question about type of gun

[KidWalleye]

I know I'm going to hear it but I'll ask anyway. Can you use a 22 to hunt for Pheasants. Also when I road hunt I can legally go in the ditch to shoot right? I know I can't shoot over the road. Also what roads can you not hunt in the ditches. I KNOW I can find this info in the book, but I won't make it there til tommorrow. Thanks for the info.

[lawdog]

Are you talking about shooting at birds on the ground? It would be INCREDIBLY dangerous to shoot a .22 at an airborn bird. A .22 shell can go a lot farther than you'd think and its just absolutely out of the question in my mind.

As for shooting a bird on the ground, I don't think its illegal to do so with a .22, but I don't think it would be sporting at all either. Get em up in the air and use a shotgun shell.

[metrojoe]

Ya, even if your have to walk over and kick'em up.

[Walleye Guy]

In MN road ditches are not public right aways. If you walk in them you could be busted for trespassing. Using a .22 for any bird hunting is unsafe. I don't know about it being illegal but you are better off with a shotgun.

[LuciandTim]

It IS legal to use a .22

It IS legal in MN to hunt ditches!

If you don't believe me check with the DNR and if that isn't good enough check with whatever county you'll be hunting in. I should of saved my e-mails from last year!! I made multiple contacts due to this topic being discussed last year. If I see a nice ditch with all crops down around it you better believe i'm diving in. Also if I see acouple Rossters sitting in a ditch we are going in

I was worried last year when a few people on here spoke of it being illegal so I did some homework.

[CodyDawg]

Do you have anything from your research? This topic came up at my last Firearm Safety Course and the CO stated that hunting ditches is NOT legal in MN as it is under control of the landowner. The only exception would be if it is not farmland and is unfenced and unposted as that is open to hunting technically. I would like to get to the bottom of this....

[LuciandTim]

If you want to get to the bottom of it contact the DNR and then contact any County that you'll be hunting in. I just got off the phone with Lyon County, Lincoln County, and Goodhue. Just picked three randomly. All Deputies in those counties agreed with me. They were all very friendly and we talked for a couple minutes.

I guess i'm not concerned as to if any of you believe what is legal and what is not. I know what I can do. As a Law Enforcement student I haven't and I don't have any plans in the near future to break any laws. I am an ethical hunter and I respect all laws. This is something I pride myself on.

Good Luck this year

BIG GAME IS COMPLETELY DIFFERENT

[Mitty]

Hey kid walleye why dont you stick to a b.b. gun until you learn some ethics of hunting.

[BDR]

Mitty- Are you suggesting that YOUR ethics are the correct ones. Sounds like he is asking the right questions to avoid breaking the law. As for shooting birds on the ground, it is perfectly legal. Many people grew up hunting that way. Who am I to say that my way is better. I like hunting with a pointer.

[Jackpine Rob]

You've just gotta laugh sometimes. I find it hysterical how the "experts" who may have killed a couple of dozen birds in their lives get so worked about the "right way" to do things.

Most kids who grew up in small towns and rural areas were issued a .22 at some point by their dads as the primary small game weapon. Partridge, rabbits, squirrels, pheasants, in short whatever the kids were after were pursued with diligence by the youngsters, who often enough brought home dinner for the family.

In today's world of Cabela's hunters (not a slam on Cabela's) with more money than actual experience, we have some interesting dynamics playing themselves out. The very methods that produced legions of decent and capable hunters are called into question, and folks who simply couldn't find a bird by themselves and reduce it to table fare by stealth and marksmanship have appointed themselves the arbiters of right and wrong.

If the young fellow who asked the question can become proficient enough to stalk and get a clean shot at a rooster on the ground with a .22 (remember, the .22 mag is NOT legal) I think it safe to say that he will be among the upper echelon of hunters, with skills and experience far eclipsing those with scatterguns who still manage to miss or cripple the slow-flying birds.

The .22 is a legal weapon. Stalking is a time-honored tradition. Those who criticize either should be ignored as weekend warriors with more attitude than experience.

[LuciandTim]

Stalking.....That sounds kinda fun and one hell of a challenge. A belly crawl through the cattails and a 22 in the head of a rooster. Can it be done....

Sounds interesting.

[KidWalleye]

Thanks for the defense guys. It's people like Mitty that make it hard even ask questions on here. Would he have liked it better if I had posted, bragging how I killed 20 pheasants. I consider myself an ethical hunter. I won't take a shot unless I feel I can retreive the bird, whether it be ducks or pheasants. Also I would never shoot at a pheasant in the air with a 22. Not only not safe, but good luck hitting it. I just want to make sure that I don't break any laws while road hunting. I have done a lot of field hunting for pheasants. Thanks for the info. Kid

[eye's111]

CodyDog- You say your a law enforcement student, me to, where do you attend?

[eye's111]

I mean Tim.

[LuciandTim]

Kidwalleye: Another thing you can do is call your local CO, or the local CO where you are hunting. Call the DNR main number during regular business hours and they will give you their numbers. I spent some time on the phone today with them and they were very nice and very helpful. Good Luck

eye's111: I am in skills right now..soon to be licensed and seeking employment

[KidWalleye]

Thanks Tim. I'll try calling tommorrow.

[Walleye Guy]

All I know is I asked Conservation Officers about it when stopped in in LeSeuer County and both told me that MN ditches are controlled by the land owner and you need the same permission you do on the other side of the fence.

If you look at the sad state of the ditches in MN (generally mowed really short compared to other states) you can see that the landowner makes the call on how they are managed and who has access to them.