Indiana deer rifle wildcats - the end of an era?

[Broom_jm]

DNR: Rule/Regulation Changes

This is just a series of proposals, with time for public comments and will not be voted on until next Spring, IIRC. However, if the rifle restrictions mentioned in this new proposal come to pass, we'll all be able to go deer hunting with just about any common rifle cartridge that shoots a bullet .243" in diameter, or larger...basically any commercially available rifle cartridge, period.

What will that mean for all of the current Indiana-legal wildcats and handloaded jobs? Well, you won't have to trim 35 Remington cases anymore and if you have always wanted a 358BFG 1.8", you can just go buy the commercial version; the 35 Whelen.

You'll be able to reach out and harvest deer at truly long range with a 6.5x284 or use a boring old 270 Winchester, which is what I'm likely to pull out of the safe. One of the really good things about this change, should it come to pass, is you'll be able to introduce younger shooters and women to deer hunting with a 243 Winchester or a 30/30...stuff that doesn't kick bad at all.

Perhaps my favorite thing about these new regs is that rounds like the 250 Savage, 6.5x55 Swedish, 280AI, 307 Winchester, 325WSM, 338 Marlin Express and all sorts of other unique, interesting, obsolescent and just plain frickin' COOL cartridges will be legal to deer hunt with! Sure, most guys will grab a 308, 270 or an "aught six", but we won't be limited to a relative handful of legal wildcats anymore. The safe door will be WIDE OPEN!

I'm sure some folks will hate this idea and say it's going to be dangerous, with shots taken at long range and deer being wounded...blah, blah, blah. The fact is, as the PCR regs and then the 1.8" regs were adopted, hunting safety remained very high. It's what you find between the ears that counts, NOT what's loaded in the chamber!

I hope I'm not IBTL here, but what do ya'll think about the idea of finally be allowed to hunt deer with REAL RIFLES in Indiana?!

Jason

 

[Mgderf]

This has actually been discussed to death in another thread.
I like the idea.

 

[Broom_jm]

Yeah, I saw the other thread as well, but since this has an impact on reloaders/wildcatters, in particular, I thought I'd mention it here. Presuming it comes to pass, it will be the end of an era in wildcat cartridges that is pretty remarkable.

 

[BigMatt]

I can't wait to be able to use my Winchester 1894's for deer hunting. There is something about really using a 100+ year old gun how it was meant to be used.

 

[snorko]

I haven't hunted in years but would like to get back into it. Honestly though, I might still take out my .357 Marlin but my .30-30 would be fun. I woods and fringe hunt mostly and never had a really far shot.

 

[Broom_jm]

I haven't hunted in years but would like to get back into it. Honestly though, I might still take out my .357 Marlin but my .30-30 would be fun. I woods and fringe hunt mostly and never had a really far shot.

Truth be told, if you hunt deer where they live, you'll not only be more successful, but you won't need a long-range gun to make a good shot on them. At the same time, there hasn't been a good reason NOT to allow real rifles for a long time, so I'll be glad to have more options. I may just use my grandpa's old 30/30, or perhaps my other grandpa's 32 Winchester Special.

 

[Sniper 79]

DNR: Rule/Regulation Changes

This is just a series of proposals, with time for public comments and will not be voted on until next Spring, IIRC. However, if the rifle restrictions mentioned in this new proposal come to pass, we'll all be able to go deer hunting with just about any common rifle cartridge that shoots a bullet .243" in diameter, or larger...basically any commercially available rifle cartridge, period.

What will that mean for all of the current Indiana-legal wildcats and handloaded jobs? Well, you won't have to trim 35 Remington cases anymore and if you have always wanted a 358BFG 1.8", you can just go buy the commercial version; the 35 Whelen.

You'll be able to reach out and harvest deer at truly long range with a 6.5x284 or use a boring old 270 Winchester, which is what I'm likely to pull out of the safe. One of the really good things about this change, should it come to pass, is you'll be able to introduce younger shooters and women to deer hunting with a 243 Winchester or a 30/30...stuff that doesn't kick bad at all.

Perhaps my favorite thing about these new regs is that rounds like the 250 Savage, 6.5x55 Swedish, 280AI, 307 Winchester, 325WSM, 338 Marlin Express and all sorts of other unique, interesting, obsolescent and just plain frickin' COOL cartridges will be legal to deer hunt with! Sure, most guys will grab a 308, 270 or an "aught six", but we won't be limited to a relative handful of legal wildcats anymore. The safe door will be WIDE OPEN!

I'm sure some folks will hate this idea and say it's going to be dangerous, with shots taken at long range and deer being wounded...blah, blah, blah. The fact is, as the PCR regs and then the 1.8" regs were adopted, hunting safety remained very high. It's what you find between the ears that counts, NOT what's loaded in the chamber!

I hope I'm not IBTL here, but what do ya'll think about the idea of finally be allowed to hunt deer with REAL RIFLES in Indiana?!

Jason

You are right it is what's in between the ears that counts. Lots of folk don't have much in that area. Keep them using dum dum slugs that wont travel very far. I live out of town and am pretty sure if rifles are allowed there will be bullets wizzing around in all directions worse than there already is.

I am a rifle man through and through and travel out of state to hunt. Would love the option but my gut says otherwise. I unfortunately was turned off to hunting around where I live. Opening day sounded like a war zone. Sounded like everything from a 22lr to an artillery cannon going off.

 

[packard]

I'll still use my 45-70, but use real 45-70 ammo instead of my 45-50 wildcats. Then again, those 45-50's are pretty accurate.

 

[ctbreitwieser]

I will most likely continue the use of my Hoosier if it goes through. It was the first gun I ever built completely by myself. It makes it that much more special when I kill a deer with a gun I built, with ammo I made. Plus I can't imagine needing to shoot beyond 300yds at a deer, although it would be cool to do. The performance I seen from my hoosier last year is also not worth changing to another caliber. My 200gr Hornadys turned vitals into soup out to 200yds.

 

[Broom_jm]

You are right it is what's in between the ears that counts. Lots of folk don't have much in that area. Keep them using dum dum slugs that wont travel very far. I live out of town and am pretty sure if rifles are allowed there will be bullets wizzing around in all directions worse than there already is.

I am a rifle man through and through and travel out of state to hunt. Would love the option but my gut says otherwise. I unfortunately was turned off to hunting around where I live. Opening day sounded like a war zone. Sounded like everything from a 22lr to an artillery cannon going off.

I hear a lot of comments like this, and I can't argue that there are plenty of folks out there who aren't as safe as they should be with a firearm. At the same time, there are very few firearms-related incidents each fall, which suggests that most hunters are being safe enough, I suppose. Another thing that is commonly mentioned is how many hunters are up in treestands these days, which results in downward shooting angles and a decreased likelihood of wayward bullets.

I hunted Wisconsin for 10 years straight and now hunt in Michigan...you haven't heard gunshots until you hunt in states with more than 1 Million hunters in the field, each fall. Still, they are very safe, with remarkably few accidents each year, despite many of those folks hunting with conventional rifles.

Safety is a behavior...not a cartridge. Changing these regulations may result in an increased harvest, but is not at all likely to result in less safe hunting conditions. When you look at the actual data on how far a 12 gauge slug will carry after a ricochet, it's easy to understand that allowing Hoosiers to deer hunt with regular rifle cartridges is not introducing more danger, it just makes it easier to hunt with a flat-shooting rifle that doesn't kick like a beast.

I hunt right behind the house and on a couple of VERY small private land parcels (<20 acres) and have never had any trouble with other hunters. There have been several instances where I would have taken a shot with my 270, but not with the muzzle-loader I often carry. I guess time will tell if these regs pass and what changes they make, if any, to the way we hunt deer.

 

[Kirk Freeman]

but what do ya'll think about the idea of finally be allowed to hunt deer with REAL RIFLES in Indiana?!

As someone who has used REAL RIFLES to hunt deer in Indiana, I welcome the proposed modifications. I saw/experienced no safety issues as a coyote hunter as well.

I believe the former rules were fence builders by those seeking rents on the state.

This does not mean that safety is not important, but I believe that can be addressed in a variety of other ways. Handicapping most deer hunters is self-defeating to us as a culture.

 

[Mark 1911]

I hope it happens in my lifetime, I have always looked forward to deer hunting with a (real) rifle.

 

[djones]

The 45-70 at 1.8" case length is what got me started reloading.

 

[ScouT6a]

THIS proposed rule change is more exciting to me than any rifle ammunition changes. LOL
312 IAC 9-3-9:*Allows additional species of wild animals to be kept for personal use if found dead or die following a collision with a motor vehicle.*A permit is required by the DNR, but these species would be allowed to be kept for personal use (such as for their meat) if found dead, as long as they have a permit issued by the DNR.

 

[1988-4551]

I grew up out West and grew up hunting with "real" rifles. Moving here showed me how accurate a cheap muzzleloader, ribbed smoothbore with bead sight and crossbow can be. I'll have learned a lot from it and I bet those "real" rifles that are cheap now will go up.

 

[matodd]

I have hunted in Missouri and Virgina opening day sounded like a war, but still they were safe. I am all for the changes, as long as basic hunters safety is followed
I do not believe you will see an increase in hunting accidents.

 

[.458socomhunter]

Some of us have already been using them, deer in velvet nonetheless. But then there's the whole saw one antler off thing...

 

[nkhrfh]

I am torn as I have some pride in reloading my 35 rem short. I also have a couple rifles I have hunted other places with that I would like to take hunting here for sentimental reasons.

 

[Broom_jm]

Based on the 1.625" regulations in place several years ago, I built a rifle chambered in 358GNR, which is a 445 Super Mag case necked down to 35. It delivers 35 Remington ballistics, basically, which makes it perfectly suitable for hunting deer at woods ranges and even as far as 200 yards. It will not be any less capable if/when these new regs are passed, but why would I grab that out of the safe when my 270 Win is simply a better choice? The only reasons I can think of are nostalgia or maybe to limit the range of the weapon I'm using in an effort to perhaps enjoy the process of hunting, in some way?

If you hunt deer where they spend their lives, which primarily means in or perpetually close to cover, shots of more than 100 yards are likely to be rare. I can honestly say that I've probably never harvested a deer in Indiana at more than 100 yards, but is that because of how/where I hunt or because I knew the gun/rifle in my hands wasn't really up to shooting at longer distances?

One thing I can tell you is that several years ago I watched a decent 8-pt buck hobble across a bean field with an obvious wound caused by a low shot from either a broadhead or a bullet, but he was too far out to attempt a shot with the muzzle-loader I was shooting. However, if I had been up in that tree with my 270, I would not have had much difficulty making the 300 yards shot. Growing up out West, we expected shots to be in the 150-300 yard range and practiced for such.

If you have pride in loading your 35 Rem Short...take just as much pride in loading full-length 35 Remington rounds. The net difference is nominal, anyway.

 

[ScouT6a]

I enjoy deer hunting, period. I enjoy the hunt, the time spent in the woods, the time spent with family and friends. I also enjoy hunting with something "different". It changes every few years for me. The longest shot I have made on a deer in Indiana was three years ago. 135 paces with a .45 caliber flintlock long rifle. Been my experience that you can be toting a .50 caliber BMG and the deer will walk out at 35 yards or you can have a .45 Colt handgun and old mossy horns will walk out at 350 yards. That's hunting. That is what brings me out year after year.