What you legally may hunt

[Progun]

In Tennessee, all small game may be hunted with air rifles except migratory birds.

[only1harry]

What?  You can't hunt with an air rifle in PA either?  You gotta be kidding me!  
I was thinking of moving to Eastern PA not too long ago because it would have been a shorter commute to work for me (in Jersey).  That doesn't make any sense.  They give out handgun permits like they are candy in PA, but won't let you hunt small game with an airgun.. Who comes up with these laws?  Obviously someone whose neighbor that he/she doesn't get along with, shoots airguns in their back yard.

[RatPatrol]

The no arigun rule has been in effect for at least 30 years...I suspect commercially available airguns were not powerful enough maybe?

[PeakChick]

Colorado is fairly liberal about what may or may not be taken with an pellet rifle and they are specifcally listed as an approved method of take for most game, with the exceptions being game with minimum energy requirements.

http://wildlife.state.co.us/NR/rdonlyres/A348F16A-1B28-440E-9245-EB4E4630ACCE/0/Ch03.pdf

[only1harry]

Wow, CO gives you guys a lot more detail than NY does!  The NY DEC laws or web site contains less than 5% of the information and detail that CO provides.  Incredible!

[PeakChick]

Hunting is a VERY big thing here Harry, and a huge source of tourism and revenue for our state. CO DOW also takes their job very seriously (they are funded soley by revenue from hunters, no tax dollars.) DOW will impound all your equipment, guns, truck etc and fine the heck out of you if you are caught poaching or engaged in other illegal hunting. Good on them........ CO has the largest Mule Deer and Elk herd populations in the U.S.

[only1harry]

I figued that.. but small-game?  I guess a lot of outsiders (out-of-state hunters) would visit CO for various "water foul" hunting, but the detail they go into, about every small-game animal and each bird, the method of taking them, when and how, male female, caliber, etc. is extraordinary.  I like that for some animals they allow you to exceed the bag-limit if you didn't make the limit on some others..  That's great that they go into it in such depth and provide all that info.  Here in NY much of it is open to interpretation and some imagination (small-game anyway).  Hunting licenses bring in tens of millions of $ here too.  Their web site on small-game including fur-bearer, birds and everything I believe is less than a handful of pages with larger font than yours (7 pages max I would say.  CO DOW wrote a book on small-game alone!

[raterminator]

Frank, maybe the hunters 30 years ago themselves did not take airguns seriously as a hunting weapon and this fact reflected on jurisdiction and no rules about airguns in many states. Anyway, I think if the hunters decide to take a stand, they can make some States enact laws about airguns through the NRA (as Tim suggested in another thread). I think there should be some common rules which may vary slightly from East to West coast depending on the game.

[raterminator]

Maybe the hunters 30 years ago themselves did not take airguns seriously as a hunting weapon and this fact reflected on jurisdiction and no rules about airguns in many states. Anyway, I think if the hunters decide to take a stand, they can make some States enact laws about airguns through the NRA (as Tim suggested in another thread). I think there should be some common rules which may vary slightly from East to West coast depending on the game.

[gamo2hammerli]

In Quebec, Canada..... NOTHING ..... I think most air gunners here just use them for plinking, informal shooting and pest control. The provincial hunting rules say air guns are not powerful enough for a humane kill. I guess they haven't been up to date..... but then they (Canadian maybe even the provincial govt) state anything over 500fps is considered a real firearm. Licenses and courses are required before you can purchase them.

[RatPatrol]

That's my fear in a nutshell.
I would rather the state to stay the course and not allow airguns to be used for hunting.
If they scrutinize our sport, I think eventually they will enact laws against powerful airguns like Canada and the U.K. have.
A large number of us who enjoy shooting them in our back yards in populated areas will be out of luck.

[raterminator]

http://www.gatewaytoairguns.com/airguns/forums/thread-view.asp?tid=9620&mid=71683#M71683