Attention: Indiana Levergunners

[Snowman366]

The Indiana Natural Resources Commission will soon be holding hearings on a proposed change in DNR law that, commencing in the 2007 hunting season, permits hunters to use certain center-fire rifles to take Indiana deer. The proposed law as it is currently written will permit deer hunting with revolver cartridges like the .357 magnum, .41 magnum, .44 magnum and .45 Long Colt.  There initially seems to be some fear about permitting rifle hunters to use "rifle" cartridges when they hunt, thus the current language of the law prohibiting full-powered rifle cartridges in any caliber. The final draft of this law has not been set in stone at this date.

I personally find this very curious, since for the last 10 years deer hunters in Indiana have been legally permitted to hunt with specialized "pistols" that fire just about any full-powered rifle cartridge you'd like. My hunting partner does excellent work out past 200 yards with a scoped-sighted Encore pistol in .308 caliber. I enjoy watching him cleanly and safely take whitetails with that rig, but the fact remains his .308 Encore fires a 150-grain .30 caliber Winchester Power Point with a higher muzzle velocity and a greater range than a 150-grain Power point fired from my .30-30 Marlin. It sure seems ridiculous to exclude all rifle calibers from the above-described change in Indiana law, when the traditional deer rifle calibers like .30-30, .35 Remington, .444 Marlin and others pose no greater down-range hazard than rifles cartridges like .308 and .30-06 fired from a specialized pistol. Especially considering that the average whitetail hunter would likely shoot and hit more accurately with a shoulder-stocked .30 caliber rifle or carbine than he would with a .30 caliber "pistol".

If you have any feelings on this issue, please take a moment to contact Jennifer Kane, the public hearings officer with the Indiana Natural Resources Commission. She's looking for input from hunters and can be contacted by phone at: (317) 232-0156, or by e-mail at www.jkane@nrc.in.gov, and she'll include your thoughts in the record. While you're at it, she can put you on the list to be notified of the public hearings to be held on this matter, probably beginning in late January. I took the time to call her and make my opinion known, since I can't see how traditional deer calibers in a rifle would be a greater danger than the high-octane hunting pistols that have been used for a decade in Indiana without a problem. We need to get more people, especially the young folks, into the field, not less...and I can think of fewer things that would be more rewarding than going afield with a lever-action deer rifle that had been in my family for years.

Thanks for listening...

[Bullseye]

When I read that they was considering that I about fell off the couch.  Don't get me wrong I was excited, I have a 44 and 41 that might actually get to shoot more than paper.  Indiana's DNR is very conservative.  I agree with what you are saying.  I hunt with Contenders using the rifle calibers that you speak of.  I doubt that they will consider any high powered rounds in the near future.  What you can hope for is that they pass the current rule they are talking about and then maybe decide to go a little further in the future.  They did this with the handgun law.  When handguns were first legalized the smallest bullet diameter that was allowed was 357.  At that time the only rifle calibers you could use were the 35 Rem and 45-70 in standard Contender chamberings.  Somewhere along the line they changed it to the current .243 or larger diameter bullet (I never heard any press about it, just noticed the change in the regs one year).  It is funny though, the regs still use the same list of legal calibers that they used when they first legalized handguns and the smallest caliber diameter they list is the 357.

I think the fear is that the northern part of the state is so flat that the high powered rifles cause a danger.  I think they could legalize high powered rifles in certain parts of the state.  I hunt in Lawrence Country and high powered rifles would not present much of a problem there in my opinion.

Anyway, I am thrilled with getting what we are close to getting.  Maybe more calibers will come in the future.

THe bad news in my opinion is that they just renewed the one buck rule for another five years, but then again I hunt for enjoyment and meat and not so I can brag about how big of a buck I shot so I would rather be able to shoot 2 bucks if I see them than worry about how big of a deer I can shoot.

[messer454]

Guys I find this very interesting.  Here in Ohio we are allowed to hunt deer with shotgun slugs  muzzleloader (any kind) and straight walled pistols only.  The law used to read .357, .357 max, .44 mag, .45 Colt, and .41 mag if my memory is correct but now is "straight walled."

We also this year have the apprentice progran where a juvenile or adult can hunt with a licensed adult simply by buying a license.  No hunter safety etc. We also have a youth only deer gun season.

What this is doing is causing a lot of hunters to use .410 single shots for their youngsters.  I have said several times that I wish they would allow pistol caliber carbines for the kids to use.  I think a .357 or .44 H&R rifle would be a better choice than a .410 with slugs.  I wonder if youth have any thing to do with the new pistol caliber carbine thing in IN?  I am thinking of writing Ohio DNR and ask what it would take to get pistol carbines in Ohio.

[Snowman366]

Anyway, I am thrilled with getting what we are close to getting.  Maybe more calibers will come in the future.

Hope so...the big stumbling block to getting short-range rifle calibers is the bowhunters here in this state who adamantly are opposed to anyone using firearms to hunt deer. I think this time around we have enough going that we'll be able to over-ride their silliness.

[billy_56081]

   I hope it passes I Live in southern MN. WE are shotdun only here and have long thought straight walled pistol calibers in a rifle would be a great idea. I hope this catches on. I'm a bowhunter also and do not oppose this. Actually I'm a deer hunter and hunt em with whatever I can. I really hate when hunters go against hunters we have enough ememies in the anti's.


Good Luck

[Bitterroot Bob]

Howdy,
The REAL irony here in Indiana is that the Winchester Model 9410 shotgun is legal with .410 slugs! How would you like to be the conservation officer who has to check out every report that some guy is hunting with a .30-30?
Alabama recently allowed single-shot cartridge rifles for their muzzle-loader season (how is a Trapdoor Springfield different from a scope-sighted Knight using shotshell primers and sabots? Don't get me started on in-lines!) so there is hope for some sanity here.

Bitterroot Bob

[old geezer]

I believe that was Mississippi that allows the single shot rifle, not Alabama.

[Bullseye]

You are correct, in Indiana the Bowhunters have more power than any other group in influencing the DNR.  It was mainly bowhunters that got the One Buck Rule Passed.  A few years ago the DNR wanted to have a youth gun hunt weekend at the end of October.  The bowhunters threw a fit about the youth gunhunters messing up their hunting, so it failed.  Too bad, my kids were at the age to have enjoyed it.  They finally got the youth weekend passed this year but now it is at the end of Sept., so you can fight the bugs.

Bye the way, I Bowhunt also.

[HappyHunter]

I have three lever guns that could take deer next year and this is very exciting.

The 410 shotshell in my levergun will only handle a 90 grain slug.  This on a deer is rather small especially in the hands of a  first year hunter.  The 44 mag levergun with a bullet that can go over three times the 410 weight is a much better solution. 

This year I hunted in Indiana and Kentucky.  Two deer bow, two deer rifle, two deer handgun.  I will be out again for late archery.  Hunters need to get along.

Fred