Deer Hunting in the US.

Chiparus

Was in the States recently and noticed the deer hunting season was divided into bow hunting, muzzle loading and shotgun.

Why do they have different seasons and none for "normal" rifles?

palo

Hello Chiparus.

Every state in the US has different laws as regaeds deer shooting some dont allow shotguns some have city limits that you are not allowed use rifles. Some states allow wounded vets to shoot deer out of car windows. Others allow 223 for deer shooting it all depends on the state you are in.

Palo.

EWQuinn

http://mdc.mo.gov/hunting-trapping/deer/history-whitetail-deer-missouri

Missouri Dept of Conservation provides as good an explanation as any. The seasons typically begin around the rut and are in the correct time of year for harvesting. That's when you have to be especially alert on the road and not out drive your headlights at night. Most hunting I am familiar with is from elevated stands. License conditions / methods are set by county or by special managed units. Most states have rifle, muzzle loading and archery.

The various phases with different methods are to accomodate the different techniques people pursue, and in large part so as to not have them tromping around on top of each other. There are special managed hunts, and then there are certain geographic restrictions (like archery only) around urban areas etc. Note it says at one time the population of deer in Missouri was about 400, with low game populations not an uncommon condition in much of the US by the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

In recent years the whitetail deer (and in places like Colorado mule deer) are everywhere, can be a real nuisance. With some do gooders thinking its cool to feed wild animals, things get really interesting when the predators move in with them into suburbia. In certain parts of the country cougars, black bear and coyotes are becoming neighbors to the yuppies with tragic results for unwary pets and the occasional jogger. The massive drought we are in now might start to dent the populations if it keeps up. My property & back yard has now become an "African watering hole" of sorts, with all manner of beasts coming for the only decent water in the area.

Chiparus

I thought it was strange that methods used to hunt would be seen as outdated in Europe , possibly inhumane , such as black powder ( for follow up shot) or buck shot?

EWQuinn

The most inhumane occurrences here are by far the many many road accidents that leave the poor deer maimed and suffering, vehicles with $1,000s in damages, and often humans injured or killed. All methods of taking deer that are legal, including shotgun, bow, black powder, and rifle are very lethal and humane when used properly. The key is learning how to use the tool and ensuring best possible shot placement.

For the most common ranges in deer hunting, which is under 100yd, I will put my Lyman Great Plains Rifle w/ .54 round ball or 500 gr conical up against any rifle, it drops them cold. I practice with turkey targets and at 60 yd the round ball barrel will group 5-6 consecutive shots inside the turkey head with hornady .54 round ball over 90gr of FFg. This is a very lethal combination and requires no follow up shot. I will typically carry my .44 Remington 1858 with 5 cylinders loaded heavy in the unlikely event a follow up or kill shot would be needed.

MadsL

EWQuinn wrote: »

http://mdc.mo.gov/hunting-trapping/deer/history-whitetail-deer-missouricoyotes are becoming neighbors to the yuppies with tragic results for unwary pets and the occasional jogger.

I live with coyotes in my locality, we live with them, keep pets on a lead and tell joggers to run faster Really no need to be shooting coyotes, they keep our bunny numbers down.

Grizzly 45

Chiparus wrote: »

I thought it was strange that methods used to hunt would be seen as outdated in Europe , possibly inhumane , such as black powder ( for follow up shot) or buck shot?

Why would muzzle loading hunting be inhumane?? It requires a hell of a lot of skill,even moreso than with a modern cartridge rifle,because of its limitations.What it doesnt make up for in velocity ,it certainly can make up in mass of the bullet.:)
Buck shot if used properly is very effective at close range for anything from hogs to deer,etc.

EWQuinn

MadsL wrote: »

I live with coyotes in my locality, we live with them, keep pets on a lead and tell joggers to run faster Really no need to be shooting coyotes, they keep our bunny numbers down.

Don't confuse me with somebody that cares about side effects of suburbia encroaching on wildlife, and dummies who feed the wildlife. However rest assured in such territory I will not become fodder and reserve the right blast to smithereens anything that crosses me.

Fortunately where I live now, the coyotes stay on the "outer frontier" of our hood, or my Ruger #1 might well be employed (oops, another rifle with poor provisions for a follow up shot).

MadsL

EWQuinn wrote: »

Don't confuse me with somebody that cares about side effects of suburbia encroaching on wildlife, and dummies who feed the wildlife. However rest assured in such territory I will not become fodder and reserve the right blast to smithereens anything that crosses me.

Fortunately where I live now, the coyotes stay on the "outer frontier" of our hood, or my Ruger #1 might well be employed (oops, another rifle with poor provisions for a follow up shot).

"the right blast to smithereens anything that crosses me. "

If they attempt to turn you to fodder then blast away, however crossing your path is a bit harsh don't you think?

Chiparus

I just found it strange that hunting with a "normal" rifle was not allowed , while hunting with a shotgun/bow hunting was.

Grizzly 45

You 'll proably find that the states are semi rural or have lots of urban clusters,where a rifle might be a saftey risk,and they only allow slugs or buckshot because of this?? The bow/primitive weapons seasons are usually earlier to allow those hunters a better chance at the less spooked game.Its up to whatever state you are in to regulate their season or what you hunt it with.

gunhappy_ie

Chiparus wrote: »

I just found it strange that hunting with a "normal" rifle was not allowed , while hunting with a shotgun/bow hunting was.

Whats normal ?

Here, realisticly its .243/.270/.308

In the US if its a bolt gun it could be anything from .223 to .338 (there are also youtube vids of guys using 50BMG but I dont know how "normal" that is) with every wildcat cartridge in between that is neither available here because of our small market or because its a handload.

Then you have the Semi autos, taking as a perfect example (1 of many) the Remington R25 in .243,7mm-08 Remington and .308 that Remington market as a big game gun.

Remington R25

It seams that authorities in the US have used a simple yet effective "Common Sense" approach that is lacking here.

With the property boom/Celtic Tiger seeing no corner of this island safe from someone with money in there pocket to build either their dream home or a housing estate in the middle of nowhere, then what would be wrong with allowing shooting deer being shot with slugs in rifled shotguns ?

GH

323

Chiparus wrote: »

I thought it was strange that methods used to hunt would be seen as outdated in Europe , possibly inhumane , such as black powder ( for follow up shot) or buck shot?

Have seen whitetail and Elk taken down very effectively with a bow.
Working abroad this last month, a few guys at work noticed a hunting magazine I had. Spoke to a German, Italian, Norwegian and American all who have given up rifle hunting for bow hunting, although not permitted here, defiantly not outdated in Europe or US.
If anything lads I spoke to considered practices here to be strange, military looking plastic stocked rifles, tactical scopes, moderators (illegal in the US) etc

Grizzly 45

Where was your German friend bowhunting?It's illegal, as is BP hunting in Germany,[apart from BP cartridge firearms].
He must have missed out on the Black semi auto rifle boom in Germany..
For eight consecutive years semi auto rifles are the top sellers over there.:)
ASFIK Catilonia in Spain is the only country/province that has a bow season??? BTW silencers or moderators are not illegal in most states of the union.They are available with a federal permit and a $200 tax transfer.Some states in the "real America";):D South of the Mason Dixon line allow them for hunting as well.

EWQuinn

MadsL wrote: »

"the right blast to smithereens anything that crosses me. "

If they attempt to turn you to fodder then blast away, however crossing your path is a bit harsh don't you think?

I agree, critters including cougars have "crossed my path" many times, occasionally even bears. Then again, "crossing me" (or any human) directly is very rare, but as I stay prepared when in those environs and follow the normal precautions, for me such an incident would probably be fatal for them .

EWQuinn

323 wrote: »

Have seen whitetail and Elk taken down very effectively with a bow.
Working abroad this last month, a few guys at work noticed a hunting magazine I had. Spoke to a German, Italian, Norwegian and American all who have given up rifle hunting for bow hunting, although not permitted here, defiantly not outdated in Europe or US.
If anything lads I spoke to considered practices here to be strange, military looking plastic stocked rifles, tactical scopes, moderators (illegal in the US) etc

I too have found this interesting. "Cans" as they call them are not illegal, but perhaps are harder to get and certainly not encouraged in the USA. With the typical shooting & hunting areas, moderators are not needed as much as in Ireland perhaps. However I have wondered just a little bit if the policy in Ireland has a dual purpose

cruisedub1

Chiparus wrote: »

Was in the States recently and noticed the deer hunting season was divided into bow hunting, muzzle loading and shotgun.

Why do they have different seasons and none for "normal" rifles?

Here in California the " normal " season is the one where center-fire rifles are used . Black powder and Bow are additional time periods restricted to those methods only . seasons or areas where the use of a shotgun only is permitted generally applies to the East Coast or an area where the use of a center-fire rifle might endanger people or houses in the surrounding area .

323

Grizzly 45 wrote: »

Where was your German friend bowhunting?It's illegal, as is BP hunting in Germany,[apart from BP cartridge firearms].
He must have missed out on the Black semi auto rifle boom in Germany..
For eight consecutive years semi auto rifles are the top sellers over there.:)
ASFIK Catilonia in Spain is the only country/province that has a bow season??? BTW silencers or moderators are not illegal in most states of the union.They are available with a federal permit and a $200 tax transfer.Some states in the "real America";):D South of the Mason Dixon line allow them for hunting as well.

German guy hunts with a bow across the border in Denmark and up around the Baltic.
Was not aware of that in the US, all I hunted with there, including a mate that was a cop led me to believe they were illegal, never seen or heard of their use there.
Spent quite a few years in your "real America", down there the idea of a federal permit would be akin to being illegal.