Here is a question:
For those units that had been traditionally "shotgun only" - which were allowed to use rifles for the first time in 2008 - will we be able to continue to use rifles in the 2009 season?
I had not heard anything even brought up on that issue, but I would guess that you probably could still use rifles. From what I have seen in the past, the shotgun vs. rifle argument always seems to be focused (for good reason) on safety issues as opposed to ease of harvest. We used to have a shotgun-only restriction in the Mississippi River Block opening weekend...I know when they went to allowing rifles all season the only thing I remember being brought up when it was discussed was related to the possiblity of increased firearms accidents.