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Utah Survey on Primative Weapons

17324 Views 143 Replies 53 Participants Last post by  DallanC
I received an email for a survey for potential changes to Utah's Primitive Weapons.

Dear :
The Utah Division of Wildlife Resources is conducting a survey to obtain opinions from deer and elk hunters about the use of primitive weapons and emerging technologies. Results of this survey may be used to guide management recommendations and regulations on lawfully allowable hunting equipment. The survey should only take a few minutes of your time.
The survey is located online by clicking the link below:
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/PrimitiveWeapons
If clicking on the web address above does not link you directly to the survey, then try copying and pasting the entire web address into your web browser, or simply type the entire web address as you see it above into the address bar of your web browser.
To participate in the survey, you will be asked to enter a Survey ID number.
Your Survey ID number is .
If you lose this Survey ID number, or do not have it when you take the survey, you may enter your name and email address instead. This information is used to verify that only licensed hunters take this survey, and is limited to one survey per person.
Your input is very important to the management of wildlife in Utah. Thank you for taking the time to participate in this survey and for your support of hunting in Utah.
Sincerely,
Utah Division of Wildlife Resources

I would like to see crossbows as an option during the archery hunt.

I would like to use a magnifying scope on a muzzle-loader.

In case you didn't get it, You can click on the link and fill out the survey.

Hopefully it results in changes in the future.
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I have no opinion on crossbows, but I do about muzzle-loaders. With the current technology and design of muzzle-loaders, if you allow magnifying optics, in my opinion, there is very little disadvantage from a rifle shooting a modern cartridge. And if that's the case, why a special season with special regs? To me, the muzzle-loader season should be for people who enjoy the challenge of a primitive weapon, not just about another avenue to a less competitive tag.
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With the current technology and design of muzzle-loaders, if you allow magnifying optics, in my opinion, there is very little disadvantage from a rifle shooting a modern cartridge. And if that's the case, why a special season with special regs? To me, the muzzle-loader season should be for people who enjoy the challenge of a primitive weapon, not just about another avenue to a less competitive tag.
This. Exactly.

Archery and muzzleloader hunts are supposed to be more primitive styles of hunting.
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I am all about keeping it primitive but what are thoughts on this, how many wounded animals would a magnafying scope for a muzzleloader eliminate or at minimum reduce? I know I see people trying and somtimes connecting on shots with 1X scopes that I take with a rifle that has a 6x or larger scope. Our own ethics aside cause a lot of folks don't have many. Do you think it would help keep a few deers legs intact?
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This. Exactly.

Archery and muzzleloader hunts are supposed to be more primitive styles of hunting.
For the sake of discussion.

Primitive to me is a recurve bow.

Compound Bows today are far beyond primitive.

With There is really not if any a advantages of a crossbow over a compound bow.

I don't think there is a huge difference between the two.

With muzzleloaders.

Primitive to me is the flint lock system with iron sights.

Inline Muzzleloaders are far beyond primitive.

There in my mind is only one big advantage of using a magnifying scope on a muzzleloader, it is more clean and ethical kills by allowing the hunter to focus his eye piece.

If we want primitive, why not go to recurves and flintlocks rather than finding middle ground.

If we want to be progressive utilizing the technology currently available, then give hunters all the tools to succeed.
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.50 cals, smart guns, crossguns and high powered rifles
That just happen to have a sabot loaded at the muzzle.

Remember when hunting was a fair chase event??

Take all of the above and turn them loose during the ANY WEAPON SEASON in
October.

Bull$&[email protected]!!
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Getagrip, IMO it wouldn't help at all and would make it worse. Instead of guys lobbing lead 2-400 yards with a 1x scope you would have those same guys lobbing lead at 500, 600+ yards! I hate the idea of allowing magnifying scopes during muzzleloader season. If you want to use a scoped muzzleloader there is already a hunt for you, it's called the any weapon hunt!
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I think if it was limited to 3x or less it would be good for the Muzzy hunts. That way you can be more ethical because you have a better view of your target, while still keeping it "Primitive". That is just me though.
How about using ethics before you pull the trigger? Keep your shots within the proper distances for a ML.

I have a feeling it is going to get warm after that statement.
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With muzzleloaders.

Primitive to me is the flint lock system with iron sights.

Inline Muzzleloaders are far beyond primitive.
Ah! Ok so the T/C Black Mountain Magnum flintlock is primative right? Composite Stock, 1/28" fast twist barrel for sabbots, 150grn mag charges, special flame channel designed to ignite pyrodex pellets... fiber optic sights... oh yea, it screams primative to me!

Inline muzzleloaders predate the "Hawkin" styles by over 100 years. Germany had inline frontstuffers in 1734.

What has changed is the computer CNC machines and lathes that turn out incredibly tight tolerance parts for guns that in turn make them super accurate and reliable, both todays sidelocks and inlines both benefit from those advances.

-DallanC
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I agree on up to 3x power for muzzle loader scopes. At least 2x since 1x is lower than the natural vision of the human eye. I highly doubt that a slightly better scope with change the ethics of the hunter. I do believe that it will result in less wounded animals not being recovered.
All sports have rules

Once again it's about playing by the rules.

I have made the argument that for hunting ethics, the regulations set the low bar. Lots of examples were "unethical" behavior does not violate a law.

For equipment, I would make the argument the regulations set the high bar. Lots of examples were people use equipment far less powerful/sophisticated/technological than allowed by law.

The DWR is asking our opinion on what we think the "sport" of pursuit of game with primitive weapons is. Your opinion. I would be personally OK if they decided low bows and recurves; flintlocks with open or peeps. I would personally disappointed if they decided cross bows and high-power scopes on state-of-art MLers. 50 cal sniper rifles - now your just yank'n my chain right?

Primitive arms means something special to me and I personally hate to see it too diluted. Where the exact line is though?

However you've established the fact I've got no "sport cred" here.
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I got the survey and completed it. I am against crossbows during the archery season. I support allowing magnification scopes on muzzeloaders. I'm against allowing 50 cal rifles.
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I took the survey too. I voted to keep things as is. We have an any weapon hunt for scoped muzzy's and crossbows, and exceptions for those who need the draw loc/crossbow. I like it how it is.
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For the record

I hunt with:
compound bow, graphite arrows, fixed blades;
In-line muzzy, 120 gr blackhorn, sabots, and 1x scope;
Rifles - a lot (but no 50's).
Ah! Ok so the T/C Black Mountain Magnum flintlock is primative right? Composite Stock, 1/28" fast twist barrel for sabbots, 150grn mag charges, special flame channel designed to ignite pyrodex pellets... fiber optic sights... oh yea, it screams primative to me!

Inline muzzleloaders predate the "Hawkin" styles by over 100 years. Germany had inline frontstuffers in 1734.

What has changed is the computer CNC machines and lathes that turn out incredibly tight tolerance parts for guns that in turn make them super accurate and reliable, both todays sidelocks and inlines both benefit from those advances.

-DallanC
Touche
Thought you guys against crossbows should read this.

http://www.outdoorlife.com/blogs/master-class/2013/05/crossbow-compound-bow-hunting-myth

A crossbow developing 300 feet per second (fps) with a 420-grain arrow generates 86.78 foot-pounds of kinetic energy. A compound shooting a 350-grain arrow at 335 fps generates 87.24 foot-pounds of kinetic energy.
I don't see a difference between the two as far as a piece of archery equipment.
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Yep, I have to weigh in here...

I've hunted with and shot muzzleloaders for over 25 years... and I've been a huge fan of bow hunting for about the same amount of time... (this year will be the first in 21 years that I'm actually hunting with a bow again though)

All of my life, muzzleloaders have been about traditional! Be it side lock or flint lock... I even passed up shooting a buck one year when--after I missed--a friend tried to hand me his scoped inline... it's just not my thing, and in my group, I would have never lived that down.

Now on to my opinions and observations...

Since inlines became popular, the "muzz crowd" has grown by leaps and bounds! I'm sure some of that has to do with the limited tags, and rifle hunters being "forced" to hunt a different season.

I've also seen more "crazy" shots being taken than I ever could have imagined. (a buck shot in the Crawfords at 384 yards to be exact)

Sure, sometimes you get lucky, but the effective range--and ethical range--of ANY muzz is under 200 yards.

This kind of stuff isn't limited to muzzleloaders either... As I've been DEEP into shooting my bow over the past year, I've met a ton of archers, and I've swapped a lot of stories... I can't tell you how many times I've heard from guys talking about how they were trying to shoot a buck at 90, 100, even 120 yards... and these are guys that have a hard time hitting the 6 ring in a Vegas 3 spot at 20 yards.

Add crossbows to the archery hunt, and magnifying scopes to the muzz hunt, and all you're doing is AMPLIFYING the actual problem... and that is guys taking shots beyond their ability (be it equipment, the shooter, or both)

The same probably goes for the any weapon hunt with .50 rifles, but since "that crowd" seems so crazy in "my book", I voted, "go for it"... (not like they aren't taking 1500 yard pot shots with their 300 win mags as it is... may as well have some kinetic energy if they connect)

Okay, rant's over... that's my 2 cents.
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Thought you guys against crossbows should read this.

http://www.outdoorlife.com/blogs/master-class/2013/05/crossbow-compound-bow-hunting-myth

I don't see a difference between the two as far as a piece of archery equipment.
You don't have to hold the weight of the bow on a cross bow, it is ready to be released, without pulling it back. Big difference.
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The simple fact that they are even conducting a survey on this is very sad.
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