DNR: Rule/Regulation Changes
312 IAC 9-3-3: Makes the following changes governing deer hunting equipment:
312 IAC 9-3-3: Makes the following changes governing deer hunting equipment:
- Allows the 28-gauge shotgun to be used during the firearms seasons and the special antlerless season. Twenty-eight (28) gauge deer slug ammunition is now available and allowing these firearms will provide deer hunters another choice of firearm with which to hunt deer.
- Clarifies that handguns currently legal to use during the firearms season are legal even if originally designed and registered as a rifle. This would clarify that a rifle that can be changed to be used as a handgun can be used during deer firearms season as long as it meets requirements for legal handguns.
- Allows additional rifles to be used by reducing the bullet size required to .243 and eliminating the maximum rifle cartridge case length. This will allow high-powered rifles such as the .30-30 and .45-70 during the deer firearms seasons. Full metal jacketed bullets would be unlawful because since they do not expand when fired, and therefore, do not kill as humanely.
- Allows firearms to be used during the deer reduction (formerly urban deer zone) season, where legal to discharge a firearm, from the first Saturday after November 11 through January 31 of the following year. Use of firearms in deer reduction zones would give communities greater flexibility to manage deer-related problems and should improve deer-harvest success rates.
- Changes the dates for placing tree or ground blinds on state and federal properties to noon on September 15 through January 10
- Allows those who place on tree stands or ground blinds on state and federal properties to identify it with their Indiana DNR-issued Customer ID number or name and address, instead of requiring only their name and address. This ID number is pretty short and would add a degree of privacy to hunters without interfering with law enforcement validation of the users. The DNR believes this change can be made at this time for the following reasons:
