Minnesota Shotgun Zone going to Rifle
- Thread starter Bowhuntrben
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Bonasababy
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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.
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
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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.
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
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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
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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.
Explain your reasoning on selfishness? Trying to control others, to me, is selfish.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??
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 their 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.
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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.
Nick87
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I wasn't directing the make it easy part at you exclusively.
Gellar
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I dont think anyone is trying to justify their job more so some people are trying to put any negative push back on the county verse the state. Scapegoating the county.
BrentD
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Just read the last couple of pages, but firearms, even muzzleloaders during the rut is a horrible idea in my opinion. Just across the boarder, Iowa has only archery during the rut and they have much better deer herds than the same habitat in Minnesota. So far, MN excludes Xbows archery, but if that changes, then it will not be much different that firearms. Pulley bows are bad enough.
It would not bother me if they simply closed all seasons during the rut. If you want to be fair, no deer hunting at all from Nov- through Meleagris gallopavo Day would suit me just fine. Be darn interesting how THAT would affect deer and deer hunting. It would certainly level some dimensions of the playing field. How would any of you feel about that?
It would not bother me if they simply closed all seasons during the rut. If you want to be fair, no deer hunting at all from Nov- through Meleagris gallopavo Day would suit me just fine. Be darn interesting how THAT would affect deer and deer hunting. It would certainly level some dimensions of the playing field. How would any of you feel about that?
Bonasababy
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Chicken or egg question IMO...it was ultimately legislators refusal to make the change statewide that led to the way it was changed...but was it residents of some counties or even county officials that asked their legislators to push back who influenced those legislators? Some of both I believe.
In the end it was a compromise of sorts. I agree with others saying counties that want to keep the restriction will eventually change.
Yes county boundaries are fairly well known...but lots of folks hunt across them.
Shotguns will still be legal everywhere...any legal firearm is ok during what's often called "rifle" season. Rifles, shotguns, muzzleloaders are ok. Bowhunters can hunt with their archery license during that season as well.
The real benefit I see is the availability of suitable rifle calibers for kids who are recoil sensitive folks. Although you can find low recoil slugs.
In the end it was a compromise of sorts. I agree with others saying counties that want to keep the restriction will eventually change.
Yes county boundaries are fairly well known...but lots of folks hunt across them.
Shotguns will still be legal everywhere...any legal firearm is ok during what's often called "rifle" season. Rifles, shotguns, muzzleloaders are ok. Bowhunters can hunt with their archery license during that season as well.
The real benefit I see is the availability of suitable rifle calibers for kids who are recoil sensitive folks. Although you can find low recoil slugs.
Bonasababy
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There is no biological or herd management reason to do that.
But let me ask this of folks...which might be illuminating...what if firearm season was held BEFORE the rut?
Gellar
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There is a whole thread on that. I thought we already declared if your kid aint man enough to handle a Magnum caliber rifle they aint old enough to hunt.
Gellar
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Iowa has a muzzlelaoder (2nd week of October) season and a youth season before the rut (last week of September). The participation is low during the early muzzleloader due to regulations and tag numbers but the success rates are high. Deer are still patternable during the Youth season and if adults could hunt with a firearm during that time success would be nearly 100% for anyone who was willing to try.
BrentD
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really? No biological effect? we cannot breathe without having a biological effect, so I am more than a little doubtful of that claim.
