Originally Posted By: gman2153Originally Posted By: sully2 Why does the state of PA not allow ANY semi auto to be used afield..??
Quite frankly, I am glad they are not allowed in Pa and I would be one of the first to voice my opinion against their use for hunting purposes if the PGC asked for public opinion toward a rule change.
Way too many FOOLS wandering around that don't have the common sense to properly ID their target before pulling the trigger.
At the risk of sounding unlike the Constitutionalist I like to think I am, and having grown up in PA, I can understand gman's skepticism on the use of semi-rifle in PA for hunting purposes. Pahntr760, I know from your avatar that you lived here too, and you may disagree, and that's fine. First, we have a LONG history of no semi-rifles to hunt big game here. Always been that way for generations, so no biggie, we never have had them anyhow. Not a big deal to most of us anyhow, esp. when the Remington 760 is basically the state rifle along side the Marlin 336 and the Winchester 94 - bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, etc., etc. - got some of each myself, and we can make 'em "glepper" as we say in PA Dutch. As I age, I'm impressed the number of people that come outta the woods after ringing off 5-20 shots grinning ear to ear maniacally like it was the greatest [beeep] thing that happened in their lives - I guarantee they never slobbered all over themselves like that the day of their wedding, the day their kids graduated, etc. Not everyone, granted, but enuf to leave a bad taste in my mouth. MANY are impressed with how many shots they can fling while they're SEEING what they THINK is a deer, and many never even follow up. Lots of shooting at moving brown patches in the woods or movement alone, wounded deer, lots of hunters, lots of shooting - it's the TRADITION. Yes, I'm getting to appreciate archery much more, and consider rifle seasonal social meat gathering and fireworks show.
I've hunted in a few other states, and nothing I've seen/heard compares to the absolute war of hundreds of shots being fired with high powered rifles in PA on the first morning of "deer" season in many areas. We have about 29 million total acres, and have hung around 1 million hunters out there the first day (lately been lower at around 800K+ I believe) - puts you somewhere around 1 hunter per 30 acres IN THE WHOLE STATE!! THAT DAY!!! And that doesn't take out all the cities, towns, highways, safety zones, rivers, lakes, posted land, etc. where you can't hunt. You can't move without seeing orange somewhere around you. Surprising that any deer make it thru alive, but we always have more next year. This is not like this everywhere, but is in many places. Since the implementation of antler restrictions (we now actually have to look a bit before pulling the trigger), that has been reduced significantly. But, more than once, I've had bullets dancing thru the leaves around me. Even pulled a stupid shot in my youth, somewhat becuz that's what I saw going on around me, and I just HAD to get a shot off at that deer that I could see. Now, for me, a box of shells lasts a few years, even with checking sight-in, and harvesting a few deer a year. I honestly feel that semi's for deer anyhow, would make this dangerous type of shooting "ethic" possibly worse.
Would I say that we shouldn't have any semi's for hunting big game in PA for perpetuity?? No, I think the problems that may arise would end up being policed so hard that we'd be afraid to fire more than one shot at a time. And as mentioned above, we seem to have accidental shootings every year (although more still die from heart attacks while hunting) - how this can happen when we have to be wearing 250 square inches of blaze orange at all times is beyond me. Hunting itself may take a negative shot in the arm in PA for awhile [beeep], and the public I'm fairly sure would be against it. [beeep], we're just getting seriously debating allowing hunting on Sundays - another long-standing PA tradition.
I agree other states have no real issue with using them for years, but I will state that in PA (Traditional!) it would take a near act of God and Congress to get there politically.
My sincerest apologies to the OP - I must say I have no experience with shooting coyotes with a shotgun period, but I'd go with what most of these guys say in general. Pattern it with an known, effective load, and go hunting within it's effective range.