A bill in the Illinois House to allow deer hunting by airgun!

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http://ilga.gov/legislation/BillStatus.asp?DocTypeID=HB&DocNum=2410&GAID=14&SessionID=91&LegID=103108

[Tater]

Very cool. This kind of limits it it though:

"a person may take deer with a .45 caliber or larger air-powered gun."

[mobilemail]

Very cool. This kind of limits it it though:

"a person may take deer with a .45 caliber or larger air-powered gun."

Yes, but I don't think it's an irresponsible limit, just a poorly implemented one. I would rather have it written as "500 ft-lbs" than tying it to caliber. 500fpe is the minimum for handgun deer hunting in IL, so I think it would make a good starting point for getting an airgun bill to pass.

[Matt15]

WOW!! That is so awesome!! 

[anti-squirrel]

Very cool. This kind of limits it it though:

"a person may take deer with a .45 caliber or larger air-powered gun."

Yes, but I don't think it's an irresponsible limit, just a poorly implemented one. I would rather have it written as "500 ft-lbs" than tying it to caliber. 500fpe is the minimum for handgun deer hunting in IL, so I think it would make a good starting point for getting an airgun bill to pass.

I actually think they did the right thing- is it ideal?  No, but...

This ensures legislation allowing a larger-bore airbow still will be allowed once legislation catches up.  Especially since in most states, a 40-pound draw bow can be used to harvest deer.  Translate a 40 pound bow with a typical 10-grain-per-pound arrow...  That means much lighter tackle and energies for harvesting deer using so-called primitive methods.  Now equivocate to an airbow...  Large-bore ensures appropriately-sized equipment (better overkill than underkill)

It also ensures Johnny Nitro-Piston with his 1400 FPS (with PBA AMMO!) gas-piston rifle doesn't go "deer hunting" with his latest .25 caliber "big bore" springer ... with enough margin of error to set a firm foot that NO springer can be used.

In other words, it's a step in the right direction.  Perfect?  No, but it does set an expectation, as well as opening the door to ensure the bottom-feeding public that like to bend rules don't go out deer hunting with under-sized equipment.

[mobilemail]

You got it! In Illinois, we take what we can get!

[Matt15]

I like the .45 cal limit and not the FPE limit because a person can still use a .45 cal dragon claw that puts out 230 FPE.