Gonna stick my neck out. Waaaaaay out, and say that I may be speaking for crowfeather. If I'm not, he'll straighten me out
.
It's not always about
choice :shock.
In many areas population management is an issue just as pointed out by one poster in Michigan. The idea is to whack as many deer as possible. That's just fine. When shotgun or ml is dictated, then ml may be the tool of
choice by many hunters as a matter of efficiency. So be it and that is a good thing. Deer must be killed and weapon limitations overcome will help in that endeavor.
But, it's not always about
choice sometimes it's about grabbing an
opportunity (crowfeathers inserted quote from the alabama hunter is an example). So, some guys perceive a better opportunity to kill an animal or special trophy animal by participating in a "primitive" season and of course want to carry as much technological advantage as possible. They pursue an "end", be it a kill or a trophy kill.
So, we have places like Michigan where the deer are populated to the point of field rat status and alabama, where I believe the deer limit may be one per day!
Then, we have places like my home, Colorado, where,
in general each hunter is allowed one elk and one deer license (not animal) per year. Actually, the deer thing is not accurate.
All Colorado deer licenses are limited by drawing!!!!! All Colorado Muzzleloading deer and elk tags are limited by drawing. We have a special season for deer and elk ml hunting. It takes place in Sep
during the elk rut. Many resident and no resident hunters would like to take advantage of the
opportunity to hunt elk during the rut and prior to the regular rifle elk season harvest.
Now, Colorado has always defined the archery and ml seasons as "recreational" hunts. They are not considered "management" tools. The ml season was launched over 30 years ago as a primitive season when in-lines were not yet the tool of "choice" by many ml hunters. The idea was to provide an opportunity to those hunters who had the desire to pick up a "primitive" ml gun and pursue deer and elk. The season existed for that reason
and that reason alone. There was no need to field more hunters to thin herds.
Then, along came the in-line (a generic name for any "modern" ml designed to overcome the inefficiencies of the "trad" ml gun. Noted here for the apologists who will tell me that "in-lines have been around for over a 100 years"). The "in-line" represents the recognition by certain gun manufacturers of a huge "market".
If you build it, they will buy it. For all the reasons stated above; mainly "opportunity".
Once again, I do not oppose those who take that "opportunity" when it's purpose is to mangage wildlife.
Our ML season in Colorado was created for a certain class of people. It is a
people management tool :shock: When the people (trad hunters) realized that in-lines werre a threat to the opportunity to engage in a primitive hunt, they took steps to limit the type of ml that could be used. The dow made regulations to that effect. The primitive weapons protection rules were withdrawn by the dow under threat of law suits by
in-line manufacturers. Not by hunters! We ended up with a compromise: in-lines ok, no sabots, no pellets, no scopes (during the ML season. They are ok during the rifle season). Still the whining is endless on the part of the people who build and sell in-lines.
So, what I'm saying (and maybe what crowfeather is saying) is that one needs to look at the intent of the season and the intent of the hunter.
I don't dislike in-lines!!!! :shock: It's only a tool, a thing, an object.
I do dis-like commercial interests trying to usurp the purpose of our CO ml hunting opportunity for their own end$.
I do believe that that is the reason for many other "trad" shooters having a problem with the in-lines. It's not all about wearing funny cloths (30 years a trad ml hunter and I don't own any) or going to rendevous. It's just not that simple
