Georgia DNR proposes huge change to laws pertaining to muzzleloading deer hunting

[Robby]

The vast majority of people are responsible in their decision making. Why should their freedom to decide for themselves be taken away by a few jerks, in the field, and in the eats of power! There is too much of that kind of thinking, its' for the children after all. It is refreshing to a reversal, no matter how small.
Robby

 

[hanshi]

I started thinking about this and came to the conclusion that as silly as a .30 ball is for deer, it's more than likely not an issue. Traditional ML hunters use .50 to .58 rifles for the most part with some of us dinosaurs going for .45. Small caliber muzzleloaders are not as common as the larger calibers and are often custom propositions. Anyone hunting with a traditional muzzleloader (experienced) knows what to do. The other guys usually want cannons and fake powder and don't buy custom guns. I've never gone below .45 for deer and consider the .40 to be my lower limit and which is legal here in Maine. Georgia deer often get BIG and the .45 has never let one get away from me. I feel better about a .36 in the hands of an ethical Nimrod than a .54 in the hands of a Tyro.

 

[zimmerstutzen]

I think it is more a nod to CVA's new high power smaller bore unmentionable muzzle loader guns. Currently 40 caliber, but I heard rumors that smaller bores may be in the works.

 

[PIGGLOVER]

Kentucky also has no minimum caliber for muzzloaders, also any centerfire rifle for modern gun season is legal. It seems to me that more often than not most unethical and unexperianced hunters here are vastly overgunned. Most of my area is hardwood forests where shots are usually under 50 yards, 150 if your hunting a hay field. Now days the majority of guns carried into the woods are what would have been considered western rifles 30 years ago. I see more bad shots from flinching because they need the latest super magnum so they can shoot 1,000 yards.

 

[pilot]

There is always going to be lost deer. Between muzzle loaders, archers, and the others, lots are lost each and every year. I'm sure muzzle loader hunters are a small factor over all. We can only control what we each individually do. Make our own best decisions. There are far more things that go wrong than some muzzle loader hunter choosing the wrong caliber.

 

[Tn poor boy]

.36 is the minimum in TN and has been forever. I usually use a .54 or .58 myself but I know guys who have great success with a .45. I try to draw the line fairly conservatively where I allow myself think, “Other people should do ____”.

Not tell several yrs ago. IT WAS it had larger than a 40 cal at that point 45 cal 50 where the norm

 

[zimmerstutzen]

PA has been a minimum of 44 for muzzle loader deer for decades, although I remember when any muzzle loader was legal in the regular firearms season. Part of the problem here is that some regs pertain to the caliber of the gun and others refer to the caliber of the projectile. So a reg that regulates caliber of firearm might be used with sabots, but a reg that pertains to caliber of projectile does not. Our centerfire season is open to any centerfire cartridge rifle. And at one time, any rim fire over 25 caliber. The problem when discussing rimfires, is most people think of 22. Some of those old rim fires were quite powerful. 44 Henry pack a punch. 41 Swiss rimfire is about the equivalent of the 30-30.. Then I also had a Wesson rifle that had two firing pins and could fire either 38 XL Ballard in rimfire or centerfire form. So was the rifle illegal as a rim fire, or legal as a centerfire?

 

[William G]

Me being a Georgia muzzleloader I certainly would like see things go back to a more traditional manner. Specifically, to have more WMA dates (quota and non-quota) incorporated into the overall plan just for the traditional type muzzleloaders...caps and flints with open sights. I know we are a small group in the overall picture...just seems like the traditional muzzleloader hunter is not getting their share of the pie which might provide a boost to this sport.

 

[Snydly]

I like it! Freedom requires people to act responsibly.
Robby

Problem is,, too many people do not act responsibly.

 

[Robby]

No, that is not the problem, they will always be with us. The problem is officialdom making laws and regulations with the mind set that everyone is at the first, guilty of misbehavior and removing their right of decision making for the vast majority, based on their own abilities and judgement.
Robby

 

[smo]

Me being a Georgia muzzleloader I certainly would like see things go back to a more traditional manner. Specifically, to have more WMA dates (quota and non-quota) incorporated into the overall plan just for the traditional type muzzleloaders...caps and flints with open sights. I know we are a small group in the overall picture...just seems like the traditional muzzleloader hunter is not getting their share of the pie which might provide a boost to this sport.

I just hunt with my flintlock no matter what the season.
Except during bow season....

 

[William G]

Same here. I just would like to see a little precedence given to the traditional/ primitive weapons hunter on some choice hunt dates on various WMA’s. You may remember when the inlines came out and a lot of folks jump on that wagon for the primitive weapon hunts. Now a days when I mention primitive weapons hunting to folks a typical response is yeah I need to get out and shoot and sight in whatever type of scoped inline they have. The thought of doing it with a cap lock/ flintlock doesn’t even register with most folks and sadly just about a thing of the past. It could only help our sport if a little more emphasis was given to these hunters wether it be caplock, flintlock, recurve or longbow.

 

[TNGhost]

Problem is,, too many people do not act responsibly.

And laws, rules and regulations almost never improve their personal responsibility

 

[hanshi]

I've never cared what other hunters use when chasing after deer; I just continue using flintlocks for everything, every season, period. I also have never felt at a disadvantage or "under-gunned". Way back when, the smallest caliber I've killed deer with was a .22 Hornet. Now it's a .45 or occasionally something larger. I don't think any reg changes will amount to a hill of beans. All the lost deer I'm aware of were caused by hunters with modern rifles, anyway.

 

[Jay Templin]

Here in Virginia, the General Assembly is considering a bill to allow the use of “muzzleloaders” where the propellant is some kind of stick you load from the breech. Apparently the projectile still gets shoved down the barrel? I spent a whole evening emailing every member of the committee about how a muzzleloader works, and why we have a special season anyway. Most of them wouldn’t know a muzzleloader if Dan’l Boone bit them on the butt.
Jay

 

[Nameless Hunter]

Here in Virginia, the General Assembly is considering a bill to allow the use of “muzzleloaders” where the propellant is some kind of stick you load from the breech. Apparently the projectile still gets shoved down the barrel? I spent a whole evening emailing every member of the committee about how a muzzleloader works, and why we have a special season anyway. Most of them wouldn’t know a muzzleloader if Dan’l Boone bit them on the butt.
Jay

The cost per shot for one of those "stick" guns is about $4 vs about $.40 per shot for a round ball.
Anyone who buys into this malarkey should have their head examined.

 

[sportster73hp]

I prefer a larger caliber. Dead is dead but a mack truck is more efficient than an escort. Besides, 100 yards is max for me with open sites on a flintlock.

 

[SchwartzStock]

I heard a national survey was done and it has been determinded that 45 caliber is only for girls, something like the 243 Winchester being only for girls or girly men.

 

[irishjim]

I don't post much but feel the need to dispute the false opinion that 45 caliber is not enough gun or is a girls weapon. I have hunted Ohio's muzzleloader and/or regular gun season with a Thompson Center Seneca 45 caliber since 1975. Started with 3F black powder and a round ball but quickly migrated to Maxi slugs and later jacketed pistol rounds and modern powder pellets. The only time I felt the caliber was inadequate was with the round ball which lacked knock down power beyond 30-40 yards and the rifling didn't produce great accuracy with round ball in that gun. No doubt the 50-54 caliber guns are the dominant calibers in the field today. If you do your history homework you will find the early settlers used light calibers to conserve powder and lead. The game they hunted didn't need heavy calibers until they moved west of the Mississippi river.

 

[Dave James]

I like Jay have also pestered the heck out
EOF the state Congress critters over the fire stick, the only ones who listen are the country/ hunting types