He pretty much hit the nail on the head . I thought

The majority of hunters don't want rifles? I thought it was pretty much evenly split for and against.

That's what I thought, as well.

For those worried about safety, the NSSF did a great study on how safe hunting is overall.

http://www.nssf.org/pdf/research/iir_injurystatistics2013.pdf

According to the study, we should be 14x more worried about getting injured playing volleyball than while hunting.

I get that. But a unanimous vote on anything still shocks me. You would think that at least one of them would accidentally hit "No".

I agree with Don ....... the DNR said no, and that is the way it should be .... However, I do think down deep, the dnr wants even more deer killed, and if this does go thru, they will get their wish....

I don't look at it as the DNR saying "no", but rather that they simply pulled the proposal until a time in the future when it could be modified and reintroduced.

Unless/until this passes and we actually see what form it takes if it passes, this is all pure speculation....

Jeff, if the DNR wants to decimate, eradicate or basically make deer non-existent what would the reasoning behind that be?

They must have a healthy, but not over-abundance herd sustained to ensure deer hunters across the state keep buying licenses...their #1 funding source. Would make no sense for them to wipe them out, at times reduce sure, other times grow...it's been a process for years now. No?

I doubt that the DNR wants to add any additional statewide firearms hunting days, so if it passes, it'll probably be set to run concurrently with firearms season.

Yeah, the bill doesn't create a rifle season it merely adds them as acceptable firearm choices during the existing Firearm Season.

Actually, through this bill, the DNR could create a "special season" for rifles.

Quoted from the bill: "to establish a deer hunting season during which hunters may use rifles on privately owned land subject to the following:"

It doesn't say when it has to be, or how long it has to be, just that it has to be.

I completely stand corrected. Stupidity in motion if that is the case. We already have a plenty long enough firearm season.

How many ways do we need to kill a deer? This is getting stupid.

A Rifle season could be many things including a 2 day weekend in January or a simple addition to existing gun season ..... No length or time frame has been noted.

Brew A Rifle season could be many things including a 2 day weekend in January or a simple addition to existing gun season ..... No length or time frame has been noted.


Good point....it could be something like that, or
it could be as simple as the DNR allowing hprs to be used only during the late antlerless season and only on private property.

Doing that would give the DNR more control over when/where they could be used as opposed to adding them to the general firearms season.

I doubt it would be during the special antlerless season, as certain counties would be excluded.

Does it say a state wide season?

No, but it sure wouldn't be fair to allow rifles, then exclude everyone from counties with quotas of 3 or less. LOL! Not that it would affect me, as my county is an 8 and we are swamped with deer.

What wouldn't be fair Is sending all the HPR South Make it State wide or forget it , which I would prefer but that's just me !

HB 1231, which passed the House, had First Reading in the Senate today. It has been assigned to the Senate Committee on Natural Resources. No date given yet for when the committee will hear the bill.

http://iga.in.gov/legislative/2016/committees/natural_resources

The above link also lists all committee members -- in case you want to contact them.


According to the online Senate calendar, in a few weeks we will know whether or not the bill goes to the Governor:

Deadline for Senate committee reports on HBs in Senate is February 25.
Deadline for 3rd reading of HBs in Senate is March 2.
Conference committees begin March 3.
Deadline to adjourn 2016 General Assembly Session is March 14.

http://iga.in.gov/legislative/2016/committees/natural_resources

HB 1231 will be heard by the Senate Natural Resources Committee on Monday, February 22, at 9:00 AM in Room 130.

I hunt coyotes from Oct 15th to March 15th on Public Lands using a 5.56 AR15 with no restrictions on the size of the magazine that I can use. I avoid going hunting when there are people hunting deer at the same time. I would fear for my life if I went out into the fields during dear gun season.

I guess there are just too many deer hunters as compared to coyote hunters.

But if we can hunt for coyotes using a center fire rifle why can't others hunt deer with a center fire rifle too?

I'm not saying that I want this to happen. But I'm curious as to the IDNR's thinking on this one. I can only think that is has to do with the number of deer hunters out there during deer season. Deer gun season is pretty short compared to the long coyote hunting season.

Or maybe it has to do with the type of game being managed. The IDNR treats coyotes as vermin and deer as a protected asset. They make it easier to shoot coyotes and harder to shoot lots of deer. I guess that fits in with the deer management strategy.

they have no logical explanation for this. Data shows shotgun slugs to be more dangerous than centerfire rifles.

Centerfire calibers are legal in handguns now and for coyote hunting as you rightly point out.

I can hunt with a .243 handgun or a coyote rifle in .243 all night but not for deer season?

I'll bet in this state, there are no more than a few thousand guys hunting coyotes on any day at any given time and than may even be more than there really is on any given day, maybe only in the hundreds...you cant say that about deer season., where there is tens of thousands........

which is why it would make sense for deer hunters to be armed with the firearm with the lower incidence or richochet.

This study found the incidence of richochet to be much higher with the shotgun slug compared to the centerfire rifle.

http://www.ihea.com/_assets/documents/AFWA_Presentation_9-18-07.pdf

Don't believe that study was not done with modern ammo also...

If you want to make deer hunting safer outlaw deer stands.

these are not modern?

Passed senate committee, I think. Video feed kind of cut out, but I think I heard it passed.

Passed committee with two amendments. Restricts HPR use to the southern half of the state and requires the hunter to be elevated at least 10ft.

Do you know if the private property only restriction remained in the bill?

Yes it did.

Thanks.

Any idea the north/south boundary identified?

They listed some roads, a few I couldn't hear but I did hear 40.

seems reasonable.

So does it just await governor signature and it's a done deal?

Pathetic....

No, since there were amendments, if it passes the Senate, I believe it has to go back to the house and re-voted on there. I could be wrong on the order of the house and senate votes, though.