This is a long article, but offers much food for thought.http://www.dfw.state.or.us/ODFWhtml/...ader_regs.html

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Thanks Weasel, That was interesting. I was surprised at some of the percentages.Ruger Redhawk

Having participated in the survey, it was conducted a couple of years ago, I have mixed feelings from the reaction of ODFW.
On the one hand it was a clean and nice way for us to voice our thoughts. On the other they really didn't listen to us and went ahead and did just what they were going to do anyway. I believe they had their minds made up before they ever sent out the survey.
All m/l tags are permit entry and are tougher to get then ever.
My final comment to them was, if it comes down to it, hunting opportunity vs. limited technolgy, then give me a pound of powder and a bag of balls and let me hunt!!!!

Interesting article,but I can't say that its unexpected(saw that one coming awhile back).

Yes, an interesting article. And, contrary to the Oregon conclusions, the State of New York Dept. of Env. Conservation is actually considering a longer ML season and legalizing use of scoped ML's in the Northern Zone (Adirondacks) in order to kill more deer, particularly antlerless deer. It will be interesting to see if this actually happens!!

Larry

I got a quick survey.

How many people can say they have increased their kills during muzzleloading season due to their change from sidelock to inline??

I would have to say no. I still bring home one deer during early muzzleloading, same as before with my sidelock.

This article goes to show there should be different rules for different states and even regions.

Where I grew up in Ky, the kill rate for deer is not near as much as Md. In other words, the population is where it probably should be. Ample food for the deer. Here in MD, if they had the same stable population, I guarantee they would limit your weapon to possibly, patch and ball or no scope, or even flinters only. But as it stands, the kill rate is the highest I have ever seen in any state. I mean, anybody can fill their tags in this state. Last year, you could legally kill 32 deer in MD with bonus stamps of course. Deer are extremely over populated due to urban spraw. So they are very relaxed on handicapping hunters and the early muzzleloading season if just for population reduction. The DNR in this state could care less about our tradition and passions for hunting. If the deer was in check they would probably ban hunting in 80% of MD. No joke. With all the debate about inlines vs. sidelocks, vs. flints, it all comes down to what the majority of people in power want. We might sit here and debate the tradition of it or the defination of primative arms, but I think it comes down to the fact that the old rules kept new people out. Before, with sidelocks, people hesitated to try due to they couldn't use a rifle or whatever. Now, with inlines being in American Rifleman every month and marketed as just as accurate as your slug gun, the regular centerfire crowd has taken note and went out and bought one. Now instead of the ML season being one where stands are easy to find with little human presence besides your own, the woods are almost as crowded as the regular firearms season. So the traditionlist are naturally unhappy. They ask, what has changed. Why all these people in the woods. I used to have these woods to myself. I very unhappy about it also. This year alone, my good ole stand that I have never been ran out of on Morgans Run in Carroll County had someone not 20 yards in a tree at 5:30 AM. But then I got to ask myself, do I really want to keep new people from trying this sport in a country where it gets more and more antihunting. Food for thought.