Florida has no caliber minimum for deer???

[hogdogs]

Seems I remember that the reg used to state "Centerfire cartridge must be .240 or larger" making the .243 the smallest readily available common cartridge for florida big game...

Now I can only find that the cartridge for deer must be "centerfire" so it would seem the AR platform in basic .223 is now legal...???

Brent

 

[nathaniel]

I would call the game and fish to make sure but to me centerfire would mean the .223 or even .204. The thing most folks overlook are their states magazine capacity. Most states only allow 5 rounds or less. Safest bet would be to call the game and fish and make sure the law actually changed.

 

[Brian Pfleuger]

I wouldn't be surprised. NY has no caliber restriction and our deer are a lot bigger bodied than Florida deer.

 

[SPEMack618]

Georgia just requires a center-fire rifle caliber. So you can use .223, as I often do. Down here, it's hard to justify a thirty caliber rifle whn your longest humane shot maybe 150 yards.

 

[ripnbst]

In OK we have a 5rnd mag cap which is dumb but it does allow .223. You can get 5 rnd AR mags. I recommend the Stoner ones. The others I've used have been failures in one form or another.

 

[fishbones182]

In Florida the .223 is legal for deer. Most shots in the area im located in are 50 to 75 yards so a good clean ethical shot is not hard to make. The last three deer i got were in green swamp and the longest shot was 43 yards. I normally hunt with a 30/06 or 300 win mag. There are areas that i do hunt that allow for 150 plus yard shots.

 

[B.L.E.]

Any centerfire rifle can be used in Texas for deer. You can't use rimfire or air rifles and there is legislation pending to make silencers legal. (it still needs to be owned legally).
There's no minimum muzzleloading caliber either.

Some states still give hunters credit for having common sense and judgement.

 

[hogdogs]

Fla has a capacity limit of 5 rounds only on semi auto loaders ... Everything else is unlimited capacity...

Brent

 

[B.L.E.]

Fla has a capacity limit of 5 rounds only on semi auto loaders ... Everything else is unlimited capacity...

Otherwise, you wouldn't legally be able to use a tube magazine .30-30.

 

[hogdogs]

Unless the tube were "plugged" like a shotgun tube for migratory...

Brent

 

[B.L.E.]

The main advantage of a 3 round semiauto over a double barrel when hunting migratory fowl is that it allows the skybusters to miss the same bird three times instead of only twice.

 

[FrankenMauser]

I wouldn't be surprised. NY has no caliber restriction and our deer are a lot bigger bodied than Florida deer.

Florida has a bit of everything from Keys Deer, to Florida Coastal Whitetail, to Florida Whitetail, to Louisiana Whitetail, to Southern Whitetail. Some of the Southern Whitetail would easily be considered 'Bama deer... (mainly in the panhandle, anyway.)



As far as firearms.... It does look like they removed caliber restrictions for rifles.
Plus... I couldn't find any restrictions for handguns. When I was there, you couldn't use a rimfire; but that was the only handgun restriction for deer. Now, I can't even find that.

 

[Brian Pfleuger]

Florida has a bit of everything from Keys Deer, to Florida Coastal Whitetail, to Florida Whitetail, to Louisiana Whitetail, to Southern Whitetail. Some of the Southern Whitetail would easily be considered 'Bama deer... (mainly in the panhandle, anyway.)

What's the average field dressed weight of adult bucks and does of those various versions? I mean, actual scale verified weights. Up here, if you go by asking, the average doe is 150 and the big ones are 175. The bucks start at about 175 and go 250, even 300, for the big ones...

Until you actually use a scale....

then the doe average 95-105 and the bucks are lucky to go 150, big ones might make 200, really big ones 225.

 

[B.L.E.]

Maybe the problem of people trying to kill whitetails with .22 rimfires isn't the problem it used to be when deer hunting was done mainly by farmers and rural poor folks who happened to have land to hunt on.
Today, deer hunting is big business with people paying thousands for a deer lease and the problem today is convincing them that it doesn't take a .300 Weatherby Magnum to kill a whitetail more than it is that you need something bigger than a .22.

 

[hogdogs]

Brian, A "right fine" buck will weigh 125-150 hoof weight on a Moultrie game scale... A big dang slob will bust 150...

Does as far as I know are rarely weighed out but guess 90-125 pounds...

Unlike many states, florida only requires a "check in" during quota hunts on WMA's...

We drive right by the voluntary check stations usually...

Brent

 

[Deja vu]

I can hunt with a 25 acp there!


kidding but it would be legal.

 

[bcarver]

17 hornet

I assume the 17 hornet would be legal too. I have killed central mississippi deer weighing 224 but it was a monster. does 120 bucks 160 is common.
the 224 buck was killed with buckshot. The area of the lungs is not that much thicker on the largest deer than the smaller deer. The heavy deer will have swollen necks a hanging fat in the belly, not massive muscle or huge rib bones.

 

[FrankenMauser]

I can hunt with a 25 acp there!

During the 'rifle' deer season, there were a few days that I went out with nothing but a .380. ...But I was after coastal whitetails in an area where the average buck was 100 lbs, does were lucky to hit 80 lbs, and I wouldn't have a shot longer about 15 yards.

I wouldn't recommend it, but it seemed like a good idea at the time.

 

[B.L.E.]

I know someone who actually hunts Texas whitetails with a .22 Hornet, but he doesn't even shoulder the gun unless the deer is close enough and the shooting conditions are good enough that he can put that bullet behind the deer's ear with nearly 100% certaintly.
A .22Hornet behind the ear beats a .50BMG in the ankle.

 

[Scout]

I don't use a .223 here in central FL, but I would if that's what I had. The biggest deer I ever killed here was 165 on the hoof and he was the old man of the woods. On average 110 would be what I see here and 80 or 90 pounds for a good doe. I've ever shot a deer past 100 yards or so, either. 40 to 60 yards is more common.