VA, there was several meaningful responses, that I and Ridge put out there. You failed to actually respond to any. But I really don't blame you. You went after the low hanging fruit at that point.

Bigcountry ,I surehope I don't ever piss off you or the Ridgerunner.

holy crap....guy goes to bed after a bourbon and couple of posts, comes home from work and finds "posts gone wild" . Jimany crickets, i've got 20 people up my butt and have'nt been kissed. Theres like 35 responces. Good Lord, I tried to pay a compliment to a traditional archery guy and get ridiculed because I havent shot as long as he has. A simple "hey, keep practicing" would have been nice. Instead Im told I cant be a member of "his" club. All you ML guys realize your huntign during "his" season, and to top it off, he likes to smokepole. And I guess since he knows everthing, and now ive taken on another name. I think you spent too much time driving around that beltway. Then comes Howard. I kinda like him.If you read between the lines, he makes sense. And I guess the only hunting in the world is whitetaildeer cause thats all people want to talk about.

The fact is that about every post is about who's eqipment is better and why. Now maybe you see the point of my first response. I havent heard yet about time with family. Guess its not about that, just guns and deer.

how does Howard like that one?

bicountry,

"Second, the ML season today is more of a tool for deer management for special early seasons"

Why do you suppose archers and muzzleloaders were given seasons early? Why are archery seasons and muzzleloader seasons vastly longer than modern rifle seasons? It's not because it's relatively easier with hunt with, but because it is typically harder that their modern rifle counterparts. Tell me; are the kill ratio percentages higher with modern rifles or with muzzleloaders/archery? This is the crux of the entire argument. People i.e. consumers who demand and manufacturers who push products, want new gear so that they can still legally fit into a 'primitive' season but approaches kill percentages of rifles. Choosing a weapon with which to hunt is entirely personal, but we have muzzleloaders that act like rifles and are marketed specifically to rifle hunters who wish to be able to 'technically' hunt in muzzleloader season with as little difference between weapons as possible. That's why states such as Idaho have implemented rules about what constitutes a legal blackpowder rifle, exposed pivoting hammer, no 209 primers etc. Why did they do this except to counter the trends that those who are not willing to accept the limitations of blackpowder and manufacturers have been pushing lately? It is not just me that is noticing these things.

If it were a matter of regulating deer population only, the most effective way is to allow those with historically the most effective weapons a longer season, thus increasing the numbers of deer killed. However, because there is a difference in effectiveness (relative to kill percentages) among weapons, there are separate seasons to allow longer seasons for those weapons with the lower percentages of success.

"Only reason there is more success, is because there is more hunters now in the woods."

I am talking per hunter kill ratio, not overall numbers.

"Imagine how use archers felt when they added special ML seasons right smack dab in the middle of our season"

By the tone of it, it sounds like you were none too pleased. You felt like they were cheating because now muzzleloaders with an extended range which your longbow could not duplicate were walking the same woods as you and were taking 50-60-70 yard shots while you were trying to stalk and make a 20 yard shot. Eventually all the clatter of muzzleloaders in the woods changed the archery season during that time, probably to the point you either did not hunt with a bow during that time, or picked up a muzzleloader.

The personal attacks I have endured from so-called level-headed people here is astonishing. How quickly some lower themselves to the lowest common denominator of hurling insults and making unfounded comments about me is rather surprising. How prescient I was to see someone would try to insult me in reference to the letters after my name, thank you RidgeRunner for proving my point that insecure people must insult those they fear in order to make themselves feel better, this is not just my opinion but has been proven in a clinical setting.

This will be my last post, if you feel the need to continue to try to abase me by snide comments and your own chest-beating, then do so.

Howard

In what way did I attack you? I merely offered some advice. Does it offend you that I insinuated that you do not spell well? It shouldn't since you don't feel I should be offended that you think I am a bad hunter because I choose to use more up to date equipment.


This is not a generalization, it is a bold statement. And one that I do not feel applies to me, or any of the other people I personally hunt with. So I felt I would let you know that so you knew not everyone that uses newer equipment is a blood thirsty egomaniac that only cares about how many deer they kill and how it makes them look to others, which is exactly the way portrayed it, is it not?

People were bagging on you for not spelling correctly so I suggested using spell check and that is all you saw. It's called constructive criticism. I didn't call you stupid, ignorant or any other names did I? I don't even recall insinuating that you were a bad hunter because of the methods you use.

Paul

Oh, and in MI muzzle loader season is at the end and not that long, but you can use them during gun season as well.

Gun season is shorter because there are more people in the woods than any all the other seasons combined.

Paul

Paul hit it right on the head. Generalizations prevoke actions of defense. Personally I think this type of BS has to end between hunters!! Going back to my original comment hunting is personal, why make it harder then it has to be....you do it your way and I/we do it mine.

FWIW, the harvest is icing on the cake and has nothing to do with why I love it so much . Hunting for me isn't a season it is a whole year event. YesI want to harvest game, otherwise why would I hunt???? Just not the focal point to what I consider a successful hunt.

Hey Skeeter ,Like I always said .It's not the kill but the hunt. Right bud.(BTW this little rant coming up does not apply to you)They keep talking about the equipment .All Bigtime wanted to know was how far do people in general shoot their B/P. That's tells me he is interested in getting one or finding out enough information to see if he wants one to see if that is going to fit his criteria for what he is wanting to do . In my opinion that makes him a pretty intelligent person. Do your research ,make your decision, carry on with your plan . Bravo and congrats to you bigtime. If more people took the time to do their homework you would get a lot less crap about unethical hunters. It always makes me laugh when a honest question in a thread gets whacked out like this one has.How about these personal attacks Don't these yahoos thatcome around herjust to start a bunch of crapknow that a computer is like a telephone just hang up stoooopid.Now I get towait for them to come after me.

I beleive this was the first blow, maybe you meant you had "one too many bourbons that night!"

Maybe I meant what I said. Maybe you could actually learn toread. Maybe the ones that had too manyare laying on the hood of a jeep. Maybe, just maybe.