MA Air Rifle Woodchuck and Rabbit Maintenance

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Hi Guys,

I was wondering if any more experienced MA hunters can help me decipher the Walpole by-laws on air rifle shooting and killing nuisance rabbit and wood chuck. I live on a suburban 1 acre plot and the rabbit and woodchuck numbers have gotten crazy. Its gotten to the point where I have bare spots on the lawn and my gardens are getting dug up before anything can grow. I have a decent .22 pcp air rifle and I want to use it to try and control some of the numbers. The way I read the by-laws below and according to MGL: 131 s37 I can shoot rabbit and woodchuck with my air rifle as long as it is reported within 24hrs. When I called the police station to confirm the dispatcher just said " not within 500ft of a dwelling" and hung up, which has confused the hell out of me because the distance section below only seems to apply to bows? Does that also mean that you cannot target practice with a bow on your own property? Can I target shoot with the air rifle on my own property? For reference I have taken the hunter training course, have not had a hunting license, and I do target Pistol shooing as well. I will be stopping by the police station with a printed copy of the by-laws in the near future to try and officially clear up these questions but in them meantime I would appreciate the input.

Thanks for any guidance!

A. No person shall, except with the written consent of the landowner or his authorized agent and where not otherwise prohibited by law, fire or discharge any firearm of any caliber or gauge, or a CO2 or an air rifle, or paintball gun, or release an arrow from a bow on any private property or hunt or trap in the Town; provided, however, that the provisions of this By-law shall not apply to Police Officers in the performance of their duties, nor to the use of such weapons at any military exercise or at an established shooting range, or sportsmen’s club, or in the lawful defense of the person, family or property of any citizen, or except as otherwise authorized or required by law.
B. No person while hunting or trapping on private property in the Town shall release an arrow from a bow within 150 feet of any road or within 500 feet of any dwelling in use, nor violate any other applicable state hunting or trapping law. No person shall hunt or trap on private property except when in possession of the carrying for inspection all licenses, permits, and stamps required for hunting or trapping under state law as well as written permission from the landowner or his authorized agent to hunt or trap on the property in question.
 
Get a Havahart trap and throw some lettuce in it.
Relocate under cover of darkness or dispatch and consume as dinner.
Not as much fun as whacking them with a pellet rifle, but you won't dragged into court.
And in my experience, I'd think you have to hit a woodchuck pretty hard with a .177 to kill them. I've had them make it back to the burrow after being shot with a .22LR.
 
"if you've gotten anything from NES in six years, the most important thing would be ...Read the post above !!!!"

which part? the IANAL part or the don't ask the PD?

I unfortunately haven't spent much time here, Joined when I started researching legality of different firearms when I thought a SBR would be fun. Then discovered my shooting aspirations didn't match my spending capability not by a long shot.

Thank you for the advice!
 
You need to make you yard less attractive to the vermin given you stated a suburban setting.
If your yard contains better forage then the neighbor's rabbits/woodchucks are just going to migrate to your yard unless you are very efficient at reducing the population.

Had you not called the police already then using subsonic ammo and a SSS** attitude would have likely been sufficient to fill up your fridge with some great free range long eared chicken

**: SSS = Shoot, Shovel, Shutup
 
"if you've gotten anything from NES in six years, the most important thing would be ...Read the post above !!!!"

which part? the IANAL part or the don't ask the PD?

I unfortunately haven't spent much time here, Joined when I started researching legality of different firearms when I thought a SBR would be fun. Then discovered my shooting aspirations didn't match my spending capability not by a long shot.

Thank you for the advice!

Definitely the "don't ask the PD" part. They are not your friends, unless one of them is actually family friend. Then I still wouldn't ask them about this stuff.

I also have a couple PCP guns for pest control.

Do you have a moderator for your gun? Or can you throttle it down to subsonic velocities with an aftermarket regulator? If so, as mentioned, S.S.S. One thing I wish was more widely talked about was that sometimes more velocity isn't a great solution. I'd rather have a .30 cal gun at just under subsonic velocities than some barn burner .177 for doing work in a neighborhood.

If you can't, or have sh*tty lib neighbors, proceed with caution. I can guarantee you're already on the PD radar.
 
hes-coming-right-at-us.jpg
 
I've been told that shooting an air rifle from inside your home through an open window or door makes it very quiet to outside observers.

As for the have a heart traps... relocating wildlife is against the law.
 
Havaheart trap + barrel of water = less problems
Have a friend whose dad went on a skunk catching spree with have a heart traps, then took them swimming at the lake. My friend said his dad asked him if he wanted to go help him, so he did. Got there and saw about 30 dead skunk washed up on the shore!!
 
IANAL

It seems that the Town's bylaws are more restrictive than the State's hunting regs, as the exemption from the 500' from a building in use with permission in the State regs, is missing.

Since the State's definition of "Hunting" is very broad, I'd say that based on the text you posted that it's unlawful to take any game within 500' of any building in use in your town.

I'd buy a fox, or coyote.

Of course, then you have those to deal with, so you'll need bigger predators.....


View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LuiK7jcC1fY
 
Maybe this.......

 
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