Is your state BOW and SHOTGUN ONLY? WHY??
 

I am not familiar with hunting regs. outside of my own state of Arkansas, but I know there are some states that areBow andShotgun only, no modern rifle season. If that is your state, tell me the state, and why it's that way. Also, do you split the season, or just stay with the Bow?

Thanks

God Bless

RE: Is your state BOW and SHOTGUN ONLY? WHY??
 

IL, bow and shotgun, then there is also a muzzleloader and a handgun season as well. No modern rifle, at least in my neck of the woods.

Someone more educated could give you a reason why.

I always assumed it was legislation passed down because of Chicago.

But then again, I could be terribly wrong. ;)


Ohh, and to answer you final question, in my county (Grundy), I can't bowhunt during shotgun season. So I am limited to hunting with my shotgun during the twofirearm seasons. Not all counties in IL are like that though, as I was corrected here just a few months ago. :D Don't remember the correct answer though.

So basically, I have lost all my credibility through this post. HA.

RE: Is your state BOW and SHOTGUN ONLY? WHY??
 

Bols you are right. IL is bow and shotgun only. Take a look at the deer we have here and that will answer your guys' questions. Some states know how to manage their deer population and some don't. I'm originally from WV and they had a 2 week long rifle season during the rut. Talk about putting a damper on the quality of deer. I could sit 300 yards away from a deer and put it down. So could every other redneck running around with a rifle in their hands. Moving to IL made me realize what deer management was. If more states would manage their hunting seasons the right way there could be better deer hunting for all of us to enjoy.

RE: Is your state BOW and SHOTGUN ONLY? WHY??
 

MD is mostly bow, shotgun and muzzleloader. There are a few remote places where rifles are allowed, but none of the suburban areas allow them.

It doesn't matter to me - I hunt deer with a bow exclusively for ALL the seasons. I just scored again on Monday(for the 5th consecutive year) during a gun season using a bow.

RE: Is your state BOW and SHOTGUN ONLY? WHY??
 

NY is that way. Well most of southern and western. Its because of population. Some counties have recently changed but many are still bow,shotgun(single projectile),handgun and muzzleloader.

The northerntier allows rifle.The county I hunt in just cjanged to allow rifles but I can't see to put my Rem. 1100 in the safe. I have used it too many years and killed too many deer with it.

RE: Is your state BOW and SHOTGUN ONLY? WHY??
 

As you should be aware Ontario is absolutely huge, so its broken up into WMUs (wildlife management uses). Some areas are bow only, some bow only with a controlled hunt (a shotgun only hunt that you have get drawn in a lottery to participate), and some ares have a two week rifle season.

As far as I can tell its mainly the populated areas, cottage country, and areas that have a major highway running thru it that don't allow rifle - safety reasons I guess.

RE: Is your state BOW and SHOTGUN ONLY? WHY??
 

No sir...
Rifle
pistol
crossbow
bow
B.P.
shotgun

I reside in Florida

RE: Is your state BOW and SHOTGUN ONLY? WHY??
 

There are also small parts of New York that only allow bow hunting.

RE: Is your state BOW and SHOTGUN ONLY? WHY??
 

Parts of NH are shotgun only (well bow and muzzleloader too). Mostly the south eastern corner. Due primarily to areas that are small patches of woods/farm surrounded by houses.

RE: Is your state BOW and SHOTGUN ONLY? WHY??
 

In southeast michigan and the thumbwe have a bow season, shotgun/muzzeloader, and muzzeloader only. But if you are in the more northern region of the state, you can use rifles during shotgun season.

RE: Is your state BOW and SHOTGUN ONLY? WHY??
 

Indiana is bow/shotgun/muzzleloader No rifles here.

RE: Is your state BOW and SHOTGUN ONLY? WHY??
 

I am in Texas, and there is a bow only season for one month, then there is general season for the next two. During the general season, you can use anything. I haven't ever hunted deer with a shotgun...I either use a rifle or a bow. I guess that it is this way becuase there is a lot of wide open land in Texas (Texas has a ranch, the King Ranch, that is bigger than the state of Rhode Island), so rifles are allowed a lot more. I really have no clue why the set up the regulations the way they did. I personally like the bow / shotgun only idea. You can see a big, big difference in the way the deer act when the rifle hunters enter the woods!

RE: Is your state BOW and SHOTGUN ONLY? WHY??
 

I always assumed that the reason for IL being shotgun only was because of the flat openess and the high number of rural residences.

RE: Is your state BOW and SHOTGUN ONLY? WHY??
 

In Virginia the terrain/population determines what weapons are allowed, but we have a wide variety of landscapes. Shotgun and bow only on the coastal plains. Muzzle loader and rifle begin to appear on the western side of the piedmont. Anything goes in the mountains.

RE: Is your state BOW and SHOTGUN ONLY? WHY??
 

Where i live in iowa, there is 2 shotgun season, a bow season, and 2 muzzleloader seasons. No rifle season yet, but they are starting in the southern counties i think. I'm not sure why, maybe for safety reasons. There is a TON of guys that go out for shotgun seasons.

RE: Is your state BOW and SHOTGUN ONLY? WHY??
 

I hunt in Indiana and we don't have a rifle season. We have early bow, then shotgun. A couple weeks after that we have about a week of muzzleloader, then late archery. I think we don't have a rifle season is because their are a lot of hunters out there and it is a matter of safety. Rifles can shoot a lot farther and during the season many hunters are in the woods. Shotguns also make it more challenging. You have to be within 100 yards to get one with a shotgun. A rifle is to easy because you can takea deer at 400 yards and sometimes farther. I mainly hunt with my bow but our shotgun season is only 2 and a half weeks long. So you have more opportunities with a bow.

RE: Is your state BOW and SHOTGUN ONLY? WHY??
 

Ohio is a bow and shotgun season only because we all know that rifles are the cheapest way to hunt deer. I'm glad I didn't get raised in a state that allowed rifle hunting and that's what I hunted with. I love bow hunting, and that's what I'm going to always do.

RE: Is your state BOW and SHOTGUN ONLY? WHY??
 

I only hunt with bow, althoughI used to black powder with a Hawken .50 that I built. Well, built from a kit I should say. I think it is no rifle because the hillbillies shoot enough of each other in shotgun season. A rifle would just make it worse. I am not calling gun hunters hillbillies, just the ignorant ones who shoot at twitching bushes or anything that moves. It is actaully scary how many people shoot each other every year here.

RE: Is your state BOW and SHOTGUN ONLY? WHY??
 

IL is shotgun only. One would deduce it's because of the population (people not deer). But, you can hunt varmints with a centerfire rifle so there goes that logic.

RE: Is your state BOW and SHOTGUN ONLY? WHY??
 

Because Massachusetts is backwards!!!!

RE: Is your state BOW and SHOTGUN ONLY? WHY??
 

I live in Arkansas also and what is funny is I have hunted my entire life with rifles and never have I taken a shot farther then 50 yards on a deer. The stand I am in right now I might have a 40 yard shot at best. Anyone can sit accross a field and shoot something.

RE: Is your state BOW and SHOTGUN ONLY? WHY??
 

Ohio is just bow/slug/muzzleloader. I use all 3 it just depends on where I go and how far I might shoot

RE: Is your state BOW and SHOTGUN ONLY? WHY??
 

Kentucky is a great state, we have good deer management here but only because we have a lot of horse farms that you can't hunt and smart deer know where the same areas are. But we can hunt with Bow all season long, black powder have comes in twice for a total of 2 weeks and modern gun is 16 days depend on which zone you are in.A lot of big deer here but a lot of rugged terrian as well!

RE: Is your state BOW and SHOTGUN ONLY? WHY??
 

I could be wrong, but i was told a long time ago, that they do not allow rifle hunting in some states because they feel the terrain is to flat is it would be dangerous.

RE: Is your state BOW and SHOTGUN ONLY? WHY??
 

As two others have said Ohio has no rifle season. They say it is becuase Ohio is flat but I think they say that because it is to easy to tell like it is! Our Bow season runs from first of October to the end of Jan. WE have a one week Shotgun season and that is when all hell breaks loose! I gun hunt and there is alot of guys that do and are good at it so dont take this wrong. But I think the vast majority of guys shotgun hunting shot the gun the last time when they missed or wounded a deer the year before. Every year I shotgun hunt I run into tresspassers and people that just dont care. It is for this reason I think they do not allow rifels in Ohio. You can shot varmits and yotes all you want with whatever you want. But I think the DNR knows it would be bad news if you put a bunch of idiots in the fields throwing lead four feet off the ground that can go 500 yards no problem and hit someone or something. Like I say its ok for varmits because most of the varmit hunters are good shots and are not just throwing bullets around. A week full of guys running around shooting 30-06 bullets would be asking for trouble IMO!