Wonder if governments could be lobbied for using antique breach loaders?

[brybenn]

They don't close the bow season. Look in the regs, 2015 Deer Seasons, Rifles, Shotguns, Bows and Muzzle-loading guns; check the column under "Conditions ( Restrictions Only), depending on the unit, it says quite specifically, "Bows, shotguns and muzzle-loading guns only; no dogs."


I agree with Dogleg btw. There should just be "deer season", period, use whatever you want. It would be a lot less crowded and probably safer in the woods than having everybody out in the bush for the same 2 weeks of rifle season.

Read the listed seasons. The bow season closes during each of the 3 controlled hunts in swo

 

[kevin.303]

I inquired a few years ago about the use of a paper cartridge Sharps and even though it uses blackpowder and requires a musket cap forcignition was told "no" because it was breechloader. Apparently a flintlock ferguson falls under the same ruling, according to the Person i talked to.

 

[trevj]

Too convtrovertial IMO.

Already we have in-line modern muzzleloading rifles, right alongside more tradional flintlock/caplock rifles, that are viewed as equal deer hunting rifles in some provinces.

There is no comparison when one rifle can mount modern optics and shoots as flat as a 308 rifle with sub calibre sabots and using copper jacketed pistol bullets.

my 2 bits only

I would rather see the Muzzle Loader season, where they are in effect, go the same way as some of the Primitive Weapon seasons in some of the US states. No glass (scopes), no inlines, etc. No shotguns with rifled barrels shooting sabots out at rifle ranges either.
Essentially taking away the advantages of the newer technology that has come along that has skirted around the original intent of the Muzzle loading or shotgun season in the first place. Because you know that they sure didn't have a smokeless muzzle loader shooting as flat as any other cartridge gun, in mind when they laid it all out.

Kinda liked the way the Sask. seasons were laid out, Archery for a month, then ML/Shotgun, then the rifle season opened up. I was out there before things lie the afore-mentioned were really common enough to make the writers of the regs look at them with an eye towards determining what they were actually trying to accomplish by having those various regions and seasons set aside.

Anyone that wants to, can use any rifle they feel the urge to use, during the regular season. Well, except you folks in Ontario. Maybe. Y'all got some strange regs to sort through!

Cheers
Trev

 

[trevj]

I hunt in the special seasons too, but that isn't my point. I don't see why they exist. Why should a law reward personal preference?

They exist for two reasons. People asked for them, is one. Enough archers and enough front-stuffer types got together and made a case for having the separate seasons.

Often the seasons get tied to various areas or zones as well, which is the second reason. Archery, Shotguns, and Muzzle loaders were all tools seen as limited in range, able to be fitted in to regions seen as too populated to be able to allow full on rifle hunting, such as the areas in the outskirts of the larger cities, where they could be used as population control tools without the likelihood of bullets traveling extreme distances. In the case of shotguns and ML rifles, some of the tech that was developed to 'game' those seasons has sort of taken that away, but can be put back in place by a few well thought out strokes of the pen. Eg. limiting the use of scopes, sabots, rifled barrels on shotguns, etc.

Sometimes, areas that were the sole territory of the archery lot, get opened up for others too. That happened in the Strathcona County Special Area outside Edmonton, where the archers were unable to kill as many deer as the authorities wished, so they opened it to more folks, though not without a bunch of howling...

Here in BC there are still seasons set aside for archery, but they are pretty paltry compared to many areas, ranging from a couple weeks to a couple days in front of the general seasons, but there is also a LOT of areas around to go hunting in, using any method you desire, too, so nothing to stop you from using a bow through the whole season if that suits ya. Or a 50 cal Barrett, or ....

I rather like the concept of restricting certain areas to limited range weapons, as a better tool than using separate seasons, but I am not writing the Regs either.

Cheers
Trev

 

[Dogleg]

They exist for two reasons. People asked for them, is one. Enough archers and enough front-stuffer types got together and made a case for having the separate seasons.

That's really it in a nutshell. They asked for it and the squeaky wheel gets the grease. Giving a valid reason why the archers should go first, in September is harder. Send the archers out in Dec after the rifle season and we'll see how many are left. Also here an archer can hunt in the rifle season, and muzzleloader season. Muzzleloaders can hunt in the rifle season, all with the same tag. Using three types of weapons doesn't make me a better person, its just a way of carving out a bigger slice of the pie for myself. Fine for me, but it is at the expense of others or would be if I wasn't hunting private land that nobody else can touch. It would make more sense if hunters had to pick a season and only hunt in it. You'd think a "real " archer or buckskinner would welcome that; but they seem to be fine with double or triple dipping.

There was a meeting with SERM a few years ago with several user groups., and the archers were #####ing about the muzzleloaders. The blackpowder guys countered by suggesting they have their season first. The howls of rage are still echoing.