NEWS

Should Indiana deer hunters be allowed to use high-powered rifles?

Ryan Sabalow
ryan.sabalow@indystar.com
A deer stops to check its surroundings. Indiana wildlife regulators are weighing a proposal that would allow the use of high-powered rifles to hunt deer in Indiana.

State wildlife regulators are weighing a proposal that would allow the use of high-powered rifles to hunt deer in Indiana. It's created a deep rift among the state's nearly 266,500 deer hunters.

On one side, a group of hunters is passionately opposed to using guns that can fire a bullet over longer distances. They say it would give hunters an unfair advantage over their prey and lead to more deer getting killed, harming deer populations over the long run. They also cite safety concerns if hunters are allowed to fire bullets over hundreds of yards across Indiana's largely flat terrain.

Doug Allman, a spokesman for the Indiana Deer Hunters Association, said the would-be rule change also poses a threat to ongoing efforts to expand hunting into suburban areas where deer can become overpopulated. Allman said neighbors and municipal officials often cite concerns about the dangers posed by long-range firearms when discussing hunting in urban areas.

"I would never sit on a committee and look the public in the eye and say that's not true," Allman said.

Proponents of the rule change say that allowing high-powered rifles would be just as safe as the weapons currently allowed and would give hunters more tools to choose from. They contend that the state's bag limits on deer would prevent the population from declining.

Matt Underwood, a 25-year-old hunter from Henryville, said Indiana's current rules force many hunters into using shoulder-slamming shotgun slugs. The proposal would allow for the use of smaller rifle rounds that provide substantially less kick.

"I think that by opening up these different cartridges, it's going to provide cheaper opportunities to get these nice, reliable deer rounds ... which would help get your younger folks and women involved in the sport," said Underwood, who works for the National Wild Turkey Federation as a regional director and volunteer recruiter.

His hunting association hasn't taken an official position on the proposed rule change.

Underwood and other hunters note that that over the years, Indiana wildlife officials have increasingly allowed the use of more sophisticated technology and a wider range of firearms for deer hunting.

Currently, during the state's firearms deer seasons, smaller-caliber rifles firing certain types of pistol ammunition, shotguns firing slugs, and muzzle-loading rifles can be used.

Proponents of the rule change say many of the guns now allowed can shoot distances comparable to some of the smaller, high-powered rifle rounds that are currently banned in Indiana for deer hunting.

But opponents counter that it would open the door for hunters to use the largest rifle calibers, which can be deadly at a mile or more.

The rule change would allow for any rifle firing a .243-caliber round or larger.

The state's Natural Resources Commission is soliciting comments on the proposal. If approved, the new rules could take effect as early as next deer firearms season, which typically begin in mid-November.

The Department of Natural Resources, whose conservation officers enforce hunting laws set by the commission, hasn't taken a position on the matter, said spokesman Phil Bloom.

Bloom said that while the DNR has been slammed by some hunters for pushing this forward, his agency hasn't done that. Instead, he said the commission is responding to hunter petitions.

Over the years, Hoosier deer hunters have progressively been allowed to use more types of hunting equipment, as deer seasons expanded and hunters were allowed to shoot more deer during the seasons as white-tailed deer populations expanded.

Due to over hunting and habitat loss, deer were exterminated in Indiana by the turn of the last century. The state began restocking them in 1934. Indiana's first modern deer season began in 1951 and ran for just three days that November in 17 southern counties. The only weapons legal to use then were shotguns firing rifled slugs or bows and arrows.

Muzzle-loading rifles, handguns, crossbows and rifles using some types of pistol cartridges have been added in recent years. In 2012, hunters shot a record 136,248 deer over the course of archery, firearms and muzzle-loading hunting seasons that stretched from October to January.

Some other Midwestern states, including Missouri, Wisconsin and Kentucky, already allow the use of high-powered rifles.

But other states, including Ohio and Illinois, have firearms restrictions similar to Indiana's.

Call Star reporter Ryan Sabalow at (317) 444-6179. Follow him on Twitter: @RyanSabalow.

To learn more

To read more about the proposal, visit

http://www.in.gov/dnr/fishwild/2362.htm

.

To comment, go to www.in.gov/nrc/2377.htm.

Letters can be mailed to The Natural Resources Commission, Division of Hearings, 100 North Senate Avenue, Room N501, Indianapolis, Indiana 46204-2200.