Minnesota becoming a shotgun only state?
 

I was talking to some guys in a local cafe and 1 said with in the next 5 years mm would be shotgun only just like Iowa, now I know the shotgun/rifle line wasmoved farther north a few years ago, and there is a talk of moving the general firearm season to the weekend after thanksgiving,but thats when our muzzleloader season starts. Anybody ever heat of this happening

I wish WI would go shotgun only and also have antler restrictions....

I think, for now, its a lot of blather over nothing. Minnesota has made a few changes in the past few years, but changing all to shotgun only won't happen in the near future.

If that is what you want, than do it. But don't force me to change because its what you want.

I can't imagine going all shotgun. As I understand it in talking to a CO years ago, shotgun-only mostly has to do with population concentrations and open spaces and limitting how far a projectile can travel. I've been deer hunting since 1964 and the boundries have moved very little if you look at the overall state. There's always seems to be someone talking about something just to get people all wound up.

BTW, I would LOVE to see firearm opener moved at least a week later, more like it was in the "good old days". Keep muzzleloader where it is and just transition from firearm right into muzzleloader.

Won't happen, no reason for it. Iowa is only shotgun due to the lack of forest region I believe. Which is why Mn is shotgun in the central area on down. Has nothing to do with protecting the deer. I also agree with the later firearm season. There is a reason not to hold firearms season during peak rut times. Mn would have just as many big deer as other midwest states in my opinion. We see monsters every year in our state and the DNR does little to manage that with exception to the new antler restriction in the very southern part of the state.

i believe that is NY's justification for shotgun region
southern half of the state, where the cities are and state lands tend to be smaller lots is shotgun only,
northern half of the state which is more rural and has larger lots of state land is rifle,
i dont see a rural state like MN needing shotgun regions,
unless that region is around the cities,
or maybe because their rural land is mostly open farmland and less state forested areas, that might be more of a factor in such rural states

Amen to that.

I all ready do do it. I for one would rather have more opportunity's at mature bucks than be able to shoot deer at 300+ yards. IMO rifles are for varmits and sniping the enemy or hunting out west not in the mid-west.

Alot of us eat venison and kinda like to fill our tags. Rifle makes this possible and never hunt for horns. If a big one passes by, I eat em.:biggrin: