what is the minimum legal caliber/cartridge for big-game hunting in your country?
(i already know the minimum in Norway and Sweden).

A fellow engineer, who was hunting occasionally in Switzerland, told me that, at least in one of cantons, minimum calibre for mounting goats was 9.3. Apparently, years ago local authorities decided that with lesser calibres too many animals were wounded and lost. A switch to 9.3+ rule reduced considerably a number of lost animals. Personally, I wouldn't even consider anything less than 6.5 mm...

Germany: Hochwild ("high game" like red deer, fallow deer, wild boar, may not be really big): minimum caliber 6.5 mm, minimum bullet energy at 100 m is 2000 Joule.
The smaller roe deer has no minimum caliber, but min. 1000 Joule at 100 m.

Switzerland: different from canton to canton.
In my canton Zug a minimum caliber of 7 mm, min. energy at 200 m is 2000 J.
Graubünden requires a min. caliber of 10.2 mm.
There are no mountain goats in Switzerland, but chamois and ibex.

Fuhrmann

In Belgium :

Roedeer only (still/stand hunting, NOT drive hunt) : minimum 5,56 mm, 980 J 100 meters.

All big game (Red deer, Fallow deer, Wild boar, Mouflon, driven Roedeer) AND drive hunting : minimum 6,5 mm, 2200 J 100 meters.

In Italy the legal minimum is 5.56 mm. but local regulations may differ; for instance, I know about a place where the minimum caliber for red stag hunting is 7 mm. and the 270 Win. is not allowed.

Holland:
Exactly the same as in Belgium

quote:

Originally posted by fuhrmann:
Germany: Hochwild ("high game" like red deer, fallow deer, wild boar, may not be really big): minimum caliber 6.5 mm, minimum bullet energy at 100 m is 2000 Joule.
The smaller roe deer has no minimum caliber, but min. 1000 Joule at 100 m.

Fuhrmann

when you say minimum caliber of 6.5mm, i assume you mean bore, but just to make it clear:
do you mean bullet size or bore size?

That's what the law says:

(1) Verboten ist
1. mit Schrot, Posten, gehacktem Blei, Bolzen oder Pfeilen, auch als Fangschuß, auf Schalenwild und Seehunde zu schießen;
2.
a) auf Rehwild und Seehunde mit Büchsenpatronen zu schießen, deren Auftreffenergie auf 100 m (E 100) weniger als 1000 Joule beträgt;
b) auf alles übrige Schalenwild mit Büchsenpatronen unter einem Kaliber von 6,5 mm zu schießen; im Kaliber 6,5 mm und darüber müssen die Büchsenpatronen eine Auftreffenergie auf 100 m (E 100) von mindestens 2000 Joule haben;

As a lay person, I cannot tell what the law really means - field, land or bullet diameter. But I have seen some lengthy and useless discussions in German hunting forum about this.

Fuhrmann

UK minima is .240". In practical terms this is 6mm.

Rgds Ian

Slovenia:

Bear

min. cal. 7,0 (.284) min. bullet weight 11,0g, E100 3000 J

For grown Red deer, steinbock , fallow deer, boar

min. cal. 6,5 (.257), min. bullet weight 9,0g, E100 2500 J

Piglets, red deer calf, fallow calf, chamois, mouflon, wolf

min. cal. 6,0 (.243), min. bullet weight 6,0g, E100 1800 J

Roe deer, marmot, lynx

min. cal 5,6 (.222), min. bullet weight 3,2g, E100 1000 J

Texas, USA: Rimfires prohibited for deer, otherwise, no minimum caliber.

Some states used to have antiquated minimums on the length of the cartridge, but most of those regulations have been repealed. Some states require bullets of at least ".23 Caliber" in order to prohibit .22 centerfires.

In states where deer is classed as vermin anything goes, in states that it is classed as game there is usually a .243 minimum limit. In my home state it gets complicated.
Samba and Red deer: minimum .277 bullet diameter, with 130g bullet and 2†(51 mm) case length
Hog deer and Fallow deer: minimum .243 bullet diameter, with 100g bullet and 2†(51mm) case length
You may also use bow and arrow (specifications exist) black powder rifle (specifications exist) but not a shotgun or a pistol.

NZ, no rules.
.223 and .222 are two of the most popular calibres for "Big Game" e.g. Red stag, wild boar.
This will cause many to gasp, I'm sure.
.243 is also very popular.
Biggest selling calibre is 7mm-08

Finland:
Class 4: Big(gest) game = elk and bear:
min 9g bullet, E100 min 2700J or
min 10g bullet, E100 min 2000J

Class 3: Whitetail deer, wild boar (and a bunch of larger deer in the class of whitetail/sika deer/royal stag but whose names in English I'm not sure about; roe deer is in class 2):
min 6g bullet, E100 min 2000J or
min 8g bullet, E100 min 1700J

Apart of that, no minimum calibre requirement.

On class 3 and 4 no full-metal jacket bullet may be used (does not limit the use of expanding copper bullets like Barnes X, Lapua Naturalis).
Shotgun may not be used on class 3 or 4 (nor on seal nor mouflon sheep) and shotgun slug may not be used on class 4.

In practice approx. 90% of this class game is taken with (in order of popularity): .308Win, .30-06Spr., 9,3x62 (and also still 7,62x53R).

In Northern Ireland there is a minimum calibre of .236", minumum energy I think 1700joules and minimum bullet weight of 100gr. Effectively means a .243win with a 100gr bullet is required.

Not sure in the Rep of Ireland, minimum used to be .222rem with .270 the max. The max has been increased to 300mag.

just being a smart arse claret but it is 1700 FT LBs energy. in the south it is min 22-250 up to 30 cal (I think 300 win mag if your local cop lets you have it) but anyone new to the game now has to use a 243 or bigger, but if you have had a 22-250 for a while you can still use it.

I knew it was something like that - joules, Ft/lbs whatever...

I think in the south, the whims of the local guard inspector is about 90% of the story.

I shot my first deer in Donegal with an old Midland 22/250 - the only time I have ever used one.