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Main Boards => Hunting Legislation & Policies => Topic started by: Problem Child on June 24, 2010, 06:34:00 PM
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A couple of days ago here in good ol' Mississippi,one of our State legislators(that is on our Wildlife Committee) sent a letter to our Attorney General asking if the state statutes allow using archery equipment during gun season for deer.The AG replied "NO",it does not allow bows during gun season.There are still meetings going on but it aint looking good....at least until the next legislation session which will be after deer season.Please make sure your states have language in the state codes or statutes including archery equipment during the firearm seasons or yall might end up like us.
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Washington State allows the use of any legal weapon during modern firearms season. Including bows, muzzleloaders and modern firearms. It is only during the restricted seasons that you can't use modern weapons. You can also use bows during the muzzloader only seasons.
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Wisconsin has long been a state where you cannot hunt a deer with a bow during the traditional gun season. We are fortunate, however, to have a long bow season. Although the bow season is getting shorter all the time with the additional 'special' gun seasons for does only, youth hunts, muzzleloaders, etc. That is our current problem here. Until the recent drop in herd size, it had been a difficult, and loosing fight to keep our bow season whole.
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BTW...the statutes were written in 1972 and no one has questioned the legal use of archery equipment until now.
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PC: what brought that on??
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I guess I could have been arrested hundreds of times...
I searched the MDWFP web site and could not find any "legal weapons" information on the various seasons, so I sent a message to the moderated whitetail deer forum. I'll post the reply when/if it comes.
This is very disturbing. The same thing happened with turkey season some years back, and the regs were changed to specifically allow archery equipment for turkeys. I can't imagine that archery equipment is illegal, as long as you have bought the license for the proper season. If it is, I guess I'll be a criminal once again...
I checked the MBA forum, and Stringwacker has posted the following article. It looks like we will lose two weeks of archery-only season in their "fix". This is political BS, brought on because we (MS bowhunters) defeated a move earlier this year to radically change the overall structure of our deer hunting seasons. The proposed changes that were defeated were pushed strongly by the crossbow lobby and insurance companies.
http://www.clarionledger.com/article/20100624/SPORTS08/100624039/1287/sports/Miss.-plans-to-keep-bows-legal
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In NYS, we faced the same bias. Several years ago, the DEC tried to implement an early MZ season. The Archery season was to start, then stop after 2 weeks, to allow 2 weeks of early MZ, then resume the Archery season. NYB circled the wagons, and we were able to "alter" the DEC's plan. But, the DEC in turn did nothing to promote lowering the bowhunting age from 14 to 12, while the firearms hunting age was lowered from 14 to 12, the same year. They also took away the last weekend of Archery from the bowhunters to open the firearms season earlier, at the same time promising to open the Archery season on Ovtober 1st. They renegged on their promise. The hunters of NYS do not trust the DEC one bit as we have been shafted too many times. Be very careful about what it told to you!!! Good luck in trying to decyfer the regs.
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Originally posted by Brian Krebs:
PC: what brought that on??
Originally posted by Brian Krebs:
PC: what brought that on??
Last March the Chairman of the Wildlife Committee tried to shove a bill down our throats that cut our archery season by three weeks.The Mississippi Bowhunters Association and thousands of bowhunters went into action.The bill was finally killed but the Dept of Wildlife and the Chairman wasn't too happy with the bowhunters.This past Tuesday the same Chairman sent a letter to the Attorney General asking if the state statutes allow the use of archery equipment during gun season.The answer was no.So that made bows illegal during gun season,but....a deal was cut. We can still use bows during gun season but we lose two weeks of bow only.More than likely,we'll lose all of our archery only season next year.
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I cannot stop myself from thinking that if compounds; and cam bows or whatever they call them- were NOT considered bowhunting equipment- the woods would not be full of 'bowhunters' and this action would have never come up.
There is no safety in numbers. If you don't rock the boat- you can still sink it with too many people.
Arrrgh....
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Come hunt in Georgia, we can bowhunt from September till January 1st.
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Chris, until this sour-grapes ruling, that's what we thought we could do, too. In the past we could hunt from Oct.1 until Jan. 31.
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Originally posted by Ragnarok Forge:
You can also use bows during the muzzloader only seasons.
This isn't currently true in Washington state. You can only use approved muzzleloaders during muzzleloader season in Washington state for deer or elk.
See http://wdfw.wa.gov/wlm/game/hunter/huntregs2010.pdf
There is no state law which seems to specifically permit "archery tackle" in the permanent regulations but it might be there for Washington. At any rate it probably would not contradict the pamphlet and quotes below regarding muzzleloader season. There is the WAC (http://apps.leg.wa.gov/WAC/default.aspx?cite=232-12) which contains definitions for the legal weapons. It does not specify when and how they are applied. Most permament applications are at RCW 77 (http://apps.leg.wa.gov/RCW/default.aspx?cite=77) . That would lead me to suspect that it is entirely up to the Game Comission and the WDFW to decide how to apply such definitions with regards to allowing the archers to hunt during the elk and deer muzzleloader seasons. Which is currently not permitted.
Just figured I would clear that up in case anyone started purchasing Washington state muzzleloader tags and expected to hunt with their bow instead.
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Hunting Method:
Muzzleloader only. Muzzleloader
tag holders can only hunt during
muzzleloader seasons and must
hunt with muzzleloader equipment.
Muzzleloading equipment must meet
regulations on page 70.
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2. It is unlawful to hunt wildlife using a
muzzleloading firearm that does not meet the
following specifications.
a. A muzzleloading shotgun or rifle must have
a single or double barrel, rifled or smoothbored.
b. A muzzleloading shotgun or rifle used
for deer must be .40 caliber or larger.
Buckshot size #1 or larger may be used in a
smoothbore of .60 caliber or larger for deer.
c. A muzzleloading shotgun, rifle, or handgun
used for all other big game must be .45
caliber or larger.
d. Persons lawfully hunting small game with a
double barrel, muzzleloading shotgun may
keep both barrels loaded.
e. A muzzleloading handgun must have a
single or double barrel of at least eight
inches, must be rifled, and must be
capable of being loaded with forty-five
grains or more of black powder or black
powder substitute per the manufacturer's
recommendations.
f. A muzzleloading handgun used for big
game must be .45 caliber or larger.
g. A handgun designed to be used with black
powder, including black powder percussion
revolvers, can be used to hunt forest
grouse, cottontail rabbits, and snowshoe
hares.
3. In addition to the above requirements, it is
unlawful to participate (hunt) in a muzzleloading
hunting season using a firearm that does
not meet the following specifications for a
muzzleloader. As in the past sabots are allowed.
Any type of projectile is allowed.
A modern handgun may be carried for personal
protection. Modern handguns cannot be used
to hunt big game or dispatch wounded big
game during a big game hunting season for
muzzleloading firearms.
a. Ignition is to be wheel lock, matchlock,
flintlock, or percussion using original style
percussion caps that fit on the nipple and
are exposed to the weather. "Exposed to
the weather" means the percussion cap or
the frizzen must be visible and not capable
of being enclosed by an integral part of the
weapon proper. Primers designed to be
used in modern cartridges are not legal.
b. Sights must be open, peep, or of other open
sight design. Fiber optic sights are legal.
Telescopic sights or sights containing glass
are prohibited.
c. It is unlawful to have any electrical device
or equipment attached to a muzzleloading
firearm while hunting.
d. Those persons lawfully hunting big game
with a double barrel muzzleloader may only
keep one barrel loaded.
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That really sounds wacky, but I hunt in MS on occasion and I remember debating on the MDWFP forums about baiting back when it was illegal in MS and everyone wanted it legalized. I gave it up as a lost cause. Too many people were willing to fight for their right to sit and look at a pile of corn.
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You guys got me curious. I thought I knew the answer for here, but looked it up just in case. In Ontario, the only difference between carrying a bow during the gun season and the special bow season, is that during the gun season, you MUST wear hunter orange. At one time, the bow season required a `bow season`licence. it got complicated, and now there is only one deer licence regardless of special season. The big restriction here is on high-powered rifles. The MNR is actively encouraging bow hunting and muzzle loaders.