Iowa moves toward rifles for deer!!!!

[BrentD]

When I lived back there around 40 years ago, it was shotguns and muzzleloaders for deer. Yet, you could go out with your .30-06 and shoot coyotes.

How many other coyote hunters were out there with you and did you hunt them in the giant drives that shotgunners in Iowa tend to favor??

[jim147]

We don't seem to kill all the other hunters here just south of the border. We can use almost any centerfire ever made.

[BrentD]

Missouri ain't Iowa. Seriously.

[sac]

How many other coyote hunters were out there with you and did you hunt them in the giant drives that shotgunners in Iowa tend to favor??

BrentD I agree with you 100% on the party hunters, it should not be allowed. But I do agree with the pistol caliber law as long as they keep it pistol caliber.

[BrentD]

Yes, pistol calibers would generally not be a problem, at least not any worse than shotguns. It is all in how they spell out the details. Chances are reasonably good that they will get it right. They have had a centerfire rifle season recently, so they may do something similar again.

I've been shot at too many times by deer hunters and I know of too many bullet holes in houses and cabins from shotgunners that I'm not really optimistic about the average Iowa deer hunter with a 7 mag in in his hands. It is a solution to a problem that we don't have.

[sac]

Does anyone know if the Governor has signed it, and when the DNR has the complete rules?

[waksupi]

How many other coyote hunters were out there with you and did you hunt them in the giant drives that shotgunners in Iowa tend to favor??

Back in those days, we seldom hunted coyotes until it was far below zero. We had a local group who would surround sections of land in the pickups, and glass for bedded coyotes and fox. When one was spotted, if they were out of range, us youngsters were put out on the trail, and moved them to the people on the other side of the section. Back in those days, we used CB's to keep in contact. There were some real cold, real long walks at minus 20 and winds. Sometimes we would chase them for several sections before someone could get a shot, as most only had a .22 or a shotgun. Center fire rifles were actually pretty rare in that area at the time, as there were few opportunities to use them otherwise.

[DonMountain]

Yes, pistol calibers would generally not be a problem, at least not any worse than shotguns. It is all in how they spell out the details. Chances are reasonably good that they will get it right. They have had a centerfire rifle season recently, so they may do something similar again.

I've been shot at too many times by deer hunters and I know of too many bullet holes in houses and cabins from shotgunners that I'm not really optimistic about the average Iowa deer hunter with a 7 mag in in his hands. It is a solution to a problem that we don't have.

Deer hunting is different and develops differently in those states that require deer hunting with short range weapons. Particularly shotguns. I lived in a shotgun state when I was a child, and deer season was only a week long and large groups of men went to the deer club and partied, then got up on Saturday morning and formed long lines and walked through the woods driving deer, with another line of guys shooting the moving deer. With this situation you don't want a long range weapon used for deer hunting and buckshot was the required ammo. And of course the deer "take" was very small. I would say that less than 5% of the hunters ever got a deer. And of course some of the men got shot. Moving to a Mid-Western state, deer hunting is a whole different procedure. Its more of an individual sport. We track deer and figure out what paths they use and when, and set up deer stands to shoot them from. Its down into the stand before light with a jug of coffee and some bisquits to watch the sun rise and the deer start to move around. Weather it be looking out over a wide open field or down into a brushy hollow. The brushy hollow shot can be made with a shotgun slug, muzzleloading rifle, handgun or the traditional lever action 30-30. But that shot out over the edge of a field covering a whole section is strictly one for a high powered rifle. So its good for you Iowa hunters that only have one shotgun in your collection for deer hunting. I need a shotgun for rabbit hunting and at least two rifles for deer hunting according to where I will be sitting.

[Shawlerbrook]

Our county went to rifle about 15 years ago. Great news !

[Iowa Fox]

We already have a straight wall pistol season that includes some pretty potent rounds. I could see rifles using straight wall pistol cases with cast loads. Where I live I certainly hope the state does not allow bottle neck cased rifles.

[DIRT Farmer]

Here in Indiana we made it through the first rifle season with relatave few incidents. Local gun shops sold several 7mm mags and 300 Win mags. The biggest differance was a lot more land closed to hunting and the local farmers being a lot quicker to call the CO. I live and farm in very good deer country, raise cattle. For the first time the farms were closed to every one but family and the CO. No one seems to consider the main problem will be less land to hunt for the majority, more land to hunt for a very small select group. If you like to hunt deer and dont own land, vote this down

[sac]

Here in Indiana we made it through the first rifle season with relatave few incidents. Local gun shops sold several 7mm mags and 300 Win mags. The biggest differance was a lot more land closed to hunting and the local farmers being a lot quicker to call the CO. I live and farm in very good deer country, raise cattle. For the first time the farms were closed to every one but family and the CO. No one seems to consider the main problem will be less land to hunt for the majority, more land to hunt for a very small select group. If you like to hunt deer and dont own land, vote this down

never under stood why anyone needed a 300 win mag for deer. the law is in place. it shouldn't be bad if it stay pistol caliber rifle.

[DonMountain]

never under stood why anyone needed a 300 win mag for deer. the law is in place. it shouldn't be bad if it stay pistol caliber rifle.

I moved back to my family farm in Missouri from Iowa where I worked on planting and combine crews on those farms for several years. The selection of weapons for deer hunting is very dependent on the deer population and how many and where the deer need to be reduced. Missouri has a very progressive and well planned deer season to control the deer population. Iowa doesn't seem to have any planning at all. They let overpopulation control occur with Blue Tongue Desease and other ailments and deer-vehicle collisions. We all know that a good hunter can kill deer with a bow if they take enough time to set up for it and practice and planning. But those hunters remove very few deer from the population. If you expand your weapons to handguns or short range shotguns/rifles, then a few more deer are removed. But most are still killed by desease and vehicles. If you need to remove more deer, then the state has to allow more powerful rifles. They can give out cheap 20 bow permits to each bow hunter without reducing your crop damage and vehicular-deer crashes. In Southern Iowa when I lived there just a few years ago there were too many deer. My wife hit two of them in her 5 mile drive to work in the last 5 years. And lots of others did too. I was driving a John Deere 8300 tractor towing a 1000 bushel grain cart while unloading a combine while it worked across a field of corn, and a deer came right out under the header of that combine, tried to go up between my tractor and the header when I hit it and it flew right over into the combine header and caused a two hour delay repairing it. After that the farmer I worked for gave each of us (2 combines, 6 tractor/grain carts and 4 semi-truck drivers) a 9 mm handgun and told us when we see a deer to shoot it. Iowa doesn't control the deer population. They control the hunter population.

[Iowa Fox]

Don you hit the nail on the head. Iowa doesn't control the deer population. This how bad they are in our area. They walk up our front steps and eat my wifes flowers she has out on the porch. We look out the back door and within 70 yards of the house its not uncommon to see 20-30. Drive over the hill and a half mile down the road its another 20-30, drive another 3/4 mile and its another 20-40. One year my brother came over and told me they ate every ear in a 40 acre field of corn we had. And then the fatalities they have caused on the roads. State won't talk about that.

[bob208]

I thought pa. was bad when we can not us semiauto rifles. but we can use any rifle caliber. i know some that use rifles made in .50 bmg. they will not shoot at anything under 1000 yd. I worked with a guy that used a .375 mag. in the apple orchards around here. me I use a 94 Winchester in .30-30. or .32 spl.

[BrentD]

I moved back to my family farm in Missouri from Iowa where I worked on planting and combine crews on those farms for several years. The selection of weapons for deer hunting is very dependent on the deer population and how many and where the deer need to be reduced. Missouri has a very progressive and well planned deer season to control the deer population. Iowa doesn't seem to have any planning at all. They let overpopulation control occur with Blue Tongue Desease and other ailments and deer-vehicle collisions. We all know that a good hunter can kill deer with a bow if they take enough time to set up for it and practice and planning. But those hunters remove very few deer from the population. If you expand your weapons to handguns or short range shotguns/rifles, then a few more deer are removed. But most are still killed by desease and vehicles.

Having worked on deer vehicle accident data and knowing a fair bit about disease and Iowa deer regulations, I can say that all fo the above is categorically untrue. Plain and simple - wrong.

If you need to remove more deer, then the state has to allow more powerful rifles.

As I pointed out above, this is also simply wrong and demonstrably so as shown by what transpired in the late 1990s and early 2000s where the state deliberately lowered populations statewide w/o rifles. That statement is simply ridiculous in the face of what has actually been attempted and accomplished in Iowa.

Iowa doesn't control the deer population. They control the hunter population.

You can say anything you like but that doesn't make it true, not even sorta true, not even close to true. It is, however, and excellent example of BS.

[BK7saum]

I don't know what an SML (short muzzle loader?) is, but I don't see the need for legalizing cartridge rifles in Iowa, straight walled or otherwise. I've never had a problem killing deer here with just a patched roundball, never mind the high-tech shotgun-rifles out there now. Deer hunting is about hunting. Sometimes I think that is forgotten and certainly not a popular perspective.

Just because you don't want to hunt with a centerfire rifle doesn't make other people wrong for wanting to. Allowing rifles can allow more people to take more deer? Again not wrong except by your standards. I don't have any problem with your standards or ethics at all. To each their own. However, just because someone else has different standards and ethics doesn't make them wrong. As long as they abide by the legal rules, use whatever the state says you can.

I like to bow hunt and muzzleloader hunt and rifle hunt. Some get the most out of hunting by close encounters bow hunting, some using a smoke pole. Some want a deer (doe, fawn, spike, etc) and some will only shoot the biggest baddest deer in the woods. Again, to each their own. I don't try to impose what size deer a person can take on their own land or public land. Just harvest what is legal and fulfills your needs as a hunter.

How does someone else using rifles take away from your hunting experience?

[BrentD]

I did not say I do not want to hunt with a centerfire rifle. I have and I do use such rifles - quite a lot. But there is reason, esp no management reason to do so. And there are good reasons to NOT do so.

Ethics is irrelevant, so far as I'm concerned.

[sac]

I have to agree with Brent on the part of the deer population. I think it depends on what part of the state you live in. In linn county 5 or 6 years ago there where 1300 or more Resident Antlerless tags, this last year it was down to 850. I live in the country also and in my area the deer population is down.

[sac]

I moved back to my family farm in Missouri from Iowa where I worked on planting and combine crews on those farms for several years. The selection of weapons for deer hunting is very dependent on the deer population and how many and where the deer need to be reduced. Missouri has a very progressive and well planned deer season to control the deer population. Iowa doesn't seem to have any planning at all. They let overpopulation control occur with Blue Tongue Desease and other ailments and deer-vehicle collisions. We all know that a good hunter can kill deer with a bow if they take enough time to set up for it and practice and planning. But those hunters remove very few deer from the population. If you expand your weapons to handguns or short range shotguns/rifles, then a few more deer are removed. But most are still killed by desease and vehicles. If you need to remove more deer, then the state has to allow more powerful rifles. They can give out cheap 20 bow permits to each bow hunter without reducing your crop damage and vehicular-deer crashes. In Southern Iowa when I lived there just a few years ago there were too many deer. My wife hit two of them in her 5 mile drive to work in the last 5 years. And lots of others did too. I was driving a John Deere 8300 tractor towing a 1000 bushel grain cart while unloading a combine while it worked across a field of corn, and a deer came right out under the header of that combine, tried to go up between my tractor and the header when I hit it and it flew right over into the combine header and caused a two hour delay repairing it. After that the farmer I worked for gave each of us (2 combines, 6 tractor/grain carts and 4 semi-truck drivers) a 9 mm handgun and told us when we see a deer to shoot it. Iowa doesn't control the deer population. They control the hunter population.

I hunt with bow, handgun, slug gun and muzzle loader and all take down a deer very well. I think the use of a .300 win mag is a little over kill for a 150 to 200 pound deer and it isn't going to take out anymore deer then a 30-30, 270 or 308. People anymore have magnum idus, if the would worry more about shot placement then more power we all would be better off.