Can't Believe its Illegal

[JBob77]

Some of my favorite summertime memories are of my cousin and me, sitting on the pond bank, shooting frogs with our pellet guns. He was pretty good at it, and would wait for them to get back along the bank, down from him, then call his shot; eye, eardrum, whatever. I could hit them, but usually I would do it when they poked their heads out of the water, then wade in and get 'em. We had lots of frog legs for quite a few summers when I was a kid doing that.

Anyway, I was just looking over the hunting regs, and discovered, that it is actually illegal. The only way you can legally shoot frogs is with .22lr shotshells. Let me tell you, I tried it that way once and didn't kill anything. I know its not likely that the DNR spends any resources looking for this type of problem, but I found it kinda funny. Also, does anyone have any idea on why it would be against the law anyway?

 

[Remington1100]

Ricochet maybe? I dunno but it sure was fun when we used to do it.

 

[samot]

Just guessing here, but probably because shooting any kind of bullet into water is dangerous, i was always tought as a youngster to NOT shoot into water, bullets tend to ricochet (SP) esspecially 22lr

 

[JBob77]

Maybe so, I dont' remember having any riccochet with my pellet gun though! Makes sense for the .22lr.

 

[hornadylnl]

I'd think you would have to be shooting from a pretty flat angle to cause a bullet to skip off the water.

Is the shot in 22 lr steel? I'm wondering if it is a lead content issue.

 

[UncleMike]

It's because IN law prohibits shooting across any body of water with a solid projectile. Shotguns only.
Mike

 

[Wabatuckian]

Used to be we could use a gig, spear, whatever, as well as airguns and .22 solid projectiles.

One year they decided to change it.

It seems hunting laws change almost every year. It pays to keep on top of them.

 

[CountryBoy19]

It's because IN law prohibits shooting across any body of water with a solid projectile. Shotguns only.
Mike

Is that a hunting regulation or overall regulation? If its an "overall" regulation, its not very widely known and I'm sure a lot of people are in violation.

So does that mean you can't shoot at a deer that is across a creek from your stand?

At what point does that stop and start?

 

[Wabatuckian]

Dunno... I know you can hunt squirrels from a boat that's unpowered (save for oars).

I don't think they done thought this one through.

 

[Old Syko]

The regs state that a firearm may not be discharged across a body of water unless in the pursuit of legal game. Go to the link and look it up for yourself. DNR: DNR Home

As far as why it was made illegal to shoot frogs (like I've shot thousands of them) it is rather simple. The folks that make the laws don't know anything about firearms. If you want it changed, contact the lawmakers and give them an educational presentation as to why it should be changed.

 

[colt45er]

Page 18 of the DRN reg book states

Frogs may be taken with gig or spear with a head not more than three inches in width and a single row of tines, long bow and arrow, club, hands alone or pole or hand line with not more than one hook or artificial lure attached. Firearms used for frog hunting are restricted to a .22-caliber firearm loaded with bird shot only.

 

[Old Syko]

Page 18 of the DRN reg book states

Frogs may be taken with gig or spear with a head not more than three inches in width and a single row of tines, long bow and arrow, club, hands alone or pole or hand line with not more than one hook or artificial lure attached. Firearms used for frog hunting are restricted to a .22-caliber firearm loaded with bird shot only.

This is true as per the OP's original query, but the thread also brought up the issue of shooting over water which is not illegal when in the pursuit of legal game. It is however illegal to shoot over water without legal game present. This stuff can't be made up by anyone but politico's.

 

[Mike H]

Does In. classify air guns as "firearms"? I know Il. does. If not then air guns shuld be legal.
I'm a member over at Hunting Indiana message boards and thet have a "ask the CO" room, Ill go over there and ask, then I'll get back.

 

[kobra]

I think it's because of the lead also. I wouldn't want to eat fish or waterfowl that had ingested lead. Would you?

 

[CountryBoy19]

I think it's because of the lead also. I wouldn't want to eat fish or waterfowl that had ingested lead. Would you?

But .22 shot-shells still contain lead, and they allow those.

 

[CarmelHP]

Does In. classify air guns as "firearms"? I

No.

 

[Greg.B]

Does In. classify air guns as "firearms"? I know Il. does. If not then air guns shuld be legal.
I'm a member over at Hunting Indiana message boards and thet have a "ask the CO" room, Ill go over there and ask, then I'll get back.

To my knowledge, they do not; however, they still aren't legal because (unfortunately, IMO) they're not listed in the approved methods for taking frogs.

 

[dubsac]

I used to do the same thing when I was younger. My grandpa would pay my cousin and I for shooting snapping turtles. I would use .22 hollows and he would use a 44 mag "talk about overkill". We did have ricochets but majority of them went into the ponds bank, I HOPE. We didnt kill any cattle I do know that. At dark we would spotlight frogs also. ooooops. Ahhh being young and dumb, luckily no one got hurt.

 

[AGarbers]

Generally firearm refers to a weapon that used burning gases...

...AKA fire, to expand on propel the projectile forward. The Hunters Ed I attended way too many years ago in Florida explained it as this: A "gun" shoots a projectile, so a bow could be considered a gun. A "firearm" uses burning gases to shoot the projectile, so a bow was not a firearm. I would say an air rifle would fall into the gun but not a firearm catagory.
And before anyone starts saying I'm dumber than a rock for thinking a bow is a gun...I am just relaying what I was told by my betters. Oh yeah...I got a 98 percent in the class...my wife got 100 percent...and 25 years later she never lets me forget it! The rest of the class wanted to throw her in the lake. I would have helped them but she went on the first weekend, I went on the second weekend.

 

[redneckmedic]

bubba: What are you in for?
you: Shoot'n toads with a pea shooter.
bubba: You got a pretty mou...... ah never mind!