Some good news for NC muzzleoaders
 

Delayed Hunting and Trapping Rule Changes Take Effect Aug. 1, 2010 . . .

:hail:Shorten the bow season by one week and open the muzzleloader season one week earlier to create a two week muzzleloader season.

However,

:confused0024:Allow hunters to use archery equipment to harvest deer during the muzzleloading firearms season on game lands.

Nothing against bowhunting, but they really didn't loose anything - they have to share the week they "lost" with us muzzleloaders. And, in a sense, they gain an extra week by us muzzleoaders having to share OUR season with them. Plus . . .

:eek2:Allow bow hunting on Sundays on private lands only, except for migratory game birds.

and

:eek2:Allow the use of crossbows anytime bow and arrows are legal weapons.

Oh well . . . the game lands I hunt are fairly isolated to the general public (you either have to come in off the Yadkin River or know somebody who has property that borders it). My neighbor is the only bowhunter I know who uses the gamelands (his property actually borders this one and is my access point).

In Louisiana, bow season opens Oct 1st. and ends Jan 31st. It runs concurrently with all of the other seasons.

I never have been in favor of taking away a week from bowhunters. The area I hunted the deer numbers just kept dropping and dropping. Eastern NC has a super short bow season but one long rifle season. I think the way NC was broken up into 4 districts catered to each weapon fairly well. Just my 2 cents.

Well...since they also passed hunting on Private land with a bow on Sundays the bow hunters didn't really lose a week...In addition, they can bow hunt during any other season...

NC is overpopulated with deer, we need more does killed, bow hunters weren't getting it done so a change was made...

I was just going from I saw when I was hunting near Rutherforton. I was covered up with good deer for about 10 years until hunting clubs surrounded the land I was hunting. Deer numbers dropped drastically after 2-3 years. I thought the 4 different areas was a good compromise. Maybe I just got spoiled by being in hunting paradise for soo long till it got too crowded with other hunters.