Silencers/Suppressors legal for hunting.....

[Drake4]

Tractor tires and "Operation Horn Sweep"...that sounds like good fun.
Make sure your entire crew has bear tags for that 2nd trip. There are some good ones in that area.

 

[WV Hunter]

Poaching is illegal, it is illegal to use a suppressor to hunt right now in MT, but they are not illegal to own there.

If you tie these three things together what do you get?
A poacher is going to poach and if he legally owns a suppressor do you think the fact that it's illegal to hunt with a suppressor is going to stop him?There would already be widespread poaching with a suppressor if this were the case.

 

[JASON LEE]

I agree. I really don't care either way, but still think the bill is a big waste of time and money. I still have seen a solid reason posted by anyone to use them for big game hunting.

I can see the prarie dog argument.

The military, night flash control, making shooting more fun...this bill won't change any of that.

Less government intrusion into our rights would be good enough for me.

 

[pa mt man]

If the only argument for allowing silencers is that you don't need to use ear protection while hunting, that's just not good enough for me. If you are shooting that many times at big game...get closer and practice shooting more. If you want to go out "plinking", you can legally do that with a silencer as the law is now. If it makes it more difficult for law enforcement or makes it that much easier for poaching, it should remain illegal.

From wiki

There are many advantages in using a suppressor that are not related to the sound.

Hunters using centerfire rifles find suppressors bring various important benefits that outweigh the extra weight and resulting change in the firearm's center of gravity. The most important advantage of a suppressor is the hearing protection for the shooter as well as his/her companions. There are many hunters who have suffered permanent hearing damage due to someone else firing a high-caliber gun too closely without a warning. By reducing noise, recoil and muzzle-blast, it also enables the firer to follow-through calmly on his first shot and fire a further carefully-aimed shot without delay if necessary. Wildlife of all kinds are often confused as to the direction of the source of a well-suppressed shot. In the field, however, the comparatively large size of a centerfire rifle suppressor can cause unwanted noise if it bumps or rubs against vegetation or rocks, and many users cover them with neoprene sleeves.

"Suppressors can increase the precision of a rifle, as they strip away hot gases from around the projectile in a uniform fashion. The suppressor can reduce the recoil significantly as it traps the escaping gas. This gas mass is a little less than one-half the projectile mass (approximately 1.6 grams vs 4 grams for 5.56x45mm NATO ammunition), with the gas exiting the muzzle at about twice the projectile's velocity, thus giving a reduction in the felt recoil of approximately 15%.[1] The added weight of the suppressor — normally 300 to 500 grams — also contributes to the reduction of the recoil, though a significantly heavy suppressor would unbalance a weapon. Further, the pressure against the face of each baffle is higher than the pressure on its reverse side, making each baffle a miniature "pneumatic ram" which pulls the suppressor forward on the weapon, which can contribute an immense force to counter recoil.

A suppressor also cools the hot gases coming out of the barrel enough that most of the lead laced vapor that leaves the barrel condenses inside the suppressor, reducing the amount of lead that might be inhaled by the shooter and others around them. However, this might be offset by increased back pressure which results in hot gas blowing back into a shooter's face.