Utah drops the ball IMO

[MuleyFever]

New for 2016 Utah will allow scopes of any magnification during the muzzleloader hunt. I am not happy with that change.

 

[CA Karen]

You are not the only one.... It seems as the Wildlife Board thinks that hunters no longer need to gain knowledge/skills/abilities and can be lazy and subsititute technology instead... It might attract alot more people to the MZ hunts.... if they can hit anything is another story.... I fear that many will be trying shots way to long.... because of the if I can see it I can hit it mentality, but if it runs off I won't go check cause I missed. Will have to wait and see how it goes this year.

 

[realunlucky]

They never enforced the old rule anyway. Soon crossbow will be here. Anything to sale more land owner permits

 

[jm1607]

I think it was a bonehead move as well, but honestly I don't think a scope will extend your range a whole lot

 

[Bar]

I think it was a bonehead move as well, but honestly I don't think a scope will extend your range a whole lot

You're kidding? Some guys are taken 500yd shots with scoped inlines.

Most guys have a hard time shooting good groups at 100yds with open sights.

 

[realunlucky]

You're kidding? Some guys are taken 500yd shots with scoped inlines.

Most guys have a hard time shooting good groups at 100yds with open sights.

Totally agree here optics make a huge difference in extending ranges

 

[brettpsu]

Scopes will make a huge difference! Like already stated....open sights good for 100yds.....scopes good for very long range. Heck I hardly ever shoot my inline and I'm good to 250yds.

 

[wapitibob]

As I mentioned on another forum, looks like a natural progression for a state that rifle hunts Elk the last two weeks of September. Elk hunters have been shooting fish in a barrel for years, now the muzzy guys want theirs.

 

[Bar]

I never liked the idea that anybody could hunt during the rut. Not many agree, but it's how I feel.

 

[CA Karen]

Bar.... the MZgeneral hunt has not been in the rut for many, many years now... FWI, but they are talk about puttin in LE hunts during that time period.

 

[MuleyFever]

I think he was just referring to rut hunts in general.

What I don't get is Utah is trying to raise the buck to doe ratio in some units. This will surly lead to more bucks killed so what are the options to keeping the ratios? Lower tag numbers right?

 

[jwatts]

You think Utah dropped the ball? Let me tell you what the state of MS has done over the years, in chronological order:
1. Iron sight blackpowder weapons
2. Added the option of red dots and scopes.
3. Allowed the use of a single shot, break open, exposed hammer rifle, designed before 1880 and with a caliber of .38 or larger
4. Changed the caliber restriction to .35 or larger
5. Dropped the design date restriction, any break open rifle with an exposed hammer .35 caliber or larger is now a primitive weapon.
6. Added a 2 week, doe only primitive weapon season on private land preceding gun season.
7. After the initial gun season opens, there is no primitive weapon season on private land.

This was all done over the years, with the biggest downward spiral happening in the last 8 to 10 years. Our primitive weapon season is a joke. I still hunt with a TC Renegade or my bow during our primitive weapon season. I hate to see the regulations go that route. It takes a season that was designed to give the deer a break and reward hunters who are willing to put forth a little more effort to get a deer and waters it down to even the playing field for everyone.

 

[robby denning]

You're kidding? Some guys are taken 500yd shots with scoped inlines.

Most guys have a hard time shooting good groups at 100yds with open sights.

I agree with you. The limiting variable in muzzle loading is the sight system. In line vs hammer, pyrodex vs BH209, sabot vs conical- none of those make the difference a scope with 4-12x would make.

 

[mtluckydan]

If you look at the national average age of hunters and the fact that hunter numbers have been in decline, Fish & Game departments look at options to stay funded. I can still see open sights pretty well, but my eyesight has been declining for about 5 years and I'm in my early 50's. I wouldn't necessarily link a change like this to catering to guys with less skill. If you look at a state like Ohio, they have muzzleloader, shotgun, archery and crossbow seasons with plenty of hunters. They are still cranking out record book whitetails on a regular basis. I bet it won't be a negative - ie too many animals harvested. It may be a positive - less loss to wounding.

 

[Travis Bertrand]

If you look at the national average age of hunters and the fact that hunter numbers have been in decline, Fish & Game departments look at options to stay funded. I can still see open sights pretty well, but my eyesight has been declining for about 5 years and I'm in my early 50's. I wouldn't necessarily link a change like this to catering to guys with less skill. If you look at a state like Ohio, they have muzzleloader, shotgun, archery and crossbow seasons with plenty of hunters. They are still cranking out record book whitetails on a regular basis. I bet it won't be a negative - ie too many animals harvested. It may be a positive - less loss to wounding.

Other states remedy this by allowing guys with poor eyesight (with a Drs note) to use a scope.

I believe this is the route Utah should have taken.

 

[realunlucky]

If you look at the national average age of hunters and the fact that hunter numbers have been in decline, Fish & Game departments look at options to stay funded. I can still see open sights pretty well, but my eyesight has been declining for about 5 years and I'm in my early 50's. I wouldn't necessarily link a change like this to catering to guys with less skill. If you look at a state like Ohio, they have muzzleloader, shotgun, archery and crossbow seasons with plenty of hunters. They are still cranking out record book whitetails on a regular basis. I bet it won't be a negative - ie too many animals harvested. It may be a positive - less loss to wounding.

Utah already allowed 1x scope. Utah has no over the counter muzzle loader seasons all draw so the tag numbers are already accounted for. Changing the rules only benefits a few. Imo this change is strictly for muzzle elk season to stretch distance one can shoot using smokeless powder

 

[CA Karen]

I still think that variable optics will increase the attempt at harvesting game at longer distances and the increase of wounding.... because if I can see it , I can shoot it mentality.....if I can do it with my rifle on lead sled rifle rest at the range I can do it hunting...I have only seen one other person at the range practice shooting "off the bench". It will also increase the number of people who put in for it, there by reducing the odds of drawing a tag. I don't hunt one of the more popular areas but it will now be even harder to draw these tags with the influx of applications. This coming hunting season will prove who has the correct foresight on this issue...I just hope no one gets injured/killed due to someone lobbing rounds in an attempt to shoot an animal.

 

[Backpack Hunter]

Are people getting killed lobbing shots at animals during rifle season?
I'd like to know how many average hunters know what their bullet drop with their muzzleloader is at 300 yards let alone 500 yards.

 

[CA Karen]

Are people getting killed lobbing shots at animals during rifle season?
I'd like to know how many average hunters know what their bullet drop with their muzzleloader is at 300 yards let alone 500 yards.

Where do you think the blaze orange requirement came from??? Just going from the experience of watching a few "hunters" shoot at animals. As for bullet drop, I doubt most truely know how the round they are shooting performs at those ranges.

 

[Backpack Hunter]

You don't require blaze orange for muzzleloaders?
How many people were shot last year due to lobbed shots during rifle season?