Types of Hunting Laws

Hunting laws fall into three basic categories.

• Federal laws regulate the taking of migratory bird species, such as doves and waterfowl, ducks, geese, and swans. Doves and waterfowl breed in Canada and the United States and winter in the southern United States and Mexico. The authority to manage them is in the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, an international treaty among our three nations.
• State and provincial laws and regulations manage the hunting of non-migratory species, such as deer, rabbits, turkeys, and pheasants. States and provinces manage wildlife and regulate hunting using laws and regulations.
• Municipal laws may restrict, for example, the shooting of a firearm within a certain proximity to a home or residential neighborhood.