Fox hunting during deer season???

[predator77]

I just got off the phone with a female at the SW region saying that you can't hunt fox at night during deer season. She said look at pg 14 art 1. I with the PGC would explain things better so " everyone" understood. It should be in the fox, spotlighting and deer sections.

[uncle buck]

I'd still say she is wrong and is one of the PGC personnel that just doesn't know for sure.. Notice there is an * in the para 1 that show what can be hunted.. Now go down to # 2 para there is an * by raccoon, fox, and coyote.

I know the PGC regional directors were suppose to correct the wording in the digest to show that you can hunt fox, coon, and coyotes at night time during the deer season..Seems like this happens every year they print the digest.

I know they recently corrected the wording in the law itself so there would be no mistake.. If you looked up the law on web you would probably see as big as day that you can hunt at night.. Who knows maybe they do this so less people will be out there at night time during deer season. Surely who ever spot checks the digest should get communications from the directors to make sure this is spelled out better in the digest..

On page 8 of the digest it does not show any updates that the law on hunting predators at night during the regular gun season changed.  If the PGC went and snunk one through on every predator hunter in Pa then that is a real sad move..I bet it just a wording thing again.. This gets so bad that I know of caring Pa Predator hunters that go Right to commissioners to confirm this year after year after year and it's always a wording thing...hence why  I guess why I'm a bet upset..


Does anyone know how to pull of the Game Law Code on the web that shows if fox, coon, and coyote hunting is legal at night time during the regular deer season.. This is where the true law is not in the digest book.



Ian thank you for posting this.  I was going to do some serious predator calling at night during this period since the fur is prime and not rubbed.  I really think who writes up the digest best try to put this important thing that is in the law into the digest.. The same wording that is in  the law.


Maybe Shawn will see this and we can get his feeling on the law in 2011.

[foxtrot]

The way I read it you can hunt coyotes but not fox.Its about as clear as mud..

[uncle buck]

I went to the Pa Game Commission web site and looked at the wildlife codes under the Law key.  I to am sorry to say that we may have lost the privilege to hunt coon, coyotes, and fox at night during the regular firearm deer season.. I could not find anything in the codes to off set what Ian high lighted in his post.


So there is a possibility that if you go hunting for fox at night during the regular deer season your going to get arrested..  I know you can't shoot fox in the day time but there was a time when you could shoot fox at night... Even the code that talks about shinning lights on ALL wildlife is prohibited during the regular gun season does not show an exception that predator hunter can still hunt with lights during this period...


If this is the case we as predator hunters have lost a privilege in Pa.  if this is the case this was one that was snuk through on everybody..


It would please me and help all PPHA members if one of the PPHA officers would contact the PGC at Harrisburg  and confirm if we have now lost this privilege? If I may suggest send an e-mail to the PGC and ask for a response by one of the Regional directors or someone in PGC law enforcement office at Harrisburg to confirm if this is true or not.. We shouldn't take the word of someone in the field.  Someone might get fined if we don't confirm if this is true or not.


Sadly....the duck hunters can still hunt ducks in the regular deer season and you can go hunt on a pay to hunt preserve but predator hunters have lost a privilege that prevailed for years and years and years..

[scott]

I spoke with the Northeast Regional office today about this and they said you can still hunt fox, coyote, and coon as soon as deer are no longer legal.  ie legal shooting times. 

[foxtrot]

Whats it going to take to get a definite answer on this?And it would be nice to have it in writing.

[beastman]

Every year this seems to come up but I've always wondered if fox were to go out during deer season then when I looked at the dates for the season wouldn't it have to be split like oct 30 - nov 28 then dec 11- feb 13 as an example?  I can't figure out if the people who make up the book do that on purpose or not, seems like printing hunting seasons would be a simple straight forward thing.

[Lookn4Fur]

Ok, I spoke to a WCO (Wildlife Conservation Officer) and an LES (Law Enforcement Supervisor) today.  Here is the answer.

During antlered/antlerless seasons you can hunt coyote during the day with a valid tag on the general hunting license or a furbearers license.  If you tag a deer you need to have a furbearers license to hunt coyote during the day.  At night either license will suffice.

For Raccoon, Fox and Bobcat you can hunt only at night with a furbearers license during the antlered/antlerless seasons.

A few very important things to remember are: 

You still can not hunt Raccoon on Sundays.

Bobcat are not in season during the rifle antlered/antlerless season.

The antlered/antlerless hunting day closes every evening and re-opens the next day within the set dates of the season.

Because there is no deer hunting at night, it is legal to hunt furbearers with a furtakers license.

This also applies to special regulation areas.

I hope this helps........Tim

[uncle buck]

Thanks Tim I appreciate your efforts...See people handling phones sometime at govt activities. In this case being the state and even at state parks they are just a clerk not anyone involved with laws. I think this is with Ian ran into when he called the SW telephone number..  Could be that this could have hurt Ian entire two week fox season if he listend to the girl.. I would like to say thank you to Ian for posting this on here.. It kind of confirmed what we need to hear each year.. The PGC people who write the words for the hunting digest  need to spell things out better.  Also like Beastman said if they closed fox season it should show it like they show small game season, closed and show it reopening after deer season.  In this case again that is proof that the fox season is not closed...

Thank you everyone for your comments and your efforts to contact the PGC,,   

[predator77]

Thank you very much, gentlemen.

[uncle buck]

Brother Tom also contacted the PGC board of directors  and they confirmed that you can hunt fox, coyotes, and coon at night time during the regular deer season...

Hope you all enjoy hunting predators at night time during the deer season... Suggest: that you don't hunt public lands.  Hunt on private lands that only you have permission to hunt on.. I never have a problem on the private lands that I can hunt on during this time frame..

Good Luck... Remember the fur is prime now so if you can find a SAFE place to hunt take advantage of it!!!
Best to call the property owners and tell them it will be you out there at night time..