el unit
Well-known member
No hunting on Sundays. I never understood that.
Pennsylvania Semi- Auto
- Thread starter MJE2083
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deer_shooter
Well-known member
There is a lot of opposition to Sunday hunting which I don't understand but you are correct, a lot of traditions here and many are adverse to change, even if the change would benefit them. When we adopted antler point restrictions years ago, the game biologist got death threats. Many are still salty over it and buy doe tags just to throw them away.
Gunner46
Well-known member
The PA semi auto law goes waaaayyyyy back. It was in place when my dad used to go there in the 60's. Has nothing to do with later legislation. Used to be .25 caliber or more too. They have just as much screwed up beer vs liquor vs wine laws too. It's ridiculous.
squirrel
Well-known member
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He was ahead of his time for that part of the world, in many camps you still have to spit after the mention of his name!! He told the yinzers the truth but they only heard the parts they wanted to hear, not an uncommon human trait...
My 91 yr old Daddy can barely totter around, but his land will be posted up tight if Sunday hunting goes through. Endless lobbying by his kids never worked but that would do it!
I got a chuckle when gay marriage was legal in a state where shooting a bunny on Sunday goes against God's word... It's a unique place!
I deal with the general public on a daily basis and I can tell you, people in general are pretty dimwitted. My only concern with permitting semi-auto rifles is the fact that we have a hunter density of 20.5 hunters per square mile and I don't hold much stock in trusting others with ensuring every single one of those bullets have a safe backstop.
squirrel
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Agreed, most rural homes have bullets in the walls already, and there would be substantial numbers of townships pushing for inclusion into the shotgun only regs based on the perception that Rambo is out there spraying lead indiscriminately from black rifles (scary ones)
squirrel
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I'm guessing you also watch TV on Sundays, listen to non-religious music on the radio on Sundays, maybe even go to the store on Sundays... (you lowly sinner!) All are "forbidden" frowned on/banned, take your pick in certain faiths/cultures centered in rural PA. It is a unique place.
In my families camp if you brought a non-lever gun you had to leave it in the car outside... tradition started 2 generations before I was invited, still in effect... but damned if that rack did not have some beautiful vintage Savage 99's all in 250-3000!
Tartan
New member
Glad to hear this. Particularly for small game and varmints. I could go either way for deer personally, but I wouldn't fault anybody for wanting to use one.
I hope Sunday hunting gets implemented too. The guys I grew up hunting with were all very blue collar. Adding to the freezer was vitally important to provide for their families. Sunday hunting would essentially double the amount of time they could get out in the woods.
As for the antler point restrictions, I would hope that people can actually see the improvements it made. When I started hunting in '97, it was nothing to see 30+ deer on opening day of buck season in the mountains (allegheny national forest). Does everywhere, but you were lucky to even see a spike.
Antler restrictions came and so did a very liberal doe season for several years. It was not uncommon for us to go 8 for 8 on does opening day of the season. So yes, the deer population decreased, but it is much more balanced now (at least in the area that we hunt). With the lower population and better ratios, we've been seeing very nice bucks the last 5 years or so. It took a while to sort itself out, but in my opinion it is much better. We still see deer every time we're out. Just have to hunt like Randy does. Get away from the crowds and hunt the nasty stuff nobody else wants to. There's a lot of orange out there, but you can learn to use them to lead the deer to you.
Can't complain about Pa public land whitetails like the ones below.
I hope Sunday hunting gets implemented too. The guys I grew up hunting with were all very blue collar. Adding to the freezer was vitally important to provide for their families. Sunday hunting would essentially double the amount of time they could get out in the woods.
As for the antler point restrictions, I would hope that people can actually see the improvements it made. When I started hunting in '97, it was nothing to see 30+ deer on opening day of buck season in the mountains (allegheny national forest). Does everywhere, but you were lucky to even see a spike.
Antler restrictions came and so did a very liberal doe season for several years. It was not uncommon for us to go 8 for 8 on does opening day of the season. So yes, the deer population decreased, but it is much more balanced now (at least in the area that we hunt). With the lower population and better ratios, we've been seeing very nice bucks the last 5 years or so. It took a while to sort itself out, but in my opinion it is much better. We still see deer every time we're out. Just have to hunt like Randy does. Get away from the crowds and hunt the nasty stuff nobody else wants to. There's a lot of orange out there, but you can learn to use them to lead the deer to you.
Can't complain about Pa public land whitetails like the ones below.
LCH
Well-known member
I enjoy hunting with a semi-auto, same as I do with my bolt-action, single-shots, and pump-actions.
Anyone who questions the merits of a semi-auto for hunting has likely never had a sounder of hogs break all around you in thick brush..
Anyone who questions the merits of a semi-auto for hunting has likely never had a sounder of hogs break all around you in thick brush..
MJE2083
Well-known member
Glad to hear this. Particularly for small game and varmints. I could go either way for deer personally, but I wouldn't fault anybody for wanting to use one.
I hope Sunday hunting gets implemented too. The guys I grew up hunting with were all very blue collar. Adding to the freezer was vitally important to provide for their families. Sunday hunting would essentially double the amount of time they could get out in the woods.
As for the antler point restrictions, I would hope that people can actually see the improvements it made. When I started hunting in '97, it was nothing to see 30+ deer on opening day of buck season in the mountains (allegheny national forest). Does everywhere, but you were lucky to even see a spike.
Antler restrictions came and so did a very liberal doe season for several years. It was not uncommon for us to go 8 for 8 on does opening day of the season. So yes, the deer population decreased, but it is much more balanced now (at least in the area that we hunt). With the lower population and better ratios, we've been seeing very nice bucks the last 5 years or so. It took a while to sort itself out, but in my opinion it is much better. We still see deer every time we're out. Just have to hunt like Randy does. Get away from the crowds and hunt the nasty stuff nobody else wants to. There's a lot of orange out there, but you can learn to use them to lead the deer to you.
Can't complain about Pa public land whitetails like the ones below.
Those against antler restrictions have now morphed their arguement into "game commission is killing all the does". It's a purely selfish, greed, simple minded mentality. IMO they have little regard for the environment, a healthy deer herd, carrying capacity, or any other scientific issue. It's their god given right(but not in Sunday) to see as many deer per day as possible regardless of the quality. What's funny to me is that I see parallels with climate change deniers. They have their little groups and somehow one of them is a wildlife biologist who knows much more than anyone working for the game commission / USFWS / Public Universities, etc...
My wife is from PA (Tioga county), and I think I'd go insane living back there with all the goofy laws, and not just the hunting ones.
Her family deer hunts, and you can really see how the bucks are getting bigger out there by what they're killing the past few years. But even I notice that the number of deer is way down since my first trip there in 1998.
Her family deer hunts, and you can really see how the bucks are getting bigger out there by what they're killing the past few years. But even I notice that the number of deer is way down since my first trip there in 1998.
tim629
Active member
i must say i'm probably one of the oddballs:
I can see the use for a semi-auto rifle while coyote hunting in PA, other than that I get nervous as it is with the proximity to houses that you often don't see until you are close and the hunter density
Sunday hunting- quite a bit of the state shuts down work/school at least the first day of deer season if not two days. I moved to NY and actually wish that sunday hunting WASN'T legal here so we could ride our horses through the 6 weeks or so of rifle season or take our dogs for walks out in the woods.
depending upon how the semi-auto bill reads, i think more land will get posted, and if they go to a sunday hunting option too I think schools will not have off, businesses will not close, and you will see even more posted signs going up. so if they stick with traditional opening day monday after thanksgiving but you are forced to work that day because you can hunt the following sunday even if the season stays open for one extra day on the last weekend you gain 1 day of rifle season? doesn't sound worth it to me, safe up a vacation day or take an unpaid day off work and go hunt if you want
I can see the use for a semi-auto rifle while coyote hunting in PA, other than that I get nervous as it is with the proximity to houses that you often don't see until you are close and the hunter density
Sunday hunting- quite a bit of the state shuts down work/school at least the first day of deer season if not two days. I moved to NY and actually wish that sunday hunting WASN'T legal here so we could ride our horses through the 6 weeks or so of rifle season or take our dogs for walks out in the woods.
depending upon how the semi-auto bill reads, i think more land will get posted, and if they go to a sunday hunting option too I think schools will not have off, businesses will not close, and you will see even more posted signs going up. so if they stick with traditional opening day monday after thanksgiving but you are forced to work that day because you can hunt the following sunday even if the season stays open for one extra day on the last weekend you gain 1 day of rifle season? doesn't sound worth it to me, safe up a vacation day or take an unpaid day off work and go hunt if you want
pointingdogsrule
Well-known member
"I believe" that this article is "very poorly written". I grew up in PA. and used a semi-auto shotgun for small game and a semi-auto marlin .22 for squirrel. Unless I read the regulations wrong back in 1974... they were legal???? Maybe I am wrong?
good luck to all
the dog
good luck to all
the dog
MJE2083
Well-known member
semi-auto shotgun is legal but semi-auto 22 is not. I'm not sure what the laws were in the 70's but I know they haven't been legal since I started hunting in the 80's.
VAspeedgoat
Well-known member
I'm glad that semi autos are legal, maybe someone would want to sell their 35 rem carbine 7600 to upgrade!
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