Rifle in the Southern Tier, Opinions please

[Inthewoods]

Hi everyone, I'm new to this forum and I posted accordingly at the pot bellied stove. I hunt a fair bit around New York state and want to dirrect this post to the deer hunters primarily who live and/or hunt in Catt. Co.,  Allegany Co., Chautauqua Co. and Steuben Co.
I have not heard any reports of hunting accidents in those counties that could be attributed to the specific use of a rifle for hunting deer. Safety, I will assume is the primary reason for not allowing it in years past. It is a shame that other neighboring county along the PA line arnt yet allowed but I would hope it is coming. The hunting I did in Catt Co. was just as enjoyable as my Aderondack hunting with a rifle in tow.

What is your take on the rifle hunting situation, pro and con?

What's the chances of getting it spread a little further east and west?
(I think I got a good handle on Chautauqua Co's. problem according to the talk I have heard from reliable sources.)

Think a petition could change things?

Thanks for any input....

[WNY_Whitetailer]

Well...I just posted a link on another post so I won't repeat it here but it looks like there were no injuries linked to rifle hunting in the counties that had previously disallowed rifle use.  Seems like the predictions of doom and gloom were a "little" overstated... :roll:   Hopefully the wisdom of those counties will spread a little to the East and West...My feeling is that Jamestown is what is the issue in Cattaraugus County...Just disallow rifle hunting in the Jamestown vicinity so that one city does not punish the entire county...

[str8shooter48]

Well...I just posted a link on another post so I won't repeat it here but it looks like there were no injuries linked to rifle hunting in the counties that had previously disallowed rifle use.  Seems like the predictions of doom and gloom were a "little" overstated... :roll:   Hopefully the wisdom of those counties will spread a little to the East and West...My feeling is that Jamestown is what is the issue in Cattaraugus County...Just disallow rifle hunting in the Jamestown vicinity so that one city does not punish the entire county...

 WNY, I believe you are talking about Chautauqua County.

Zero gun related accidents attributed to rifles is a beautiful thing. :-)    Now lets work on zero accidents with all weapons.

[Inthewoods]

Well, from the sources I have it is a notion that the Chautauqua Lake Association had a lot to do with not allowing the use of rifles in Chaut. Co. If I am wrong on that please correct me... This is a group of sportsman centered primarily around the lake and basically "govern" (under the watchful eyes of the DEC) what happens with the lake as far as fishing, building permits, docks and weed control ect. The money that surrounds Chaut. Lake is astronomical. Lot's of power there.

What this old country boy can't figger out is that the lake and the folks that surround it make up a very small part of a very big county, as far as safety is concerned. I couldn't get a rifle bullet to land in Lakewood  or Celeron if I tried, from the part of the county I hunt in. So why does this thing have to be run by county? Why not game management unit?

 I can understand if a game unit containing a big town like Jamestown, Lakewood or Dunkirk would need to be restricted just like areas in and around Buffalo. But why does the rest of the county have to suffer the same restriction when the issue of safety and population just does not seem to be an issue. Half of the game unit I hunt, 9R... is now shotgun only and the other half is rifle. This make little sense to me since the conditions are the same throughout the whole unit. I think there are some things that need to be re-thought on this.

[WNY_Whitetailer]

WNY, I believe you are talking about Chautauqua County.

Zero gun related accidents attributed to rifles is a beautiful thing. :-)    Now lets work on zero accidents with all weapons.

You would be right sir...I always get those two mixed up...It must be a mental block or something...I sure know where Allegany County is though...

[Leatherstocking]

I'm not in the counties you mentioned. I hunt mostly in Otsego, which just went to rifles. But here's my take on the thing - I don't really object to allowing rifles, but I do object to the way it was done. I don't understand how DEC could spend so much time on deer season restructuring (public meetings, etc) and then the legislature comes along and WHAM, without any input, discussion or whatever, they allow rifles. Then, I even heard one misguided legislator say that one of the reasons they wanted to allow rifles was to thin the deer herd - which of course flies totally contrary to what DEC tried to do in 2005 by reducing DMP's! I also think they did not take a comprehensive approach within the state - In other words, if we allow rifles in certain areas (which I agree that certain areas are conducive to rifles), some areas (which are getting more populated) should go from rifle to shotgun (Orange County comes to mind)

I'll get off my soapbox now - that's just my 2 cents...........

[Leatherstocking]

Anyone know why my # posts still says "0"? I have posted several times on this site now. Also, every time I hit "submit" I lose the connection to the server, but then when I recheck the thread, my post is there...seems odd, and I am no computer expert so I don't know what's going on

[Inthewoods]

Leather, I am having the same problem most of the time, dunno why....It's only on this web site for me......

WNY, I lived between Alfred and Almond for a while.....back in the woods.....gooooood deer huntin' in them parts. All forms of tasty critters that look good in the crosshairs......lived there over 10 years total, we probably know one another.......

[slipshod]

Why can'y we use rifles in Allegany State Park?It is in Catt. county and the terrain ther is probably some of the best and safest for rifle hunting that I have seen.Slipshod

[Inthewoods]

My first guess is that the park is under the thumb of some paranoid politicians, probably cause of the high number of people visiting the park.

I live less than 20 miles from the park and have never hunted there, only fished and camped. Never even asked about hunting regs inside the park. But thats a good question for the Catt. Co. supervisor....

[WNY_Whitetailer]

WNY, I lived between Alfred and Almond for a while.....back in the woods.....gooooood deer huntin' in them parts. All forms of tasty critters that look good in the crosshairs......lived there over 10 years total, we probably know one another.......

I should clarify...I live in North Tonawanda...Right in between Buffalo and Niagara Falls...I just hunt in Allegany County...I have hunted in New Hudson(Hanging Bog), Scio and a few other area in and around there...

[WNY_Whitetailer]

Anyone know why my # posts still says "0"? I have posted several times on this site now. Also, every time I hit "submit" I lose the connection to the server, but then when I recheck the thread, my post is there...seems odd, and I am no computer expert so I don't know what's going on

Don't despair...They are working to get GB Outdoors back to normal...There are some minor glitches going on...I have noticed the posts thing as well...I probably have 50 more posts than my counter reads...

BTW, welcome to Graybeard Outdoors...Stick around and share your experiences...

[ironglow]

...Just as I and several others predicted...rifle use brought no special problems.
   In fact, the only bad incidents I heard about were around Strykersville.
  No shootings..just gun misuse (shooting someone's house) and use by a person who should not have had a gun (felon).
   
   ..And that was in a shotgun only area ..with shotguns

    As many of us said, including WNY whitetailer.. the cries of doom over rifle use was a bit premature...