"Primitive Weapons" Season Bites The Dust In Mississippi
 

The Governor signed the bill on March 25th. There's going to be a lot of muzzle loaders and single shots up for sale cheap in Mississippi over the next year.

http://www.ms-sportsman.com/details.php?id=2126

This doesn't apply to public land hunting. Is everything private land there?

No. Mississippi has something like 50 public Wildlife Management Areas. But I suspect the total area of private land leases and clubs is greater than that of the WMAs.

So, they can hunt with CF guns, and they still call it a primitive season?

Modern times are sure screwed up. I long for the old days.

Missouri changed the ML season regulations last year. Now its called the Alternate Methods season and they now allow CF pistols. A few states had already allowed some single shot rifles like a 45/70 during the "primitive" season.

Maybe a black powder season would be good. When I was shooting CAS I had a Winchester 66 for a 44/40. I loaded it with real BP, and always wondered how it would be to hunt with. It a pretty weak load that's maybe equal to a PRB. It did have the advantage of a quick follow up shot though. It might have been fun.

Sounds like the article is claiming that allowing single shot breech loading guns is the first step in eradicating primitive seasons. Sure hope that does not start here.

What they can't do is stop us from shooting a muzzleloader. We can always shoot/hunt them if we really like them. Not matter what the season is called.

Exactly Muley! Even in modern season when I hunted with the gang ... I carried a .54 caliber Renegade loaded with roundball. And I always got my deer too. So no matter what they call a season, I think those that want to muzzleloader hunt will do so. But it does put more hunters in the woods, harvests more deer, and puts more money in State coffers, by doing away with the muzzleloader season as Semisane explained here.

That's true. I've hunted the rifle season with a ML, and it's a struggle.

However, getting an elk with a sidelock, iron sights, and a PRB was well worth the looks I got from the scoped Weatherby crowd. :D

I too hunt with ML exclusively regardless of the season but I don't see that as the issue. It may not be this way everywhere but in TN and VA where I hunt, the early ML season is during the peak of the rut. So now you're going to have a considerable more amount of people out in the woods. While everyone is entitled to hunt, that’s not favorable for me as I hunt mainly public land.

It wouldn't generate any more revenue either because the license you pay for is for the weapon of choice. So in many cases, you might lose money because people are no longer buying a ML license.

Hunting with a modern inline muzzle loader (imop) can hardly be described as "Primitive Hunting" Here in Mn we are not allowed to use scopes I always "chuckle" at that, Like that is suppose to make it more "Primitive". I have used my muzzleloader for different seasons, I just look at it as a single shot rifle. However I will say some of the southern states have some Odd regulations, (I don't live there so I will refrain from any conclusions) jmop

Hunters were using scopes 200 years ago.

TNHagies, you called it. In VA on public land, I find that the deer pretty much go nocturnal by mid season with all the crowds. Some of the public land is too dangerous (for me) to hunt regular season since it turns into a shooting gallery. I like that the ML season is right during the rut. Maybe a little selfish for me, but hope it does not change.

Ive hunted as long as i can remember with a ML during the CF season here. Its always been with a scoped inline though.

I don't if that is the reason or not, I was being vicious, it is about the only reason I can think of (other then that with the use of a scope it may entice a hunter to take a longer shot then is ethical possible). I like the way Mn runs the hunt, it is generally about 2 weeks after the reg. season, past the rut, & only muzzle loading & Bow are open,

Did they give a reason for the change? If they have too many deer it is better to thin the herd than to have disease.

The evolution in Mississippi, as in Louisiana, went from;

iron sighted muzzle loaders, to

scope sighted muzzle loaders, to

single shot, breech loading, metallic cartridge rifle with metallic cartridges loaded with either black powder or modern smokeless powder, .38 caliber or larger, of a kind or type manufactured prior to 1900 and replicas, and reproductions or reintroductions of that type rifle having an exposed hammer, to

single shot, breech loading rifles, .35 caliber or larger having an exposed hammer that uses metallic cartridges, to

the current change of NO RESTRICTIONS. (Louisiana hasn't taken this step yet. But it will happen sooner or later.)

I have sold a couple of t/c encore .35 whelen barrels to fella in Mississippi over the last few years. Now I can probably be able to buy them back for ten cents on the dollar.

The same can be said for archery equipment these days, but what only allowing open sights, conicals, loose powder, etc does is reduce the effective range and thereby lower the success rate. Yes, there will always be guys who can shoot game at 300-400 yards with an open sight muzzy, but for most of us 100-150 yards is our max effective range.

And I will put cayugad shooting his sidelock renegade up against you shooting a inline with open sights accuracy wise. At least mine is as accurate as my Knight out to 150 yards although I have never shot an animal that far.

So lets take Colorado for example. If they starting allowing sabots and scopes, the harvest numbers would increase and they would have to lower the number of tags issued, thereby lowering my chance of drawing the tag.

Pete,

You're right about that but with the recent incident that happened in Boston, it may soon become very difficult to get black powder for those of us that prefer to use it. If black powder skyrockets in price or becomes difficult to obtain (like .22 rimfire ammo has), the resulting loss of traditional muzzleloading hunters in Pennsylvania may prompt the state to enact similar measures in an effort to re-coup lost revenue. I hope Pennsylvania never does this with our traditional ML season.

BPS

I thought I was the only one concerned about that happening. I mean, I'm not real worried, but it's definitely a concern for me.
I would certainly appreciate MN allowing scopes. I don't think not allowing them stops people from taking long shots. I think it increases people wounding deer, just from a few stories I've heard.
I do know that if MN specifically were to start allowing rifle/shotgun, I would be done with muzzleloaders. I'd get shot for sure. This is why I initially got started with them- I can hunt the entire season and not see anyone else. Not the case during shotgun season.

When I first saw the explosion in Boston. My first thought was it was black powder. The huge white cloud of smoke couldn't have been anything else. My second thought was this is going to make getting BP harder. Of course, I was also thinking about the people getting hurt, and what coward did this.

Well, the powder question was answered fast.

http://www.lautenberg.senate.gov/new...cfm?id=341435&

I don't think allowing scopes would make much difference in the number of hunters, remember in Mn most get their deer during the rifle season (you can only take one buck). The hunting is a little harder during ML season, it is well after the rut, generally the weather is much colder/snow, I think the Mn DNR does a very good job regulating the seasons, as to the scopes It really makes no difference to me, except as I am getting older my eyes could use some help, but if they get to bad I can apply for a waver, I hope I never have to.

You don't get to hunt the rut in Colorado for deer. It never held us back.

He can "introduce" the legislation all he wants but it doesn't mean it's going to pass. They are having enough trouble getting gun control stuff through the Senate let alone anywhere past that. The fact is, background checks wouldn't have done any good.

It's true that congress can't get anything passed. However, that's not stopping the states from passing laws that congress could never pass.