Rifles for deer hunting in Indiana next year?

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Hi,

It is interesting, yet perplexing, to read about all the different ways we deer hunters have to hunt in different states.

Here in Georgia, and especially on my club, virtually EVERY hunter carries a centerfire rifle and always have. Most use .30-06, with an assortment of other good calibers (.270, 7mm Rem. Mag, .260 . . . even a .40-70). For backup rifles, I see a .30-06 Model 742, several .30-30s, a Ruger .44mag., a Savage .303, etc.

I'm the only one that primarily handgun hunts, and I use a Model 29 w/ Holosight. My rifle is a 1973 Remington 700LH in .270 . . . though just as often I'll tote my Ruger Deerfield carbine in .44mag w/ red dot sight.

SHOTGUNS?
The only one seen this year on the club was a day during the rut when I decided to tote my 1969 smoothbore Ithaca slug gun. It is sighted dead on at 100 yards and shoots a one-hole clover leaf at 100 yards! Devastating on the deer I've shot with it.

Frankly, the hunters in my club wouldn't think about toting a shotgun, or even a handgun cartridge (except me). Then again, in our deep Georgia woods, we don't have to worry about an errant shot traveling flat, and low to the ground and hitting something 1/2 mile away.

Each state has some crazy laws though. Mine allows all CENTERFIRE handguns . . . as long as the bullet is a hollowpoint. Can you imagine shooting a deer with a .32ACP hollowpoint? Yet, it is legal. Just as strange, the wonderful .44mag hard cast Keith-style flat nose bullet in 300 grain is NOT legal . . . though it is the most effective deer handgun bullet I've ever shot! Go figure!

Good luck up there with your proposed changes. I don't think you have much to worry about with the flatter-shootin' rifles . . . if folks ain't shooting towards houses and such! You'll learn to love what you've missed!!! Then again . . . us Georgia hunters would also fall in love with slug guns if we were "forced" to use 'em.

Hope you all have a great season!

T.
 
Thanks, S&W.

I think we shouldn't have any problems with centerfire rifles just like you don't down there in Georgia. As far as "shooting towards houses", that applies to blackpowder bullets, shotgun slugs, centerfire rifle bullets during predation permit hunting or varmit hunting.

I think that is what I am most upset about the anti-centerfire rifle argument (as the other arguments destruct by themselves): the magic ballistics theory that a shotgun slug, muzzleloader bullet, or a centerfire rifle bullet (during varmit or predation) is a harmless fluffy powder puff.:rolleyes: If we can use centerfire rifle for lots of other game (including centerfire rifle bullets from "handguns" during regular firearms season), how would rescinding the inane ban hurt anything?:banghead:
 
Consider, for example, the Hornady .44 XTP. Fine in Indiana if it comes out of a handgun, or out of a muzzleloader with a sabot, but yet, not legal from a lever action carbine. That's what I hope will change.

Having said that, I've been out every weekend during gun season this year, and it's amazing how many quick three-shot strings I hear - I mean like three shots in 2 or three seconds. Can't be a lot of aimed fire going on there, and my mental picture is that someone is busting up whitetails and blasting at them on the run. I don't hunt like that, and I don't like it. Too much chance of a wounded animal. So, I'm a bit apprehensive that the boom-boom-boom crowd may switch to .44 auto carbines. We'll see.

RBH
 
El T:

My last post was not very clear. It is exactly the pump and auto SGs that I've been hearing. I mostly hunt in Harrison Crawford State Forest and a little in the Hoosier National Forest. Firearms season sounds like a war. I even heard some shooting that sounded like full auto last weekend. Two round bursts. Bam-bam. Bam-bam. Bam-bam.

Anyway, I generally support the pistol-caliber rifle idea. My only reservation is that now we'll likely have guys out there popping off even more unaimed fire. I've taken a couple of deer that were hit in the butt, usually with an exit wound in the hip, and usually with a broken hip joint or thigh bone. Not a pleasant situation. I just don't want to see an increase in that type of hunting.

I truely enjoy the muzzleloader season much more than gun season. The firearm restriction and the colder weather really cut down on the number of hunters, and I don't see nearly as many people kicking thru the brushy areas trying to bust up whitetails.

RBH
 
red, if it is behavior that you seek to modify then you have to change the culture.

To combat "recon by fire" methodology of the Banjos, why not lobby the organizations such as the NRA or Indiana Deer Hunters Association to put on clinics to teach hunting tactics and sportsmanship? To me it seems that education is more productive that attempting to control a fungible technology.
 
Good point, and well taken. Seems like that would/could also be addressed in hunter safety classes. I'm old enough to have never taken one.

RBH
 
Apparently those against the use of pistol caliber carbines was lead by something called the Indiana Deer Hunters Association. Anyone know these folks and who we need to contact so we can explain the pro-centerfire rifle position?
Click to expand...

I've posted a few items on their forum at www.hoosierhunting.com and it's pretty unbelievable what the rational is behind many of their arguments. I'm not sure what a real 'member' is, but I sure couldn't figure it out.

My guess is that the pres. of the assoc. decides what the group thinks since there is virtually no general concensus on any issue and very little in the way of factual argument.

No wonder I 'could' shoot squirrel with my .270 but I can't use a .44 Mag levergun to hunt deer.
 
Didnt they make a lever in .50ae also?
Click to expand...

I belive that the .500 S&W Mag case specifications meet the currently proposed cartridge spec for the caliber and case size of 1.625" with a bullet of .357" or larger.

Thus far, nothing specific as to whether or not firearm type (Carbine, Lever, Bolt, Single Shot, etc..) will be a limiting factor, but the specification allows that big dude so I can see a rifle in that caliber hitting the shelves.
 
The funny thing is that Indiana has allowed hunting with high powered rifle cartridges out of pistols for the last few years. We can hunting with a 30-06 or any other HPR cartridge as long as it's out off of a pistol platform. But now that we would like to hunt with pistol cartridges off of a rifle platform it's a no no. So let me some this up, less trajectory and more stability than the HPR pistols but the IDHA says no way.
 
Simple, that is my understanding of their position of IDHA.

Centerfire rifles for coyotes but not deer. (Now write this down) We have to stick to pistols in .308, or just use centerfire rifle in predation deer hunting.

Do chime in if any of this DNR nonsense makes any sense.:rolleyes: :D
 
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