Minnesota Shotgun Zone going to Rifle

[DFS]

Putting a rifle into the rut is an awful idea for a deer herd.

 

[Bonasababy]

No no.

Thats usually from a western R who have killed a pile of deer, and are disappointed that shooting a 3.5 YO 150" MD is as good as it gets.

Whats funny is the laugh reacts to this - while guided "hunts" that are shooting glorified farm animals get "liked" up all over media.

I cant speak to western hunter thoughts with any experience. But here there's a vocal minority composed almost exclusively of bowhunters who at their core hate that rifle season occurs during the rut.

They want the rut to themselves...despite being able to hunt during it, and having a season that runs from Mid September to the end of the year.

They often promote theories that professionals say there is no basis for in making the argument, but its clear their real intent is to have the peak of the rut all to themselves.

 

[tboltz34]

Putting a rifle into the rut is an awful idea for a deer herd.

The root cause is the firearm season during the rut. Not the rifle. Let's not use this as justification to oppose the shotgun to rifle shift.

 

[DFS]

I cant speak to western hunter thoughts with any experience. But here there's a vocal minority composed almost exclusively of bowhunters who at their core hate that rifle season occurs during the rut.

They want the rut to themselves...despite being able to hunt during it, and having a season that runs from Mid September to the end of the year.

They often promote theories that professionals say there is no basis for in making the argument, but it’s clear their real intent is to have the peak of the rut all to themselves.

I could give a chit less what Minnesota does with their deer season, it is a bit concerning how many hunters want things to be easier for them, I suspect out of laziness or selfishness I guess. Who knows.

 

[tboltz34]

I could give a chit less what Minnesota does with their deer season, it is a bit concerning how many hunters want things to be easier for them, I suspect out of laziness or selfishness I guess. Who knows.

I'm assuming you only hunt with a long bow with how concerned you are about how easy things are? Why are we concerned with how others hunt, especially when 47 other states hunt this way? No one is stopping you from making your hunt more challenging. From my perspective, that's a very selfish take.

 

[Johnny Bravo]

So let me get this straight....you buy a license by zone/area and now you have to figure out which county you are in to know if it's rifle or shotgun? Seems stupid to let the county decide, just make the entire state rifle/shotgun, the hunter chooses...more wasted government spending. I get how it used to be, rifle in the north and a cutoff for shotgun. Just seems like people trying to justify their jobs. Example, I want to hunt public land in southern MN and I want to hunt all over, now I have to bring a shotgun AND a rifle because the county decides....ridiculous...

 

[mntatonka]

So let me get this straight....you buy a license by zone/area and now you have to figure out which county you are in to know if it's rifle or shotgun? Seems stupid to let the county decide, just make the entire state rifle/shotgun, the hunter chooses...more wasted government spending. I get how it used to be, rifle in the north and a cutoff for shotgun. Just seems like people trying to justify their jobs. Example, I want to hunt public land in southern MN and I want to hunt all over, now I have to bring a shotgun AND a rifle because the county decides....ridiculous...

unfortunately that was the only way to get it to pass through the legislature. It's a stepping stone that will hopefully get removed in future legislative sessions.

 

[NoWiser]

So let me get this straight....you buy a license by zone/area and now you have to figure out which county you are in to know if it's rifle or shotgun? Seems stupid to let the county decide, just make the entire state rifle/shotgun, the hunter chooses...more wasted government spending. I get how it used to be, rifle in the north and a cutoff for shotgun. Just seems like people trying to justify their jobs. Example, I want to hunt public land in southern MN and I want to hunt all over, now I have to bring a shotgun AND a rifle because the county decides....ridiculous...

Who is justifying their jobs? I doubt a single person who will be charged with enforcing this is happy about it.

Anyone smart enough to figure out the hunting regulations for their area can surely determine what county they are hunting in, in about 30 seconds, with zero difficulty.

It’s obvious that the choice was either zero change to the shotgun zone, or this. I don’t really see why anyone in favor of using rifles is complaining. It’s a step in their direction.

 

[rogerthat]

I'm assuming you only hunt with a long bow with how concerned you are about how easy things are? Why are we concerned with how others hunt, especially when 47 other states hunt this way? No one is stopping you from making your hunt more challenging. From my perspective, that's a very selfish take.

IHaha this thread is getting hilarious. It doesn’t get more selfish than wanting to use a more effective weapon when the animals are more vulnerable. It’s rich of you guys to make assumptions and put other people down for being a trophy hunter, being an elite bowhunter, blah,blah,blah just because they may have a different opinion and experiences. You don’t know what you don’t know and you guys are nailing it haha. This place has sure got long in opinions and short on hunting experience. I will never hunt Minnesota so no dog in the fight. But don’t tell me it’s for the kids when you’re blasting away across that new cutover or ag field at a buck in lockdown on a doe. Next step thermal scopes on those rifles. It’s for the kids right??

 

[Nick87]

I'm assuming you only hunt with a long bow with how concerned you are about how easy things are? Why are we concerned with how others hunt, especially when 47 other states hunt this way? No one is stopping you from making your hunt more challenging.

Hunting by whatever method is legal and being a proponent to make things as easy as possible are two totally different things. I can think of a couple things that have made it easier that were a positive for hunting. But way more that haven't been.

 

[tboltz34]

IHaha this thread is getting hilarious. It doesn’t get more selfish than wanting to use a more effective weapon when the animals are more vulnerable. It’s rich of you guys to make assumptions and put other people down for being a trophy hunter, being an elite bowhunter, blah,blah,blah just because they may have a different opinion and experiences. You don’t know what you don’t know and you guys are nailing it haha. This place has sure got long in opinions and short on hunting experience. I will never hunt Minnesota so no dog in the fight. But don’t tell me it’s for the kids when you’re blasting away across that new cutover or ag field at a buck in lockdown on a doe. Next step thermal scopes on those rifles. It’s for the kids right??

Explain your reasoning on selfishness? Trying to control others, to me, is selfish.

I'm not trying to put any trophy hunter or elite bowhunter down. I'm saying is let the trophy elite bowhunters hunt with a bow and let the rifle hunters hunt with a rifle. Everyone gets there way. Where's the selfishness in that?

Isn't it a little conflicting that the elite bowhunters want to prevent rifles so it's easier to kill a trophy with a bow? I thought the argument was it should be challenging.

For full disclosure, I haven't purchased a deer license in MN since 2021. I have only hunted deer with my nephew the last few years. So for me, the kid thing is very relevant. I have also done more archery hunting than gun hunting (turkey, elk, mule deer, coues deer, and antelope). The main reason I haven't hunted whitetails in MN is because it's not the challenge and experience I'm after. I'm just not trying to limit others ideal challenge and experience. You said it yourself "You don't know what you don't know". It's rich of you to make assumptions and put other people down for being a rifle hunter.

 

[tboltz34]

Hunting by whatever method is legal and being a proponent to make things as easy as possible are two totally different things. I can think of a couple things that have made it easier that were a positive for hunting. But way more that haven't been.

I have never said make things as easy as possible- there does need to be a line at some point. I'm in support of moving to rifle like 47 other states, Which is now a legal method in MN.