Just wondering if anyone in Steuben, Yates or Chemung has been using a rifle for gun season. Curious to see who likes the new rule,who doesn't or whateveryones thoughts are.

I'm going to Yates on Saturday. I've hunted shotgun there all my life and I'm excited about using a rifle. I'll miss my 870 though. Ofcourse I can still hunt with it when I want.

I was hunting in Ontario County last weekend and it was a releif to go back to the north country and pull out the rifle. Call me a wimp but it was quite a bit lighter.

Rifle hunting = 1 shot, small hole, dead deer

Shotgun hunting = bam bam bam bam bam ... reload ... bam bam bam ...

I wish Tompkinsand Cortland would make the switch. We hunt all over NY and this is the last area that is still shotgun. We hunt the tri-county uplands area. Only Tioga is rifle.

More the operator then the equipment dont you think? Not everyone unloads on a deer with a shotgun, most people go, one shot one hole, dead deer, just has a slightly bigger hole!

I don't know. I hunted in a shotgun only county years ago and definitely heard much more shooting than I ever did in a rifle area. I don't know if this is due to fewer hunters in recent years, or something else. I know that someone who knows what a shotgun is capable of and knows how to shoot well doesn't need more than one round, but I think alot of other shotgunners take shots at deer beyond it's capabilities and that's where the rapid firing starts.

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Modern shotguns for deer are a vast improvement over the old pumpkin launchers. But make no mistake, a centerfile rifle is a far superior weapon.

Certainly not everyone unloads on deer. A rifle hunter unloading on a deer is a very rare event. A shotgun hunter unloading on a deer is not. Just listen to the woods in the counties that have changed (silence...pow...silence). And then listen to a county that has not (blam blam blam blam blam).

Shotguns are for rabbits, rifles are for deer.

NH hunter here. I live in a shotgun town , but rifle starts about 25 minutes west of here.There are more deer haere and I have a doe permit for this area. I still drive the 30 min every day just to hunt with a rifle I enjoy it more.

Second post I've read saying the same thing. I live in Tioga County and have had rifles for 3 seasons now, I hear plenty of repeat shoots. Just depends on whether the person bought an auto loader, pump, or bolt action rifle. Bolts are pow......pow and the person isn't fast enough to empty the gun. The others are just like shotguns. I sincerely doubt there is less shooting with a rifle. If the deer doesn't fall the first shot, there will be follow up shots reguardless of the weapon. Just ask the people in PA. One small hole??? What about the people shooting 300 win mags with 150 gr HP bullets??? If you hit bone, you have to put the guts back in the deer before you can take them out the proper way.