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Modern Rifles in Iowa

Honestly what do some of you expect ? You were all for the straight walls cause it wasn’t going to be much change from shotguns and could help your kids get involved. You want landowner tags good for any season . All some of you want is change to accommodate for your deer farm or your family to make it more cushy and convenient. Some of you backed the slippery slope wether you want to believe it or not . Let’s open it all up , 2 deer for any hunter Oct 1st through January 10th any weapon - someone will still complain they are restricted some how some way and then another bill will come about to accommodate them too . Give it a break .


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Honestly what do some of you expect ? You were all for the straight walls cause it wasn’t going to be much change from shotguns and could help your kids get involved. You want landowner tags good for any season . All some of you want is change to accommodate for your deer farm or your family to make it more cushy and convenient. Some of you backed the slippery slope wether you want to believe it or not . Let’s open it all up , 2 deer for any hunter Oct 1st through January 10th any weapon - someone will still complain they are restricted some how some way and then another bill will come about to accommodate them too . Give it a break .


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I get your point, but some on here NEVER supported straight wall. In fact I was called out for crying wolf about the "slippery slope". Some just can't see past their immediate gratification and see where this is all heading. I am now afraid we are too far down the slope to stop it. I hope that isn't true, but most hunters (not the majority in this site) are just too uninformed or lazy to do anything to stop this.
 
Honestly what do some of you expect ? You were all for the straight walls cause it wasn’t going to be much change from shotguns and could help your kids get involved. You want landowner tags good for any season . All some of you want is change to accommodate for your deer farm or your family to make it more cushy and convenient. Some of you backed the slippery slope wether you want to believe it or not . Let’s open it all up , 2 deer for any hunter Oct 1st through January 10th any weapon - someone will still complain they are restricted some how some way and then another bill will come about to accommodate them too . Give it a break .


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I agree on a lot of this! I never backed straight wall at all, my kids got involved last year with a muzzleloader. If you need a different weapon than had been allowed than it’s pure self gratification IMO. I’m sitting here as a transplanted Iowan just watching it implode but I get blasted every time I say it’s going downhill


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Sure would be nice to carry the same old bolt action rifle a guy does in every other state. My favorite is my 270 WSM , it holds 3 rounds , less than scatter guns , way less than an AR-15 ! I handload for all my rifles , rarely pull the trigger more than once with it , do I need it to kill deer NO ! Do I enjoy working up accurate loads for it and taking a mature deer , YES ! I’m also a bow hunter , love that side of things also and just started getting my kids involved in archery. I’m not the devil guys ........
 
If you look at the top states for numbers of hunters like pa. Mi. And wi. Its the social aspect of the sport ! NOT. What type of firearm is used!! When your ranked at the top for deer hunting changing things that can greatly effect quality and numbers can greatly reduce participation. I can only speak for wi in which in the late 80s. Early 90s. They claimed we had 1.3 million deer with over 600k hunters ! We killed 400k plus deer back then ! Today last couple of yrs our kill is down to 200k and the hunter numbers are shrinking along with !!! Between the wolves in northern wi. Unlimited doe tags the deer numbers are down. No one like hunting and seeing nothing !! In iowa its the mentality of finding the buck you want to shoot ! States like wi and mi . its more like i hope to see a buck this yr !!! Then the attitude comes in i better shoot it or the next person will !!! Trust me you dont want that in iowa!!

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Sure would be nice to carry the same old bolt action rifle a guy does in every other state. My favorite is my 270 WSM , it holds 3 rounds , less than scatter guns , way less than an AR-15 ! I handload for all my rifles , rarely pull the trigger more than once with it , do I need it to kill deer NO ! Do I enjoy working up accurate loads for it and taking a mature deer , YES ! I’m also a bow hunter , love that side of things also and just started getting my kids involved in archery. I’m not the devil guys ........

Agree, you are not the devil. You just want the weapons and seasons of every other state. We want Iowa to stay different (better, in most all of our opinions).
 
Sure would be nice to carry the same old bolt action rifle a guy does in every other state. My favorite is my 270 WSM , it holds 3 rounds , less than scatter guns , way less than an AR-15 ! I handload for all my rifles , rarely pull the trigger more than once with it , do I need it to kill deer NO ! Do I enjoy working up accurate loads for it and taking a mature deer , YES ! I’m also a bow hunter , love that side of things also and just started getting my kids involved in archery. I’m not the devil guys ........

I think your first statement is what is troubling for me. Carrying a rifle like a guy does in every other state will make us just like every other state. We have great deer for a reason and it’s not because we have the regs of our neighbors.
We don’t need it to be that easy or convenient. Just my two cents.


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All this bill does is open up tapered calibers from .35-.50. The only popular cartridge in that mix is .458 socom. Not to say that this bill wouldn't open the door for smaller center-fire cartridges down the road though. I've seen a huge negative response out of hunters on FB who thought this bill opened up the door for typical high power rounds. Judging by their responses it gives me confidence that the resistance to any future type of bill for expanded high power rounds will be tremendous.

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All this bill does is open up tapered calibers from .35-.50. The only popular cartridge in that mix is .458 socom. Not to say that this bill wouldn't open the door for smaller center-fire cartridges down the road though. I've seen a huge negative response out of hunters on FB who thought this bill opened up the door for typical high power rounds. Judging by their responses it gives me confidence that the resistance to any future type of bill for expanded high power rounds will be tremendous.

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Doesnt matter how much resistance it gets it all comes to a vote. Look at the public land vote. Total opposition. Countless emails and 1000 people at the Capitol. Still passed. If the rifle bill passed it would be the same as the short wall. Majority of people that opposed it would end up using them just because everyone else was and they didn't want to feel at a disadvantage.
 
All this bill does is open up tapered calibers from .35-.50. The only popular cartridge in that mix is .458 socom. Not to say that this bill wouldn't open the door for smaller center-fire cartridges down the road though. I've seen a huge negative response out of hunters on FB who thought this bill opened up the door for typical high power rounds. Judging by their responses it gives me confidence that the resistance to any future type of bill for expanded high power rounds will be tremendous.

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The majority of guys on the FB foruns aren't going to write their elected officials... seems to be mostly blow hards and keyboard tough guys on there. I brought up the "window of opportunity" to bring in the smaller caliber rifles a few years down the road if this passes. They'll get it passed this way and amend the rule to allow smaller calibers to "increase opportunities to more sportsmen" in a year or 3....

Next up, gun rut season. 5 years out, max.
 
The majority of guys on the FB foruns aren't going to write their elected officials... seems to be mostly blow hards and keyboard tough guys on there. I brought up the "window of opportunity" to bring in the smaller caliber rifles a few years down the road if this passes. They'll get it passed this way and amend the rule to allow smaller calibers to "increase opportunities to more sportsmen" in a year or 3....

Next up, gun rut season. 5 years out, max.
At which point I'll move to Idaho.
 
You don't have to look very far to the south of Iowa (MO) to see the issues with rifles. Quality is way lower there with better habitat. In a party hunting scenario, straight walls or knecked down they will kill more deer than muzzys or shotguns! More dead deer equals less deer and younger age class. Iowa changing to an opportunity state!!??
 
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I am not an Iowa resident but can easily see what is driving this. It is the fact that most here are hardcore Trophy managers and hunters. You have to remember that the majority of hunters are not. Would they like to kill a trophy buck, sure! Most settle for "if its brown it's down". Your government is listening to the masses and it is scary.

There is no doubt that going to rifles will mean more deer killed and less deer making it to maturity. The problem is, they don't care. They want the maximum number of people killing the maximum number of deer possible. That's why they hire sharpshooters in urban areas.

The good news for you landowners is that you can still manage and protect your hurd. Poaching will happen regardless so it isn't really a major issue beyond what it currently is. My advice is fight like hell to stop it but understand, you are in the minority and it sucks!!
 
I am not an Iowa resident but can easily see what is driving this. It is the fact that most here are hardcore Trophy managers and hunters. You have to remember that the majority of hunters are not. Would they like to kill a trophy buck, sure! Most settle for "if its brown it's down". Your government is listening to the masses and it is scary.

There is no doubt that going to rifles will mean more deer killed and less deer making it to maturity. The problem is, they don't care. They want the maximum number of people killing the maximum number of deer possible. That's why they hire sharpshooters in urban areas.

The good news for you landowners is that you can still manage and protect your hurd. Poaching will happen regardless so it isn't really a major issue beyond what it currently is. My advice is fight like hell to stop it but understand, you are in the minority and it sucks!!
Spot on post!

The majority of guys on the FB foruns aren't going to write their elected officials... seems to be mostly blow hards and keyboard tough guys on there. I brought up the "window of opportunity" to bring in the smaller caliber rifles a few years down the road if this passes. They'll get it passed this way and amend the rule to allow smaller calibers to "increase opportunities to more sportsmen" in a year or 3....

Next up, gun rut season. 5 years out, max.
My guess at least 5 years but probably sooner. If it ever becomes law the hunting will be okay for a few years till the effects of the killing mentally it’s brown its down takes effect.
By that time due to age I probably won’t give a hoot!!
But I’ll still be on IW so when members are complaining about the deer herd in general you and I will post ..... we told this was going to happen :cool:
 
I dont think the legislature can dictate season dates. That is at sole discretion of the DNR . Can someone confirm?

Good question, I know the legislature has tried to set turtle season dates. The legislature has been slowly taking away the Natural Recourses Commission's ability to make rules for the DNR to follow. The exception as I understand it is water fowl seasons. The feds have some say in those dates.
 
It's stupid to think ML's can shoot 500 yards, first off.... Rifles can't even do that in a hunting situation....That being said rifles will ruin what you have in Iowa. If it's open for a long time, it will give every jackass a chance to fill their grandmothers tags, then their wives tags, then aunties tags etc, till all the big bucks are gone. The good thing is it will make the non residents not want to come, and pretty soon you'll have the state to yourselves again to shoot dink bucks...
 
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