Pennsylvania Passed Bill To Use Semi-Auto Rifles!

[LeePaHunter]

Not all hunters have the common sense or nerve to hold on target after that first shot to see if they can even get a second shot. And in the Pa. woods very rarely do you ever get a second or third shot you know that as well as I do. But if your a good hunter, can handle a semi auto and known your limits with an semi auto why not hunt deer and bear with one.

I am not saying it would be bad but you know as well as I do the same guys who are shooting irresponsibly will also be using them which means theyll just be able to throw the lead even faster than before which make me the woods even unsafe. I have four young boys of my own that love to hunt but I couldn't imagine taking them into the woods with those guys around. I have property of my own to hunt which only a portion os posted for liability issues due to an old hand dug well from back in the early days which is why it is posted but the rest I leave open. Now if they pass for big game I will just have to post the rest of my property just to know my ground will be safe enough for my boys to be able to enjoys a good hunt. Believe me I have nothing against semiauto's in the hands of good responsible hunters but you know as well as I there are still alot of irresponsible ones as well. I like hunting state forest at my camp but I know alot of lead slingers up there as well. Every year you here them. They get one clear shot then the animals hot the mountain laurel and then the led just starts flying in the general direction the animal went. That being said I do not have have a problem with semis when they are being used practical and not irresponsible.

 

[Waynzee]

LeePaHunter, I can see and understand what you're saying, we have lead slingers in my neck of the PA. woods too. So,if a fella wanted to use his AR 15 or AR 10 for deer or bear what would you consider a reasonable solution?

 

[yobuck]

I personally don't think it has anything to do with logic, and everything to do with pandering to the modern day hunters.
Sunday hunting is the next obstacle to be overcome in PA.
The number of hunters has fallen off drasticly over the last few decades. Its gotten to the point where by Tuesday evening of the first week, most camps are empty, if they where even opened up at all.
Doe seasons now runs with buck season starting with the first Saturday.
So a hunter can arrive on the first Friday morning, hunt buck only on Friday, then
brown goes down on Saturday and hopefully Sunday also. One vacation day with 3 days
hunting. Nothing wrong with that I guess, but it is a different kind of mindset about hunting values than some of us are accustomed to. Fact is if you take a ride around on a Sunday, you might be wondering why all the vehicles are parked along the roads.
ARs, cross bows, and where are all the deer, seems to be more and more the modern mentality. Pick up any magazine and look at the adds to get an idea of where we are.

 

[LeePaHunter]

I personally don't think it has anything to do with logic, and everything to do with pandering to the modern day hunters.
Sunday hunting is the next obstacle to be overcome in PA.
The number of hunters has fallen off drasticly over the last few decades. Its gotten to the point where by Tuesday evening of the first week, most camps are empty, if they where even opened up at all.
Doe seasons now runs with buck season starting with the first Saturday.
So a hunter can arrive on the first Friday morning, hunt buck only on Friday, then
brown goes down on Saturday and hopefully Sunday also. One vacation day with 3 days
hunting. Nothing wrong with that I guess, but it is a different kind of mindset about hunting values than some of us are accustomed to. Fact is if you take a ride around on a Sunday, you might be wondering why all the vehicles are parked along the roads.
ARs, cross bows, and where are all the deer, seems to be more and more the modern mentality. Pick up any magazine and look at the adds to get an idea of where we are.

Sunday hunting wouldn't be a bad thing for those of us who work 6 days a week to pay the bills. I heard that the game commission is talking about going back to the 2 weeks of buck and 3 days of doe the way it used to be.

 

[C.O. Shooter]

Sunday hunting wouldn't be a bad thing for those of us who work 6 days a week to pay the bills. I heard that the game commission is talking about going back to the 2 weeks of buck and 3 days of doe the way it used to be.

I personally would like that and to maintain the points restrictions!

 

[LeePaHunter]

I personally would like that and to maintain the points restrictions!

According to what they're saying the antler restrictions will remain. They are just redoing the season the way they used to be. I am all for it as well. I remember years ago when you would see actual herds of deer say 20 to 30 at a time. Now all you see is maybe 10 at the most. It's sad. So hopefully they put it through and bring the population back so alot of our youth don't lose interest and bring new comers into the sport.

 

[Waynzee]

Yep +1 on the 2 week buck and 3 day doe with doe opening on the last Saturday of buck so the fellas that have to work could get a shot at doe without taking off more time.
That would be another good point to bring up at one of the PGC meetings.

 

[LeePaHunter]

Yep +1 on the 2 week buck and 3 day doe with doe opening on the last Saturday of buck so the fellas that have to work could get a shot at doe without taking off more time.
That would be another good point to bring up at one of the PGC meetings.

Yeah. I would go along with that.

 

[yobuck]

Its very easy for old guys like me to get into pi---ng contest with younger hunters.
And I just read on an above post an example of why.
Can somebody please tell me when there was ever a time when average guys who hunted didn't have to work to earn a living? I mean is this something that has just come about recently?
I frankly don't care that semi autos are now legal for all hunting. I wouldn't even care if they allowed big banana magazines. I frankly didn't care when they allowed cross bows for everybody either. I mean it really wasent fair that old and handicapped hunters were the only ones.
Whatever they decide to do with the doe season would suit me also, because our camp has never participated in killing does anyway, and that includes the kids.
For even longer than ive been hunting deer, which started in 1947, you could set you watch for an opening day as being the first Monday after thanksgiving. It was an all day trip from lower bucks county to Cameron county. Yet many people did it without complaining and often in cars with no heat.
Today that same trip takes about 4 hours. People like me who were self employed simply lost all earnings for the week we took off for hunting. Everybody in our camp was self employed in some sort of a small business and they all lost income. Yet there was never any bitching about it. Todays hunters, are seemingly always bitching about something. I remember well the 3 day doe seasons that started on the Monday following the last Saturday of buck. All the clean Trans Ams would roll into town on Friday eve for a 1 day shot at a buck. Then shoot a doe on Monday and skoot back home.
Now if we could get a Saturday opener for buck, and also hunt Sunday, then next week the same, and stay over Monday (if necessary) for doe, then walla, we get a week hunting and maybe only take 1 vacation day. Now all we need is for the freakin
PGC to create more deer.
This my friends is not joking, its simply modern day hunter logic.
There is another site that I'm a member of which is called Hunting PA .com.
There is currently a topic underway regarding how many existing camps in the state are no longer even opened for deer season. We noticed that starting to happen at least 10 years ago in our area. I even see it happening in our own camp. Mind you now, these are established camps that simply need to be maintained by interested people. But many are falling apart for lack of commitment.
I'm sorry to say that the interest and dedication toward hunting among modern hunters is sliding downhill at a rapid rate.
I don't think any type regulation changes will have much impact on changing that trend.

 

[LeePaHunter]

Intend to agree more and more hunters are dropping the sport. As for our camp which has been around since 1893 passed down from generation to generation used to be filled with friends and families for years during hunting season. Sadly with old friends and families passing away and alot of the remaining losing interest there are only a few of us left. When I was a kid I remember over 30 of us being there but now there's only 10 left. It's just a shame how the sport has been dying off. The good old days are gone. So I just keep praying for the best and push on every day. As far as taking off from small business goes I know where you are coming from. We run a taxidermy business which my wife works at full time so when we go hunting there's no income and I also work with her in the evenings when I get home from work or am not busy on the fields. So that being said we lose that income plus if I don't have vacation time im off with no pay as well. I wouldn't miss hunting season unless I was on my death bed and even then I would fight not to miss it. So we have the same points of view on some things but just like I said this place is for knowledge thoughts opinions and a good conversation. It was nice to here your input and like I said I have to agree times are changing and the sport is slowly dying which is sad.

 

[RMulhern]

Had a preacher tell me once that hunting on Sunday wasn't holy and I told him that it had to be 'holey' somewhere! I asked him what he did on Sunday and he told me he watched football games on TV. I then told him that by his watching football games on TV that he was causing people to sin! He then being somewhat flabbergasted wanted to know how that could be? I told him that TV required electrical power so someone had to be working at the power plant to provide it, that TV announcers had to work to provide coverage, that cameramen had to be employed to work, and the folks that sold hot dogs had to work so all in all....he was committing a lot of sin whereas myself being all out alone enjoying Gods domain wasn't causing anyone any trouble whatsoever! Finally I informed said sanctimonious preacher that as far as I was concerned that when I was on my stand deer hunting that I carried a small bible with me in my backpack and quite often I read verses from the bible while looking for bucks also! In parting I told the preacher that he needed to save his palaver for someone that needed it!

I reckon the Pa. no hunting law was instigated by a bunch of folks that were just as sanctimonious as the preacher that I mention above!!

 

[KoolBreeze]

Autos have always been legal here, at least during the last 40 years that I've been hunting. My very first deer rifle at 12 was a Remington 742 Woodmaster 30-06. I hunted deer with dogs with it for years. Quick follow-ups were nice when the deer had a dog on it's heels. Killed my first elk with it in '87 on a trip to Colorado.

Heck, I'm hunting with a BAR in 280 REM this year. Not a thing wrong with autos, especially at reasonable ranges.