Coyote and fox season?

[JerseyJaysTaxidermy]

A few years back I remember them changing the season dates to allow the harvest of fox and coyote during the early bow season...

 

Here is how it was written in the digest in 2016:

 

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[JerseyJaysTaxidermy]

In 2017, it's written in this confusing way that makes me think it's not open now.. but it's not written in red, so it seems like it isn't something new or changed..

Also, their page number references are not correct..

 

It shows for gun season and turkey season, but not bow??

 

What's the deal??

 

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[vdep217]

Jsy it's open. The regs under coyote n fox and dates are targeting them specifically. Coyote and fox may be harvested during any open deer season

[JerseyJaysTaxidermy]

Why do they make it a point to mention turkey, 6day, permit muzzy, and permit shotgun bit clearly don't mention fall bow?

 

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[vdep217]

Not sure but it does say any open deer season. The restrictions are the projectile used must be legal for deer hunting

[Lunatic]

In 2017, it's written in this confusing way that makes me think it's not open now.. but it's not written in red, so it seems like it isn't something new or changed..

Also, their page number references are not correct..

 

It shows for gun season and turkey season, but not bow??

 

What's the deal??

 

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk

 

 

Jay, in what you highlighted they are not restricting September. They just talk about another incidental season without overwriting the "during ALl open deer seasons". They specifically state except for restrictions under Coyote and Fox so you have to find something overwriting the ALL deer seasons. at least IMO

[Lunatic]

Not sure but it does say any open deer season. The restrictions are the projectile used must be legal for deer hunting

 

 

Yes and that's the only restriction I find. I agree its open now

[mazzgolf]

Go to page 54 of this year's digest - you'll see the same chart you posted for the yote-fox season (your first image you posted from the '16 digest - that same chart is on page 54 in this year's digest).

 

And yes the dates look to have been changed back to no longer allow yote-fox hunting in early bow (aka EAB) season.

 

Bow season for fox-yote starts on Sept 30 (reading the chart on page 54), first column on the left.

 

However, those other things you highlighted are for incidental harvesting - reading those, it means if you are hunting for deer, you can take a yote incidental right now (since you can legally hunt deer in some zones during this early bow/EAB season that means you can incidentally harvest yote/fox as well). You just can't explicitly target/hunt them with bow until Sept 30.

[Lunatic]

Go to page 54 of this year's digest - you'll see the same chart you posted for the yote-fox season (your first image you posted from the '16 digest - that same chart is on page 54 in this year's digest).

 

And yes the dates look to have been changed back to no longer allow yote-fox hunting in early bow (aka EAB) season.

 

Bow season for fox-yote starts on Sept 30 (reading the chart on page 54), first column on the left.

 

However, those other things you highlighted are for incidental harvesting - reading those, it means if you are hunting for deer, you can take a yote incidental right now (since you can legally hunt deer in some zones during this early bow/EAB season that means you can incidentally harvest yote/fox as well). You just can't explicitly target/hunt them with bow until Sept 30.

 

 

I agree !

[Matty]

I don't know man. 

 

Some people act like it's cut and dry, but I think it's all worded very poorly. I could see it interpreted either way.

Seems like there have been more instances of this poor or vague wording in this years digest. They must have filled that empty position they were hiring for on indeed.com:

 

"The NJ Division of Fish and Wildlife seeks a candidate with poor written communicative skills to re-write the yearly digest in a manner such as to totally confuse hunters and anglers, in hopes of generating revenue through tickets and citations. Please apply with a poorly crafted, cognitively confusing, email to the following address."

 

[GhostBear]

I don't know man. 

 

Some people act like it's cut and dry, but I think it's all worded very poorly. I could see it interpreted either way.

 

Seems like there have been more instances of this poor or vague wording in this years digest. They must have filled that empty position they were hiring for on indeed.com:

 

"The NJ Division of Fish and Wildlife seeks a candidate with poor written communicative skills to re-write the yearly digest in a manner such as to totally confuse hunters and anglers, in hopes of generating revenue through tickets and citations. Please apply with a poorly crafted, cognitively confusing, email to the following address."

 

this! ^^^^^ Lololol

[Lunatic]

I don't know man. 

 

Some people act like it's cut and dry, but I think it's all worded very poorly. I could see it interpreted either way.

Seems like there have been more instances of this poor or vague wording in this years digest. They must have filled that empty position they were hiring for on indeed.com:

 

"The NJ Division of Fish and Wildlife seeks a candidate with poor written communicative skills to re-write the yearly digest in a manner such as to totally confuse hunters and anglers, in hopes of generating revenue through tickets and citations. Please apply with a poorly crafted, cognitively confusing, email to the following address."

 

 

 

I think you are 100% right, they don't know what they are doing. However; I believe if you take one tomorrow and the CO gives you a ticket you will win in court.

[BenedictGomez]

This confused the helloutofme the other day when this issue arose due to the nimrod who shot the malamute.   

 

I BELIEVE coyote are still perfectly legal incidental to E.A.B. deer hunting as we've heard of no change, and that NJ F&G just wrote this extremely poorly.  

 

That said, taken verbatim exactly as written, it means coyote are illegal right now during E.A.B.

Edited September 22, 2017 by BenedictGomez

[BenedictGomez]

 

 

Some people act like it's cut and dry, but I think it's all worded very poorly. I could see it interpreted either way.

 

 

I cant. There is only one interpretation that can me made by reading the F&G digest, and that is that coyote hunting incidental to deer hunting is illegal until September 30th.  

 

But the idiot who shot the dog was said to have not been hunting illegally, so we can only assume one of two things:

 

A.)  The digest is written HORRENDOUSLY, and it's still perfectly legal to incidentally kill a coyote during E.A.B.

B.)  The F&G officer who investigated the shooting of the family pet, himself didn't know of a new rule change.

 

My money is on 'A' being the correct answer.

Edited September 22, 2017 by BenedictGomez

[mazzgolf]

That said, taken verbatim exactly as written, it means coyote are illegal right now during E.A.B.

 

After reading closely, this I agree with. You just have to read legalese and it makes sense

 

Here's what we know:

 

Bow-only season for yote-fox starts September 30. Bow+firearm for yote-fox continues through March 15. So hunting yote-fox with bow is legal from September 30 through March 15.

 

Forget the digest, the actual law (NJAC § 7:25-5.19 - see below) states incidental taking of fox-yote is only legal during turkey season and deer firearm seasons (this matches what the digest says). Note that it doesn't mention bow - this eliminates the early EAB season for incidental harvest of fox-yote.

 

Note that it isn't "incidental" if you shoot it after Sept 30 with a bow because they are IN SEASON at that point. Doesn't matter if you were sitting in your stand hoping for a deer - you can legally shoot with your bow any fox/yote after Sept 30 because they are in season no matter what.

 

Here's the NJ administrative code related to yote-fox hunting - note is says nothing about incidental taking of yote/fox with bow (just like the digest) which tells me legally it is not ok to take a yote-fox incidental during EAB:

 

§ 7:25-5.19 Red fox (Vulpes vulpes), gray fox (Urocyon cinereoargenteus), and coyote (Canis latrans) hunting

   (a) The duration of the red fox, gray fox, and coyote hunting season is as follows:

1. Bow and Arrow Only: Begins concurrently with the white-tailed deer fall bow season, as specified in N.J.A.C. 7:25-5.25(a)1, and concludes the Friday following the first Monday in November, inclusive.

 

2. Firearm or Bow and Arrow: Beginning on the Saturday following the first Monday in November and concluding the following March 15, inclusive.

 

3. Notwithstanding (a)1 and 2 above, coyote may be taken by licensed turkey hunters when encountered incidental to hunting turkey in accordance with N.J.A.C. 7:25-5.7. Turkey hunters may not have coyote calls or coyote decoys in their possession or take any action intended to attract coyote for take.

 

...Properly licensed persons hunting deer during the six-day firearm, muzzleloader rifle permit or shotgun permit deer seasons may kill fox or coyote, if the fox or coyote is encountered before said person has taken the season bag limit of deer. However, after the person has taken a daily bag limit of deer he or she must cease hunting immediately.

 

So you ask - why don't they make the same statement about bow hunting? Why don't they say you can take a yote-fox incidental while bow hunting deer? Here's what I think. Because if you are hunting deer or fox/yote with bow, the season dates overlap and more importantly your weapon is the same - broadheads - and thus are legal for both. So you do not need an exception. BUT! If you are hunting deer with a muzzy or with slugs or buckshot, THOSE ARE NOT LEGAL for fox/yote. Thus, there has to be an exception in the law to make it legal for you to shoot a yote/fox with ammunition that is NOT legal if you were explicitly hunting fox/yote. Otherwise, there would be no incidental taking of yote-fox at all.

 

But because there is no exception saying "you can take fox/yote incidental to those legally bow hunting deer" that eliminates EAB season - you cannot take a yote-fox until September 30 with a bow.

 

Read the laws and see if you don't come to the same conclusion. If there IS an exception to taking yote-fox during EAB, I'd like to see it in writing, because so far, I haven't seen it.