# Night Hunting Bill



## LoCountryHunter (Feb 3, 2010)

Well, the night hunting bill that we had in the State Congress has passed both house and senate and ready for the gov to sign into law. That was a battle started in March of this year with one supporting Senator. We can only hunt with a rimfire and light but like I said to the rest of the hunters, thats a start and lot better than starting from scratch. Just wanted to let you fellows know and see what you think.


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## youngdon (Mar 10, 2010)

I think it's great, I wish we could night hunt.


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## hassell (Feb 9, 2010)

Diddo youngdon, just allowed e-callers a few yrs. back, would love to nite hunt also!


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## catcapper (Feb 11, 2010)

Night hunting will generate a higher percentage of animals called in---and being a new law that most folks are unaware of---it will generate a higher percentage of nightime meetings with law enforcement officials, so be prepared

Good Hunt'in LCH


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## hassell (Feb 9, 2010)

catcapper said:


> Night hunting will generate a higher percentage of animals called in---and being a new law that most folks are unaware of---it will generate a higher percentage of nightime meetings with law enforcement officials, so be prepared
> 
> Good Hunt'in LCH


Ya thats right Cat! we're on the outskirts of town, the neighbor was target shooting and someone reported hearing shots, read about it in the police news, so can imagine what shooting at night will bring!


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## SWAMPBUCK10PT (Apr 5, 2010)

Game warden--Hates shinning legally around HERE--BUT he is only doing his job--Nite hunting is productive and fun---I've called in every thing from SNOW OWLS to ARMY SARGENTS---LIKE I SAY "CALL'EM THEY"LL COME"


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## ebbs (Feb 7, 2010)

LoCountryHunter said:


> Well, the night hunting bill that we had in the State Congress has passed both house and senate and ready for the gov to sign into law. That was a battle started in March of this year with one supporting Senator. We can only hunt with a rimfire and light but like I said to the rest of the hunters, thats a start and lot better than starting from scratch. Just wanted to let you fellows know and see what you think.


Looks like it's about time to invest in a nice 22 WMR or a 17 HMR, whaddaya think LoCountryHunter?


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## ebbs (Feb 7, 2010)

SWAMPBUCK10PT said:


> Game warden--Hates shinning legally around HERE--BUT he is only doing his job--Nite hunting is productive and fun---I've called in every thing from SNOW OWLS to ARMY SARGENTS---LIKE I SAY "CALL'EM THEY"LL COME"


Also, I was pumped to find out night hunting is legit around here year round for coyote and seasonal for the other furbies. No limit on the firepower though.


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## LoCountryHunter (Feb 3, 2010)

Thanks to all of you and luckly I have a 22 mag. and raccoon light with a red lens. I'll be out there as soon as the gov. signs the bill and hopefully he'll sign it the upcoming week. I plan to hunt some of the locations that I got this week at the first of next week during the afternoon and hopefully connect on my 1st one. I'm taking my grandson with me and going to put him downwind with a shotgun. Will keep posted on this site and hope we have some pics to show.


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## ebbs (Feb 7, 2010)

> I'm taking my grandson with me and going to put him downwind with a shotgun.


That was gonna be my next question, haha. Along with the rimfire, can you have shotgun? But I guess you answered that with the last post. The grandson will have some stories to tell about the heebie jeebies of hunting at night!


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## coyotekidd (Jan 28, 2010)

Way to fight the power! Congrats! Now be safe and take advantage of this.


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## bar-d (Feb 3, 2010)

Start saving for that .17 HMR you know you are going to want.


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## ebbs (Feb 7, 2010)

bar-d said:


> Start saving for that .17 HMR you know you are going to want.


Do you have one? I always hear crap about how they're too small and underpowered, but I've been amazed by the performance and accuracy of mine.


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## bar-d (Feb 3, 2010)

ebbs said:


> Do you have one? I always hear crap about how they're too small and underpowered, but I've been amazed by the performance and accuracy of mine.


Sho' do ebbsy. Savage Model 93R17. Bull barrel w/3-9x40 scope. Love it. It is a tack driving dude.


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## LoCountryHunter (Feb 3, 2010)

Is it a center fire or rimfire(17 cal)?. The law says only rimfire and I do have a 22 mag. w/40 grn ammo. I've actually killed deer with it and its a tack driver also.


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## ebbs (Feb 7, 2010)

17HMR stands for Hornady Magnum Rimfire. So yeah, it's a rimfire. There are .17 cal centerfires and they absolutely scream. Most of what you can buy for the 17HMR is 17 or 20 grain bullets. The Centerfires go up to 25 grains I think. I know furhunter could speak more truth into that area. He reloads 17 Ackley Hornet which is a PO Ackley centerfire wildcat of the popular 22 Hornet.


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## SWAMPBUCK10PT (Apr 5, 2010)

Lch----i use hornady 20gr xtp in my marlin 17 v "hmr" she likes it--i've used the 17gr with much success but i do like the 20gr better for what i use it for----happy shoot'en


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## Bigdrowdy1 (Jan 29, 2010)

My dad has taken many yotes and cats with his 17 HMR protecting his live stock. Given the choice I do prefer a larger cal but if my choices are 22mag or 17hmr I would say the 17 has better trajectory for a greater distance though I can shoot a larger grain for more kinetic energy in the 22 wmr. High winds can reek havac on both cals. IMO the 17 no more than 200 yards and no more than 100 yards fro the 22 for me to feel comfortable.


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## ebbs (Feb 7, 2010)

A plus side on the 22 Mag is that there are several loads now available with a ballistic tip and higher velocities. This both extends the range and the kinetic energy. I think Remington's Accutip load for the 22wmr is something like 2000fps with a 33-35 grain bullet.


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## LoCountryHunter (Feb 3, 2010)

I've got a box of 50------40 grn JHP Remington that I plan to use as soon as the gov signs the bill and I find out that he has. I shoot 40 grn in my 223 and its a tack driver.


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## wilded (Feb 10, 2010)

I have two .17 HMRs and a .22 WMR and would prefer the .22 WMR for anything I wanted to recover. I have seen too many coyotes, bobcats and even fox make it to brushpiles or down a hole after a hit with the .17 HMR. I love the .17 for prairie dogs as it is like a guided lazer. If you do not have perfect bullet placement on the larger predators you will lose some of them at night. That has been my experience experience with about 5000 rounds of .17 HMR down the tube. They .22WMR may not be quite as accurate but it stops larger predators closer to point of bullet impact. In plain English they just don't run as far if at all. JMHO


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## youngdon (Mar 10, 2010)

LCH, Good luck with thte night hunt. You may want to double check the law to be sure it goes into effect immediatly. Sometimes they put a little delay into the laws.


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## ebbs (Feb 7, 2010)

> I love the .17 for prairie dogs as it is like a guided lazer.


GREAT LINE! Agreed though, I've got about 3,000 rounds of 17HMR through my Savage and while it is supremely accurate and hits like a "guided lazer" on prairie dogs under 200 yards, I would generally prefer the 22WMR for larger fair. That is unless of course the shot with the 17 is very close and a headshot. I have a buddy out here who lets me hunt prairie dogs on his land and has a huge rabbit population. He doesn't hunt or call for yotes but keeps the 17 nearby and headshoots them out to 100 yards. Still haven't convinced him to let me call out there, but I figure the more prairie dogs I dispose of the more inclined he'll be to let me set up at night.


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## wilded (Feb 10, 2010)

Here is an article I wrote on my blog about the two cartridges that you might like to read.








http://wildedtx.blogspot.com/2009/01/magnum-rimfire-wars-17hmr-vs-22wmr.html


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## ebbs (Feb 7, 2010)

wilded said:


> Here is an article I wrote on my blog about the two cartridges that you might like to read.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Ahhh! Too little to late for me I guess. Just started a thread in Hunting Gear called Rimfire Roundup that I was hoping you'd post in! Thanks for the link. I'll check it out asap.


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## LoCountryHunter (Feb 3, 2010)

youngdon said:


> LCH, Good luck with thte night hunt. You may want to double check the law to be sure it goes into effect immediatly. Sometimes they put a little delay into the laws.


I'll be doing just that and thanks for the reminder. This has turned out to be a pretty good post on the 17 vs 22 mag. and I have learned a few things. Good info here.


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## LoCountryHunter (Feb 3, 2010)

*Just wanted to let you fellows know that the gov has signed the coyote night hunting bill in SC over the week-end so its legal to go now. The only think I don't like is you have to use a rim fire but I have a 22 mag. already set up and will be using that. Most of my shots will try to be head shots and will let ya'll know when I go and how I do at this new law during the







night. *


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## wilded (Feb 10, 2010)

That's sure better than a sharp stick in the eye. If you can use a shotgun stick one in with some #4 buck as lots of those coyotes will come in close at night. JMHO


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## On a call (Mar 3, 2010)

Night calling is nice but...to tell you what, you do tend to educated those you do not spot. And there are many...we can call at night and there are no limitaitons ( that I know of ) But I have have better success in the evening and early mornings when you can see the Whole Area.

Good luck and shoot straight.


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## UltimatePredator (Jan 30, 2010)

Wilded hit the nail on the head. My personal preference is to stay above at least a 223 for coyotes and cats, however I do understands the regulations for various states wont allow calibers that arent rimfire. When you only have a limited number of calibers to shoot "at night", pick the largest rimfire caliber that you can legaly shoot. In a perfect world, a 17 hmr could get the job done, however everything changes at night so much that a predator hunter targeting dogs or cats will find himself tracking and loosing more animals than neccesary. Finding blood and tracking an animal in the dark is much harder than during the day, especially with such a small caliber. Combine that with the increased dificulty in making a well placed shot, you have a recipe for disaster. Predator hunters who claim they hit and recover all of the coyotes and cats they hit at night with a 17HMR are either living in a different world or simply havnt hit too many coyotes with it. We hunt appx. 100 nights a year and have taken hunters who insist on shooting these pee-shooters at a coyote at 100 yards and the majority of the time there is a track job ahead of us. Lately we have set a rule that no caliber smaller than a 22-250 is allowed to be fired at a dog or cat from our rack. When you have enough animals get away from you, especialy when you are filming, you tend to learn what does and doesnt work for predators at night! In my opinion guys trying to shoot the smallest caliber possible just so they can prove they can kill a coyote with it are not hunting for the rite reason to begin with, especialy when they are in a state that allows them to have a choice. Just my two cents. Chris


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## youngdon (Mar 10, 2010)

I think you spent your two cents rather well UltimatePredator.


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## hassell (Feb 9, 2010)

Well said and so very true!!


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