HUNTING SEASONS & TYPES OF WEAPONS USED

[Terry Lightle]

Longbow and wood arrows,54 caliber flintlock,and 223 or 22-250 for coyotes

 

[dfrahm]

I think one of the greatest concerns the rule-makers have is maintaining and hopefully increasing participation in hunting, especially in younger age brackets. How those rule-makers choose to market those opportunities will and should continue to evolve from that perspective. And they should also consider such changes might be perceived by the old farts like me.

If there are enough customers or potential customers who want a special season where you can only hunt with a sharpened #2 pencil no greater than 8" in length, then such a season may become a reality (especially if some large pencil manufacturers that help lobby the state for it).

Personally, I feel like the primary challenges these special seasons offer is limited range to target, time to reload, etc. which in turn create a more challenging experience.

So I try to be accepting of the changes so long as they are not significantly lessening those fundamental challenges. But who and how we decide what challenges are fundamental is the tricky question (e.g., archery trigger releases, compound bow let-off, etc.)

Along with the 'get more people hunting' argument is the next sentence, 'we can't draw a license under the point system'.

 

[Buckys]

Along with the 'get more people hunting' argument is the next sentence, 'we can't draw a license under the point system'.

Definitely true. In my home state, we can buy our own hunting land, pay exhorbinant fees to lease land, hunt general public hunting access areas or enter the lottery system for state hunts on wildlife management areas. the latter used to be a good option twenty years ago but now many years, you just don't get drawn and when you do it is for specific dates which are often a tue-wed-thu arrangement. I'm sure x-bows have increased the applications to the archery-only opportunities and affected those odds as well. The best archery hunt was a federal property which required bow hunter education and an annual proficiency test which was not a requirement for the state land hunts and certainly culled the herd of applicants. But it was always hard to get drawn for a rifle hunt on the best wildlife management areas - a resident could expect to wait 10-20 years back 20yrs ago for some of those. Hunting with a bow shortened that significantly but there was still almost always a wait (unless you got lucky). Will probably never get drawn for the antelope lottery hunt.

Best solution I've found here - get a good job, rent some land, get a better job, buy some land.

I envy you all in the mountain states and miss my boyhood home in the northern midwest ... your public hunting and lottery systems are imperfect and crowded but you have a lot better opportunities for public hunting than some of us.

 

[JustMe2]

Always been a divide and conquer issue in my mind. Cost us all in the long run.

I agree. My opinion is to get rid of all the various weapons seasons. There should not be different seasons for archery, muzzle, etc. If you want to use a particular weapon, then use it, but no special privileges just because you selected that weapon. So what if it's harder to get an animal with a bow than a 300WM, that's your choice, but no special treatment. Also where is ethical in primitive weapons which lack the accuracy or efficiency of modern firearms? Let's go hunting and wound a bunch of animals. Makes absolutely no sense to me to use a degraded firearm for hunting. Shoot paper with them instead of making animals suffer.

 

[Jbumblebee]

"Also, where is ethical in primitive weapons which lack the accuracy or efficiency of modern firearms? Let's go hunting and wound a bunch of animals. Makes absolutely no sense to me to use a degraded firearm for hunting. Shoot paper with them instead of making animals suffer."

So, what you're saying is that until modern firearms were invented all who hunted were unethical because they could possibly wound an animal?

I would be willing to bet there are more wounded animals with modern firearms than those primitive weapons. But, you're welcome to your opinion.

 

[JustMe2]

So, what you're saying is that until modern firearms were invented all who hunted were unethical because they could possibly wound an animal?

I would be willing to bet there are more wounded animals with modern firearms than those primitive weapons. But, you're welcome to your opinion.

NO! That is not what I'm saying. As man advanced so did his weaponry. The spear improved the rock, the bow improved the spear, the smooth bore muzzle loader improved the thunder bust, rifling improved ... , etc. Our ancestors used the best technology available during their lifetime. We should also use the best and not go backwards. I'll guarantee more deer every year are not recovered by bow hunters than modern rifle hunters as a percentage of each type. It's because most hunters do not practice in the off season, bow, muzzle and rifle, and bows need much more practice to shoot accurately and judge distance than a modern scoped rifle. Why do you think the military upgraded to scopes on most rifles now? It's because it's an advantage over swords, bows and arrows.

 

[Terry Lightle]

I take a great amount of pride in getting so close to animals when I hunt so as to be able to kill them with a longbow.Think my average distance for bow kills is around 10 or 12 yards including a bull moose at 6 yards,a black bear at 5 yards and another black bear at 15 or so yards.Have killed deer as close as 5 yards with my longbow from the ground.Year before last killed a doe at 18 yards with my flintlock,if people would learn to do a better job hunting they would see it gets a lot easier to kill animals.I respect opinions above,but I will continue to hunt how I want as long as it is within the law.Glad I had my scoped 223 for the 15 yard shot on my last coyote.

 

[338 dude]

"Also, where is ethical in primitive weapons which lack the accuracy or efficiency of modern firearms? Let's go hunting and wound a bunch of animals. Makes absolutely no sense to me to use a degraded firearm for hunting. Shoot paper with them instead of making animals suffer."

So, what you're saying is that until modern firearms were invented all who hunted were unethical because they could possibly wound an animal?

I would be willing to bet there are more wounded animals with modern firearms than those primitive weapons. But, you're welcome to your opinion.

When you have an awesome weapon you can sometimes be overconfident,when you're under gunned I could see you being nervous and more careful. Now the other side of the coin with a lesser weapon it is easier to make mistakes so it can go either way really.CHOICES

 

[JustMe2]

I take a great amount of pride in getting so close to animals when I hunt so as to be able to kill them with a longbow.Think my average distance for bow kills is around 10 or 12 yards including a bull moose at 6 yards,a black bear at 5 yards and another black bear at 15 or so yards.Have killed deer as close as 5 yards with my longbow from the ground.Year before last killed a doe at 18 yards with my flintlock,if people would learn to do a better job hunting they would see it gets a lot easier to kill animals.I respect opinions above,but I will continue to hunt how I want as long as it is within the law.Glad I had my scoped 223 for the 15 yard shot on my last coyote.

Good for you. You are by far an exception to, my guess, 95 percent of bow hunters. As I stated, most and I mean 90 percent of hunters do not practice shooting. I have talked to many in the various hunting clubs/leases I have been in over the last 50 years and the majority do not practice. I try to encourage them to practice and they are not interested. Sad, but true.

 

[Jon Bischof]

I'm for whatever unites all hunters and shooters against the Marxist/Atheist Socialists who are working hard to take away all of our freedoms. "We had better all hang together or we shall all hang seperately."

 

[Terry Lightle]

I agree it is sad that people will not put in the effort to be good enough with a weapon to get good enough with it to make clean quick kills,have seen those people and try to distance myself from them

 

[338 dude]

I don't shoot year-round but I do practice quite a bit in the month or two before season I have pins to 50 yards and routinely shoot 60. I don't wanna be one of the guys you are describing!50yds

 

[Jbumblebee]

Yes, the point I was trying to make is that it's the PERSON, not the WEAPON.

 

[PBramble]

When I started hunting in the early 60s there were "Seasons" for Big Game.
We had "Rifle", "Bow", and "Black Powder -Muzzle Loader"
Everyone knew what Rifle, Bow & "Black Powder -Muzzle Loader" was.
Over the years things have changed where I can't understand the meaning anymore.
Hunters wanted to change "Black Powder -Muzzle Loading from Black Powder into "Muzzle loading Smokeless Powder"
No Longer " Primitive Weapons" Like I was accustomed to. Black Powder Muzzle loading Flint lock or Cap along with a Bow & Arrow.
What is a "Primitive Weapon Anymore"??? We have Crossbows & AirBows to take the place of a Long Bow. Then getting into Muzzle Loaders they have taken away Black Powder and even Muzzle loading and replaced with Smokeless Powder.
The Primitive Weapons are now loaded from the Breach with a Smokeless Powder Charge, a Sabot or bullet that fits the barrel and an ignition system. Seems just like a CARTRIDGE.
Why have a Primitive Weapons Season when the new weapons that are used are the same as a modern rifle???
Just have Smokeless Rifle Season with loading powder charges and bullet at the breach with a primer or electrical ignition.
Why hunt with these imitation Primitive Weapons. Is it because Hunters can't hunt with Primitive Weapons???
In the 60s I hunted with a Hawkins 50 Cal flintlock. Yes difficult due to the "FlintLock" and also having to worry about the weather (rain). Still have my long Bow and Aluminum Arrows. Thought that was cheating having metal arrows.
To me it doesn't make any sense to have a Primitive Weapon season anymore. Well we can still have Bow Season with out the AIR Bow or Crossbow. Just call it Crossbow season.
Just an opinion from a former Primitive Weapon Hunter.

Honestly, this view could be applied to any of the seasons. Why not only allow black powder cartridge guns for hunting period? Open sights only? I mean, I know guys who are competitive long range competition shooters with black powder guns and peep sights.

How about black powder shotguns only for turkeys? Does TSS give too much of an advantage?

What about youth seasons? Less pressure on animals if the kids have to hunt with the grown ups.

I think the bottom line is that with modern times comes new technology that makes things better and more efficient at doing the job they were designed for. No one is forcing anyone to use this new technology, but it's available for anyone who does. The division that's created by these "sides" isn't good for the sport in any way shape or form. And unfortunately, it's the same argument used by those who would like to see those same technological advances out of general public hands. And it's very similar to people making other choices in life. Why would anyone need a car that goes 140 or more when the speed limit is well below that in every state? Does anyone need a house bigger than a certain size? If we're going to go all out, what was wrong with outhouses and hand wells? It's all personal choice.

I also saw a reference to hunting abilities and practices skimming through. I think that the answer there is that with the schedules and free time that people have, their just isn't as much focus put on hunting until the season rolls around. We're all busier now with jobs, family and whatever the kids are into these days. It ties up a lot of time. I'm sure most people are making the best they can with what they have to work with. I know in my current situation, I'm afforded the ability to spend a lot more time scouting and just outdoors in general than my friends. I can count the number of times I've come home skunked in my life on one hand. I can count the number of times they've connected on my other. But we all still have a good time when we go and we still do it every year.