Why only one?

[Cliffdweller]

That’s the thing….. it IS legal to use a pistol as long as the pistol has a minimum barrel length of 10”. So if we can hunt with a pistol OR a long gun then why can’t I carry both? That is more my point. During the rifle season you can carry what ever the hell you want , a pistol a rifle etc at the same time, so why the restriction during the ML season?!? And I would not try to take a shot at a deer with a pistol at a great distance, it’s all about self control.

 

[user 31257]

That’s the thing….. it IS legal to use a pistol as long as the pistol has a minimum barrel length of 10”. So if we can hunt with a pistol OR a long gun then why can’t I carry both? That is more my point. During the rifle season you can carry what ever the hell you want , a pistol a rifle etc at the same time, so why the restriction during the ML season?!? And I would not try to take a shot at a deer with a pistol at a great distance, it’s all about self control.

For the same reason you can’t carry 2 long guns, 2 pistols or a double barreled rifle. It’s supposed to be a single shot game.
In the 30ish years since the VT muzzleloader season was created I’ve never heard a single person complain about only being able to carry one gun.
Until now.
It’s very easy to petition the board and they are required to address your petition at a board meeting.

 

[64Springer]

For the same reason you can’t carry 2 long guns, 2 pistols or a double barreled rifle. It’s supposed to be a single shot game.
In the 30ish years since the VT muzzleloader season was created I’ve never heard a single person complain about only being able to carry one gun.
Until now.
It’s very easy to petition the board and they are required to address your petition at a board meeting.

Come on, Man.

If carrying one muzzleloading rifle is good, then carrying a muzzleloading rifle and 155mm howitzer is better.

Cuzz, follow up shots.

 

[brazosland]

EMPHASIS ADDDED

i would suspect that this is because the rules are written by those who know very little about hunting, or muzzle loading, or how to do both at the same time. Without the usual political rant, i would posit that i am again disappointed in our legislature. ... well, we keep electing Bernie, so i can't claim any great insight into the thinking of the average Vermont voter (assumsit arguendo that there is any thinking) when they pull the lever...

The rules may be actually being written by posters here that are very comfortable telling other people what to do and how to do it. You know…”for your own good.”

 

[Cliffdweller]

You know, I love hunting with a muzzleloader. However, you had better reload after that deer is down. Here in the Rockies as in Vermont, you have bears and mtn. lions. You better have something to put that down if it decides it wants that deer, or you.

Another good reason

 

[Cliffdweller]

For the same reason you can’t carry 2 long guns, 2 pistols or a double barreled rifle. It’s supposed to be a single shot game.
In the 30ish years since the VT muzzleloader season was created I’ve never heard a single person complain about only being able to carry one gun.
Until now.
It’s very easy to petition the board and they are required to address your petition at a board meeting.

Don’t get me wrong I’m not complaining. I’m just trying to understand the ACTUAL reasoning behind the rule. So far I have not heard one. Because if you also have a pistol ………….. ?What? Downside would be? You just have another gun your not going to fire

 

[tenngun]

Shouldn’t the point be to take the animal out as quickly and humanely as possible? How is preventing a hunter from taking a quick second shot to dispatch a wounded animal, which might otherwise escape and suffer until it succumbs at a later time humane? How is preventing a black powder hunter from having that quick second shot helping anything when all hunters during the regular firearms seasons have that ability many times over? Sounds like more of a government bureaucracy and control issue than anything that has to do with hunting itself. The fact that experienced hunters here are discussing the need to call their regulatory agencies for an explanation because no one has a clear idea of why says an awful lot about how needless this regulation seems to be.

Onyu thing I would see on that issue is in the few seconds it takes smoke to clear my deer have always exited. They don’t go far, well less than a quarter mile, but ain’t standing there. I reload my long gun, and sit, I might smoke a small pipe when I get up my guns loaded.
I can think of a lot of scenarios where a hunter might need a belt gun. The dog story above is a good example. And there still are bad guys in the woods. Still, I used to keep one on but never used it. Still I bet it’s not been carried afield this century sold my last ml pistol some years ago

 

[Bushfire]

Shouldn’t the point be to take the animal out as quickly and humanely as possible?

You're right, in the spirit of ethics we could just hunt with AR's to have multiple shots handy. Actually, hunting even in perfect scenarios produces wounds, maybe we just farm meat...

You have to draw a line in the sand. In my state a muzzleloader must be 45 cal and a 230gr projectile. I spoke to one of the people involved with the legislation four our state once and he said rightly or wrongly you have to pick a point and call it.

 

[david w]

You're right, in the spirit of ethics we could just hunt with AR's to have multiple shots handy. Actually, hunting even in perfect scenarios produces wounds, maybe we just farm meat...

You have to draw a line in the sand. In my state a muzzleloader must be 45 cal and a 230gr projectile. I spoke to one of the people involved with the legislation four our state once and he said rightly or wrongly you have to pick a point and call it.

In Arkansas, we can use a .40 with a round ball for deer. We can also use a .40 for rabbit. For squirrel, we must use a .36!

 

[LSB]

I think it has little to do with ethics, the important thing is that they can tell you what you can and can't do. I've lived in several different states and have never met a game and fish warden that I liked and that was easy to deal with.

Fortunately for me, your experience is the opposite of mine. In 64 years of hunting and fishing, I have never met a game warden who wasn't polite and easy to deal with. Some were obviously a little inexperienced, like the one who asked for my over and under in order to verify that it was not capable of holding more than the 3 shells limited for waterfowl hunting, but I have never had any bad experiences with any of them. I have heard stories about problem game wardens (Conservation Officers in South Dakota) but every story has two sides and unless you hear both sides, you can not be sure of the exact situation.

 

[Red Dirt Dave]

They do this so that you can jerk your tomahawk and long knife and go running up to that wounded deer to get a good hoofing across your skull.

 

[Tn mtn man]

I have always assumed such law are to prevent a quick second shot. To force tge hunter to be one shot one kill
Bob has a single barrel, Jack a double, Jack has a seeming advantage. Pete with a pistol in his belt is half way between jacks and Bob.
Why isn’t a good question to ask the government as they have zero concept of facts or logic

In tenn you can legally care your sidearm if you have a career permit

 

[bud in pa]

Fortunately for me, your experience is the opposite of mine. In 64 years of hunting and fishing, I have never met a game warden who wasn't polite and easy to deal with. Some were obviously a little inexperienced, like the one who asked for my over and under in order to verify that it was not capable of holding more than the 3 shells limited for waterfowl hunting, but I have never had any bad experiences with any of them. I have heard stories about problem game wardens (Conservation Officers in South Dakota) but every story has two sides and unless you hear both sides, you can not be sure of the exact situation.

Some years back PA got rid of their volunteer game wardens, they cost the state too much in law suits.

 

[Okie Hog]

During muzzleloading season in Oklahoma it's legal to carry a muzzleloading handgun in addition to the muzzleloading rifle: i never saw any need.

 

[animater9]

Our muzzleloader hunting regulations specify:
A person hunting deer in a muzzleloader deer season shall not possess any firearms other than one single-barreled muzzleloading firearm, and shall not possess or substitute any archery equipment or crossbow while hunting deer under a muzzleloader deer hunting license.
Ok, so I guess my question is .........why are we not able to carry a ML long gun and one ML single shot pistol??? I'm sure historically (I'm guessing) that hunters would have been carrying at least that if not a couple of pistols. And would it not make sense to have a quick follow up shot so an animal wouldn't have to suffer while your reloading ,IF it wasn't a clean shot?? What am I missing, or am I just out of my mind?!?!?!

Or if you ran into something a little bigger then you can take care of with 1 good shot?

 

[animater9]

You know, I love hunting with a muzzleloader. However, you had better reload after that deer is down. Here in the Rockies as in Vermont, you have bears and mtn. lions. You better have something to put that down if it decides it wants that deer, or you.

Or what about say snakes? Do you need or have to shoot the other animal with your 1 shot? That's going to scare off most chances of a deer?

 

[mkabe]

During muzzleloading season in Oklahoma it's legal to carry a muzzleloading handgun in addition to the muzzleloading rifle: i never saw any need.

As you may know same is true in Kansas. You can use either to take the game or as a finishing shot as long as it’s a ML and the caliber is legal, 40 and up. I’m glad as we have a second home a mile from the KS/OK border.

 

[animater9]

Actually I'm new to ML's. I'm waiting for it to warm up a bit, then I can go spend some time and figure this stuff out!

 

[mkabe]

Actually I'm new to ML's. I'm waiting for it to warm up a bit, then I can go spend some time and figure this stuff out!

Have fun, and by the way this is a good place to hang out! Lot of experience found here, but no so much with me.

 

[Russ T Frizzen]

What state is this? Legal or not in Okla., ML hunters often carry a cartridge pistol/revolver for a coup de grace shot at a wounded/downed animal. Too, breech loading BP rifles are/were legal in Okla., so follow up shots would be quicker. And please, let's not get into whether breach loaders are in the spirit of BP hunting as they have been around nearly as long as muzzle loaders. (Heard this discussion/accusation to much among hunters in Okla.)

Breech loaders have been around nearly as long as muzzle loaders?