Here at Inside Out Outdoors we keep a close eye on the always changing hunting regulations, mostly in NC for now. With that being said, I have reviewed the latest publication of the NC Wildlife regulations here. A great feature of the publication is that all of the changes from the previou year are written in red text to make them stand out! One of the regulations that caught my eye was the following:
"If a hunter kills or wounds a big game animal during legal shooting
hours the hunter may use a portable light source and a single dog
on a leash to assist the hunter in retrieving the dead or wounded
big game animal and may dispatch a wounded big game animal
using a .22-caliber rimfire pistol, archery equipment, or a handgun
otherwise legal for that hunting season. If necessary, the hunter
may also retrieve wounded big game in this manner from 30 minutes
after sunset to 11:00 p.m. The hunter may not use a motorized
vehicle when searching for the wounded animal"
I'm happy to see that NC has allowed the use of dogs to find wounded game! More and more states are allowing this type of retrieval method. In summary, a hunter who kills or wounds a big game animal during legal shooting hours can use a portable light source such as a spot light, lantern, etc, in combination with ONE dog on a leash to help find the animal. Not only can you do this during daylight hours but you can also track in this fashion until 11:00pm. This gives the hunter a chance to find their game that they have shot close to dark! If the animal is still alive once found it may be killed using a .22-caliber rimfire pistol, archery equipment or a hand gun that is legal for that hunting season. If we are talking about deer season, this handgun must fulfill the following requirement as documented on page 42 of the hunting regulations:
"Deer, bear and wild boar may be taken with a handgun during the
established gun hunting season provided that the handgun is not
less than .24-caliber. Muzzleloading pistols are not legal for hunting."
Also remember that handguns cannot be carried during the Archery season except for big game retrieval!
Please give the latest edition of the regulations a read before you head to the field this year to make sure you know all of the latest regulation changes and additions! I'm really happy about this new addition to the regulations as it should hopefully help hunters find their game without having to wait until morning to finish tracking. This should also help decrease the number of deer that are lost and/or spoil due to the NC heat during the early season. If you have any questions please let us know and we can contact the Wildlife commission and get clarification. Remember, if you just want to give the regs a quick glance to see if anything is different, look for the red text as that indicates changes from the previous year.
-Paul Nicolucci
"If a hunter kills or wounds a big game animal during legal shooting
hours the hunter may use a portable light source and a single dog
on a leash to assist the hunter in retrieving the dead or wounded
big game animal and may dispatch a wounded big game animal
using a .22-caliber rimfire pistol, archery equipment, or a handgun
otherwise legal for that hunting season. If necessary, the hunter
may also retrieve wounded big game in this manner from 30 minutes
after sunset to 11:00 p.m. The hunter may not use a motorized
vehicle when searching for the wounded animal"
I'm happy to see that NC has allowed the use of dogs to find wounded game! More and more states are allowing this type of retrieval method. In summary, a hunter who kills or wounds a big game animal during legal shooting hours can use a portable light source such as a spot light, lantern, etc, in combination with ONE dog on a leash to help find the animal. Not only can you do this during daylight hours but you can also track in this fashion until 11:00pm. This gives the hunter a chance to find their game that they have shot close to dark! If the animal is still alive once found it may be killed using a .22-caliber rimfire pistol, archery equipment or a hand gun that is legal for that hunting season. If we are talking about deer season, this handgun must fulfill the following requirement as documented on page 42 of the hunting regulations:
"Deer, bear and wild boar may be taken with a handgun during the
established gun hunting season provided that the handgun is not
less than .24-caliber. Muzzleloading pistols are not legal for hunting."
Also remember that handguns cannot be carried during the Archery season except for big game retrieval!
Please give the latest edition of the regulations a read before you head to the field this year to make sure you know all of the latest regulation changes and additions! I'm really happy about this new addition to the regulations as it should hopefully help hunters find their game without having to wait until morning to finish tracking. This should also help decrease the number of deer that are lost and/or spoil due to the NC heat during the early season. If you have any questions please let us know and we can contact the Wildlife commission and get clarification. Remember, if you just want to give the regs a quick glance to see if anything is different, look for the red text as that indicates changes from the previous year.
-Paul Nicolucci
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