Minimum draw weight regulations

[tippit]

Anyone know Illinois regs?  I'm scheduled for a deer hunt with Whip this fall and I now shoot old man 40#...tippit

[longbow fanatic 1]

Originally posted by tippit:
Anyone know Illinois regs?  I'm scheduled for a deer hunt with Whip this fall and I now shoot old man 40#...tippit

Illinois is 40#@28

Here is how it reads in the Illinois DNR Administrative Rules:

"Section 670.30 Statewide Legal Bow and Arrow
a) The only legal hunting devices to take, or attempt to take, deer are:
1) Longbows, recurve bows or compound bows with minimum pull of 40 pounds at some point within a 28-inch draw. Minimum arrow length is 20 inches. Any mechanical device capable of maintaining a drawn or partially drawn position on a bow without the hunter exerting full string tension is illegal."

Back when Iowa had a minimum, a couple of guys in town got a draw support to go with their Herters recurves.  I believe those were sold by Herters. In case some don't go back that far.  In midwest small towns more people were using Herters bows than anything else.  The draw support had two estensions that bolted to the bow and allowed the draw hand to brace against it while just the fingers held the string.  Along with bow sights they allowed a longer holding time and steadier aim.  One of their wives could hunt with a bow she could barely pull, and at 20 yards she could out shoot most of us.  No one cried foul except the game warden and he was wrong, something about turning a hunting bow into a cross bow. At one time there were two such devices available.

[the rifleman]

Here in ohio minimum caliber for muzzleloaders is 38--- we had a game warden check the bore of a rifle by inserting the nose of a 38 special (.357 diameter) that would fit in a 36 caliber squirrel rifle--- he seemed happy with himself---cant really see them figuring out draw length and poundage.