# Special Handgun Season



## Bear10 (Oct 12, 2021)

I don’t hunt with a handgun on a regular basis but I would like to see a special season for them, similar to muzzleloading and bow. I wouldn’t mind if they could be used during the week of primitive weapon or even a special week for handguns only, after the regular gun season closes. My child can hunt with a high power center fire rifle during primitive weapons season, so I wouldn’t mind seeing some special regulations for handguns as I believe it would motivate more hunters to use handguns.


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## JustUs4All (Oct 12, 2021)

I do not agree.  We have enough special stuff now and do not need more.  I actually believe we should do away with some of the other special stuff.


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## mallardsx2 (Oct 12, 2021)

Sure, I'll compromise, lets make the first month of gun season statewide open sight handguns only.


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## LONGTOM (Oct 12, 2021)

and do away with modern muzzleloaders in primitive weapons season


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## Nicodemus (Oct 12, 2021)

It`s simple, hunt with your handguns during the regular season. Many of us hunt with our real muzzleloaders during the regular rifle season.


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## specialk (Oct 12, 2021)

I got the best compromise....allow them to be used at night the week before season opens!


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## Bear10 (Oct 12, 2021)

JustUs4All said:


> I do not agree.  We have enough special stuff now and do not need more.  I actually believe we should do away with some of the other special stuff.


I believe some of the special stuff you're referring to has help create new outdoorsmen & conservationist through added seasons. If we start taking away opportunities, eventually the future outdoorsman will not have the opportunities to learn & experience the freedoms we have today. I'm for all of our children & children's children having every opportunity to enjoy the outdoors & keep age old traditions alive.


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## Bear10 (Oct 12, 2021)

LONGTOM said:


> and do away with modern muzzleloaders in primitive weapons season


Should we do away with compound bows & crossbows during primitive weapon season too?


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## transfixer (Oct 12, 2021)

If you want to hunt with handgun , hunt with a handgun instead of a rifle during regular season,  we have enough special seasons as it is,,,primitive weapons season is a joke anyway,, nothing about modern muzzle loaders is primtive now,, pyrodex, inline this, shotgun primer,, scopes,,  ridiculous !  and the current crop of crossbows are as deadly as a rifle within 100yds,, not exactly what I would call archery


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## JustUs4All (Oct 12, 2021)

Bear10 said:


> I believe some of the special stuff you're referring to has help create new outdoorsmen & conservationist through added seasons. If we start taking away opportunities, eventually the future outdoorsman will not have the opportunities to learn & experience the freedoms we have today. I'm for all of our children & children's children having every opportunity to enjoy the outdoors & keep age old traditions alive.



I understand your position and agree that it is a good thing to allow opportunity for kids to be in the woods but disagree that it can't be accomplished in the regular season.


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## DAVE (Oct 12, 2021)

Ga. already has a handgun season. It is called muzzle loader season where you can use a muzzle loading pistol and then you have regular firearms season where you can use modern hand guns or front loaders. Those are pretty special seasons seeing they last about 4 months.


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## Bear10 (Oct 12, 2021)

transfixer said:


> If you want to hunt with handgun , hunt with a handgun instead of a rifle during regular season,  we have enough special seasons as it is,,,primitive weapons season is a joke anyway,, nothing about modern muzzle loaders is primtive now,, pyrodex, inline this, shotgun primer,, scopes,,  ridiculous !  and the current crop of crossbows are as deadly as a rifle within 100yds,, not exactly what I would call archery


I agree with some of your statement as primitive weapons have definitely improved tremendously and I wouldn’t have a problem if they regulated the type of muzzleloader & bows we can use during that special season, as I would definitely use my Hawken, but I also want to use the most efficient legal weapon possible to help make an ethical kill as I feel I owe it to the animal I’m hunting. A lot of people will take a shot with a weapon that’s not suited for the situation unfortunately and I hate to hear about a wounded animal that wasn’t found after the shot.


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## Bear10 (Oct 12, 2021)

JustUs4All said:


> I understand your position and agree that it is a good thing to allow opportunity for kids to be in the woods but disagree that it can't be accomplished in the regular season.


You can accomplish it during the regular season, I’m just trying to think outside the box of ways to get more people interested in handgun hunting. I’m going to introduce my daughter to it this year during the regular season as long as I feel she is able do it correctly, hopefully I will be posting a pic for y’all with her first handgun deer or whatever animal she kills legally.


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## WoodlandScout82 (Oct 12, 2021)

I spent 2 of the 4 day WMA early firearm hunt with my handgun. I in no way felt at a disadvantage to a rifle. I let a small bear walk in hopes I would see the big boar I saw opening day of archery. Practice with your handgun and you don't need a special season. I honestly feel that a proper handgun is already an advantage due to portability.?


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## gawildlife (Oct 12, 2021)

Good Lord, NO!

Half the bubbas out there can't shoot straight with a full stock and moon scope.


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## gawildlife (Oct 12, 2021)

BTW what exactly is a handgun?

A hip carried revolver or self loader? A sawed off rifle aka piffle? A braced AR/AK? A mare's leg?


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## lampern (Oct 12, 2021)

gawildlife said:


> BTW what exactly is a handgun?
> 
> A hip carried revolver or self loader? A sawed off rifle aka piffle? A braced AR/AK? A mare's leg?



How about a definition from Montana?



> Traditional Handguns
> • Are not capable of being shoulder mounted;
> • Have a barrel length of less than 10 ½ inches;
> • Chamber only a straight wall cartridge, not originally developed for rifles.



Just allow them during the 'primitive weapons' season


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## rosewood (Oct 18, 2021)

I do hunt with a handgun sometimes and really enjoy it.  That being said, killing a deer with a handgun is no easy feat.  To make an accurate shot, you need to have a good rest and a lot of practice.  At least with a muzzle loader the accuracy and ease of being accurate is pretty close to a standard center fire rifle.  Creating a season that encourages folks to try something that is difficult would likely end up with more wounded deer.  Although, allowing it during Muzzle loader season might be doable.  It could be Primitive Weapon/Handgun week.  

Rosewood


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## rosewood (Oct 18, 2021)

Even though some may think Archery season has gone beyond the intent with modern equipment, it is still a month of quite in the woods.  Killing a deer with archery still takes a lot of stealth for the most part and without all the noise, it keeps the deer from being so skittish.  So this is an advantage for those that wish to hunt with a recurve or a super duper high velocity crossbow.  One hunter doesn't really affect the others ability.

Same goes for Primitive Weapon.  It cuts down on the hunter activity in the woods and those that wish to hunt with a Brown Bess (lord I hope not) or a Hawken, they still get the advantage of less hunters in the woods.  You can still hunt with these same weapons during gun season if you choose, but with more woods disturbance going on.

Opening day of Front Stuffer, I heard 2 shots I think, would have been 3, but I let him walk.  Opening day of Rifle, I heard 8, which was surprisingly low compared to the usual 15-20 I hear.  Could have been 9, but I let that one walk also.

Didn't hear a single shot during archery season.   But that is because the stupid hogs wouldn't come out while I was there...

Rosewood


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## Ruger#3 (Oct 18, 2021)

Yep, go ahead take it out of the last few weeks of small game season left, which is how most of us got started hunting. Keep driving the nails in that coffin.

The brush goat crowd won’t be happy until there is nothing left but specialty deer seasons. How hard is it to leave your rifle at home and take your pistol.


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## rosewood (Oct 18, 2021)

gawildlife said:


> BTW what exactly is a handgun?
> 
> A hip carried revolver or self loader? A sawed off rifle aka piffle? A braced AR/AK? A mare's leg?



The safest definition to add to Muzzleloader season would probably be a single shot.  That would rule out the AR-15s, but also would rule out the revolvers, so maybe the rule would need to be more complex.  Revolvers and single shots only??

Rosewood


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## rosewood (Oct 18, 2021)

Ruger#3 said:


> Yep, go ahead take it out of the last few weeks of small game season left, which is how most of us got started hunting. Keep driving the nails in that coffin.
> 
> The brush goat crowd won’t be happy until there is nothing left but specialty deer seasons. How hard is it to leave your rifle at home and take your pistol.



Doesn't small game season last thru and past deer season?


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## Ruger#3 (Oct 18, 2021)

rosewood said:


> Doesn't small game season last thru deer season?



I deer hunt as well and most don’t appreciate you running dogs around their stand. I personally dont want my dogs in the woods with deer hunters.


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## gawildlife (Oct 18, 2021)

Deer hunters will be the death of hunting.


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## Jim Boyd (Oct 26, 2021)

transfixer said:


> and the current crop of crossbows are as deadly as a rifle within 100yds,, not exactly what I would call archery



I sincerely hope you are kidding, sir. 

We can easily drop a 140 gr bullet at 2800 in an inch square. And drop them where they stand. 

No real concern about wind. 

No tracking. 

No worry about broadhead performance. 

No concerns about skeletal construction. 

No concerns about an ethical shot - trying to shoot an arrow 100 yards. 

No worry about the deer jumping or ducking. 


I consider myself a fairly ethical hunter and I shoot a decent crossbow (380 fps reported) and I limit my shots to 30-35 yards.


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## Big7 (Oct 26, 2021)

JustUs4All said:


> I do not agree.  We have enough special stuff now and do not need more.  I actually believe we should do away with ALL of the other special stuff.



FIFY.

The start and stop should be the same for EVERYONE in a given location.

Dead is dead.
Doesn't matter if you use a river stone or hand grenade. The same rules should apply.


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## transfixer (Oct 27, 2021)

Jim Boyd said:


> I sincerely hope you are kidding, sir.
> 
> We can easily drop a 140 gr bullet at 2800 in an inch square. And drop them where they stand.
> 
> ...



  I didn't mean it literally the same,  but they have some xbows now in the 400+fps range,, and I've seen videos of guys making hits at 100yds and better on targets,,  todays xbows take almost all of the estimating and instinct out of archery .   I too have a self imposed limit of 35-40 yds,  don't use mechanical broadheads because of them not being 100% reliable,  and my xbow also runs 350fps or more if I'm shooting lightweight bolts


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## 660griz (Oct 27, 2021)

Handguns are not limited to handgun ammo.


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## 1eyefishing (Oct 27, 2021)

Georgia has plenty enough deer season to kill a deer anyway you want to.


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## rosewood (Oct 27, 2021)

660griz said:


> Handguns are not limited to handgun ammo.


Yep, I have .270, 7-08, 7-30 waters and 35 rem in handgun configurations.   Can really reach out and touch with a steady rest.


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## Jim Boyd (Oct 27, 2021)

transfixer said:


> I didn't mean it literally the same,  but they have some xbows now in the 400+fps range,, and I've seen videos of guys making hits at 100yds and better on targets,,  todays xbows take almost all of the estimating and instinct out of archery .   I too have a self imposed limit of 35-40 yds,  don't use mechanical broadheads because of them not being 100% reliable,  and my xbow also runs 350fps or more if I'm shooting lightweight bolts



Great reply, sir.  

There are a great many genies that are not going back into the bottle and this is likely one of them. 

I am sure deer have been killed at 100 yards with a cross bow but they have also been killed at 700 yards with a centerfire. 

I can’t do either one!!!


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## rosewood (Oct 27, 2021)

transfixer said:


> todays xbows take almost all of the estimating and instinct out of archery .



Hopefully, this means less wounded deer.


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## jbogg (Oct 27, 2021)

transfixer said:


> I didn't mean it literally the same,  but they have some xbows now in the 400+fps range,, and I've seen videos of guys making hits at 100yds and better on targets,,  todays xbows take almost all of the estimating and instinct out of archery .   I too have a self imposed limit of 35-40 yds,  don't use mechanical broadheads because of them not being 100% reliable,  and my xbow also runs 350fps or more if I'm shooting lightweight bolts



I don’t understand how crossbows Have taken the estimating out of archery. I still use the same rangefinder with my crossbow that I used with my vertical wheel bow. If I mistakenly use the 40 yard increment on my crossbow scope when the animal is standing at 20 Yds I will likely shoot over its back just as I would have if I had used my 40 yard pin on my vertical bow. I guess I’m having a hard time seeing the distinction.  Also, I’ve shot mechanical heads for 25 years and have found most brands to be extremely reliable. I think they get a bad rap from some archers who are not able to put the arrow where it needs to go.


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## rosewood (Oct 27, 2021)

jbogg said:


> I don’t understand how crossbows Have taken the estimating out of archery. I still use the same rangefinder with my crossbow that I used with my vertical wheel bow. If I mistakenly use the 40 yard increment on my crossbow scope when the animal is standing at 20 Yds I will likely shoot over its back just as I would have if I had used my 40 yard pin on my vertical bow. I guess I’m having a hard time seeing the distinction.  Also, I’ve shot mechanical heads for 25 years and have found most brands to be extremely reliable. I think they get a bad rap from some archers who are not able to put the arrow where it needs to go.




This is a good point, but it definitely makes it easier for novices to be accurate.


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## frankwright (Oct 27, 2021)

I handgun hunt a lot but do not see the need for a special season.
I would like to see a "Handgun" category in the GON Big Buck Contest!


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## Throwback (Oct 28, 2021)

I thought legalizing bait was gonna fix all these problems?


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## C.Killmaster (Oct 28, 2021)

transfixer said:


> I didn't mean it literally the same,  but they have some xbows now in the 400+fps range,, and I've seen videos of guys making hits at 100yds and better on targets,,  todays xbows take almost all of the estimating and instinct out of archery .   I too have a self imposed limit of 35-40 yds,  don't use mechanical broadheads because of them not being 100% reliable,  and my xbow also runs 350fps or more if I'm shooting lightweight bolts



Just because a crossbow can accurately hit a target at 100 yards doesn't mean you can reliably kill a deer with it.  They will jump the string and have plenty of time to do it at 100 yards.


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## rosewood (Oct 29, 2021)

C.Killmaster said:


> Just because a crossbow can accurately hit a target at 100 yards doesn't mean you can reliably kill a deer with it.  They will jump the string and have plenty of time to do it at 100 yards.


Yep.

Never seen a deer jump a primer...

Rosewood


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## transfixer (Oct 29, 2021)

C.Killmaster said:


> Just because a crossbow can accurately hit a target at 100 yards doesn't mean you can reliably kill a deer with it.  They will jump the string and have plenty of time to do it at 100 yards.



  I realize that of course,  I was simply trying to point out that a crossbow makes it a whole lot easier for someone to harvest a deer without putting in a lot of time on practice and technique,,  I've killed deer with a compound bow in the past, even one of the very first compound bows which are antique compared to current ones,, but I had to practice constantly back then to stay proficient. and even then a lot of factors would skew the shot. 

   Sorry to say I don't practice much with my xbow but yet I can still take it out of the case and hit the bullseye the first shot ,  I could never do that with any of my compound regular bows


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## 660griz (Oct 29, 2021)

rosewood said:


> Yep.
> 
> Never seen a deer jump a primer...
> 
> Rosewood


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## rosewood (Oct 29, 2021)

transfixer said:


> I realize that of course,  I was simply trying to point out that a crossbow makes it a whole lot easier for someone to harvest a deer without putting in a lot of time on practice and technique,,



Is practice and technique necessary for a successful hunt?  I guess if you are trying to be "traditional" maybe so or if you feel more fulfilled by it.  I believe any technology that aids in a successful ethical kill is a good thing.

Anything that gets more folks involved in hunting is a win win for all of us.

Crossbow may be "easier", but it is virtually a single shot.  A vertical bow is much quicker for follow up shots and still has its advantages.

Rosewood


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## transfixer (Oct 29, 2021)

rosewood said:


> Is practice and technique necessary for a successful hunt?  I guess if you are trying to be "traditional" maybe so or if you feel more fulfilled by it.  I believe any technology that aids in a successful ethical kill is a good thing.
> 
> Anything that gets more folks involved in hunting is a win win for all of us.
> 
> ...



   For me practice and technique was important with a regular compound,, if I torqued my hand after I released the arrow it would effect the shot, how I released the shot,  where I indexed my release hand on each shot,, etc,etc,, 

   Compounds were faster to get another shot,  when I first started hunting with a compound in the early 80's I shot at one doe 3 times,,  never did hit her.   Couldn't do that with an xbow for sure,, but likely wouldn't need to either


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## jbogg (Oct 29, 2021)

transfixer said:


> I realize that of course,  I was simply trying to point out that a crossbow makes it a whole lot easier for someone to harvest a deer without putting in a lot of time on practice and technique,,  I've killed deer with a compound bow in the past, even one of the very first compound bows which are antique compared to current ones,, but I had to practice constantly back then to stay proficient. and even then a lot of factors would skew the shot.
> 
> Sorry to say I don't practice much with my xbow but yet I can still take it out of the case and hit the bullseye the first shot ,  I could never do that with any of my compound regular bows



I hunted with a compound for over 20 years starting in 1990, and then with a crossbow for the last seven or eight years. I will agree with you that a crossbow does not require a lot of practice When shooting at close range, but I would say the same thing about a compound. With expensive stabilizers, sights, releases and rangefinders I would usually pull my compound out of the bow case a week or two before the season started and I was shooting tennis ball size groups out to 30 yards in no time.  There are plenty of guys out west in that open country shooting impressive groups with compounds out to 100 yards.

It’s one thing to shoot 100 yard groups with a crossbow from a bench rest, but it’s quite another to try and shoot Accurately while suspended from a tether in a tree saddle while facing the tree in a hunting situation. I feel confident with my crossbow out to 30 or 35 yards. Much beyond that and my groups open up a lot when shooting free hand While hanging in a saddle.  Sounds like I need more practice.


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## rosewood (Oct 29, 2021)

jbogg said:


> but it’s quite another to try and shoot Accurately while suspended from a tether in a tree saddle while facing the tree in a hunting situation.



With a moving target to boot.


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## transfixer (Oct 29, 2021)

As I mentioned before.. my self imposed limit is 35-40 yards with a crossbow ..and that is out of a box stand with a stable rest or a climber with rails.... I would never shoot at a deer 75 or 100 yds away with one.. even though I could prbly hit it.. to me xbows just allow you to be more accurate with less variables that might affect the shot..  others might be that accurate with a compound?  but I never was


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## rosewood (Oct 29, 2021)

I have a roof over my primary stand on the hunting property.  With a vertical bow, I had to fold the roof back so I wouldn't hit the roof with it.  Was glad when I went to the crossbow and found that it was much like a rifle and I could leave my roof in place. 

Rosewood


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## Wifeshusband (Oct 29, 2021)

I was all in favor of a primitive weapons season decades ago when I had a 50 caliber Hawken. Then fellows came along with the modern pellet "muzzle loaders," that shot like modern rifles. So much for the word "primitive."


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