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Semi Auto not approved for PA Big Game

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Semi Auto not approved for PA Big Game

Old 03-29-2017, 04:44 AM
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Default Semi Auto not approved for PA Big Game

http://www.guns.com/2017/03/29/penns...but-not-large/


Well, that's frustrating. Wish they would have surveyed all the hunters I know. Would have had different results.
-Jake
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Old 03-29-2017, 05:09 AM
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That went pretty much as I predicted here when the proposal was made. I knew the comments for allowing semis in big game season would be overwhelmingly opposed to the proposal, I expected allowing them for furbearers would pass but I was surprised at small game. I will wait to see a news release from the PGC I usually get one on e-mail to see if it is all small game or just mammals or all small game.
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Old 03-29-2017, 12:38 PM
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PA is one of the few states that disallow the use of semi-autos for big game. I have no idea why. It seems that the PGC continually suffers from rectal/cranial inversion when it comes to major changes in the game laws. Another thing that bugs me is not allowing the use of air rifles for small game. The air rifle technology has come a long way since the ban was introduced way back when. They can set a KE minimum (velocity and pellet diameter) like they do with archery gear (draw weight minimum).
Then there is the no Sunday hunting which is also ridiculous. No reason in the world why Sunday hunting shouldn't be allowed.
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Old 03-29-2017, 01:16 PM
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I will say there are no reasons that you agree with but there are reasons. Having been involved with every attempt to pass a Sunday hunting law for 33 years I can tell you that the public comment against was far and away against it. Sunday hunting is not a call for the PA Game Commission, it is necessary for the general assembly to pass a law allowing Sunday hunting for things other than Coyotes, foxes and Crows and game birds on non commercial regulated hunting grounds. If and when the general assembly does pass a law allowing Sunday hunting the PGC will then have to pass regulations regarding the same. The problem is, many people involved in the public access programs who open their land to public hunting are opposed to Sunday hunting and many would drop out of the public access programs if Sunday hunting happened. The general assembly is responsible to all people in the state when it comes to passing laws and they are very aware of the opposition to Sunday hunting and the PGC is not only responsible to hunters but to all citizens as well when they pass regulations and they take public comment from all walks of life in it's citizenry. As for me, I know why we do not have Sunday hunting for big game and small game and the fact of the matter is It does not bother me, I grew up hunting 6 days a week and adding Sunday now won't matter much, in fact I doubt I would hunt with the exception of possibly our regulated hunting ground on our sportsman's club. The thing is, this is all about whose ox is being gored, those whomopposes it have their reasons and those who favor it have theirs. If it does come down to loosing large blocks of public access should Sunday hunting pass I would lean with the status quo because of the hunters who would lose the places they hunt now. I suspect it will happen one day, however I think it will be later rather than sooner. Of course, I was wrong once.
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Old 03-29-2017, 03:46 PM
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John I would like you to elaborate why we don't have Sunday hunting. I guess we are all entitled to our own opinions and I for the life of me could not see a valid argument for opposing it.
And if it were passed there could be a stipulation that those property owners in the public access program would have the right to refuse access to their property(s) on Sundays without affecting their status with the program.
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Old 03-29-2017, 04:16 PM
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We don't have it because the general assembly is not ready to tick off a large segment of the population in the state. They have to consider the next election on everything they do and there enough people opposed to Sunday hunting that so far they are not willing to roll the dice. I actually think the PGC would approve it in a regulation if the general assembly passed a bill and the governor signed it. The thing is, everyone has a selfish motive either for or against and the general assembly plays the numbers when it comes to hunting laws because there are a lot more non hunters than hunters. It is as simple as that. If you ever sat through a public hearing on the subject you would see that a lot of people are very serious on opposing it and it is not all for religious reasons, there are many reasons, from people who live in the suburbs want at least one day where they do not have to hear shooting, to hikers and other people who have outdoor pursuits that want a day where they do not have to worry about being in an area where there are hunters. The thing is, to them, their reasons are every bit as legitimate as your are for wanting it. This is not an issue of necessity, it is an issue of some want it and others do not and the do nots carry as much weight as those who want it. That is the best explanation I can give you. That is politics and in government, everything is politics.
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Old 03-31-2017, 09:21 AM
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So basically majority rules and politicians don't want to ruin their chances for reelection. I guess that is a logical reason.
But I can't buy the fact that hikers are afraid of being around hunters. Statistically a hiker stands a better chance of being hit in the head and killed by a golf ball when hiking on a golf course than being shot by a hunter's bullet.
Heck, I've already killed a farmer's duck at over 200 yards using a driver and a titelist! Hit it right in the neck and killed it instantly. I wish my Franchi had that kind of range.

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Old 03-31-2017, 10:26 AM
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You and I know the danger is more imaginary than real, the noise is the noise and to those who would like at least one day without hearing it when they are outside their homes, it matters. In politics perception is reality and it steers what politicians do, if people think something is dangerous or bad, it is bad or dangerous! I can't even begin to tell you how many times a legislator, both Senators and Representatives gave me the perception is reality line when I had to deal with them.

I will leave it with this: every time a hunter does something stupid, dangerous or illegal and they are seen by someone, the story is magnified every time it passes from one person to the other until it is completely blown out of proportion. These kind of things have a large effect on why people oppose certain things that affect hunters and hunting, real or imaginary, see above paragraph. Hunters need to clean up their act because one bad one can do damage to all of us. We need to tell people when they are doing something stupid or dangerous whether or not they are in our hunting party and illegal acts need to be reported to a WCO each and every time we see them. By being serious about doing that we can have an affect on most other hunters and when they know their odds of being caught are getting higher each year, many will either quit hunting or quit violating. Many hunters do not believe there are that many violations, they are wrong. I stopped saying only one hunter out of a hundred violates, as we used to tell people, a long time ago because I know it is worse than that. Hunters can choose to be their worst enemies or be part of a solution that gives us all a better image. I assure you, our legislators can and will reduce hunting if they think it is their best interest come election time, we will never outnumber non hunters. OK, off the pulpit.

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Old 03-31-2017, 10:47 AM
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the noise is the noise and to those who would like at least one day without hearing it when they are outside their homes, it matters.
How many shots do you typically hear from hunters on any given day? They are usually few and far between. And populated areas are usually bow-only anyway.

If noise is a problem, why are gun clubs allowed to be open on Sundays. A pistol range and skeet shooting range produces a lot more noise than a handful of rifle shots a day.

Also, can't they allow Sunday hunting on your own private property? I hear that people who open their land to hunters don't want it. But, what if it is my own private land? Or SGL? It can't be because it would be too hard to enforce. They have streams that have certain sections that are open to catch and release, fly fishing only, etc... and that can be enforced.
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Old 03-31-2017, 11:36 AM
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Barns there are many many populated areas in the state that are not archery only, there is no state law for archery only, any archery only areas are mandated by landowners. I live in the suburbs, there are farms all around the development I live in and there are other developments. During goose season I hear quite a bit of shooting, both morning and evening. There was a law passed to protect gun clubs from being closed down because of noise complaints if they were in existence before the area got developed, that law has protected several gun clubs where people were trying to get them closed down by the township for noise. I am not going to argue this issue, I explained why we do not have Sunday hunting, perhaps there are some things that could be done if the general assembly wanted to but if you read my previous post I explained why they won't to date. I would not approve of hunting on public land only because that would put all the hunting pressure on State Game Lands, State Parks and State forest land is not controlled by the PGC and easily could not open their land. Additionally I would oppose hunting on land you own only on Sunday because you may own the land but you don't own the game on it and that would not be fair to other license buyers that don't own huntable land. Everyone thinks they have an easy solution, but they don't, as I said earlier, those who want Sunday hunting have their own selfish reasons for wanting it, and those who don't have their own selfish reasons for not wanting it. The bottom line is, the general assembly is the only entity that can do it. Times change and sometimes things change but I would not look for this to change very soon because the general assembly has been very consistent on this issue for a long time. Just so you understand, I am not defending it, I am simply saying why it is, because Bronco asked me to. It does not bother me, for me, it has always been this way and I have hunted for almost 6 decades and I have more hunting opportunities now than I ever did before. For me, if it happens it happens, if it doesn't, it doesn't, I am probably in the minority. The only thing I would care about is that it happens over the board, not just for some or Game Lands only, all or nothing.
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