bit of small game hunting. I have noticed in a couple of our favorite places there have been several squirrels (grays and reds) that have been shot but left where they fell. At first I thought "well, they are just squirrels" but later i thought that is prejudice thinking squirrels are lesser value than say rabbits. There could be a round and round debate on the equality ladder of small game but that is not really the point of this. What got under my skin was walking along an access trail today my son pointed out two pheasant laying on the ground next to each other. One looked as if it had been hit with a rifle shot (illegal i may point out) because it had a single .22 size wound just below the neck from front to back. The other was mangled but with its head mutilated as some squirrels i have seen made me think it died in a similar manner. Seeing that annoyed me a bit because I would love to take a pheasant if i find one and here somebody shot two and just left them on the side of a trail. My question is: What do you think of people that go out and hunt for no other reason than to kill something? I suppose an argument could be made for nuisance or pest control, but pheasant on WMA land are hardly a nuisance or pest.

The wording for the proposed regulation doesn't say anything about using air rifles to hunt big game. It says that an air rifle may be used to take game that a .22 rim fire can legally take. I was under the impression .22 rim fire was not legal for big game.

Hey everyone. New gun owner and new hunter as well. Just passed my Hunters Education and ready to get my license so I can catch the end of squirrel and fluffy bunny season.